Photo: wenn
Korn's Friday night gig at Brixton Academy was the first of their whistle stop European tour, opening to a sold out show in South London. On the road in between albums, it was a show that was always going to be comprised of the band's greatest hits, hand picked from their impressive back catalogue of 11 albums. It was a show purely for the fans who were out in force - and who got far more than they bargained for.
Opening up with the classic fan favourite 'Falling Away From Me' was a definitive statement of intent, immediately opening up the hallowed Brixton halls as to what could be expected. 'Got the Life', 'Shoots and Ladders', 'Love and Meth' all followed on swiftly, performed with incredible tightness and professionalism. They knew what the audience wanted and they gave it in droves.
Listen to 'Falling Away From Me' by Korn below
It isn't 1998 anymore and times have more than moved on from the days when nu-metal ruled the world and Korn were up for Grammy Awards. They certainly have moved with the times however with each album sounding completely different to the previous. Whether it be experimenting with dubstep, hip hop, bag pipes or going back to basics on latest album The Paradigm Shift, it made for an incredible set list that was wildly diverse.
It was hard not to get caught up in the moment at the show, it was partly a flashback to the 00's and Korn's motifs of disenfranchised youth, and partly a reminder that people never really change. The crowd was older, but the lyrics still held the same power and echoed word for word from nearly every mouth that had grown up listening to Korn.
With the picture of Justin Bieber's mugshot and other such haunting images of Americana gone awry hung behind the band, it's clear that Jonathon Davies and his "family", as he described them, are still just as relevant, and in the words of the Untouchables lead single, are 'Here to Stay'.
