If you found yourself in London on Sunday 11th August surrounded by hordes of black t-shirt wearing folks, all of them eagerly marching towards Ealing and Acton Town, then you’ll have been looking at the crowds on their way to Gunnersbury Park to celebrate thirty glorious years of Korn. The influence that the nu-metal pioneers have had on modern heavy music is undeniable and this one of a kind festival-style event, featuring a stacked bill of bands that Korn’s DNA has woven itself into, served as a fitting tribute. Thousands of metal fans, all of them donning shades, lathered in suncream and clutching beers, headed to the park early to ensure they didn’t miss a note of the heaviness, and what a day it was.
The first band to take the stage arrived a little later than expected due to rapper Denzel Curry pulling out of the event at the last minute, causing a change to all of the day’s set times. Following a twenty or so minute delay, Liverpool’s finest Loathe (8) arrived on stage to the majestic Nessun Dorma, and the display that they put on was soul-stirring, jaw-dropping and utterly terrifying in equal measure. Opening their set with the crushing Gored is a statement and a half, their bellowing low tones rattling the ribcages of everyone in earshot. Vocalist Kadeem France tore across the full width of the stage, the band calmly but intently striking their instruments behind him to shock the early attendees into paying attention.
The songs that followed were an expertly trodden balance of calm and calamitous, ranging from the serene Is It Really You? to the groove heavy Dance On My Skin, choosing to end the set on the tumultuous Heavy Is The Head That Falls With The Weight Of A Thousand Thoughts that saw the entire band flail their limbs and instruments during its closing moments. Loathe are the only band that could’ve set the tone for the day, and to see a homegrown act on a stage this big, opening for a band so legendary, was heartwarming.
The next band to take the ever-warming stage was another UK act, the divisive electro-rock duo Wargasm (6). The energy levels that Sam Matlock and Milkie Way brought to the stage was undeniable, both of them using every inch of the stage to unleash their brand of chaos, but something about the set just didn’t wash across the entire crowd and it’s partly to do with the bands either side of them. Wargasm’s raw and rough punk-infused nu-metal, when contrasted with both Spiritbox’s and Loathe’s precise and punishing onslaught, doesn’t hit home in the same way and falls a little flat. The in-between song banter also felt a little awkward and forced, Matlock referring to Way as “baby” so often he it could’ve been an Austin Powers impression.
They unleashed plenty of big songs that got the pits moving, like the recent 70% Dead (without the Corey Taylor feature), the commanding Bang Your Head and the ferocious Spit, but there was this feeling that lingered through the entire set like something was missing. They proved that they’re a force of nature, without a doubt, but when sandwiched in between some of the most dominant metal acts around, their powers were somewhat weakened.
After a short break that provides the overheating and heavily sweating masses with an opportunity to grab a snack and a sit down, the time arrived to welcome the most highly anticipated of the supports to take the stage. The mighty Spiritbox (9), armed with a cosplaying Courtney LaPlante donning a silver foil tracksuit that’s no doubt an homage to tonight’s headliner, marched onto the stage with a very clear mission; get this crowd ready for Korn. Ripping straight into the ominous Cellar Door is certainly one way of doing that, the monstrous riffs and gut-wrenching vocals whipping the crowd into gear almost immediately.
The tracks that followed it, the stunning Jaded and the murky Angel Eyes connected like sledgehammers, and the pits continued to get more and more fierce. The moments of respite did appear, Blessed Be and Secret Garden providing some melodic softness and an opportunity to regain some breath, but they were temporary. Another chance was teased – “I’m getting pretty tired up here, mind if we do a slow one” asked LaPlante – but they launched into a vicious performance of Holy Roller instead, and the intensity remained for the rest of the set. Closing number Hysteria sounded cataclysmic, the closing chords seeming to shake the ground beneath us, and the crowd is left breathless. As main support slots go, they couldn’t have been more perfect.
The sun began to fade beyond the skyline, the crowd packed in tightly around the stage, and the mood shifted in the park. An electricity filled the air, everybody on the edge of their metaphorical seats, in anticipation for some of heavy musics legends to arrive on stage. At about 8:30pm that electricity surged, and Korn (10) began their celebrations, equipped with a setlist that spanned their entire career, an incredible light show and some seriously impressive production that came in the form of a video cage that rose and fell throughout the show. As soon as the intro music began the crowd erupted, but when Jonathan Davies and crew all stepped out that eruption became truly volcanic. A towering opening performance of Rotting in Vain followed, summoning numerous pits into action, all of them stretching nice and wide and getting the bedlam off to a very healthy start as the band settled in to their momentous birthday set.
As soon as they dropped into Here To Stay the crowd were reminded of the band’s legacy and just how far back it stretches, the irresistible grooves and impossibly low tones sounding just as menacing now as they did all those years ago. Their music sounded revolutionary and fresh back then, and even when performed alongside a bill like the one everyone experienced earlier, it still sounds just as relevant. The following one-two punch of A.D.I.D.A.S. and Clown had the exact same effect, and the entire crowd bathes in the nostalgia. The band’s energy levels were so high, head banging and fist pumping just as hard as the crowd were, and everyone in attendance was feeding from every drop of adrenaline they were given.
Start The Healing is the most recent song that Korn played – the only song in the setlist from the 2020’s – as the band focused on their 90’s and 00’s material for the most part. Those eras of the bands are certainly the ones that got the crowd the most riled up and riotous; Blind and Got The Life bit like a seething rabid dog, Coming Undone’s pendulous riffs summoned some back-snapping headbangs, Somebody Someone’s doom-laden power commanded the entire field into mass adoration. The end of the main set, though – the enormous Y’all Want A Single – was one of the set highlights. There’s nothing quite as magic as a few thousand people screaming “fuck that” at the top of their lungs, their volume reducing the enormous speaker rigs to mere background noise.
After a brief exeunt, Davis returned with his trusty bagpipes, much to the crowds delight. He marched across the stage, encouraging more and more cheers and revelling in every second of adoration, and then the band rip into Shoots And Ladders without warning. The final moments of the set were absolute pandemonium, and it was all because of the ridiculous string of closing songs. Twist was one of the most savagely received songs of the entire evening, the numerous mosh pits becoming the most dangerous they’ve been all day for its fifty second duration. Following immediately with Divine meant the adrenaline didn’t have a chance to die down, its frantic discordant assault intensifying the crowd’s liveliness as they approached the finale.
It was time. Time for what many heavy music fans regard as the song, and it’s the one that the majority of today’s attendees had been waiting for. The towering, iconic and genre defining Freak On A Leash. From the first note the entire crowd became its most animated and rowdy, and the following four minutes truly felt like a mass celebration. This song soundtracked the formative years of the older members of the audience and is likely an important part of the younger members too, unifying the field in a collective euphoria as everyone screamed the lyrics at maximum volume and expelled every last drop of energy they had. The final chords rang out, the lights came up, and the crowd reflected on everything they just witnessed. One of heavy musics finest, dominantly proving why they’re deserving of their legend status.
There’s only one way to describe a set like that; triumphant. This was an anniversary celebration for the band, sure, but it was more than that. It was a statement. Not only do Korn have an hour and half of all killer no filler material, they have more than that. So many songs weren’t featured tonight – Twisted Transistor, Did My Time, Alone I Break, Thoughtless and so many more – and the fact that they missed so many out but still put on a blinding show is a testament to their power. To cram this many people into a field to witness a festival styled performance begs a very important question. Do Korn have festival headliner status in their future? After this, let’s hope so.
Photo by Emma Stone, taken at the Halifax show.
