Photo Credit: Cuffe and Taylor/The Piece Hall
California nu-metal kings DEFTONES made their first appearance in the UK since 2022. The first of their three outdoor UK headline shows this summer began with a sold-out performance at picturesque Halifax venue, The Piece Hall. Featuring a set filled with songs from eight of their nine records, the Sacramento band brought out all the big hitters on a rainy night.
London band HIGH VIS opened the show. They combine elements of indie rock and hardcore punk to produce a highly distinctive sound that is incredibly powerful. Once the band emerged on stage, they wasted no time in kicking off their performance. Opening with ‘Talk for Hours‘, the venue was already reaching capacity early on. With a more powerful sound on stage than on their recorded work, the band undoubtedly flourishes in a live environment. ‘Walking Wires’ showcases a more shoegaze/emo feel, which the Halifax undoubtedly enjoyed the more subtle approach. Frontman Graham Sayle took advantage of the wide stage, which saw him jumping around throughout the set as the rest of the band let loose. Taken from the standout record ‘Guided Tour’, the much more aggressive ‘Drop Me Out‘ picked up the pace while ‘Mind’s A Lie‘ served as a masterful transition in to their final song of the night, ‘Trauma Bonds’. HIGH VIS continue to as one of the most exciting UK bands around.
In stark contrast to the bright sunshine that had swept the nation only days earlier, heavy clouds started to loom over the venue courtyard as the stage was being set up for the main event.
The very moment that DEFTONES made their way on stage, the skies parted, the rain poured and the crowd roared. The weather wasn’t going to dampen the mood though, as once ‘Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)‘ kicked in, carnage unfolded. The crowd went wild immediately, with mosh pits rapidly forming while the entire front section were off of their feet. Frontman Chino Moreno fed off the crowds energy which saw him leaping around the stage, and that energy didn’t shy away anytime soon.
Soon after, they unleashed the powerful ‘My Own Summer (Shove It)‘, which further increased the band’s force and allowed the mosh pits to expand. The ear-piercing triple take on screaming vocals pumped up the ferocity for this one, and DEFTONES continued to bring out all the big numbers, showing no signs of slowing down. ‘Diamond Eyes‘ and the incredible ‘Swerve City‘ followed shortly after, both attracting a a huge sing-a-long from the capacity crowd.
The fortunate ones on the balcony watched the chaos below as ‘Rocket Skates‘ maintained the high intensity once more while the rain continued to pour down on the courtyard. The crowd erupted in cheers as soon as the opening note of ‘Sextape‘ arrived. The soothing song allowed everyone to catch their breath before ‘Around the Fur‘ kicked in for a real nu-metal gut puncher.
DEFTONES concluded with the fan favourite ‘Change (In the House of Flies)‘ and finally ‘Genesis‘. As the cries were let out across the venue, the band re-emerged for three more songs. ‘Minerva‘ kicked off the encore before unleashing in to ‘Bored‘ and ‘7 Words‘ to round off their long awaited return to the UK in typical powerful fashion.
Taped Magazine 