‘I want something good to die for, to make it beautiful to live…’
Festivals aside, the last time I went to a properly massive outdoor gig was Oasis at Manchester’s Heaton Park on their ill-fated final tour. For reasons that are myriad, it was absolutely shit. QOTSA are a different beast, however…
Before we get to America’s last great rock ‘n’ roll band, there is the trifling matter of the support acts. First up is Miles Kane. The Birkenhead singer/songwriter has been responsible for about half an hour of great music over the course of his career so a support slot is perfect for him. Despite sporting an odd combination of no shirt but a pair of trousers, he jumps around the stage with an infectious energy and songs such as ‘Inhaler’ and ‘Come Closer’ sound awesome. For all of Finsbury Park’s faults (more on that later), the sound quality is impeccable all day.
The Hives sonic assault is as legendary as it is welcome and from the opening bars of the incendiary two-word classic ‘Come On!’ through to the last notes of ‘Return the Favour’, Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist and his demented bandmates prowl the stage, alternating between rock God arrogance and being a gang of goofballs making it up as they go along. Indeed, the band’s enigmatic lead singer actually declares himself a God at one point, announcing ‘I am going to walk among you mortals now’ before wading into the crowd. Almqvist gets away with it because his tongue lies firmly in his cheek and the tunes are so fucking good. It must be really fun being in the Hives. Luckily, it’s a blast watching them too.
What wasn’t a blast however was the horrendous queues for the bar. Tales of a 90-minute waiting time were enough to have me screaming to the heavens in frustration, with only a dodgy burrito for company. That’s not a euphemism for my wife, I actually had a real-life burrito. To add insult to injury, the signs that warned ‘Keep Hydrated’ were basically trolling the paying Finsbury Park punters as queues for the water fountains also snaked around the venue. Also £25 for a bottle of wine. Outrageous. I’d want it served in a goblet by Cersei Lannister herself for that price.
Run the Jewels had a difficult task at Finsbury Park. Being the only hip-hop artist on a bill of pure rock ‘n’ roll is tough, and the pressure told for the first few songs as the duo struggled to assert themselves. Their astonishing DJ Shadow collaboration ‘Nobody Speak’ turned the tide however and by the time the band closed out their set with ‘Down’ they had won over a sceptical crowd and started to enjoy themselves.
Next up, Iggy Pop burst onto the stage like a fun house mirror contortion of Jennifer Aniston and immediately broke into an unstoppable rendition of ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’. He followed this with a powerful run-through of ‘The Passenger’ and a life-affirming version of ‘Lust for Life’. It is striking just how good Iggy still sounds after all these years. He also has a spellbinding torso. They say if you gaze into Iggy Pop’s torso, Iggy Pop’s torso also gazes into you. The problem is that he peaked too soon. The rest of the set meanders along until a snotty but brilliant ‘Search and Destroy’. Iggy salvages the set with an emotionally charged cover of Bowie’s ‘The Jean Genie’ but the middle section of the show felt a little iffy. Iffy Pop. Cheers.
And so to the main event…
Queens of the Stone Age bound onto the stage as the best-dressed band in rock music and also one of the most dangerous. ‘Do It Again’ is a pleasingly obscure opener for the long-term fans and when Josh Homme and co flow straight into ‘The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret’ it is clear that we are on to something really special. The sheer soundscape is immense and there are moments when one can only stand by and watch with mouth agape. In terms of pure musicianship, it is probably the best gig I have ever seen. Hits follow hits with ‘Go With The Flow’ almost tearing the whole place apart before ‘Feet Don’t Fail Me Now’ has everyone jumping as one.
If I could offer one criticism, and I wouldn’t do it to Josh’s face, of course, it would have been nice to hear some more early stuff. Homme references the band’s early shows in London but never harks back to that time musically with no songs off their first album and only two tracks from their classic sophomore effort Rated R. The new songs still sound fantastic however, particularly as they are performed with such venom, but it is ‘No One Knows’ that results in everyone going fully batshit crazy. We are barely past the halfway point. Hold me.
Josh then takes the opportunity to introduce the band and sparks a mass singalong during ‘Make It Wit’ ‘Chu’ before closing out the first part of the set with the blistering ‘Little Sister’.
The encore sees the band smash through the bookends ‘A Song for the Deaf’ and ‘A Song for the Dead’. Even a Jon Theodore drum solo can’t dampen the mood. A drum solo is something that normally would have me rolling my eyes but his talent cannot be denied.
And just like that, it’s over. In what is surely their biggest-ever UK headline show, Queens of the Stone Age have surpassed all expectations. As Homme himself points out ‘It’s your party, we’re just playing it’. I’m not Nick Carraway and Homme isn’t Jay Gatsby, but on a balmy summer night in London, he sure threw one hell of a party…