Ahh Brixton Academy- bastion of crystal clear acoustics, well-priced booze and pleasant security. Ha! Sorry, I'll get started in a minute but I'm still laughing. Indeed, despite having to remortgage the house in order to get anywhere near drunk, endure aggressive body searches from the face-like-a-slapped-arse security munchkins, as well as having to endure an, at times, inaudible mess of sound, Brixton's one redeeming feature lies in it's possesion of a sloping dancefloor, for a great view from all angles. Oh, not to mention the epic, Greek amphitheatre-styled grand arches and towering balconies. I suppose the ability to pull in great bands also counts as well!
Tonight, it's up to Sacto's finest, Deftones, to give our aural senses a bit of a battering, and with an opener like the furious "Korea", they definately start as they mean to go on, the floor going absolutely apeshit, despite the PA being far too quiet (something that is, thankfully, resolved swiftly). One of the best things about this band is that they always succeed in playing a mix of every single album they've released, often throwing in pleasantly unexpected "album tracks". Tonight, we get the slow-burning "Xerces" from last year's fantastic "Saturday Night Wrist" opus, as well as the rarely-played-live "Back To School".
For a band as big as Deftones, it's refreshing to see smiling faces on all the members, genuine appreciation of the 4500 in attendance (this is by far the biggest gig they've played in Europe for years) and songs played with solid, watertight conviction, never missing a beat in spite of drummer Abe Cunningham creating some frankly ludicrous new fills, and bassist Chi Cheng's constant whirling, headbanging madness. Naturally, they finish on "7 words", and the floor of the Academy resembles a small battle scene. This is the 3rd time I've witnessed this band in a year, and tonight is by far the best performance. A near perfect mixture of songs, old and new, that doesn't let up for a full hour and three quarters. In a word, brilliant, 5 out of 5!