Bouncing at the Academy; REVIEWS: The Flaming Lips O2 BIRMINGHAM ACADEMY.

Byline: PAUL SUART

ONLY singer Wayne Coyne can emerge from a multi-coloured Cathrine Wheel backdrop in a giant bubble.

The Lips launched into A Race For The Prize but only once he had bounced himself back on stage following two lengths of the entire hall.

With a new album in tow you might expect the band to lean heavily on their current LP.

But, possibly buoyed by this being the last stop in their UK tour, it turned out to be a collection of greatest hits.

And with a dozen albums spanning more than 23 years to select from, they were never going to be short of picks.

A stripped down The Fight Test, Convinced By The Hex, The WAND and Yoshimi... all came before the glorious Do You Realize wrapped things up.

VERDICT: HHHHI PAUL SUART