“Is it Saturday night up there,” Josh Homme asks the far reaches of a very sold out The O2. “It’s Saturday night down here,” he promises. And while the venue is definitely big enough to have multiple time zones, today is definitely a Tuesday. Not that a silly little thing like that is going to stop Queens Of The Stone Age.
Their new record ‘Villains’ is firmly, defiantly and playfully set in the weekend escape and tonight, that carries them on. The sludge has been polished, anything goes (including smoking indoors) and the moments of strobe-lit indulgence are fully embraced.
An early doors back-to-back showing of ‘Feet Don’t Fail Me’ and ‘The Way You Used To Do’ sees the band quick to get down to messy, grinning business but make no mistake, they’re not in a hurry. ‘No One Knows’ is still a war cry for fun, but there’s a ridiculous drum solo that makes it last just a little longer. ‘The Evil Has Landed’ on the other hand is already sprawling enough but the shifting discovery never outstays its welcome. The deliberate, “Here we come,” clears the way with a knowing wink and flashing brilliance.
“There is no future. There is no past. Now is all you’ll ever get,” Josh offers. “These are the moments” and Queens Of The Stone Age seem set on making sure every one matters. Never standing still for too long but refusing to skip over the moments of tension or fast-forward through the slow builds, tonight is a masterclass in balance and excess. The band embrace it all.
There’s a tongue in cheek alongside the impressive light show and powerhouse sonic delivery. “It’s smooth sailing from here on out,” Josh declares just before ‘Smooth Sailing’. It’s the same for ‘Go With The Flow’. And ‘Domesticated Animal’. It’s silly but the band just can’t help themselves.
‘I Appear Missing’ crackles with a fuzzy beauty while ‘By The Ocean’ flips from neon strewn party to end of the world celebration. No matter the occasion, this band are here to make you move. To make you feel. To soundtrack your good time. “Are you having fun,” Josh Homme asks one last time. He doesn’t need to wait for the answer.