British Summertime – Hyde Park 4th July 2014
The legendary Black Sabbath headlined a blistering show at London’s Hyde Park this July 4th. In what could be one of their last performances this was an epic show for the band and fans alike.
On the bill ... Soulfly, Motorhead, Faith No More Soundgarden and Black Sabbath.
SOULFLY
Prolific Brazilians Soulfly opened the Main Stage with an energetic force emanating from the very first anthemic song Prophecy. Former Sepultura front-man Max Cavalera set the tone for the baking hot afternoon encouraging the crowd to make a circle pit, demonstrating that a physically charged atmosphere could prevail through blazing sunshine.
Having established themselves a vast body of work with constant releases, Soulfly have always kept it fresh using different musicians within the group. Interacting with their peers and drawing on tribal world music the band have also included Max's sons in various line-ups.
Sepultura's Arise and Dead Embryonic Cells went down a storm with the already enthusiastic crowd and Max’s brother Igor (also previously of Sepultura) joined as drummer for Roots Bloody Roots completing the family tribe vibe.
MOTORHEAD
Iconic Lemmy’s Motorhead were next up and despite poor health Lemmy and the guys belted out their performance with feeling.
Motorhead showed just how down to earth and worthy of the legend title they are to their committed fans, having invited some of the band's die-hard Swedish following over to catch the show. When we caught up with them they were enjoying a surprisingly summery day, having watched Monty Python in the tour bus and sang the praises of the friendly folks around Hyde Park they had encountered.
Having toured multiple times with Sabbath, Motorhead were a good fit for the bill playing exactly what they enjoy and are best at.Whitefield Crane of Ugly Kid Joe's guest vocals on Killed to Death added some welcome variety and invariably Ace of Spadeswas the moment to remember of the set.
FAITH NO MORE
Faith No More took to the stage in a late afternoon slot with the sun still strong in the sky. With the band dressed as priests on a stage adorned with wreaths and lilies, Mike Patton added extra interest working the crowd expertly while spraying “holy water” and quoting The Exorcist.
Reforming in 2009 after an 11 year hiatus Faith No More really have stood the test of time, performing with vigour this highly innovative and inspiring band certainly do not disappoint.
Mike Patton’s use of ingenious instruments including the megaphone added another dimension to the performance and with the melodic From Out Of Nowhere Faith No More consistently delivered passion and raw aggression together in a truly awesome combination.
Soon the sunglasses and braces were off, shirt untucked and the belting Angel Dust classics Caffeine with Patton's cheeky demonic grin in the breakdown and Everything’s Ruined truly testified to the band's longevity.
Easy as always went down a storm with Patton encouraging the crowd “it’s ok metal-heads … you can sing”, Faith No More are surely one of the few rock maestros who can pull off a Commodores cover.
With a high quality, all round tight performance by the band, Mike Patton kept the crowd engaged and enthralled with immense charisma and his vast vocal range at full strength. From effortless crooning into the screaming growls of Mid Life Crisis, the dramatic balance of complimentary quiet and raucous elements still has Patton's vocal versatility firmly cemented as one of the finest in modern rock.
Faith No More's twitter quoted “the reunion was fun but now it’s time to get creative” which they really have thrown themselves into. We were treated to two new songs Leader of Men and the fresh sounding Mother F**ker “get the mother f**ker on the phone” hinting at a more experimental direction for this still growing and perfecting band.
The title track from 1985’s debut album We Care A Lot closed the set with a layering of sound, this Epic performance could only have been bettered would have been to have more atmospheric weather to match the musical tone.
SOUNDGARDEN
From Soundgarden’s roots in the alternative Seattle scene of the early 1990’s Chris Cornell‘s authenticity, meaning and passion still shine through.
Part of the antithesis to the polished charting rock of the 1980’s, Soundgarden’s 1994 breakthrough album Superunknown remains their most successful and we were treated to a rendition in their Hyde Park set.
Joined by Pearl Jam’s Mike Mcready on stage, the alternative rock giants demonstrated their grunge heritage to the adoring fans with a full barrage of their Zeppelin inspired real and honest post punk stoner rock.
BLACK SABBATH
With Hyde Park slowly sinking into darkness, the atmosphere was dripping with anticipation for the highly influential hard rockersBlack Sabbath.
What started out as four hard-core working class guys from dreary 60’s industrial Birmingham are now global legends and founders of British Metal.
The sirens signalled Sabbath time was upon us and the band that the critics loved to hate cranked up the volume with opener War Pigs. Still relevant today with clever use of powerful music and imagery, this political song conveys a powerful anti-establishment message.
The captivating “Prince of Darkness” Ozzy Osbourne’s piercing vocals and energetic showmanship was back in the spotlight reminding us how the mighty Sabbath has captured the imaginations of generations of music lovers.
With Jimmy Page spotted side of stage, the powerfully definitive Fairies Wear Boots and Iron Man had Tony Iommi’s unique full and heavy guitar style cut through the evening air like an undulating sonic wave.
N.I.B. was preceded by “Basically” a Geezer Butler solo carried out with immense feeling and passion. The audience and band interacted feeding off each other and illustrated by the lighting's atmospheric rain-like showers, the eponymous Black Sabbath was a memorable moment.
Going out on a high the closing song Paranoid with a Sabbath Bloody Sabbath intro, maintained the full force of theatrics with a fiery backdrop and fireworks rounding off an awe-filled spectacle to experience.
With a bill full of innovators from Soulfly's worldly resourcing of new sounds as stated by the band's website, Soulfly deliver “the idea of combined sounds and spiritual beliefs” through Motorhead's fast and vicious classic brand of chaos to Faith No More's innovative and evocative style this was an awesome compilation of well-established and adored artists.
Soundgarden's honest heart and soul performance and Black Sabbath's legendary enduring passion made for a 4th July to remember.