Faith No More | Aegon Arena, Slovakia - June 10th, 2015

Updated: Mar 16

Faith No More's European and UK tour in support of Sol Invictus was five years ago.

FNM began their Sol Invictus tour in Japan, Australia and the USA before returning to Europe in May 2015. The eighth date was on Wednesday June 10th in Bratislava, Slovakia at Aegon Arena.

SME Kultura

They played hard rock music in white suits and with flowers on stage. Singer Mike Patton stole a concert for himself with his rude performance and distinctive voice.

The NTC hall in Bratislava was unexpectedly resounded with romantic melodies from the film Breakfast by Tiffany, whose story melancholy describes unhappy love and for some is associated with the sweet face of Audrey Hepburn and her choice of clothes. Music that doesn't suggest that an hour later, rough and charismatic singer Mike Patton should perform on stage with his band Faith No More, which once conquered MTV and teased animal rights activists with a clip where a dying fish jumped on dry land.

However, the band apparently prepared an innocent prelude. The decorations were just as harmless as they were: white curtains, flower pots and five musicians in white suits. The music they played contrasted sharply with this, as the band opened the concert with the novelty Motherfucker - she doesn't really believe in correctness, as its name suggests - on the contrary, it is full of violence, blood and death.

Patton's arrogant expression also contrasted. At one point, for example, he invited the audience to turn their backs on him. He ordered twice before some of the spectators turned their heads - in the direction where several tired faces sat in the VIP box. Patton insulted vulgarly, and the bassist jokingly added, "That's probably part of the handicapped.

However, it was Patton who, with his changeable, unrestrained voice, reigned in guitar melodies and aggressive drum rhythms. He didn't bother to make his singing the same as on the albums - sometimes he barked something into the microphone, other times he let out a wolf's howl by holding the amp by his mouth.

The singer, aware of his great vocal range, performed it for a while - when he smoothly switched from a squeaky scream to a rough roar reminiscent of monsters from the film I, the Legend (he dubbed them). He hopped on the stage with a frown, as if talking to a personal devil. By the way, the eight-pointed star in the band's logo was allegedly inspired by the symbol of chaos that arose in literary fiction.

Most of the songs at the concert were in the spirit of hard rock, the atmosphere only softened after an hour of concert with the most famous ballad Easy, which the musicians reworked according to a song by Commodores.

A disco ball was launched on the podium and the lights were ironically delivered - as if Faith No More indicated that they were not comfortable with this nipple - that they perceived it as a compulsory ride. The next moment, Patton sang the sweet pop song All About that Bass by the blonde American singer Meghan Trainor.

To the fact that they have already performed in Bratislava, the band responded during the concert: "We have been here for 22 years, we can meet again."

However, he did not satisfy everyone: especially the sound quality, which was criticized on social networks. They played without a break in a furious rhythm for an hour and a half, as if the musicians had not long since crossed the middle age.

Drummer Mike Bordin, for example, needed an assistant to put a bottle of water to his mouth right while he was playing. Of course, they heard all the biggest hits, which the audience appreciated by waving to the beat, jumping and applause, which called the band twice back to the stage even after they said goodbye. Until we could only believe that they would return.