Eels were my highlight of this year’s little-trumpeted German Southside Festival (beating the Foos and Arcade Fire, oh yes.) Squished into the red tent with jumper down trousers and raincoat attached to wrist with a hair-bobble in order to affect 100% limb-mobility, I've never been so at peace next to some git taking up fan-space constructing a roll-up for the best part of 30 minutes. The chameleonic Eels line-up consisted of four guitars, drums and a satisfying fartery of brass, all members sporting matching ‘30s suits and super-beards. As happily expected,little appeared in its album-guise.For many bands,‘doing something new for the crowd’ means 'the acoustic bit' or a cover, whereas traditional 'E' proceedure is often total re-interpretation:'right,we're doing this as a sea shanty, that as a jive and this as folk-metal-afro.' And when the well-beloved is made new, so we adore it even more than before. (This rule does not apply to members of pop bands appearing in soaps.)