Of the eclectic alternative bands that Robert Smith has selected for this Meltdown Festival, Deftones are arguably the heaviest band to perform. And there’s the sneaking suspicion before proceedings that their introvert, grinding brand of alternative rock may not necessarily sit evenly with the sunny Thames-side Royal Festival Hall venue.
This seated venue is somewhat misaligned with tonight's proceeding, resembling a cross between a concert hall and an Escher painting. It's a very intimate venue with little space between band and audience, which feels almost threatening when Deftones take the stage to begin close-range sonic bombardment.
Opening with 'Feiticeria' from album White Pony feels like a slightly odd choice to kick off proceedings, but seems to settle fans' nerves that tonight will be mix of both old and new. Indeed, at the first sign of old-time fan favourite ‘Be Quiet And Drive (Far Away)’ the room explodes, with the supposedly seated venue now awash with thrusting bodies spilling into every spare space.
As ‘My Own Summer’ kicks in, you really can tell that the band is revelling in delivering the older material, visibly pleased to still be running through a song they must have played over a thousand times.
With this initial settling in phase over, Deftones move on to embrace the full expanse of their eight album catalogue. Disorientating strobes and surreal films presented behind giant white Venetian blinds give a fitting stage backdrop to the haunting 'Rosemary', equally proving the band's ability to shift from tender to grinding sounds at the flick of a switch.
Energy in the room is then restored by ‘Swerve City', followed with the heavy and threatening 'You've Seen The Butcher', before 'Sextape' offers up an almost-but-not-quite ballad tone to the set.
After a few more atmospheric numbers, it's a return to the older, harder material, with 'Knife Party' and 'Change (In The House Of Flies)' both being well received. A brutal rendition of 'Around The Fur' then follows, during which singer Chino Moreno is practically dancing across his floor monitors in a manner that you would not expect from a man celebrating his 44th birthday this very evening.
With an encore that includes the anthemic 'Minerva', it feels by the end of the night that there's little more that the audience could have asked for. Deftones' adept showmanship (a reflection of their 20 years as a band) and strong back catalogue has made light work of their strange settings. Robert Smith's faith in having them on a bill bearing his name has been fully rewarded tonight.
Deftones played:
Feiticeira
Digital Bath
Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)
My Own Summer (Shove It)
Rosemary
Swerve City
You've Seen the Butcher
Sextape
Diamond Eyes
Phantom Bride
Battle-Axe
Knife Prty
Change (In the House of Flies)
If Only Tonight We Could Sleep
(The Cure cover) (first time since 2007)
Rocket Skates
Around the Fur
Encore:
Minerva
Birthmark
