I first encountered They Might Be Giants in 1989. Their track ‘Ana Ng’ was featured on the compilation album Indie Top 20 Volume 7. It grabbed my attention, and before I knew it, I was buying their second album, Lincoln, on imported vinyl, which featured the aforementioned song. From that point on, I was a fan.
Roll on 35 years, and I am entering Boiler Shop in Newcastle upon Tyne to see the duo of John Linnell and John Flansburgh, aka They Might Be Giants, supported by their trusty band. This time, they are bolstered by a horn section, which ties in nicely with the release of their latest live album, Beast Of Horns. It is a compilation of tracks recorded during 2022 and 2023 spotlighting songs that feature the Triceratops Horns, who started touring with the band full-time in ’22.
It is at this point that I need to confess. Despite following the band for three and a half decades, I have never seen them perform live. I know I know… call myself a fan?! The stars never aligned. This gig was due in 2023, but the band had to postpone the tour. At that point, I did wonder whether I’d ever get to see them play. So, tonight was the night I would pop my They Might Be Giants cherry. Would it live up to my long-held expectations? Or would I walk away disappointed?
The band are playing their 1990 album, Flood, in full on this tour. Instead of playing it from start to finish, they have split the album up and mixed it up with other songs from their very extensive back catalogue. The album, their first for a major label, was a breakthrough for the band, giving them a UK Top 20 album and a gold disc to boot.
The band appeared on the stage, introduced by the song ‘They Might Be Giants’ paired with a quirky animation to huge applause. We were only two songs in when the first of the Flood songs appeared, ‘Particle Man’. The crowd reacted accordingly with great excitement and plenty of cheers. It is always helpful to get the audience onside early. I was pleased when ‘Snail Shell’ appeared next as it nicely contrasted the band’s musical styles. After the bouncy whimsy of ‘Particle Man’, we are thrown into the full-on loud rock mode of ‘Snail Shell’. Versatility is certainly a strength for They Might Be Giants.
‘Twisting’ got the crowd into boogie mode, some achieving this more easily than others. The phrase “dance like no one is watching” was certainly relevant here. This is not a criticism, as my dance moves affront anyone who witnesses them. It’s merely an observation. One of the finest tracks on Flood, ‘Your Racist Friend’, was very warmly received by the crowd before Flansburgh went spiralling around the stage singing ‘Let Me Tell You About My Operation’.
One thing the two Johns do well is banter between themselves and the audience, as you may expect from a band that has written songs about love and death, spiders, photosynthesis and dinosaurs, and even Belgium’s favourite painter, James Ensor. It all adds to the jovial atmosphere, which swirls around the venue like nitrous oxide. There is a real sense of happiness in the room.
On the day Donald Trump was officially announced as the next President of the United States of America, John Linnell briefly commented on how sometimes mistakes are made, but recovery will follow, and we all move on. This led to their great song, ‘James K. Polk,’ which is about the 11th US President. This has always been one of my favourite They Might Be Giants tracks, so I was chuffed to hear it live.
Then we moved into proper weird shit territory. Flansburgh threw down the gauntlet to bands such as The Pixies and Depeche Mode, who performed albums on tour in full, to take up the challenge of doing something different. Considering They Might Be Giants have often done things differently, I wondered where this was heading.
We were presented with ‘Stellub’, the song ‘Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love’ performed sonically in reverse. Just think about that for a moment. The band played the music backwards, and the two John’s sang the words backwards. As you would expect, it sounded very odd indeed. Welcome to the world of They Might Be Giants! The track was recorded and filmed and was played back in reverse on the screen at the back of the stage. While it doesn’t sound identical to the original song, they get very close. It was a superb effort and a truly unique live experience. What a way to open the second set! Before the track was shown to the crowd, we were treated to another idiosyncratic animation to accompany the track ‘Hearing Aid’.
Due to Flansburgh playing the wrong note at the end of ‘Minimum Wage’, he requested they play it again. Good job it is only about 45 seconds long. Talk about perfectionism. There was also a threat to play it a third time in a ‘swing’ style, which I would have loved to have heard. I like offbeat stuff; what can I say? Instead, they launched into ‘We Want a Rock’, the twelfth of the nineteen tracks from Flood to be played this evening.
The song ‘Whistling in the Dark’ always makes me giggle. Whilst the phrase usually means being brave and remaining optimistic in the face of adversity, which is the song’s intention, it can also mean performing oral sex on a woman. If you think of it this way, it makes the song a very different proposition! I grew up on Carry On movies, Rik and Ade, and Finbarr Saunders in Viz, so schoolboy toilet humour and double-entendres are in my DNA now. As I scanned the faces of the sell-out crowd, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Whether they were singing along with gusto, having a little dance or their eyes transfixed on the stage, absorbing every last second of the show, everyone appeared upbeat and cheerful. It sounds strange, but I found it uplifting and a little emotional.
After bouncing around the years performing old and more recent songs, we ended the second set with their most successful single, ‘Birdhouse in Your Soul’, also from Flood. Reaching number six in the UK Singles Chart, it was many people’s first engagement with the band. Its popularity was apparent as the cheers and whoops that let rip around the Boiler Shop tested the secure status of the venue’s roof.
After the final two Flood songs were played in the encore, some started to leave—bad move. There was still one more song to come. The majority that had stayed put were treated to one more song, one of the most beloved They Might Be Giants songs amongst their wide fanbase. As the first couple of notes of ‘Doctor Worm’ rolled out from the stage, there was much whooping and hollering amongst the faithful. More bopping broke out, and people were bouncing about and having one last hoorah before the night’s festivities concluded. People had waited up to 21 months to see this performance, and wanted to milk every bit of goodness from the occasion. After playing for two hours, the band left the stage, and we filtered out into the night, grinning and feeling jolly.
Whilst the two Johns get the focus of attention, a massive shout-out must go to the rest of the band. The Triceratops Horns are entertaining and add a real depth to the live performance. Guitarist Dan Millar, bassist Danny Weinkauf and drummer Marty Beller all played their part superbly in making the night an absolute joy.
So, was it worth the 35-year wait? Oh, hell yeah! What a superb night. It wasn’t just a show; it was an experience. I loved hearing the band, but the feeling in the room also lifted the gig to beautiful heights. I’ve been to some gigs that have felt very transactional. This was not one of those occasions. I’ve rarely felt such a togetherness from an audience. The schoolmates from Lincoln, Massachusetts, have created something unique with their music and their engagement with their fans.
Although this tour is sold out bar a few remaining tickets for the Belfast show on November 8th, I recommend you try to see them if you can. Hopefully, they will come back to the UK and play the whole of their 1992 album, Apollo 18. Could you be tempted, Messrs. Linnell and Flansburgh?
Setlist
Set One
Synopsis for Latecomers
Particle Man
Snail Shell
Moonbeam Rays
Someone Keeps Moving My Chair
Twisting
Women & Men
Your Racist Friend
Let Me Tell You About My Operation
Underwater Woman
Lie Still, Little Bottle
James K. Polk
Stellub
Road Movie To Berlin
Brontosaurus
Set Two
Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love (Reversed Stellub)
Memo to Human Resources
Man, It’s So Loud in Here
Letterbox
Minimum Wage (performed twice)
We Want a Rock
Whistling in the Dark
Lucky Ball and Chain
The Darlings of Lumberland
When Will You Die
Hot Cha
Don’t Let’s Start
2082
Theme from Flood
Birdhouse in Your Soul
Encore One
Dead
Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
Encore Two
Doctor Worm
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