LOSS OF FAITH
Photos TONY WOOLISCROFT
Words Maura Sutton
FAITH NO MORE/PRONG
Hammersmith Odeon, London
27.4.90
Verdict: Hype? What hype?
FAITH NO MORE SET LIST:
From Out Of Nowhere*/Falling To Pieces'/Introduce Yourself'/ The Real Thing'/'Underwater Love'/When The Worm Turns'/The Crab Song / Edge Of The World'/'The Morning After'/
'Chinese Arithmetic'/We Care A Lot'/
*Surprise! You're Dead /Epic /
'Woodpecker From Mars'
ENCORES: Zombie Eaters / Why
Do You Bother'/ War Pigs'/I'm Easy
FACING AN empty Odeon with more ferocity than most bands muster for Wembley Arena when it's sold out, Prong lay on the attack, prowling the stage and boiling over. Pure anger, polished aggression, full-force venom with a dangerous intensity, they leave your spine shivering and your brain locked in captivity.
For gigs like these, there should be a caution warning on the ticket. Guitarist/ vocalist Tommy Victor, bassist/vocalist Ted Parsons and drummer Mike Kirkland form a lethal team, spitting forth monumental pieces of jagged Metal, direct and murderous. Having simplified their style since the 'Force Fed' album, Prong are more of a breezeblock, weightier, less intricate, perhaps less interesting, but always disturbing, and tonight treacherous.
SO FAITH No More have proven that they can sell out the major venues in this country; now they have to show that they can perform on the big stages. Judged on tonight's showing they've still got some way to go in this department.
Sure, the initial reception was as rapturous as one might expect, the capacity crowd mouthing every syllable of opening number From Out Of Nowhere'. But the show seemed to lose momentum soon afterwards. And things didn't really get interesting until vocalist Mike Patton stripped off his shirt during 'The Morning After' proceeding to get a little mad and dangerous, even introducing a snippet of Technotronic's 'Pump Up The Jam'.
Full marks for bravery!
Musically, the five-piece were of course quite breathtaking. The rhythm section alone (Bill Gould on bass and Mike Bordin on drums) was worth the price of admission, in particular 'The Real Thing'. However the overall presentation - including a truly crappy lighting rig - reflected a band handicapped by their clubland roots.
Moreover, whilst keyboardsman Roddy Bottum made a valiant effort, guitarist "Big' Jim Martin seemed content to be just 'Big' and did little else
Patton, meantime, began well as he bounded on sporting a toy policeman's helmet, silly glasses and a 'right on Niggers With Attitude T-shirt. But he spoilt it all by continually aping the moves of the Red Hot Chill Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis, thereby inviting unfavourable comparisons with the latter. And some of the singer's antics bordered on the brattish, what with moaning at the crowd that he wanted a better response and hamming it up with a giant willy (laugh? Thought I'd never start) during a jokey encore rendition of The Commodores 'I'm Easy'. Now goofy fun is fine, yet by the end of the evening it was all becoming a tad tiresome.
Frankly I was surprised. I was starting to believe that Faith No More were something akin to the Second Coming. Now I find they have feet of clay. Let's hope it was just a bad night.
