In the midst of Deftones’ biggest UK tour to date, we hit Manchester’s Co-op Live to meet their still-growing fanbase and find out what they love so much about the band – as well as trying to settle the nu-metal debate…
“Not in a million years would we have thought TikTok would help expose new people to our ancient tunes,” Deftones drummer Abe Cunningham admitted to Kerrang! last summer. “Now, that being said, we never went anywhere either. We’ve been putting out fucking solid records for this whole time! But seeing the crowd the past few years, there are some really, really young people out there…”
Right now, the Sacramento alt.metal kings are in the midst of their biggest-ever UK headline tour, stopping off in giant arenas up and down the country. As we noted in our review from Glasgow, ‘Chino Moreno and his band are riding a wave at the moment.’ But exactly who are the people enjoying these, ahem, “ancient tunes”? We headed to Manchester’s Co-op Live to meet the fans and talk nu-metal, the ’90s, and why “when Deftones come around, you have to see them…”
How long have you been into Deftones?
E: “For five, six years – since I was 14 or 15.”
S: “I got into them through her.”
E: “She’s my ex-girlfriend. I just love everything about them, I think they’re great.”
S: “Yeah, same. I really like their music, it’s fucking class.”
Why do you think they’ve had such a big comeback?
S: “Well, they’ve just got their new album [Private Music] out, haven’t they? Social media as well. People are getting more alternative with social media.”
E: “And TikTok – their music has been trending.”
What other bands are you into?
E: “Placebo, Siouxsie And The Banshees. Limp Bizkit. The Cure.”
What are your outfits today?
S: “Well, I’m just dressed like a lesbian! I’m all in black, but I actually have a nice green top on underneath.”
E: “This is just how I dress! I’ve got Dr. Martens, print shorts, fishnet top. It’s fucking freezing, man…”
When did you get into Deftones?
C: “About 20 years ago.”
J: “Roughly the same for me.”
C: “I’ve always been into rock and grunge and that sort of stuff so that’s how I got into them.”
J: “Me too!”
What is it that you like about them so much?
C: “It’s the deep, dark tones for me.”
J: “And I love the melodies – Chino [Moreno] writes such good melodies.”
Why do you think they’re having a resurgence right now?
C: “I think the whole scene is having a resurgence. It’s all coming back around, which is nice to see.”
J: “I think it connects with people and how they’re feeling.”
Settle the debate: are Deftones a nu-metal band?
C: “No, no. They’ve got elements of it, but I'd have to say you need to define nu-metal…”
What other bands do you like?
J: “Slipknot, Pearl Jam.”
C: “Alice In Chains. Oh, and Simon & Garfunkel!”
What are you wearing today?
C: “Jeans and a T-shirt.”
J: “New Rocks, obviously, this leopard skirt, and that’s about it!”
How long have you been a Deftones fan?
“Oh god… when White Pony came out must have been when I started listening to them. So the late ’90s or early ’00s.”
What is it you love about them so much?
“For me, first of all, no-one else sounds like them. It’s the atmospherics, and in the world of heavy music they’re much bigger-sounding. There’s a bigger undercurrent of melody to them. This lead me on to listening to more melodic music such as Tool.”
What other bands are you into?
“A wide spectrum. My true love is metalcore – stuff like August Burns Red. But the things that got me into metal were System Of A Down and Deftones, and obviously old-school stuff like Metallica and shit like that. But Deftones are the only band that sound like this so when they come around, you have to see them.”
Why do you think they’re having such a resurgence right now?
“Heavy music is coming back into vogue. Maybe it says something about the world we live in right now. People are also listening to their old stuff again. I’ve been into Deftones for a long time and I’m nearly 40 now, and there’s loads of people younger than me here so they’re obviously hitting something right with the youth.”
Settle the debate: are Deftones nu-metal?
“Well, if you’re counting nu-metal as an era, then technically, yes. Because they got prominent in that era. However, you say nu-metal to me – which is the era I grew up in – and I think turntables and rap segments. And although there is a little bit of that in Deftones, I’m thinking things like Slipknot, Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit.”
What are you wearing today?
“I’ve got some Jordan 3s on. I've got some Levi jeans, a Supreme hoodie and a Sublime T-shirt as I’m into ska punk as well. And then a little denim number for my jacket.”
How long have you been a Deftones fan?
“My partner Pete [above] got me into them! And we’ve been together for a long time. I think we first went to see them in 2017, but we've been together for, like, 15 years.”
What other bands are you into?
“I like a lot of emo – like My Chemical Romance. And I love Alanis Morissette! She’s been here a couple of times. So just a classic mix, really.”
Why do you think Deftones are having such a resurgence right now?
“I just think there’s nothing that really equates to it in modern music at the minute. No-one’s as good.”
Settle the debate: are Deftones nu-metal?
“I’m going to go with yes!”
And what are you wearing today?
“I’ve just got big, baggy jeans, plus Dr. Martens and a fleece to stay warm!”
How long have you been a Deftones fan?
“I disliked them in the 2000s when I was a teenager. I was into Korn and thought Deftones were a bit cringe. But I’ve liked them for probably the last 15 years. I’m a drummer and got really into [2012 album] Koi No Yokan. I listened to Poltergeist and I was like, ‘Holy shit, the drums on this song are amazing,’ and decided I needed to dive into all of their stuff.”
What is it you love about them so much?
“The dynamics. I love heavy stuff, but Deftones make the heavy stuff feel meaningful. They build stuff – the quiet parts are quiet and the loud parts are loud. If every song is loud all of the time then it loses its impact. No-one quite knows what kit Deftones use. Everyone thinks they know, but no-one has ever quite nailed it.”
Settle the debate: are Deftones nu-metal?
“I think they’re more shoegaze, to be honest. I think they get lumped in with nu-metal all the time because nu-metal was given to anything that wasn’t Metallica or Alice In Chains at the time, right?”
Why do you think Deftones are having such a resurgence right now?
“They’re one of those bands that have risen out of that nu-metal label. They’ve been steadily going since that scene. Everything collapsed around them and they’re still there, like some kind of tank. They found a new audience with Gen Z which not a lot of bands from the ’90s can do, especially not on the level they have.”
What other bands are you into?
“A few of my friends are in bands I listen to. There’s a band called Gauche. And another called Wargun, they’re really good. And another called Draves, who are kinda shoegazey. I also like Death From Above, and I’m a big Arctic Monkeys fan.”
What are you wearing today?
“Dr. Martens and a pair of white jeans that I’m very self-conscious of. I usually wear black. I’m anxious of getting a stain on them. And then this red and black coat that everyone has the style of in their wardrobe. Lumberjack vibes!”
How long have you been a Deftones fan for?
“Shit, since the mid-’90s, I think? Being an old guy…”
What is it you love about them so much?
“I love that they’re always a bit different. There’s a consistent ethereal dreaminess to them beyond the sludge of it and that monotony, hypnotic aggression. There’s a wistfulness to it. It sounds like a weird thing to say about any metal band, but I think they’re unique in that way.”
Settle the debate: are Deftones nu-metal?
“I don’t think anyone was ever nu-metal. I think it was just a catch-all term, the same as grunge.”
Why do you think they’re are having such a resurgence right now?
“I love that they’re back and they have a new audience in the younger generation. It makes it fun for me as a man in the middle of a midlife crisis. I don’t stick out that much! There’s the youngsters but also people my age.”
What other bands are you into?
“Wargun are really good. Nine Inch Nails is my principle, and Queens Of The Stone Age. I’m big into my post-punk, gothy stuff, y’know?”
What are you wearing today?
“Oh, just a pair of black jeans. These boots, which are a bit like what cops wear, but we won’t talk about that. I’m a bit of a biker. And then this Nine Inch Nails hoodie.”
How long have you been a Deftones fan?
“Probably 15 years or more. I’m old now.”
What is it you love about them so much?
“Oh, I love all nu-metal!”
Speaking of which… settle the debate: are Deftones nu-metal?
“They used to be. Not anymore, though – I guess they got softer. It’s a little sexier. But I think they definitely appease a lot of different people now. I feel like the crowd here is a lot different than it would have been 15 years ago.”
Why do you think Deftones are having such a resurgence right now?
“I suppose nu-metal has had a resurgence. And I feel like now the only way bands can make money is by touring. So bands are coming back out.”
What are you wearing today?
“A PVC red dress and red PVC harness. And leopard print New Rocks, which used to be fluffy!”
How long have you been a Deftones fan?
“Since I was a teenager. I think I got into them from Kerrang! or Scuzz.”
What other bands are you into?
“Oh god, it’s like I’ve never heard of any band ever – I’m on the spot! 36 Crazyfists and Slipknot, and then Korn is my favourite band.”
Settle the debate: are Deftones nu-metal?
“I think they were but not so much anymore. I prefer their older stuff, really.”
What are you wearing today?
“An Iceberg British shirt. An old Supreme Harrington jacket. Some little. Dr Martens.”
Deftones are on tour in the UK until February 20. You can also see them headline the London edition of Outbreak Fest on August 23.
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