KORN + SLIPKNOT | LIVE REVIEW
Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff, Sat 24 Jan
Many wouldn’t enter a gig like this lightly – it’s not the sort of genre you would take a punt on, especially given the band names – but what Korn and Slipknot brought to the Motorpoint Arena was nothing short of impressive. Spanning from the barriers right to the back walls, the moshpit didn’t stop pulsing for one second, evidence of happy metalheads.
With both bands having been big players in the nu-metal scene throughout the past 20 years, it was surprising to see Korn in a support slot. Regardless, they swung one hell of a punch that easily matched Slipknot’s performance. With four of the five original members, Korn made sure to give loyal fans what they want: a heavy weighting of tracks from their first six albums, i.e. from before the line-up crumbled and dubstep took over.
After opening with Twist, the Bakersfield band unleashed the hit single Here To Stay to a great reaction. Frontman Jonathan Davis wheeled out his trademark bagpipes for Shoots And Ladders, while the rest of the band gave a nod to Metallica at the end of the song with a snippet of One. There was some irony in how their anti-mainstream song Y’all Want A Single was followed by Freak On A Leash, their most famous single to date, but Korn were undeniably on target with all aspects of their set.
Slipknot’s set transformed the Motorpoint into an evil circus. The nine men in truly horrifying masks (more so than ever before) delivered exactly what people came for: a carnival of carnage, thick vocal growls, pyrotechnics and a backdrop for letting yourself go with the music. The usual crowd favourites – The Heretic Anthem, My Plague and (sic) – were peppered amongst failproof singles Duality and Left Behind and three tracks from their latest album, 5. The Gray Chapter.
Such was the level of fandom in the arena that frontman Corey Taylor was bordering on speechless when the crowd sat down in the middle of Spit It Out, no instructions necessary; they knew the old sit down, jump up routine that the band requests in big live gigs. Being a witness to this night of extremes – visual, audible and physical – was incredibly fun. Nu-metal may be a bit passe to some, but Korn and Slipknot are very much alive, and they are kicking very hard.
words AMY PAY photo JOHN BURROWS