Corey Taylor gets it. “I see too many serious faces at rock shows, it shouldn’t be like that! It should be about having a good time!” Stone Sour are a band that bring some serious good times to whichever arena they fill, and tonight was the Brighton Centre’s turn to bask in the glow of a consummate, hard-rocking and highly entertaining show. The sheer scale and spectacle that Stone Sour brought with them is normally only present in much larger venues, so it made for a fantastic chance to get up close and personal with one of modern rock’s legendary frontmen. Formed back in the early 90s, they actually predate Taylor’s other band, Slipknot, by a few years, although it took them a little while longer to get to a recording stage with 2002’s self-titled debut. Releasing albums sporadically since then, this year’s Hydrograd sees the band back together (albeit in a slightly new line-up) and in top form.

Prior to the main event, The Pretty Reckless, fresh from another support role with Guns N’ Roses, opened proceedings with ‘Follow Me Down’. Frontwoman Taylor Momsen stalked the stage, adding an intensity with her moody presence. This is a band that clearly understands the AC/DC mantra that the roll is as important as the rock, with a bluesy groove adding depth to the sound. Man-mountain drummer Jamie Perkins provided a planet-sized foundation while Ben Phillips (guitar) and Mark Damon (bass) added a secondary wall of sound. It was a set well-received by a full and knowledgable audience who lustily filled in the blanks for Momsen on tracks like ‘Make Me Wanna Die’. The huge riffs of ‘Sweet Things’ saw the first devil’s signs flicked around the room, and by the time Momsen was writhing on the floor screaming the lyrics to ‘Heaven Knows’, the audience were eating out of the New York City band’s hands for the remainder of a sensational set.

As the lights drop for the arrival of Stone Sour, the mere glimpse of Corey Taylor in the shadows is enough to provoke a huge roar. With a leading role both in this band and Slipknot, he has been one of hard rock and metal’s leading lights for nearly 20 years. On stage, he exudes charm – like all of the greatest frontmen, he acts as a gravitational pull for the limelight and demands and receives full attention. With pyrotechnics and glitter guns being used straight from the off, it is theatre of the highest level. “It’s so great to be back in Brighton, and even more so to be back in the UK” he proclaims, before leaning in to the crowd to conspiratorially whisper “you guys really get…serious music”. And serious music was what Brighton received tonight, a perfect display of hard rock from a band intent on shaking, rattling and rolling. Taylor may sing “you can only scream your heart out over and over for so long/before you know it, you’re gonna lose your fucking mind” on opener ‘Taipei Person’ but the only people losing their minds were the delirious crowd.

With a setlist taken generously from their 15-year back catalogue, there was something for every metalhead in the crowd. Hydrograd’s more melodic hard rock slotted in perfectly with the earlier, heavier material. The band were exceptional, lead guitarist Christian Martucci bounding around the stage with a wide grin never far from his face, while on rhythm, Josh Rand added a noticeably steadier influence. In the middle, the brooding presence of bassist Johny Chow was rocking so hard that even his mighty beard seemed to be taking on a life of its own. On drums, the mohawk’ed Roy Mayorga propelled the group ever onwards and upwards. When Taylor picked up his own guitar for ‘Tired’ onwards, the sonic blast from the five of them was incredible.

What transpired over the 90 minutes was a total love-in between band and crowd, each inspiring the other to greater heights. Taylor was visibly touched with the response, mentioning his gratitude for the crowd to be showing this much love after so long away. Like a puppet master, he controlled the temperature of the crowd at all points – able to raise cheers and screams with a single glance or point of his finger. Dropping in their cover of Black Sabbath’s ‘Children of the Grave’ (which was as ferocious and primal as the original) as a tribute to being in the country that gave birth to Taylor’s beloved heavy metal, Stone Sour cemented their place as worthy successors to those mighty forefathers. It was breathless, it was heavy, it was a good time. No shortage of smiles at this show Corey, your mission was accomplished.

Jamie Macmillan

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