Mike Patton performs at Soundwave Festival in Melbourne, 2015. Photo by Paul Rovere/Getty Images
They are easily one of the most influential rock bands of all time. Masters of metal, hip hop, pop, hardcore, R&B, punk, lounge, jazz and thrash, combined into one cohesive stream of consciousness that is Faith No More.
After an extended hiatus of over a decade, the band returned to the stage in 2015 to play the UK’s Download Festival, and then went into BBC’s Radio One Studio to record four live tracks, including a Burt Bacharach cover.
“From the late 80s to the mid-90s they pretty much changed everything, then they broke up Others were inspired, and many followed … but no one since then has stood so confidently or inspiringly on the same ground as Faith No More broke” – Daniel P Carter, BBC Radio One Presenter.
Watch in awe as this complex mosaic of music is created live, right before your very eyes, with the dynamic precision of Jedi masters.
Track 1 – Superhero
From the minute the drums kick off you know the ride has begun. There’s no warming up for these psychedelic heavyweights as their full force is instantly realised. The song ends exactly as it began – with a drum fill that hits you right in the chest.
Track 2 - Sunny Side Up
Before the song starts, Roddy Bottum explains how the addition of piano added a unique tone and texture to Faith No More’s music that excited the band because it felt live, organic and real. It’s a priceless window into how they crafted their unsurpassable individual sound all those years ago and makes this live rendition captivating on an entirely new level.
Track 3 - This Guy's In Love With You (by Burt Bacharach)
Mike Patton and Roddy Bottum reminisce about their love for Burt Bacharach, noting that this is the first of his tracks that they ever attempted to cover, and have never recorded it before.
And, with that, the powerhouse band are suddenly so delicate and soulful that you’re transported instantly to a smoky basement jazz bar, somewhere in Manhattan. Complete with whistle solo.
Then, for a real scene change!
Track 4 - Separation Anxiety
One of the more high-energy tracks from their most recent record, Sol Invictus, Mike Patton describes it, “…like a light switch, once it’s on and it stays on the whole time”.
“An intense rhythmic exercise of people’s finesse” Roddy Bottum explains further.
When the bassline drops to half-time at the midpoint of the song you're hit with the undeniable brute force of a world-class rhythm section at its very best.
And now that your appetite for hard rock innovation and dominance is well and truly awake, have a listen to our I LIKE: FAITH NO MORE playlist and turn it up loud!
