Every recent review of Sacramento’s Deftones fixates on two angles. Firstly, how the band have somehow acquired a rabid audience of Gen Z fans and ended up bigger, bigger, bigger than ever.
The second is to tease out how the band is a product of the tension between Chino Moreno’s soaring, almost wordless invocations and guitarist Stephen Carpenter’s black hole-dense shards of riffage.
Tonight’s show doesn’t necessarily invalidate either of these lenses as a means of viewing the band, but as they approach the end of their fourth decade together, it does reveal that there is plenty more to them than a reviewer’s common shorthand.
This is a group of tightly drilled road warriors with a sense of the epic and some seriously impressive lights and visuals.
First up though is a short set from hardcore punks Drug Church. The requisite pummelling and shouting is delivered but after five albums, you can’t help but wonder if they’re a little frustrated to still be going on first.
More exciting is Florida rapper Denzel Curry, who – backed only by a DJ – manages to charm and cajole a crowd full of black clad metalheads into counting him as part of their tribe.
Starting his set with his hoody pulled tight around his face, Denzel and his DJ bring thunderous beat drops and frenetic rapping to the Hydro stage, opening with the funny and furious Ricky,
“Thank you for embracing our culture, we’re going to embrace some of yours” he yells as the DJ drops Drowning Pool’s Bodies for the star to spit bars over.
Tracks like Sumo and Still In The Paint have enough aggression for any crowd with Curry getting a call-and-response of “Weakass! Bitch!” worthy of any powerlifting playlist going, while a closing verse of Rage Against The Machine’s Bulls on Parade marks the young rapper as a student of rap-rock history.
He’s definitely found some new fans this evening.
After a short break, Deftones take to the Glasgow stage, emerging from the smoke to power through Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away) from 1997’s Around The Fur.
From the number of t-shirts of its cover, there can be little doubt that this is a totemic album for Deftones fans and if anything, it is a little surprising that this is one of only two tracks played from it, alongside My Own Summer.
Drums worthy of Led Zeppelin open locked club, with the first sign of the sinuous white snake from their most recent album artwork filling the screen. Perhaps not one for the ophidiophobic, but the track is titanic, practically shaking the rafters.
Even better is ecdysis, named for the process in which reptiles shed their old skin, and here soundtracking a retina scorching array of clips of lava that appears to spurt and pour down onto the stage.
Across the ninety minute set, what is remarkable is how democratic the band are. While Moreno is the obvious visual focal point, there are moments when each member takes the lead, playing their part in whipping up an almost trance-like wall of noise. Equally the visuals and lights are first rate, spinning from Silence of the Lambs creepiness to vomit green Nu-Metal era throwback graphics.
Tonight’s set is not necessarily all music to hurl yourself around too but it’s music that is easy to lose yourself in, despite its relentless forward momentum and Lance Jackman’s fantastically ugly, abrasive guitar tone.
Guitar techs scurry like gremlins to deliver fresh instruments to the guitarist as the band hit top gear with streaming favourite Sextape. By now, Moreno’s croon has fully loosened up too and while not a many of many words onstage, he thanks the Scottish crowd for their welcome and their kindness.
A short encore shifts the energy up another gear, with Cherry Waves from 2006’s Saturday Night Wrist, the aforementioned My Own Summer, which gets thousands yelling “Shove it, shove it, shove it!” and a final burst of 1995’s 7 Words before the band head for the exits.
Pushing 40 years in the music business, Deftones feel as in sync with another and with their audience as they have ever been. You wouldn’t bet against more generations discovering just that.
Words: Max Sefton
Pictures: Dale Harvey @daleharvey