Got the parklife! Nu-metal pioneers Korn celebrate their 30th birthday in bombastic fashion in London...
“Who the fuck is going to sell out a place like this 30 years later?!” screams a jubilant Jonathan Davis. And he’s right. Three decades after pioneering an entire genre with their self-titled 1994 debut album, Korn still remain as relevant as they did way back in the early days of nu-metal. Tonight’s stellar headline show at Gunnersbury Park isn’t just sold out – something chart-topper Tom Grennan couldn’t manage the night before – but it’s their biggest ever UK headline show and proof their popularity is going through a renaissance. And, indeed, the fabulous Bakersfield boys are on the finest form of their entire career as they lay waste to this quaint pocket of west London.
With Denzel Curry cancelling, it means tonight's supports get a bit longer to whip up the crowd under the blazing sunshine. Opening Liverpudlians Loathe stomp onstage as if they’ve been playing venues this size their entire career. Despite some early sound crackles, their ferocious brand of technical metalcore sees the day's first wall of death, with frontman Kadeem France demanding more from this already pumped-up crowd. Another victory for one of the UK's coolest rising bands. Hurry up with a new album.
They're swiftly followed by the anarchical riot of noise that is WARGASM, a band who wear the influence of tonight’s headliners on their sleeves. Going off like a firework from the start, Milkie Way and Sam Matlock take the occasion by the scruff of their neck, inciting non-stop circle-pits with Bang Ya Head and Feral, creating a joyously chaotic environment for doing both of those things.
“You’re making us feel really at home,” beams Spiritbox’s Courtney LaPlante, who has decided to wear a foil silver tracksuit combo, which becomes iconic almost instantly and probably the reason nobody here can get any 5G. But it’s the bands performance that's the real talking point, as the band flex their collective muscles with such poise that an air of headline-ready confidence exudes from the stage, almost blowing a new hole in the ozone layer as enormous tunes The Void and Holy Roller level the place.
As a cage made up of LED screens dominates the stage with their iconic emblem beamed across it, you can feel this being a moment for Korn. Jonathan Davis appears through the smoke adorned in a glittery all-in-one green adidas tracksuit, and from the first chime of the enormous Rotting In Vain, they start their big birthday celebration in bombastic fashion. It’s a set that sees them smash through their greatest hits with a quick flurry of Here To Stay, A.D.I.D.A.S. and a particularly explosive Clown creating pandemonium.
The energy, mesmerising lighting and the running through of hits makes this feel like a band rejuvenated. They’ve always been an uncontrollable beast live, but this feels very much like a band burdened with glorious purpose to continue dominating the game. Blind is absolute carnage, with drinks flying across the crowd, chaos in the massive pit and the band playing as if they’re still in their youth. A loud, collective ‘Fuck that’ during the anthemic Y’All Want A Single is truly a magical sight to behold, topping off the main part of their set. The bagpipes, of course, make an appearance for encore opener Shoots And Ladders, before they end with a ridiculous run of Twist, Divine and Freak On A Leash.
It may have taken them 30 years to get to venues of this size on these shores, but when you’ve spearheaded a scene regaining its popularity, and have so many iconic songs to back that, it's as earned as it is overdue. If Korn aren't headlining the likes of Download at some point, we’ll eat our baggy pants.
