Live review: Deftones in Manchester

DEFTONES + LETLIVE + THREE TRAPPED TIGERS

Academy 1, Manchester

Given the fact that tonight’s show is sold out, the Academy is still pretty empty when openers Three Trapped Tigers take to the stage, the trio straddle that fine line between multi-instrumental post-rock and video game start-up music; utilising an eclectic blend of synths, loops and pedals, the threesome certainly make their mark felt, playing one of the biggest stages of their career thus far. Things move from the serene to the more extreme as post-hardcore outfit letlive. unleash themselves on a slightly unsuspecting audience with frontman Jason Aalon Butler risking life and limb for his performance.

When Deftones come onstage, there’s no messing about, the quintet clearly mean business and jump straight into ‘Diamond Eyes’ before reeling off back to back hits from their extensive catalogue; the following trio of ‘Poltergeist’, ‘Be Quiet And Drive (Far Away)’ and ‘My Own Summer (Shove It)’ highlight just how powerful a live band Deftones are, Stephen Carpenter’s riffs bringing that infamous Sacramento sound to Northern England. Songs from latest effort ‘Koi No Yokan’ are taken to a whole new sonic level in the live setting, ‘Rosemary’ becomes a real atmospheric experience, whilst ‘Entombed’ and ‘Tempest’ highlight just how powerful a vocalist Chino Moreno actually is. Sandwiched alongside the new material are some choice cuts from the bands’ earlier years, the soulful renditions of ‘Passenger’ and ‘Change (In The House Of Flies)’ alongside the quintessentially ’90s ‘Dai The Flu’ and ‘Headup’ already make tonight’s set an early contender for gig of the year, but set closer ‘Bloody Cape’ is truly the icing on this Sacramento cake.

As encores go, what better way to round things off than three songs that are almost 20 years old. The trio of ‘Nosebleed’, ‘Engine No. 9’ and ‘7 Words’ sees the quintet at their best, breathing life into their older material as well as taking tonight’s crowd on a glorious trip down memory lane. Deftones may be rolling towards their 25th year as a band (yeah, it’s really been that long!) but they still put the vast majority of live bands to shame; mixing a perfect setlist with an effortless performance, Deftones are still one of the best in the business.

JOHN CONSTERDINE

DEFTONES + LETLIVE + THREE TRAPPED TIGERS

Academy 1, Manchester

Given the fact that tonight’s show is sold out, the Academy is still pretty empty when openers Three Trapped Tigers take to the stage, the trio straddle that fine line between multi-instrumental post-rock and video game start-up music; utilising an eclectic blend of synths, loops and pedals, the threesome certainly make their mark felt, playing one of the biggest stages of their career thus far. Things move from the serene to the more extreme as post-hardcore outfit letlive. unleash themselves on a slightly unsuspecting audience with frontman Jason Aalon Butler risking life and limb for his performance.

When Deftones come onstage, there’s no messing about, the quintet clearly mean business and jump straight into ‘Diamond Eyes’ before reeling off back to back hits from their extensive catalogue; the following trio of ‘Poltergeist’, ‘Be Quiet And Drive (Far Away)’ and ‘My Own Summer (Shove It)’ highlight just how powerful a live band Deftones are, Stephen Carpenter’s riffs bringing that infamous Sacramento sound to Northern England. Songs from latest effort ‘Koi No Yokan’ are taken to a whole new sonic level in the live setting, ‘Rosemary’ becomes a real atmospheric experience, whilst ‘Entombed’ and ‘Tempest’ highlight just how powerful a vocalist Chino Moreno actually is. Sandwiched alongside the new material are some choice cuts from the bands’ earlier years, the soulful renditions of ‘Passenger’ and ‘Change (In The House Of Flies)’ alongside the quintessentially ’90s ‘Dai The Flu’ and ‘Headup’ already make tonight’s set an early contender for gig of the year, but set closer ‘Bloody Cape’ is truly the icing on this Sacramento cake.

As encores go, what better way to round things off than three songs that are almost 20 years old. The trio of ‘Nosebleed’, ‘Engine No. 9’ and ‘7 Words’ sees the quintet at their best, breathing life into their older material as well as taking tonight’s crowd on a glorious trip down memory lane. Deftones may be rolling towards their 25th year as a band (yeah, it’s really been that long!) but they still put the vast majority of live bands to shame; mixing a perfect setlist with an effortless performance, Deftones are still one of the best in the business.

JOHN CONSTERDINE