Live Review

Stone Temple Pilots – Brixton Academy

• 17th Jun 2010

Life can be cruel and kind in equal doses. For example – I managed to secure a couple of tickets in order to cover the Download Festival this year – and this would have been a first for me. And looking at the talent they had on the bill it was something to get excited about.

But then fate intervened when a close friend decided to book their wedding on that weekend. So dutifully I passed on the download tickets to a couple of the other writers – through gritted teeth.

But then this month alone I was also handed tickets to the Rage Against The Machine Finsbury Park show by someone who could not attend that – literally a couple of days before the show. Who else did I miss at download – Senser (I’ll be covering them this Saturday!) and of course Stone Temple pilots whom I was lucky enough to grab one of a few press tickets for.

I’m of the generation where If I don’t know who is supporting – I will hang out in a bar nearby and then head to the show 15 mins before the main act is due to arrive on stage. And the Pilots finally came on around 9.15pm. My friend complemented me on guessing that opening number would be “Vasoline.”

The sound feels rather a bit off as front-man Scott Weiland is sometimes drowned out by guitar and Bass. But it gets better as the set goes on.
We wonder what tunes from “Core” and “Purple” will get covered – and it isn’t too many songs in when they finally hit a few. Of course it is “Plush” and “Interstate Love Song” that get the biggest crowd reaction. Although they also hit the likes of “Big Empty,” “Creep,”
New material played from the new album include highlight songs “Hickory Dichotomy,” “Huckleberry Crumble” and “Bagman” all making an impression on the crowd.

Scott Weiland is an odd looking guy in that he doesn’t seem to have a very expressive face – kind of looks like an ordinary guy on the telly but with a greasy hairdo. His stage presence is an odd thing though. He sways rather briskly and softly as he sings as opposed to full on rocking out. And whilst he plants himself in all the right places there is still a feeling that he isn’t 100% with us. But the voice that comes out of him is quite astounding sometimes. Bassist Robert DeLeo is probably the most active on stage full of heavy enthusiasm and a real love for the music he is playing.

Well all in all it was a very good show and literally hit all the songs I wanted to hear including all the really good stuff off the new album. The news is that it is a very good thing to have Stone Temple Pilots back making great music again and performing it well for us adoring fans.