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Faith No More at Brixton: The Last Word
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KraJkaaazdE&feature=channel_page]
Set list: 1. Reunited, 2. The Real Thing, 3. From Out Of Nowhere, 4. Land Of Sunshine, 5. Caffeine, 6. Evidence, 7. Chinese Arithmetic, 8. Surprise! You’re Dead!, 9. Easy, 10. Last Cup Of Sorrow, 11. Midlife Crisis, 12. Cuckoo For Caca, 13. The Gentle Art Of Making Enemies, 14. RV, 15. King For A Day, 16. Malpractice, 17. Jizzlobber, 18. Be Aggressive, 19. Epic, 20. Mark Bowen. Encore 1: 21. Chariots Of Fire/Stripsearch, 22. Just A Man. Encore 2: 23. I Started A Joke, 24. Pristina.
Highlight: When the four besuited band members (a singleted Puffy was on drums) line up at the front of the stage to deliver the chorus to Reunited complete with beaming smiles.
Video: Great collection here.
Reviews:
Independent (published one week after the concert!)
Independent on Sunday
Rolling Stone
Guardian
Daily Mail
BBC 6 Music
Gigwise
Gemma (Stubbadub)
Rock Sound
Metal Hammer
London Evening Standard
Random Reviews
Fasterlouder
Clickmusic
Essentially Useless
Drop-d magazine
Independent on Sunday Faith No More Brixton review
The London-based Independent on Sunday has an interesting and largely positive review of Faith No More’s comeback Brixton Academy gig focussing largely on the supposed sarcasm of the band. Sample quote: “As soon as that’s over, the jackets – and, metaphorically, the gloves – are off, as Patton starts Zebedeeing around the stage, lending his rich, soulful growl to a set packed with highlights from their Very Best Definitive Ultimate Greatest Hits Collection: a pugnacious “Epic”, a malevolent “Midlife Crisis”, a hurtling “From Out of Nowhere”, a Hitchcockian “Jizzlobber” and a singalong “Easy”. “
New high-quality Faith No More Brixton videos
Just stumbled upon a collection of great YouTube video of the Brixton show from peopleinprojects here.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyEHaCnmVGA&feature=channel]
Guardian give Faith No More at Brixton a stinker of a review
The Guardian, a paper I used to work for briefly, has posted a review of Wednesday’s Brixton gig and it is brutal. So excessively negative in fact that it has a comical quality. Sample quote: “While most of the music is terrible – with a few exceptions, these shrieking songs sound like the product of petulant 17-year-olds – Faith No More can’t be accused of not giving the crowd their money’s worth. Patton, in particular, throws himself into it.”
Brixton Reviews round-up
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aEGviXIk-I]
Great edited video I found on YouTube from reportagem giving a flavour of what it was like in Brixton last night
- Stubbadub have posted an excellent and exhaustive fan review from Gemma. Sample quote: “As a whole, the band was fantastic – so tight and together for guys warming up after an eleven year break. The atmosphere and camaraderie was palpable, and it was great to see them obviously enjoying themselves as they played.”
- Gigwise add another glowing review to the list. Sample quote: “Playing against a backdrop of red curtains there are no visual enhancements, the show is solely about the music, but visual entertainment is ever present from Mike Patton, as he bounds about the stage, jumping or dropping to his knees in ultimate vocal-wrenching pantomime, only stopping to adjust his vocal equipment or for rests between songs.”
- Great review from clickmusic. Sample quote: “It’s an onslaught of energy, unpredictability, aggression, love and humour and played to absolute perfection. Astonishingly for a literal comeback gig, Faith No More are as tight and faultless as a well-oiled tour machine, but with none of the weariness and complacency.”
- The Daily Mail also give a very positive review. Sample quote: “Bass player Bill Gould (the man who puts the Faith in FNM, being he’s the only one who has always remained open to a reunion) is grinning like the cat that got the cream and the early bird that caught the worm combined.”
- Rolling Stone has added another to the list of glowing reviews. Sample quote: “Faith No More were always left-field, yet inadvertently created some awesome songs with mass appeal. Last night was about a band rediscovering their special chemistry, and proving good music only improves with age.”
- Rock Sound, who have Faith No More as band of the week this week, also give a very positive review. Sample quote: “This is not a nostalgia trip; this is a truly inspiring piece of musical history showing no signs of losing its relevance. Now this was a reformation truly worth waiting for. Download is going be amazing!”
- BBC 6 music give a glowing review. Sample quote: “If The Pixies reunion showed that classic bands can reform with dignity and deliver their songs with at least some of their original intent, then last night Faith No More proved it’s possible to retain the capacity to shock and surprise your fans. A truly staggering return.”
- Not sure if this is the official review from Metal Hammer or just a personal blog from Beez – either way its bang on the money. Sample quote: “Reunions can be soul-destroying occasions where your memories are smashed to smithereens and your dreams of finally seen your heroes are dashed by greedy sons of bitches just playing the hits badly and taking your cash. What you’ll get with FNM is an authentic FNM experience. If they want to do soul covers, they’ll do them. If they want to do little known album tracks, they’ll do them. If they want to bring a tear to your eye via the solo in ‘Epic’, the intro of ‘Easy’ and cutting the music to let the crowd sing the chorus of ‘Midlife Crisis’ (a moment that will live with me for the rest of my days), they’ll do it.”
- First major publication review is out and its a mixed one from London’s Evening Standard newspaper. Sample quote: “The San Franciscans’ swaggering pop-funk-rap-metal-grunge was always too perversely peculiar for a Nirvana-esque crossover and since nobody would argue they were greats first time around, the dice of moderate expectation are loaded in their favour.”
I think that’s called daming with faint praise. - Here’s one from Random Reviews, a personal site. Sample quote: “Mike Patton’s voice is amazing and he can sing such a fantastic range of styles. Who else could go from Surprise! You’re Dead (complete with manic laughter) to Easy?”
Very true of course and the way the band segued from style to style throughout the set was fascinating to behold; it was certainly not a case of slow songs here, heavy ones, etc. - Another personal posting here. Sample quote: “I must be honest, the band weren’t tight – Roddy in particular fluffed a good few notes, and the bass intro to Evidence was non-existent, although that may have been down to the soundguy taking a while to sort his levels. That said, when they got in the groove, no amount of bad sound could effect it. “Cuckoo for Caca”, “Surprise you’re dead” and in particular “Midlife Crisis” were HUGE, and really made me regret not getting.”
- One more from Aussie music site Fasterlouder. Sample quote: “Mike was a true entertainer. Some of his antics included body-rolling whilst doing a handstand – sort of like a gymnast, only less graceful. However, it was his facial expressions and body language that set the tone. He spent a lot of time screaming and rolling around the floor during Jizzlobber and Gentle Art.”
More to follow.
Roddy's pre-gig photos
Roddy Bottum has posted a series of pics of the band taken before last night’s gigs. Check his Twitter. See how peach Mike P’s suit really was below.
[caption id="attachment_513" align="alignnone" width="225" caption="Dressed in peach, he opened with a Peach and Herb cover"]
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Brixton initial reaction
[caption id="attachment_500" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Mike P and John H at Brixton ((c) jesstherese on Flickr)"]
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Blabbermouth has posted on the show and Metal Hammer reveal what I now know to be the correct set list.
Kerrang Tweet verdict: FNM were awesome. Donington is gonna be rocked silly on Friday night. See you there people…
And King of the Bass Bill Gould himself: It’s official: Brixton was KICK ASS!!!
I agree Bill.
Great overall rundown blog post here.
One of many Flickr sets here.
Oh and it was Chinese Arithmetic. Seems clear as day now but I was Tweeting, blogging, drinking and jumping up and down a lot at the time so sorry for any confusion.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esxMxe7GvZA]
Faith No More Brixton opener
Here’s the start of the show (not filmed by me):
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZLeOjrw83M]
Faith No More LIVE at Brixton Academy 2009
Follow Faith No More’s first gig since 1998 and their return to their London spiritual home the Brixton Academy here throughout the day. I’ll be blogging here and Tweeting (see column on right) and look forward to your views and reviews too. LATEST UPDATES WILL APPEAR ON TOP.
And Pristina is it. The band are actually wearing different pastel tint suits now the lights come up - Bill in mint green, no idea for Puffy. Ok, that’s it for me. Three times as many people were on this site today as were at this gig so I thank you so much. I’m going to brave the journey home now but I’ll post reviews tomorrow. Make no mistake, this tour is going to be mind-blowing.
PS Apologies for not getting round to comments. All much appreciated and I will now.
Second encore begins with I Started a Joke. What a voice this man has. Lest I be accused of Pattonitis, this is a superb version. Fashion update, Patton suit peach, Hudson baby blue, Puffy vest, Bill black shirt and ecru and Roddy pink tint. And surely to finish..like here in 97 Pristina.
Chariots of Fire movie theme tune starts the encore and then the apparently unplayable-live Stripsearch. Stunning version needless to say. Final thanks from Mike P and his fanboy-paean (how I read it anyway) Just a Man. The band are tight, sound a little muddled and Patton vocals at their peak. This is the band at their best – no ennui, no album to promote, all re-energised and fuck it – it needs saying – Patton is in awesome form. He’s never been better. No vitriol, all passion.
Finishing as I started I can’t recognise the final song. We’re waiting for encore here. Mark Bowen I think.
Roddy’s Crossroads style (Old UK soap opera not blues) keyboard at the end gets me every time.
Mike goes over the monitors in submissive pose for that and now..Epic. Sounding fresher than anytime since 92. Mike still has the nasal voice of Real Thing when he wants (his vocals have chnaged so much down the years) but chorus is heavier.
Malpractice as Angel Dust is fittingly dusted off again. “The crowd roarsIt’s deep and so unhealthy.” And then Jizzlobber. Death metal heaven. I will have to be in the pit for that at Greenfield. Smiles and Bruises indeed. Roddy was offstage for those but is backed for his penned Be Aggressive.
This is any exhilaratingly eclectic setlist. Sublime version of King for Day with Mike tweaking his set up at the close for a fresh finish.
Yep. I’ve checked the lyrics and its Reunited by Peaches. Fuck what a version of Gentle Art of Making Enemies. I HAVE never felt this much alive. Still with us Brixton says Mike. There’s a Tube strike tonight, the perfect intro for RV..
I’m getting Reunited for the opener via Twitter..
Mike P. “Drummer feeling a little lazy tonight…all he wants to play is ballads”. So…Cuckoo for Caca. Surprise but Mike P is really giving it the vocal range on this. Bill bass there spot on..Shit Lives Forever!!!
Crowd sing chorus. Patton whistles in response…and bounces around stage singing chorus. He still has the same mic moves as on the Angel Dust tour. Well done muscle memory.
Midlife Crisis. 92 all over again for me and now we’re all thirtysomething.
Mike P delves into his box of tricks as we hit Last Cup of Sorrow. I’ve read your Tweets on the opener but I can’t elaborate. Just didn’t recognise it: cheesy MOR.
And now Easy.
And a surprise segue into Surprise You’re Dead. Slightly less death metal than back in the day. I wonder why. Oh, as I say that a superb death growl by Mike with Satanic laughter to follow.
Puffy pounds the skin. Roddy on synth as we lead into As the Worm Turns.No we won’t. Its Chinese Arithmetic. (sorry for confusion here). Patton is a livewire tonight – great to see him as a front man again.
Mike responds to a You Fat Bastards chant: “You say that now and its actually true. Now for phat with a ph…” Evidence.
Whats going on fuckheads is Patton’s greeting. Thanks for coming after 11 fucking years. Incest quip. And then Caffeine. Come On! Patton voice better than ever, tight band, good sound.
Land of Sunshine.Patton on knees giving it the full maniacial treatment. New Here’s How to Order sample. Megaphone out for those vocals – not samples.
From Out of Nowhere. John H in sky blue suit. Christ this is good.
Superb version. Bill has already shed jacket, Mike P pristine. Flinging himself around the stage circa 92 style. Puffy in black vest. Red lights and curtains the classy set.
Cover to start. ( Reunited by Peaches). Mike P and Roddy! On vocals. Dream Lover? Classic MOR cover. Superb. Ecru suits. And now…The Real Thing….
The first chant of You Fat Bastards resonates around this great venue as the expectation rises.
Roadies on stage. Mic test. Sparse stage set and I’d forgotten how small the actual stage here is. Looks like Mike P will have some of his vocal morphing and synth devices out front which is new for FNM but common for his solo outings. Hints of some new interpretations tonight?.Drum riser to rear, Marshall stacks either side, three mics (and not yet two Mikes) and Mike P’s gear on stage. World music as background sound for now.
Even our lofty eyrie in the Circle is filling up now. We thought we had great seats before until we sat down to have our view obscured by a TV/film camera. You Fat Bastards 2 a possibility?
The good news is that the bar is serving Guinness.
Selfish Cunt leave the stage to a chorus of boos (nearly said a chorus of booze there) and at least one thrown bottle. They take in their stride, baiting their critics and its not reminiscent of FNM supporting GNR in 92.
Selfish Cunt are on stage and are getting booed after every song. Personally, apart from their ook at me name, I like them a lot. No hints on stage set yet as they are playing in front of red curtains.
Hi from Brixton Academy. Have successfully blitzed the merchandise stall.I’m taking it as a personal tribute that the vintage logo t-shirt is now sub-titled Version 2.0.
Huge queues snaking around the corner before the doors open. I’ve retired to the Beehive bar for a pint
We’ve had a surprisingly clear run by car from Earls Court to Brixton. Arriving shortly and lots more news then.
The O2 Academy has Tweeted on the stage show: “Well I can hear FNM & there is a lot of red (you’ll see what I mean). Enjoy guys & send me any twitpic’s you gather.”
An original ink version of tonight’s gig poster is already available for sale on the secretserpents store. Non-original posters themselves go on sale after the show and are indeed on sale at the show.
Some 70,000 fans heading to Wembley for England v Andorra are adding to the Tube travel chaos in London.
Roddy has added an image from the stage on his Twitter
I’ve heard of sport stars Tweeting mid-game but will Roddy be the first musician to give us updates during a gig? Check his Tweets on the right (will be put higher when I get to computer).
Latest stage times from the O2 Academy Twitter: There keeping me on my toes, right “FINAL” FNM stage times: Doors 7pm, Selfish Cunt 7:30pm, FNM 8:45pm, Curfew 11pm.
First slice of big news pie. Faith No More wil be wearing suits tonight as in the Album of the Year era. The Todich Floral Desgn Blog, which I check out daily as you can imagine, report that: “The platinum status band has asked us to create for them 5 special button holes to accompany their suits in tonight’s gig, which are being created by our head florist as we speak!” The whole post is worth a read.
Faith No More's previous Brixton shows
We had planned a huge retrospective of Faith No More’s previous Brixton Academy dates on this, the day of the opening date of the Second Coming Tour, as Faith No More play their first date since 1998 at the renamed 02 Academy Brixton. However, after the epic UK posts we’re reduced our ambitions somewhat, so this will be a slightly shorter selection but, at over 900 words, not too short.
28 April 1990
Faith No More were no strangers to London by they time they made their iconic Brixton debut having played at the Marquee, Astoria and Hammersmith Odeon previously. The gig is course famous for forming the basis of the band’s only ever live release. The album version entitled You Fat Bastards was released in August 1990 while a video release, more soberly titled Live at the Brixton Academy, got a UK release on 4 February 1991.
The actual gig set list differed from the track listing on both records and was the following:
From Out Of Nowhere
Falling To Pieces
Introduce Yourself
The Real Thing
Underwater Love
As The Worm Turns
The Crab Song
Edge Of The World
The Morning After
Chinese Arithmetic
We Care A Lot
Surprise! You’re Dead!
Epic
Woodpecker From Mars
Zombie Eaters
Why Do You Bother?
War Pigs (Black Sabbath)
Easy
Video clip is Epic featuring the Technotronic Pump Up the Jam ad-lib – possibly my most vivid memory of becoming a diehard Faith No More fan.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTB2qDd1yGg]
Allmusic reviewed the video release. Sample quote: “While the hour-long video shows that Patton was still finding his vocal style (he relies on a nasal-like whine too often), and his stage persona was comparable to a bratty child (obviously poking fun at the larger-than-life and far too serious metal acts of the late-80′s/early-90′s), the band as a whole offers a thoroughly inspired performance.”
25, 26, 27 November 1992
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="450" caption="Mike P at Brixton 27 November 1992 © 1995-2002 Stefan Negele"]
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Faith No More returned to Brixton for the Angel Dust tour and played three successive nights with the set list differing each night. The Teach Me Violence fanzine summed up the final night of the run: “The gig goes very well; Patton is even wearing one of the new, neat Dominator t-shirts, what a fine dresser! And at the end of ‘Woodpecker’ he re-emerges on stage to drink a birthday toast to Puffy… I won’t say what he drank, but there was a shoe full of it!!! The show ended with a great encore — both ‘As the Worm Turns’ and ‘Why do you Bother’ are played with the pure rush of venom they demand. Nothing can ever better that kinda standard.”
Final night set list:
Caffine
Falling To Pieces
Land Of Sunshine
The Crab Song
Midlife Crisis
Chinese Arithmetic
RV
Surprise! You’re Dead!
Happy Birthday to Puffy
Be Aggressive
Introduce Yourself
Easy
Crack Hitler
We Care A Lot
Woodpecker From Mars
Jizzlobber
Epic
Kindergarten
Let’s Lynch The Landlord (Dead Kennedys)
Everything’s Ruined
As The Worm Turns
Why Do You Bother?
29 November 1997
Five years later Faith No More returned to London and Brixton on the Album of the Year tour. Thankfully there is no shortage of material for this gig. First up the set list:
Midnight Cowboy
Land Of Sunshine
Midlife Crisis
Naked In Front Of The Computer
Ashes To Ashes
Stripsearch
Easy
Introduce Yourself
The Gentle Art Of Making Enemies
Last Cup Of Sorrow
Home Sick Home
King For A Day
Epic
Get Out
Just A Man
This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us (with Sparks)
Be Aggressive
This Guy’s In Love With You
Pristina
Then a snippet of a review that featured on BBC Radio 1 from Ron Mael of Sparks: “Even a fan running on stage and having Mike Patton giving the cross sign as if he was trying to hex a vampire I thought was a special touch. Their choice of cover songs is unbelievable because they did “This Guy’s in Love With You”, you won’t hear Metallica doing that, but I mean I love songs like Epic. I think that that’s one of the great songs of the recent past. I thought the concert was was brilliant and that within, sort of, I hate to use the term, “heavy genre”, but we’ll use that in this case that Faith No More, I think are the best of these bands, because they are the most ambitious.”
Next a clip:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpvPmCX_lss]
I’ve also managed to unearth a review of the gig from London-based broadsheet The Independent. Here are a few sample quotes to finish and I look forward to reading many, many similar reviews tomorrow on tonight’s comeback gig.
“The hard rock band come on in suits and ties, and play the theme from Midnight Cowboy. Slowly, mournfully, for six minutes. The hard rock crowd whoop with glee. don’t care about proprieties. They’re on stage to stretch people’s minds. Their best album, 1992′s Angel Dust, was better than Nirvana’s Nevermind, its angst leavened with wit, happy to quote from Shostakovich or Tom Waits.”
“But what stitches each strange twist together is something the band’s one-time grunge contemporaries would have gagged on: Patton’s unremitting sense of showmanship. He’s here to entertain us. His rock ‘n’ roll patter is of the smoothest kind. But Patton doesn’t need to talk. Never losing the stylish cut of his suit, he smirks, emotes, howls, at one point seems about to take off, convinced he can fly. When Sparks come on for This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us, Patton bellows: “And it ain’t me who’s gonna leave!” you have to believe him.”