Live Review: Deftones begin Private Music tour at Birmingham's bp pulse LIVE arena

The band are on tour following the release of their 10th album ‘Private Music’ and their set at the bp pulse LIVE arena took fans on a journey of crushing riffs, soaring vocals and slow, atmospheric soundscapes.

During their career, Deftones have had several commercial ‘peaks’.

After breaking through in the mid 1990s with their early albums, 2000’s White Pony is often regarded by fans and critics alike as their masterpiece.

Another commercial revival came in the 2010s with ‘Diamond Eyes’ and its successor ‘Koi No Yokan’.

However, more recently Deftones have experienced another resurgence thanks in part to finding a new audience among ‘Gen-Z’ through social media platforms.

A renaissance of the shoegaze genre and modern interpretations of it have also helped somewhat re-appraise the influence and importance of the band.

As a result, those inside bp pulse LIVE spanned a huge age range – with numerous generations represented. It was easy to spot fans who’d taken offspring along!

While this is nothing new (arena bands have had cross generational appeal for years) it’s not something everyone can pull off so well.

Joining Deftones in Birmingham were Florida rapper Denzel Curry and New York post-hardcore act Drug Church.

From the second Drug Church arrived, their MO was clear, bursts of hook-laden hardcore and the intent on whipping up a crowd and encouraging as many crowd-surfers as possible.

Denzel Curry was also able to capitalise on the broad crossover appeal of his alternative edged rap.

Deftones 20-song set pulled largely from their latest album, with a smattering of classics thrown in.

Live, Deftones shift effortless between songs with huge 2000s alt-metal riffs and slower, more atmospheric works, melding synths and layered guitars.

They opened with ‘Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)’ – one of their biggest tracks - and after its effect laden guitar intro, the song exploded into life, with frontman Chino Moreno leaping into the air and bounding around the stage.

New track ‘locked club’ quickly followed before the intensity was again upped with ‘Rocket Skates’ – with Moreno screaming it’s “Guns razors, knives,” refrain out across the arena.

Deftones have been based around core members Moreno, guitarist Stephen Carpenter, drummer Abe Cunningham and keyboard player and turntablist Frank Delgado since the 1990s.

In Birmingham, they were joined by bassist and relative newcomer Fred Sablan, second guitarist Shaun Lopez and guitarist Lance Jackman – standing in for Carpenter.

While their stage design doesn’t mimic many of the tropes adopted by many rock acts, their show was still a visual spectacle.

Cunningham and Delgado were perched high on risers while Moreno frequently made use of steps which linked to a higher platform at the back of the stage – often pacing back and forth, silhouetted, leaning forward and screaming into the microphone.

A large LED screen dominated the rear of the stage and when it wasn’t mimicking album artwork – particularly the snakes found on Private Music – it featured a mixture of waves crashing onto beaches, religious imagery, crows and urban environments.

Adding to the visual experience, four thin LED towers at each corner of the stage which reached high towards the arena ceiling, like futuristic skyscrapers adorned with lights, while another spanned its width along the bottom.

Moreno remained the band’s focus point all night, while his band mates lurked mostly in the shadows.

It was really only during the handful of songs where the frontman picked up a guitar to play and sing at the same time that he remained stationary and pinned to a mic stand.

‘Digital Bath’ was the first real shift in intensity, slowing down proceedings and further showcasing the way Deftones effortlessly play with the loud/quiet/loud dynamic.

Elsewhere, the likes of ‘Swerve City’ sat with ease next to ‘cut hands’ from their latest album.

There were brief moments of chatter from Chino during the gig who talked to fans when the show was paused due to fans needing assistance.

On the second occasion, he explained Deftones have been using Birmingham as a rehearsal base for their tour while on this side of the Atlantic, adding, “It’s f****** awesome, we love it here.”

‘Change (In the House of Flies)’ was one of the night’s highlights and saw the band again silhouetted as a bright sun rose on the screen behind as the song progressed.

Deftones’ encore was about as good as you could wish for. A finale of ‘My Own Summer (Shove It)’ and ‘7 Words’ played back-to-back saw fans – many sporting the ‘Brat Green’ beanie hats being sold at the venue’s merch stands – moshing away to the distorted riffs of both.

The secret of Deftones’ success was highlighted by Drug Church frontman Patrick Kindlon early on in their opening set.

The band have a (somewhat rare) wide appeal across the alternative, rock and metal community – attracting fans from across its many sub-genres.

That coupled with being discovered by new audiences and being on stunning form should keep Deftones playing arenas for many years to come and maybe even picking up some coveted festival headline slots along the way.

Deftones played:

Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)

locked club

Rocket Skates

Diamond Eyes

ecdysis

Digital Bath

my mind is a mountain

souvenir

Swerve City

Rosemary

cut hands

(stopped then resumed due to a medical emergency)

infinite source

Sextape

Hole in the Earth

Change (In the House of Flies)

Genesis

milk of the Madonna (with "souvenir" outro)

Encore:

Cherry Waves

My Own Summer (Shove It)

7 Words