I’m not feeling 100% tonight. This is due to running an ultramarathon 2 days ago and recovery being a little slower than it once was. This isn’t important to Queens of the Stone Age, but I always think a bit of personal context is useful and if this review makes little sense, maybe this explains why. Besides QOTSA are no strangers to the stresses of real life, even self inflicted one’s. Life is written large against their catalogue and no more so than on the new album. It’s dark, it’s dirty, pretty emotional and of course it’s brilliant. Whether you want to delve deep into the lyrics delivered by Homme’s distinctive croon or just lose yourself in monolithic riffs, Queens have you covered. It’s been belting it down all day in Manchester today, but as I stand in the glorious Yorkshire evening sunshine at Halifax’s Piece Hall, it’s like I’ve been transported. Which I suppose I have. This venue is great. I’m never the tallest in the room, but pretty much wherever you stand, you get a decent view of the stage nestled in one corner of a vast Georgian courtyard. I say vast, but surrounded on all sides it feels quite cozy and when they take the stage, Homme gives a little wave, nods and bang ‘Go With the Flow’ detonates. They’ve been away a while and I’ve not seen them live in even longer, but they’ve lost nothing. They're on a charm offensive, the pure sex swagger of ‘The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret’ sees the pit display some serious air and if I weren’t feeling a bit achy I’d be jumping with them. Homme is on fine form, teasing the sign language interpreter and unleashing one monster after another, before we get to the first new song. Homme admits that everyone might be thinking “What the fuck is this? But let’s pretend we don’t think that”. ‘Negative Space’s stoner cool isn’t far off the familiar though and it gets a warm response. Followed by ‘Paper Machete’ after which Homme seems happy, “Went better than I thought it would go”, “So what now? Let’s fuckin dance!” as they let ‘The Evil Has Landed’ loose and two kids behind me play some ferocious air guitar. The sun goes down and the tempo up for ‘Little Sister’ and I’m struck by just how great they are. Queens are an oddly perfect balance of heavy rock that’s remarkably accessible and the crowd represents that with a real mix of metal heads and safe haircuts. There’s a bit of movement towards the bars and toilets for new one ‘Made to Parade’ but there shouldn’t be, this is one of my favourites off In Times New Roman... It’s packed with glam sass, Homme soloing beautifully as it closes, I sometimes forget just how good a guitarist he is. There seems a lot more freedom in their live sound now. I know that sounds like pretentious tosh, but this music is all about escape, expression and occasionally raw fucking power. It’s about feeling something. The urge. Being moved uncontrollably. They’ve morphed into something close to a stadium band without any of the bullshit baggage that goes along with that, although Troy does wield a twin necked guitar at one point. “Don’t be afraid to clap, just be afraid to get the clap” and clap in sync the throng does. We’re all transfixed. The phones are out for ‘No One Knows’. It’s like a bloody opera, twisting and turning, braking down as Homme says “let me hear you” and we oblige. His vocal takes over, the fingers slide down the guitar and fuck me as they all kick in, my mind is blown, this is why I come to gigs. “Fuck all this pretend we’re going off encore bullshit, I wanna stay”. A-fuckin-men to that!! as they run through an extended ‘In The Fade’. It’s a perfect set, old, new, all played and received with love. As we get towards the end I’m afraid I’m little use to you as it all blends into europhia (and I forget to try and take a half decent photo!). The strobing spotlights are firing, arms are aloft and absolutely nothing else matters. I’m a puddle of joy as ‘God is in the Radio’ gives way to a blistering ‘Song for the Dead’, but my heart is racing in the best possible way. I was knackered when I walked in, but I’m completely reenergised. Could I go run 50k now? Maybe not, but there’s a lovely elevated ridge above Piece Hall that I’d like to have a go at one day and when I do, QOTSA will be on my headphones.
