In Woverhampton, this is as exciting as it gets. The hottest tour on Planet Rock is kicking off in your town. After two long years, the Deftones are here.
Outside, the fans are seriuosly over-excited and the first aid man is the busiest bloke in the building. Backstage, the Deftones are gently ribbing Kerrang! about how we confused guitarist Stephen Carpenter and drummer Abe Cunningham in our K!668 cover feature. So let's get this straight. Stephen = amiable bearded giant, hair-flinging new metal god. Abe = improbably wiry, hyper drummer, looks half his age, attempted moustache. Yes? Yes. We have been told.
The Deftones are exactly what you'd expect: impossibly friendly, eager, hopeful that they're about to fulfil what they've promised, and keen their pals from Sacramento, Far, should enjoy their moment of glory in the most hotly contested support slot of '97.
Far don't let them down. If post-hardcore in the vein of Quicksand and emo-kings Chamberlain is your bag, Far will suit you down to the ground. Frontman Jonah Sonz Matranga might look like the sickly kid down your road who was never allowed out to play, but his rangy vocals and other-worldly presence soon have Wolverhampton hooked. Shaun Lopez has a neat line in serrated guitar, and if the epic 'Seasick' is anything to go by, Far will be flogging a few T-shirts and EPs later.
Then the terrace chant rings out: "CHI-NO! CHI-NO!" Somebody faints. The Deftones are here.
Chino Moreno stalks onstage like he was born for this moment. Trousers belted precariuosly below his hips, gaze intense, he looks every inch the new rock king as the quartet bursts into old faves 'Root' and 'Nosebleed' and the new LP's crushing opener, 'My Own Summer (Shove It)'. Wulfrun Hall literally erupts. Chino launches into the pit, disappearing under a sea of bodies and emerging minus his sneakers. He gets through two pairs tonight, and still ends up barefoot.
Like Korn, the Deftones are all about pulling you into every song and crushing you like a vice, bearing down hard and not letting up. Behind Chino, bassist Chi Cheng spits out some evil-sounding backing squawks, dreads flailing, while Abe Cunningham looks too slight to be drumming with this much ferocious power. A grinning Stephen Carpenter looks psyched, his deft guitar touches stinging but never drowning the surprisingly melodic likes of 'Bored' and 'Lotion'.
But right now, it's all about Chino Moreno. He is just effortlessly cool. No one takes their eyes off him as he spits and writhes through monster new song 'Around The Fur', to the wrenching 'Head Up', to serrating closer 'Engine No. 9'. By now he's topless, launching into the air from the PA stack into a sea of out-stretched hands, emerging bruised but grinning. His precarious trousers are still in place. Just.
There's no need for an encore because the Deftones have given us everything we wanted. The first aid man races to rescue one fan who's knocked herself out in the excitement, as backstage Chino admits that for one sticky moment, he was buried so deep in that sea of bodies that he thought he was going to die. He grins.
Then the Deftones happily greet a band of K! comp winners before Chino, Stephen, Abe and Chi are off to Glasgow. And on their way to being one of the most important bands in K!'s universe for the foreseeable future. Which means we'll never be getting any of their names wrong again. No chance.
CLARE DOWSE
