Faith No More, Brixton Academy
Posted on 14th Jun 09 by Paul Groome | 
4
This was a gig for the fans, and the fans lapped it up. But from the look on each band members faces, they needed this just as much as we did.
On June 10th 2009, the first live appearance of Faith No More since the late nineties took place in Brixton Academy. A birthday present from a close friend with impeccable taste in music ensured that I was lucky enough to able to attend. Pretty fucking lucky, right? Damn straight!
But it’s been a long time since 1998. 11 years. A lot has happened. People have been busy. The original members of Faith No More are no different. Mike Patton has had numerous bands and collaborations. Mike Bordin has been on Ozzy Osbournes payroll. Roddy Bottum has written several film scores. Bill Gould has been running Koolarrow Records. Jon Hudson, the final guitarist in a long list to grace the stage with Faith No More, has been keeping his head low. And during this time, the mere mention of a Faith No More reunion seemed to be met with irritated annoyance, bordering on mild scorn. Nobody was interested. Least of all Jim Martin, original guitarist, who left music behind except for a few guest appearances. Jim Martin holds the record for having grown the 235th largest pumpkin ever. It would be very easy to take the piss out of Jim here. But have any of YOU ever grown a pumpkin? I didn’t think so. Good work on the pumpkin growing, Jim.
They’re back, ladies and gentlemen, and by God they still have the magic!
Following an arrogant, antagonistic performance from a band aptly titled, Selfish Cunt, there was a half an hour to build the tention. Guitar and bass techs walked on and off the stage going through their standard checks. Mike Bordins drumkit stood proud as a testament to what was about to take place. Everyone was watching like hawks. A torch flashed through the curtain backstage, and the lights dimmed slightly. Brixton Academy erupted. Roddy Bottum, Mike Bordin, Bill Gould and Jon Hudson walked calmly to there positions dressed in matching dinner suits. Unexpectedly, they began with a cover of an old Peaches and Herb track, Reunited. Cheesy, but right up FNMs street. After a few bars, Mike Patton strolled on to join his fellow band members, every bit the confident crooner. The roar from the crowd lifted even higher. They’re back, ladies and gentlemen, and by God they still have the magic!
This was a gig for the fans, and the fans lapped it up. But from the look on each band members faces, they needed this just as much as we did.
Pattons banter between songs was good humoured and amusing. Made infamous from their 1990 Live At Brixton album, the ‘You Fat Bastards’ chant put a broad smile on all of their faces. “This time, you’re actually RIGHT!” he quipped, patting his belly. The setlist was varied, covering all stages of their career, including a few “pre-Patton” songs. More surprisingly was the inclusion of a few tunes that rarely made an appearance over a decade ago. Malpractice, Caffeine and Jizzlobber mixed very well with some of their more commercial material. Having obviously rehearsed consistantly for the past number of weeks, the music was executed precisely.
The only downside was that the guitar seemed to drop out of the mix on some of the quieter songs like RV, Easy, some of King For A Day… It didnt take away from the performance itself though, and could be easily attributed to ironing out the final creases before a summer of festival appearances. By the time the last notes of Mark Bowen rang out, the crowd were already screaming for more. Four songs spread over two encores finished the set perfectly and left every rabid Faith No More fan looking at each other in speechless glee. This was a gig for the fans, and the fans lapped it up. But from the look on each band members faces, they needed this just as much as we did.
Prophetically, Faith No More have said it all before, “The crowd roared. They ruined and repaired me. The rest you know…”
The set list was as follows:
01 Reunited (Peaches & Herb cover)
02 The Real Thing
03 From Out Of Nowhere
04 Land Of Sunshine
05 Caffeine
06 Evidence
07 Chinese Arithmetic
08 Surprise! You’re Dead!
09 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
Tags: bill gould, brixton, brixton academy, faith no more, fnm, jon hudson, mike bordin, mike patton, roddy bottum
more video of FNM at download: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZGd9cygwoc
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