Concert Review by Mark Bayross
The Astoria, London – 5 February 2000
With Filter’s current single TAKE A PICTURE getting considerable airtime here in the UK and creeping into the Top 20 in America, I had feared that they would go all ‘establishment’ on us and become just another mainstream alt-rock act. After all, last year’s accessible TITLE OF RECORD album was a marked departure from the raw aggression of their debut, SHORT BUS.
Silly me. Tonight’s performance weighs in at an hour and a quarter of pure musical muscle. Once onstage, the band waste no time applying their collective punch, delivering a bruising WELCOME OT THE FOLD to an ecstatically receptive crowd. Both albums are well represented, with the band alternating songs from each: DOSE; THE BEST THINGS and a drawn-out psychedelic rendition of CONSIDER THIS that seems to go on for ten minutes.
Filter has found a winning formula here: the early songs benefit greatly from the new depth and breadth of their sound; while the recent songs are fantastic to begin with. TAKE ANOTHER, for example, is a blast of power and intensity, helped on its way by a spectacular light show. Similarly, CANCER sounds awesome, its mesmerising trip-hop beats climaxing in a strobe-laced guitar riff frenzy.
Throughout the show the band seem to be having a ball, none more so than their temperamental frontman, Richard Patrick, who warms to the crowd, throwing shapes against the lights and deliberately stopping TAKE ANOTHER halfway through for longer than normal, just to wind everyone up. He was quoted recently as saying that he loved playing London, and tonight his affection for the city is evident: “Hey if you’ll have me, I think I may come and live here. Would that be cool?”, he says at one point.
Given the high quality of the music, Filter still manage to save the best for last – a supremely danceable TRIP LIKE I DO is followed by the seminal HEY MAN NICE SHOT to bring the set to a close. The band return to encore, inevitably, with TAKE A PICTURE, but not before Richard has taken the time to goof around playing Van Halen riffs on his guitar.
It seems that Richard Patrick has nothing short of world domination ahead of him – everything is in his favour: his voice has improved in power and stamina; he and guitarist Geno Lenardo’s songs are catchy, melodic and heavy; and his apprenticeship in Nine Inch Nails has developed him into a potent live performer.
Watch out Trent – your old employee is hot on your tail…
