Deftones All Points East review: ‘Adding to their status as a legendary live band’

Over the last few years, Deftones have enjoyed a mini-resurgence and a second wave of popularity, largely driven by younger generations discovering them on TikTok. It has paid dividends for the Californian band, who are headlining larger venues and selling out international tours almost instantly, with the latter including their six-date, all-arena run in the UK and Ireland.

However, despite the timeless appeal of tracks such as ‘Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)’, ‘Change (In the House of Flies)’ and ‘Sextape’, Deftones are anything but a nostalgia act. Their tenth studio album, ‘Private Music', was met with universal acclaim, charted inside the top five in both the UK and the United States and earned a Grammy Award nomination for the Best Rock Album. The album’s release preceded the run of UK and Ireland shows, which took place in February, and included their first-ever show at London’s O2 Arena.

There’s been a lot of firsts for the band in the UK capital in the last 12 months, but their All Points East show was their biggest first yet, and they made the most of the occasion by letting the music take centre stage as they opened the show with ‘Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)’, delivered with a chugging guitar from Lance Jackman, who continues to fill in for Stephen Carpenter impeccably on overseas dates, and Abe Cunningham’s powerhouse drumming.

‘Around The Fur’ was complemented by Fred Sablan’s driving bass line and also saw Chino Moreno cover every inch of the Victoria Park stage. ‘My Mind Is A Mountain’, delivered with Sablan’s anchoring bass line, Jackman’s crunchy guitar, Cunningham’s hard-hitting drumming and Frank Delgado’s dynamic keyboard punches, creating a wall of sound that filled Victoria Park. ‘Feiticeira’ was delivered with Jackman’s jagged guitar and Delgado’s atmospheric synth swells. Sablan’s thick yet hypnotic bass line and Jackman’s overdriven guitar were highlights on ‘Mascara’, which sparked a raucous singalong, so much so that Moreno paused after the song finished to take in the moment.

“Holy s***. Beautiful. Let’s boogie,” he stated, with an evident appreciation for the fans that packed out Victoria Park and a desire to keep the momentum going. ‘Risk’ was performed with visuals of the band that were almost ghostlike. ‘Rosemary unleashed a big singalong before the band erupted into a big jam. ‘Sextape’ saw Moreno seamlessly transition from a breathless, quiet whisper to a soaring, echoing falsetto, projecting a strong emotional delivery and showcasing what makes him such a strong and versatile vocalist.

‘Korea’ provided the perfect blend of Cunningham’s powerful drumming, Jackman’s guitar chugs and Sablan’s heavy, driving bass. ‘Change (In the House of Flies)’ and ‘My Own Summer (Shove It)’ were moments of pure euphoria before the band set the tone for the encore with a thrilling rendition of ‘Milk of the Madonna’. ‘Cherry Waves’ was heavy yet dreamy, blending heavy distortion with a dreamy atmosphere, and ‘Lotion’ saw Moreno head to the barrier to directly sing to those in the front standing pit before a rendition of ‘7 Words’ closed out a history-making night for the Californian heavyweights. With every passing performance, Deftones are adding to their status as a legendary live band, and as they continue their resurgence, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them break their record for their largest-ever headlining show in London again at either Wembley Stadium, London Stadium or Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the not-too-distant future.

Deftones will head to Edinburgh next for a performance at the Royal Highland Showgrounds, with tickets available here.