LIVE REVIEW: Corey Taylor, Oxymorrons, Eventim Apollo, London, 14/11/2023
Photo Credit: Kevin O’Sullivan
On the 14th November, Corey Taylor — Slipknot legend, Stone Sour hero, and SpongeBob SquarePants aficionado — deigned to descend on the glorious Eventim Apollo, the last stop of his mini UK run of shows before venturing on a limited, and pretty damn sold out, string of European dates; and, as always, we were lucky enough to be there to regard and regale.
Given the task of warming up the already excited crowd came Queens-based Oxymorrons, who bounced around the stage almost as much as they bounced between genres; vocalist Demi “Deee” as comfortable with some surprisingly guttural nü-metal screams as he was with politically charged raps, even covering Jason Butler’s distinct vocals during the band’s Fever 333-featuring Definition, defied pigeon-holing. His brother, Kami “Ki”, was no slouch himself, combining his vocal efforts with the charismatic bassist Jafe Paulino to add some much-needed depth — all while maintaining the brightest, widest, and plain smiliest grin Hammersmith has likely ever seen — while drummer Matty Mayz, a rubber faced metronome, expertly gave the songs shape, often with his tongue joyfully and languidly hanging from his mouth.
With it being their biggest ever non-festival show, the foursome would have been forgiven some nerves — and maybe there were some present, buried under a simmering stew of rage, rock, and fraternal love. But from the second the band took to the expansive London stage, launching into opener Enemy (also the opener of their recently released debut album, Melanin Punk), they were non-stop. They even had the between-song chatter locked down, a blend of stories, song contexts — Graveyard Words, about how words have power, for instance, or Look Alive, dedicated to a fallen member of their chosen family, Netic Rebel, which also happened to be their first ‘radio record’, having been spun by the likes of Radio One DJ Jack Saunders — and empowering, impassioned speeches, with topics ranging from melanin, and the objective stupidity of racism, to the bizarre reactions they get to their blend of music.
Finally, as the high-octane chaos of Justice brought their 45 minute set to a close, it was time for the Corey preparations to begin — though not before “Ki” had left the stage to greet everyone at the barrier, hugs and selfies galore. 8/10
Seeing one of the biggest names in music, and arguably *the* biggest name in metal music, up close and intimate— or as up close and personal as the 5,000 cap Eventim Apollo can manage, anyhow — was always going to be special. With Slipknot masks dotted around the audience, and the venue fit to bursting, the buzz was positively vibrating, phones flying up to record even the jaunty, introductory The Box played over the house speakers; but then, as the lights on-stage faded into nothingness and the darkness descended, it was time for the man of the hour.
To say that Corey Taylor was charismatic is equivocal to saying that the sun is hot. Gliding across stage with a swaying swagger likely to give Mick Jagger imposter-syndrome, the legend was all smile — and why wouldn’t he be? This was his crowd. Whether there for Slipknot, Stone Sour, the solo songs or SpongeBob, the crowd were united in their adoration, and for good reason. Although Corey Taylor might be better known for the dark and oppressive songs of his masked menagerie, his masterful set, across all of his different eras, was superb. And it all felt natural too; if you didn’t know where each song came from, you wouldn’t necessarily be able to place it. Slipknot’s Snuff into Stone Sour’s 30/30-150, mentioned as being one of Wargasm’s Sam Matlock’s favourite songs, into recent solo album CMF2’s Talk Sick or recent crowd favourite Midnight… they all flowed seamlessly between themselves. Strangely, though, the inverse was true too — for those who did know the catalogue back to front, it almost felt glaringly obvious as to where they came from. Song #3, for instance, couldn’t be anyone other than Stone Sour’s, the love-fuelled, melodic rock anthem. Likewise, We Are The Rest, with its punchy, chanting chorus, and the classic guitar melodies, has moments of the bands that preceded it, but is distinctly Corey’s. And then, of course, no-one but the great Painty the Pirate could have written the classic SpongeBob SquarePants Theme, which always lands Corey somewhere between exuberant and exasperated, at this point practically peer-pressured into playing it each live show.
Accompanied by his all-star band, showmen in their own right — particularly guitarist Zach Throne, tossing his face-featuring picks at the crowd with the same power and pizazz as a Vegas magician throwing cards — Corey Taylor and co. provided one hell of a night, topped off with renditions of both Slipknot’s crazily iconic Duality and a fiery final cover of Fairies Wear Boots by Black Sabbath, all of which left the London crowd deeply satisfied.
The only thing left is to hope that, much like Slipknot songs bleed into the Corey Taylor solo set, Corey Taylor’s solo set songs might begin to slide into the Slipknot set… particularly SpongeBob SquarePants. Think about it; who wouldn’t want one of the most prolific metal bands in the world, a band whose masks are the epitome of what Bible-wielding parents around the world hate about the genre, a band known for their hedonistic, horrifying, and hilarious antics, to break into some TV theme tunes? Just saying — food for thought. 9/10
Written By: James O’Sullivan
