Faith No More, Brixton O2 Academy
Posted 12th Jun 2009 in Live Reviews, Faith No More by Becky Reed | Brixton O2 Academy | 
Who knows the motives for their reunion, but 11 years after they called it a day, the influential and eclectic Faith No More are back for a huge European tour. With their headline slot at Download Festival a previous English exclusive, the band have chosen their spiritual UK home of Brixton Academy for a warm-up gig that seems anything but a warm-up, as it turns out.Faith No More must take delight in their support choices, and Selfish Cunt are the unlucky chaps tonight. Their horribly fake and flamboyant frontman can't make up for the muddied vocals and desperately fuzzy sound that makes little impact other than to annoy. Boos ring round after each track, but, as can be expected from a band monikered as such, they take it all in their stride. It only increases anticipation for the main act, and after half an hour of "you fat bastards" echoing around the venue (a tribute to their documented 1990 Brixton show), the lights dim on the plush red curtain backdrops.
One by one, Faith No More walk on to the strains of some MOR, decked out in pastel suits with corsages (bar drummer Mike 'Puffy' Bordin, his famous dreads now specked grey). Spotlit, Mike Patton and co. break into a now recognisable cover of classic soul ballad 'Reunited'. Keyboardist Roddy Bottum and the frontman duet, with Patton cracking up as he sings the chorus of "reunited, and it feels so good". It's a fabulous tongue-in-cheek moment that serves not only to break the ice and let us know that the boys are back with sense of humour intact, but that Patton is on astonishingly good vocal form. Chuckles over, the song is played with reverence, creating a wonderfully touching memory of this occasion.
Then it's time to get down to business, with a fervent 'The Real Thing' a perfect opener. Could there have been a more suitable number for the 5000 rabid fans who had waited over a decade to see Faith No More again? Patton has ditched the suit jacket, head to toe in peach, and at 41 is as agile and energetic as he always was, rolling across the edge of the stage, and his legendary vocals never sounding better. Patton cannot be contained by convention, making Faith No More a band like no other - when your frontman can adopt any singing style and master it, you can do anything and get away with it. An exuberant 'Land Of Sunshine' is an early highlight, demonstrating the tightness of the band, playing once more with guitarist Jon Hudson, who joined them just before their split. They've not lost their edge and attitude, with a setlist that is clearly for themselves, leaving many 'obvious' numbers out - 'Everything's Ruined', 'Ashes To Ashes', 'A Small Victory' and 'Ricochet' are notable absences.
But leaving aside personal preferences, as every fan is going to be whinging that their beloved track wasn't played, there can be no justifiable complaint over the show itself. 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. They are genuinely thrilled by tonight's atmosphere. There's a cute moment when 'Midlife Crisis' is broken down and sung by the crowd, and the look on Patton's face is surprisingly moving. Bottum is frequently laughing, bassist Billy Gould is bouncing nonstop, and Patton can't contain his innate mischievousness. At one point during a thrilling and sinister 'RV', he plucks out an innocent security guard's earplug, pops it in his own ear, before deciding to shove it back in the guard's mouth, all before giving him a playful slap round the head. It's all done with a sense of glee that permeates the stage, with smiles and laughter bedmates with the likes of 'Cuckoo For Caca' and 'Malpractice'.
After ending with a huge 'Epic' and the little-played 'Mark Bowen', the first encore starts with a beatboxing 'Chariots Of Fire' theme that segues into a heavenly 'Stripsearch'. None of the big guns are pulled out for the two encores, but it isn't surprising by this point. Following the finale of 'Pristina', Patton thanks us for popping their cherry. An appropriate metaphor for an exhilarating, intimate, head-rush of a gig. The real thing indeed.
[Photos: Tara Bonar]
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