Deftones - Crystal Palace - Review

With the vast increase in these day festival set-ups in recent years, it's given bands and promoters the opportunity to pull together some truly special events; we've had Limp Bizkit and then Korn at Gunnersbury Park, this year we've got that mega Slayer all-dayer in Finsbury Park and Outbreak have been able to partner with the newly launched LIDO in Victoria Park. In summary, the London parks are having an absolute belter with presenting big-time gigs for lovers of all things heavy. This time it was the turn of Crystal Palace Park as it played host to the biggest ever headline show from Deftones, and what a day it proved to be.

Opening proceedings for us were HEALTH (10/13) (sorry Qendresa, it's not the easiest place to get to), the US-based Industrial Noise Rock outfit who you have more than likely been exposed to via the various collaborations they've done over the years (the likes of Lamb of God, Nine Inch Nails, Ho99o9 and more). There is of course a reason why so many of these have worked with HEALTH and that's due to the fact that they're a three-piece powerhouse who are able to curate such an avalanche of sound. Drummer B.J. Miller proved to be the star of the show here, resembling a traction engine bludgeoning the band through their short but loud and imposing set in the blazing sunshine. They've nailed the brief on what a support band early on in the day at any festival needs to do and that's take advantage of the exposure of the event - it's impossible for them to not have picked a host of new fans as a result of their placing here.

Next up came the aggro Post-Hardcore UK based High-Vis (9/13). Starting strong, the band captured the attention of the majority of the field, tightly executing tracks from across their back catalogue. Vocalist Graham Sayle did his best to whip the crowd in to a frenzy down the front but was battling against probably the peak of the heat on what was the hottest day of the year - an admirable battle where he won over a few die-hards who threw caution to the wind. As a set it lost a bit of momentum as time went by though, beyond the very front section the crowd largely descended in to people ambling around trying to find shade and going on LOTR level walks for a simple wee. They sounded great but they didn't quite grab everyone by the throat in the same fashion as HEALTH just beforehand.

Next up came the sub-headliners on the day, the almighty Weezer (12/13). Picture the scene; a scorching sun setting across the park, a cracking atmosphere, drinks in hand and an all-timer set-list of greatest hits from Weezer. There are worse ways to spend a Sunday afternoon. Opening with Hash Pipe in to My Name Is Jonas set the tone immediately - the entire field was locked in. Despite the sound itself being spot on - the crowd singing along was so loud at points it simply drowned Rivers out which he seemed to greet with delight. One of many set highlights came around halfway through as Island In The Sun weaved across the sun-soaked Crystal Palace Park followed by Holiday and Beverly Hills. We've possibly overdone selling the overall scene but this was just one of those shows where everything musically and atmospherically locked together without any threat of coming undone. The closing one-two of Say It Ain't So and Buddy Holly maintained the enthusiasm right through to the final note. Drummer Patrick Wilson clamouring to the mic to shout that it was one of the sickest shows he'd ever played didn't feel like it was just for the cheap pop too. We agree Patrick.

Without any further ado then, it was on to the reason why everyone was in Crystal Palace Park on a Sunday evening. This show marked the biggest UK show Deftones (12/13) have ever headlined in their long and storied career - a fact which felt all the more ridiculous as the set went on. They've got so many huge tracks in their arsenal it's impossible not to think of them as a festival headlining staple from here - Be Quiet And Drive (Far Away), My Own Summer (Shove It) and Diamond Eyes to kick things off? Yeah, this was damn good. There had been concerns prior to the show as they'd pulled out of Glastonbury due to illness in the band just 24 hours before this event; Chino alluded later on in the set it may have been related to him as he thanked the rest of the band for their patience but one thing is for sure, there was absolutely no signs of anyone being at anything less than 100% on that stage. The likes of Around The Fur and Rocket Skates maintained a consistent pit of limbs down the front despite the heat whilst the rest of the park glowed in the triumphant ethereal heaviness so unique to Deftones. Take a bow, as well as the biggest outdoor show they've ever headlined on these shores, it was also probably the best. Speculation is abound that the cryptic visual on screens ahead of the performance indicated the name of their new album - Private Music - alongside the dates 10th July (possible single drop?!) and 7th October (possible album drop?!). We can't wait.