4 If you think about it. Limp Bizkit are really Aerosmith’s fault. Them agreeing to re-record ‘Walk This Way' with Run DMC back in I986 planted a seed that would take years to germinate. It was further developed when Anthrax collaborated with fellow New Yorkers Public Enemy in a version of the latter‘s ‘Bring The Noise' and the whole thing was solidified with the recording of a soundtrack to .ludgwnent Night. A mediocre action movie. it boasted an excellent album's worth of original crossover
collaborations including Helmet and House Of
Pain. Ice T and Slayer and Faith No More and Boo Yaa Tribe.
The two genres have always shared the outsider mentality and now the lines between the two have been blurred beyond recognition with Rage Against The Machine being the most captivating spawn of this experiment.
Despite being the biggest stars of the current scene, Limp Bizkit are by no means the best. They lack the emotional range of Deftones or the ferocity of Amen. and Durst’s rhyming skills aren’t a patch on the likes of Method Man. DMX or Redman. who number among those who have collaborated with the band in the last few years. They do. however. retain credibility Stateside to allow collaborations with some of the biggest and best production crews in hip hop with Swiss Beats and the legendary DJ Premier of Gangstarr twiddling the knobs on tracks giving their sound a cutting-edge sheen.
What they do. however. is twofold: in Fred Durst they have an outspoken. self-confessed fucked-up white boy who has become as iconic as Britney, .l-Lo. Eminem or Marilyn Manson. who says little of real insight but is always the noisiest kiddie in the playpen. There are many
potential spokesmen for the disaffected youth of
the world, so why him? Right place. right time.
But most importantly they have the maverick guitar geek in Wes Borland. As well as being an expert at funky metal hooks bigger than those required to land Moby Dick. Borland brings an extra dimension of absurd pantomime to the Bizkit live show. With black contact lenses and body paint. he looks half way between something from Tutankhamun’s tomb and a Kraftwerk robot.
It is not difficult to have a schizophrenic attitude to Limp Bizkit. Borland’s addictive riffage and the hyped-up atmosphere at their gigs is electric while Durst’s bridge-buming and his ‘fuck the world' and ‘I am an outsider’ whines can wear a little thin. He has set himself tip for adoration and loathing in equal measure.
Limp Bizkit have taken the weight and dynamics but lyrically reduced things to a toothless bulldog; all bluster and no lyrical substance. He has evaded the kind of ‘real‘ controversy that the Mansons and Mathers of the world have embraced with fervour.
So even if the Limp Bizkit lobotomy-treated rit‘fery is too much. be safe in the knowledge that Disturbed. Hundred Reasons. Papa Roach. Tool. The Donnas. Incubus. the Deconstruction tour featuring Pennywise. A. and Snuff are all in town in the next month. With all this. and Amen. Little Hell and Weezer at T in the Park. Marilyn Manson. Queens Of The Stoneage and Iggy Pop for Gig On The Green and Extreme 2()Ol with Pitchshifter. The Vandals and Less Than Jake over the summer months. you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to rock action.
Limp Bizkit play SECC, Glasgow, Fri 9 Jun. 22 THE LIST 24 May—7 June 2001
Papa Roach unplug the juke box and do us all a favour
Sitting at the vanguard of the nu metal movement. Papa Roach have moved up the rock ladder faster than ()zzy could bite the head off a bat. ()n the strength of just one album. Iii/inst. they became the support act on the now infamous Anger Management Tour in the States. opening for Limp Bizkit and liminem. And now they are one of the main attractions on the rock behemoth that is ()zzfest. the largest and loudest touring metal festival around. And that‘s before mentioning their own headlining tour. selling out venues around the world. How come'.’ ‘I think people just find the honesty and the truth behind what we say.‘ says bassist Tobin lisperance.
Perhaps it‘s also because even when they tackle the most depressing of topics. they rock like motherfuckers. ‘We‘re just a rock ‘n‘ roll band: were loud. we're raw and in your face. lots of energy. lots of emotion. fucking high octane.‘ he growls. He has lived the dream to the max. joining the band at just thirteen. when the original bassist dropped out. and he plans to stick around like their emblem. the cockroach. ‘Thcy can live through a nuclear blast and we like to think like that. ya know. We strive for longevity. we‘re pretty die-hard.‘ (Henry Northmore)
Papa Roach play Barrowland, Glasgow, Wed 30 May.
T's METALIVIARATHON
(De) construction time again
Deconstruction and tours like it are commonplace in the US. The one that started the trucks rolling was Jane‘s Addiction‘s Lollapalooxa. back in the mid-90s: later. KoRn had their Family Values tour with Limp Bizkit. Ice Cube and Rarnmstein all sharing the stage.
Now they‘re trying out the concept in Scotland as Pennywise (pictured) and Lagwaggon head a ten-band bill at a gig running a tasty nine hours. The focus of this Deconstruction event at the SliCC is on punk and ska with the occasional metallic edge.
LA punk veterans Pennywise cut their teeth touring in this sort of set—up with dates on the Warped tour of the late 90s. Aside from veritable old fellas like Pennywise and the always enter- taining Snuff. newer acts such as the Bouncing Souls and the constantly touring (‘apdown make this not only a good-value day out but. with the prospect of skate ramps. PlayStations and clothes stalls. a veritable festival indoors. (Mark Robertson)
;
Deconstruction 2001, SECC, Glasgow, Sat 26 May.
SELF-EXPRESSIONISTS
Incubus give service with a smile
With so many po-faced rockrnongers around. it‘s nice to meet a band with a sense of humour. And ones who aren't just goofy fart-joke merchants. The dry wit of lncubus may not come through immediately. but they don‘t take themselves completely seriously. ‘Who‘s in love. who spat on who or who‘ll be running for president in 2012'? Just ask.‘ declares frontrnan Brandon Boyd.
Boyd is also in possession of that rock essential: a powerful old-fashioned tuneful voice. He may not have the growl of Eddie Vedder or the scream of Chino Moreno. but vocally he can hold his own. Just listen to Make i/(NHZW’U. It was their second full-length album. released towards the end of 1999. and they have been touring it ever since. ‘When we come home. we will have sold ten million copies. played 500 live shows. and will never want to see each other ever again.‘ srnirks Boyd. (Mark Robertson)
Incubus play Barrowland, Glasgow, Thu 7 Jun.