WITH aliens, spacemen and giant plastic hands at their disposal, The Flaming Lips proved once again that they are the masters of the live show with a storming set at the O2 Wireless Festival in Hyde Park on Friday.

Joined by more than 20 "stage aids", Wayne Coyne and his band of Oklahoma misfits even found time to play a rendition of the Queen classic Bohemian Rhapsody, which topped UK charts in 1975 for a then record nine consecutive weeks.

Before launching into the operatic masterpiece, singer Coyne told the thousands watching: "We were told not to play this if the football World Cup wasn't going well. But because it is, we're gonna play it."

Superman and Santa completed the on-stage antics, as massive inflatable balls and showers of multi-coloured ticker-tape rained down on the expectant crowd.

In blazing temperatures, The Flaming Lips played hits from The Soft Bulletin as well as tracks from new album At War With The Mystics, but the highlight of the set was the heart-swellingly poignant Do You Realise, taken from album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.

Joyous, uplifting and perfect for a festival afternoon, the thrill of the crowd was palpable as the enigmatic frontman sang lines like: "Do you realise / That everyone you know, one day, will die."

Joining The Flaming Lips at the festival on Friday was hip-hop producer extraordinaire DJ Shadow, whose show was so popular people were even queueing outside the XFM tent to see the turntable demi-god spin the wheels of steel.

The applause and shrieks of unabated joy was deafening as the opening refrain of Organ Donor the last song in the set taken from the groundbreaking album Entroducing wafted its way across the pulsating dancefloor, with the reaction even surprising the main man himself.

Pharrell and Gnarls Barkley graced the main stage earlier in the day with beatbox stylist Killa Kela making an impromptu appearance, before Massive Attack brought the day to a close with a stunning "best of" set.

Hits like Teardrop, Protection, and Safe From Harm, created a real 90s feel, reminding everyone how unsurpassable and essential the kings of Bristolian chill-out music still are.

By far the best day of the whole event, Friday's strongly retrospective feel blended the old with the new, and despite the excessive corporatisation, it was the pedigree of the bands that made this one of the best days of the summer so far.