Faith No More - Soundwave 2015
- Faith No More Followers
- 2 hours ago
- 7 min read
In February 2015 Faith No More began their tour of Sol Invictus in Tokyo before moving swiftly to Australia for four dates on the Soundwave XV tour.
Saturday 21 | Bonython Park | Adelaide
Sunday 22 | Royal Melbourne Showgrounds | Melbourne
A flower arrangement adorned the front of the Faith No More’s stage. On stage, white curtains flowed in the breeze as Patton and co casually strolled onto a scene resembling an exotic day spa. The crowd was quickly removed from any meditative state as the band tore into ‘Motherfucker’. The first thing which smacks you in the face with Mike Patton … he with eternally mischievous look in his eyes … is that voice. The man has lost none of his power, particularly evident on the iconic ‘Epic’. The warped mind of Patton had great joy in instigating the ‘wimmoway’ backing from the crowd for a verse of the ultra-daggy ‘Lion Sleeps Tonight’ before more FNM hits came. They were all there too; Midlife Crisis, Easy, Evidence, We Care A Lot, Ashes to Ashes, Matador etc. Whatever project Mike Patton is involved in is worthy of investigation, this one however is closest to most fans’ hearts. The less-nostalgic in the crowd had the option of finishing their day up with Lamb of God, New Found Glory or The Devil Wears Prada. As The Worm Turns completed FNM’s triumphant night out as the exhausted crowd headed for the exit. While the format of Soundwave 2016 is under review, the school of 2015 got what they came for and more.
Classic Rock | March 2015
General Patton leads the charge in a 336 degree heat knees up
Alexander Milas
It's a heat that'll straighten your pubes and make you wonder at the sanity of the settlers who, nearly 200 years ago looked around, dropped their bags, and went, 'this'll do'. But if today's furnace-like, 36-degree heat is currently roasting the sweaty throng that's rolled into the Melbourne Showgrounds for the first day of Soundwave 2015, then it stands to reason
that it's nothing less than Hell on Earth for the leatherclad men of Priest up on stage right now. The real feat, though, is in belting out newer entries like Hall Of Valhalla and Redeemer Of Souls with the same conviction as cast-iron classics like Metal Gods, Jawbreaker and a spine-tingling Beyond The Realms Of Death. Given KK Downing's curious departure for presumably more aromatic pastures, new guy Richie Faulkner's ability to throw shapes and resonate with crowd and bandmates alike is undeniable, and the man can play.
An inspiring opening salvo then for what is effectively Australia's biggest and baddest rock and metal festival of the year. More a travelling circus than a classic festival, it's become the go-to event for those of a heavier inclination, and that it hits multiple cities - this year it's Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, and ending in Sydney and with a heap of so-called Sidewaves clubshows scattered in between - means it's as much a feat of logistical genius as it is a snapshot of rock and metal's State Of The Union. From Stash, to Marilyn Manson, to Steel Panther, pretty much every base is covered here, but this year there's a peculiarly early alt.rock bent in the billing as a Soundgarden-Faith No More double-header on the second day of Soundwave Melbourne that's probably to blame for the amount of frayed, Seattleite T-shirts amassed around the main stages.
It begins with a screech - tone-king Kim Thayil's heavily distorted command of that classic, down-tuned crunch that would sweep the world sounds every bit as potent as it was the day it busted speakers the world over. Spoonman, Outshined - it's more a growl than anything, and spearheaded by Chris Cornell's inimitable banshee operatics, Soundgarden's set is a roll-call of classics that only suffers from blowy sound and that plodding, mid-tempo gait that'll do nothing to win you over if you're not already a fan. And as the bluesy melancholy of Fell On Black Days and the timeless, bittersweet charms of Black Hole Sun washes over the crowd in the waning light, why wouldn't you be?
It's the perfect segue for headliners Faith No More to take the stage and own it. News of their impending album Sof Invictus - their first in 18 years and precisely about fucking time given this is their sixth year since the re-formation - has electrified the capacity crowd.
The cadence of new song Motherfucker kicks it all off.
Resplendent in all-white regalia on a stage bedecked with floral arrangements and white curtains they are, immediately, head and shoulders above anything that's been seen here all weekend. Mike Patton - all pitch-perfect delivery and hyper-animated stageplay - is an eye-magnet who peppers Ricochet with a few lines of Meghan Trainor's pop-hit All About The Bass before, a few songs later, stopping Midlife Crisis dead in its tracks for an a cappella The Lion Sleeps Tonight that kicks off a few field-wide choruses of 'a-wimoweh a-wimoweh' before dropping right back into where they left off. It's fun, it's silly, but more importantly it's proof-positive that one of the greatest bands of our time isn't just back, but - as evidenced by the stomp of new song Superhero - they're vital once again. You get the sense that this is really just the beginning. Welcome back, boys.
Kerrang! | March 2015
THEY'RE BACK! REUNITED LEGENDS PROVIDE THE SHOW OF THE DAY
DESPITE THE 30-degree heat, you'd be forgiven for thinking a snowstorm had hit Faith No
More. Clad completely in white - the backdrop, the amps, even the roadies - the only splash of colour comes from the flowers that line the stage. At a festival where the predominant colour is black, trust Faith No More - who have gleefully gone against the grain for three
decades - to do the opposite. That they open their set with a new song, Motherfucker, rather
than an old favourite further proves the band's disdain for playing it safe.
There's plenty of subversive hits to be had, however. From Epic to closer We Care A Lot, the only thing more staggering than FNM's songs is the vigour with which they perform. While some acts reform and are clearly just a shadow of their former selves, Faith No More have picked up exactly where they left off when they split in 1998. This much is evident in the other new song they play this evening, Superhero, a track bubbling with malevolence and a promise of magic from their forthcoming Sol Invictus album.
Set of the day, hands down.
Saturday 28 | Olympic Park | Sydney
But now it’s time for Faith. No. More.
Flower pots all over the stage and the members all dressed in white, Faith No More bring us ‘Motherfucker’ the brand new single from the band as the opener and man, they really want to talk to this guy on the phone. What an interesting way to start the set, I always wonder why bands do stuff like that and open with a new one, is it to make sure the sound is right? Is it to say ‘hey we’re back and here’s what we’re doing now?’ or is it just that they are Faith No More and can do whatever the fuck they want? I think it’s the later. Ahhh that’s better, this is the FNM I know, ‘Caffeine’ is instantly rockin’ as every member in this band is a consummate professional, and are so damn tight. ‘Ricochet’ is up and if this set stays up like this we are about to get absolutely destroyed. Oh shit ‘From Out Of Nowhere’ takes me straight back to 1989 in about three seconds and it slays. Wow. As quick as that intensity was there it left us to turn the cool motherfuckers into extra smoothly cool motherfuckers with ‘Evidence’ and it just shows how versatile the band is with their music… straight up they have just started ‘Epic’ and holy shit the place just went nuts. What is it? Indeed!! I for one wasn’t expecting this one maybe at all let alone this early, but everyone here shouting the lyrics back was a moment indeed! ‘Get Out’ takes its place and then oh my god ‘Midlife Crisis’ and I’m in heaven, this is my favourite of theirs and still sounds amazing. Yeah now I’ve seen it all, FNM just lead the arena in a group sing along of ‘the lion sleeps tonight’ ha ha wow, that wins, Mike Patton is a genius, no doubt about that. Back to ‘The Real Thing’ with a big ballad ‘Zombie Eaters’ that builds and man, Billy Gould’s bass is tight, it’s almost a signature sound, actually scrap that, not almost. It is.
‘The Gentle Art Of Making Enemies’ flips the set again and this balance of what the band does in their set and on stage is outstanding, that was more like the gentle art of being awesome! I have to laugh as it’s time for ‘Easy’ and it still amazes me how good this goes over with everyone as I look up to see much swaying, which is a necessity for this one. Boom. Crazy again with ‘Cukoo For Caca’ and absolutely on point and tight as you want. The megaphone comes out for ‘King For A Day’ and turns atmospheric before ‘Ashes To Ashes’ gets the crowd on their feet and the pit going crazy for this one. This is heavy!! Telling us that there’s only one song to go is just mean… It’s ‘Superhero’ big, loud, technical and awesome. The band leaves the stage for about two minutes and they’re back. “Thanks ya cunts” is the perfect welcome back response for us all and ‘Digging The Grave’ is just what we needed as Mike Patton continually uses his new favourite C word as a chant throughout trying his best to not laugh as he does it. Then something from our culture as they throw in the cover of ‘I Started A Joke’ ha ha only FNM could get away with this, really, and this late in the set, bravo. ‘We Care A Lot’ is such a big, big song, that rhythm it hits, the lyrics are out of this world and it really is the only way this set and show could’ve closed tonight. Thunderous applause from those here, and a gracious Faith No More bid us adieu…
So that was our day one, so many bands, so much fun, we’ll be back tomorrow, because as Faith No More say, “It’s a dirty job but someone’s gotta do it…”
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