Queens Of The Stone Age, TheFumes @ The Arena, Brisbane(28/03/2008)

Fri 28th Mar, 2008 in Gig Reviews

Check out all the photos from the QOTSA gig here!

Queens of the Stone Age have always had a huge fan base in Australia, and tonight they proved why as they ripped the roof off the Arena to kickstart the V Fest festivities.

Garage two-pieces are a dime-a-dozen these days, but they don’t get much better than opening act The Fumes. Stripped of all the pomp and strut which can often accompany such duos, Steve Merry (vocals/guitar) and Joel Battersby (drums) do their thing with a minimum of fuss, and a maximum of punch. Merry is dazzling with his guitar work, and Battersby punches out rhythms with consumate ease, although you can tell from the look on his face, he’s concentrating pretty hard. Unfortunately, the crowd, while vocal in their support, don’t seem to want to dance, except for during hit single Automobile, where the power riffs manage to get a few people tapping along. The set ends prematurely due to some drum issues, but the roar which sees them off the stage shows that this crowd has well and truly warmed to the Fumes.

After a surprisingly short break (just 15 minutes), the lights go down, and the noise goes up. Josh Homme and his cohorts take the stage, and rip into a snorting version of You Think I Ain’t Worth A Dollar, But I Feel Like A Millionaire. You Would Know is next, with its haunting finale stunning the crowd, while Do It Again gets them moshing. Homme is in fine form tonight (dressed in plaid no less), but his bandmates aren’t overshadowed for a second, pushing themselves around the stage with passion. Michael Shuman does some fine work on bass, and as usual Joey Castillo is a sight to see, and drums with precision and power. 3s and 7s is next, and the band handle the tempo changes throughout the song with amazing prowess. A Song For The Deaf showcases the desert end of the Queens’ desert rock sound, but is marred by some guitar problems for Homme. “Excuse me while I get my shit together,” he quips at the end of the song. Touche.

Burn The Witch lifts the intensity even further. By now, even at the back of the sold-out Arena, it feels like the middle of a midday mosh pit – everyone’s sweating, and nobody cares. Suture Up Your Future and In The Fade are softer numbers, but only by comparison, and the roof nearly comes flying off for the power riffs of Someone’s In The Wolf, which features some slide psychadelia from Homme before the explosive finish. Singles I Wanna Make It Wit Chu, Little Sister and a rough and tumble version of Go With The Flow round out the main set.

There’s still a few singles left in the back catalogue, so no one moves a muscle, and the boys return to a raucous cheer. They open up the encore with the closing number from Rated R, I Think I Lost My Headache, and then go straight into the instant classic A Song For The Dead. Homme does a fine job stepping up for Mark Lanegan on vocals, and Castillo has no problem filling in Dave Grohl’s drumming shoes. Then the band depart, leaving the crowd a little perplexed. Where was No One Knows, or Feel Good Hit Of The Summer? No one’s leaving, but when the house lights and music come up, and the roadies start packing up the kit, the crowd heads for the door. It might not have been a single-heavy set, but the Queens Of The Stone Age have proved their reputation as one of the best live bands in the world is well-deserved.