DEFTONES // 20/02/26 // THE O2 ARENA

There are some bands that are so influential that they should be seen purely for the fact that they are gracing an arena with their generational presence. Sometimes, the opportunity to see a band that has had such an impact on the scene comes to fruition - and when Deftones announced they'd be finishing their tour to promote their new album Private Music at the O2, it was a bit of a no brainer. Having been in the game for over 30 years, I knew when it came to this band, any live show would be something special - so I bought a ticket. Not only do I love their early work (especially Around the Fur and Engine No.9) - I've also been told their live show is really something to be experienced, so I was super excited to see what they had to offer. Without any further introduction, let's get into my review and breakdown of seeing Deftones at the O2:

Venue

It's actually been a while since I've been back to my muse the O2 Arena. Full disclosure, I did use my Priority pre booking abilities to get a ticket to this concert, and once again urge you if you have an O2 contract to sign up. But, everyone knows I love this venue, think the seats are comfy, and always enjoy my time in it. If you want a full breakdown of the O2, go have a read of some of my older reviews where I gush about the venue a little more.

I will add, as always, a small note about the crowd here - and they were on smoke. I don't know what it was, but the audience down in the pit was insanely lively, opening up circle pits, walls of death, and even once getting in fights with other people and members of security... yay? Either way, it was brilliant to see people having fun, and definitely added to the energy of the evening.

Merchandise

Look, you already know 9.99 times out of 10 I am going to leave a concert with a tshirt. It's just something I like to do - collecting the memories and also giving in to the ever closing fist of capitalism. There was a decent range of merchandise for Deftones this time around, a few tshirts, both tour ones and other graphic tees, as well as longsleeve options and hoodies/crewneck jumpers. They also had hats, vinyls and tote bags too in case you were just feeling like grabbing something small. Everything was priced pretty decently, at £40 a tshirt, and jumpers clocking in at around £60/£70 - it is a touch steep, but it hasn't gone up since I saw Twenty One Pilots, which is a nice change. I got the black tour tee with the snake on, and I will say it's really lovely quality - nice and soft and well sized. The print is also nice and sturdy, and has survived it's first wash without any hitches - good job Deftones.

(Yes, I know I once again forgot to take a picture of the merch stand, shut up. This picture I found online has all the merch on offer)

Support Act - Drug Church

I entered the arena a couple of songs into Drug Church's set. With hefty lead riffs at the forefront of their sound, paired with punky/post hardcore backing, it was a definite setting of tone in terms of the entire evening. Their sound was volatile, with a very instrument forward mix - which although brilliant, it did mean their vocalist got lost every now and again in the more dense moments of their tracks. The crowd was loving it though, with circle pits cropping up for almost every song as the band pushed on and on through their small supporting slot. I enjoyed what they had to offer, even if sometimes the almost doom metal vocals, guttural and brutal, grated on me every now and again, it was worth it to watch the sheer amount of crowd surfers bobbing their way down to the barricade.

Support Act - Denzel Curry

Apart from Ultimate, I know very little about Denzel Curry. The Florida born rapper has been relatively huge in the cloud rap/trap scene for a while, and I know that he has a whole fanbase that would pay good money to see him in the headlining slot. It was also one of my first true 'rap' performers I have actually ever seen live, MC and all - and boy was it a treat. Although this genre isn't really my bag, I was absolutely blown away by the energy of the performance, and even though I only knew one track, I still found myself vibing out to the rest of the performance. It was teeming with energy, hyping up the crowd almost effortlessly, and slamming through his 15 or so song setlist with style. He was engaging with the audience, making them jump, dance, scream - it was so engaging and energetic, it was exactly what a warm up act should do for a crowd. I especially enjoyed his own spin on 'Bulls On Parade' which felt just as poignant now as the original did when it was written - urgent, seething and charged. It was an awesome set, and really got the crowd ready for the main event.

Deftones

And so, there I was, waiting for the giants to make their way on stage. As the lights dimmed, and the first strummed chords of Be Quiet and Drive began to play, I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up on end - the anticipation was through the roof. The gigantic screens pulsed with blue as the notes echoed around the O2, before Chino’s shout, and it began. Opening with a classic like Be Quiet and Drive is a genius way to get the crowd on board, with a genuine banger to get them singing, moving, screaming along.

In a live setting, the band is razor sharp, like the supports the mic is super instrument heavy, which when it comes to their own signature complex sound works perfectly, with Chino’s vocals dancing gently on top. If I do have one slight criticism from the off, it’s that the frontman did sound a little worn out - but that’s to be expected. They’ve done this insane tour all over the world, so I’m not suprised he needed a few songs to warm up. It did mean that for the first couple tracks some of the notes were a touch shaky, but you could definitely tell he was giving it his all. He was especially dialled in to his shrill screams, which he used to embellish almost every track with a deafening ferocity.

Up next was Locked Club, one of my favourite tracks from their most recent record Private Music. When hearing it live, you realise (if you hadn’t already) that these songs are built for Cino’s live range. Semi spoken word, melodic in choruses, but full of that signature swagger and punch, the band proved that their latest LP is worth playing on the main stages - they’re meant to be heard that way.

Then a couple of deeper cuts, Rocket Skates and Diamond Eyes, all accompanied by mind bending graphics on the screen behind - the band effortlessly glided through, nailing the tempo changes and crazy switch ups that you may think would be difficult live, but they make it look all too easy. Ecdysis was next, once again from their newest offering, exploding to life to a sold out audience - before Digital Bath, My Mind is a Mountain and Souvenir were added alongside. Have a look at the full setlist below, courtesy of Setlist FM;

1. Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)

2. locked club

3. Rocket Skates

4. Diamond Eyes

5. ecdysis

6. Digital Bath

7. my mind is a mountain

8. souvenir

9. Swerve City

10. Rosemary

11. cut hands

12. infinite source

13. Sextape

14. Hole in the Earth

15. Change (In the House of Flies)

16. Genesis

17. milk of the madonna

    
    

    Encore:

18. Cherry Waves

19. My Own Summer (Shove It)

20. 7 Words

I was truly in awe of how well their latest tracks fit in with some of their all time classics. They stood shoulder to shoulder with giants, like Rosemary, Swerve City and Change, and they still went off with such a volatile yet powerful energy to them. The audience was absolutely loving it too, the pit was so active, people dancing and moshing to both old and new records.

But the classics are classics for a reason, aren’t they? Even though Private Music was getting a lot of the love, it by no means meant that songs like Sextape and Hole in the Earth were overlooked. They were given their time to shine in all their glory, and once again nailed by the band.

If I had one small critique, it would sadly lie on energetic frontman Cino’s shoulders once again - I think Sextape becomes an anti-climax if he can't hit the belt in the chorus. He had clearly made the choice to opt down to save his voice, which I don’t have much of an issue with, but when the entire track pivots off of the chorus’ climatic moments of rise and fall, in my opinion his choice to instead sing down killed the momentum that built up through the verses. Once again, big fan of him saving his voice for their other performances - but if it can’t be played at full bore, Sextape looses one of the things that makes it so good.

After milk of the madonna, the band left the stage to the outro from souvenir. An encore was inevitable, and once Chino had changed his t-shirt, they flew back onstage for an insanely strong last few songs. Cherry Waves was an amazing choice to get everyone back involved, with everyone around me (including myself) screaming along to the chorus. Up next was one of the songs I really hoped they'd play live, the iconic My Own Summer. As soon as the riff started, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up on end, and when the drums and bass hit? It was nothing short of monumental. That mild fixation Chino had on the extremes worked perfectly for this track, and as the band seethed through one of their most iconic tracks, it was hard not to get totally immersed in it. And, although it had a British tint to it, the creams of 'shove it!' rang through the entire O2.

Conclusion

I actually left the arena before they played 7 words, so I can't comment on the closing track, but what I will say is that this was an amazing experience. Deftones live was truly felt a once in a lifetime experience, watching 35 years of mastering their craft and continuing to evolve their sound. Both letting their new music shine, which indeed did in a live setting, they also bought out loads of crowd pleasers, meaning that both newer fans and lifers had something to shout about. In terms of their live performance, the band was absolutely dialled in. Nailing the tempo changes and crazy embellishments perfectly like they did takes some serious chops, and I tip my hat to them all. Chino also sounded good, but a bit worn out for this one - which is completely understandable. They have done a behemoth of a tour, and his live vocals only grated on me once or twice (mainly during Sextape but I digress) - I really respect the way he soldiered through and amped up the showmanship, mild missteps aside he bought the energy from start to end. If you ever get the opportunity to see Deftones anywhere, I would really recommend you see them, there's a very clear reason they've been around for so long - they're just really, really fucking good.

Rating: 8.5/10