FNM's live return

Legendary band Faith No More wow fans with first show in 11 years

11 June 2009 - Even the music blaring out of the PA before the band take the stage is a reminder of how much more eccentric and eclectic Faith No More were than their early 90’s rock contemporaries.

Ear deafening metal gives way to MOR Carpenters pop, and the capacity crowd at Brixton Academy cheer every track regardless.

The band (save long estranged guitarist Jim Martin) take to the stage dressed in pastel coloured lounge suits and start playing a cover of 70’s soul classic, Reunited, before hurtling into the title track from their 1989 breakthrough album, The Real Thing.

From crooning smooth RnB into deafening funk rock, only Faith No More could shift stylistic gears so seamlessly without anyone raising an eyebrow.

"His voice remains one of the most unique in rock; crooning gives way to guttural howls."

What followed didn’t feel like a usual Greatest Hits reunion show, it was something altogether more focused and unpredictable.

While they played favourites Midlife Crisis, Epic and Be Aggressive, other obvious songs like Falling To Pieces, We Care A Lot and Ashes to Ashes were left off the setlist in favour of heavier, lesser known songs.

Maybe the prospect of headlining the Download Festival tomorrow (12 June) led them to showcase a more metal-edged set, but their performance was less like a Best Of, more just a band being themselves; and in FNM’s case that means being as uncompromising as ever.

Always an essential part of the group’s character, their sense of humour remains intact. A cover of the Chariots Of Fire theme leads into late-career highlight Stripsearch, and RV – a blackly funny twisted Tom Waits-esque ballad, gets a welcome airing.

Singer Mike Patton is as dominant a force as he ever was. His voice remains one of the most unique in rock; crooning gives way to guttural howls, all delivered with a wide-eyed conviction deadpan cool that makes their former peers in the Red Hot Chili Peppers look like the stadium cruise ship act they’ve become.

If The Pixies reunion showed that classic bands can reform with dignity and deliver their songs with at least some of their original intent, then last night Faith No More proved it’s possible to retain the capacity to shock and surprise your fans.

A truly staggering return.

The full set list was:

Reunited (Peaches & Herb cover)
The Real Thing
From Out Of Nowhere
Land Of Sunshine
Caffeine
Evidence
Chinese Arithmetic
Surprise! You're Dead!
Easy
Last Cup Of Sorrow
Midlife Crisis
Cuckoo For Caca
The Gentle Art Of Making Enemies
RV
King For A Day
Malpractice
Jizzlobber
Be Aggressive
Epic
Mark Bowen

Encore 1:

Chariots Of Fire/Stripsearch
Just A Man

Encore 2:

I Started A Joke
Pristina

Matt Everitt