Five years have passed between ‘Era Vulgaris’ (2007) and ‘…Like Clockwork(2013), a great amount of water has flown under the Queens Of The Stone Age bridge. It might be the time, the fatherhood, the surgery during which QOTSA’s leader Josh Homme nearly lost his life, but there’s no doubt that the Californian stoner rock band have improved a great deal. And they demonstrate it not only with ‘… Like Clockwork’, work of great maturity, in terms of arrangements, lyrics and collaborations, but also with their live shows.

Yes, they’ve grown up, but didn’t lose their rock attitude at all: in London for a couple of dates last Friday and Saturday, the Wembley Arena where the lives took place, literally exploded.

The fans were ready to welcome their gods and jump on the first few notes of ‘My God Is The Sun’. A chorus raised up from Hell to reach Heaven as soon as the drums, alongside Josh Homme’s guitar, announced ‘Burn The Witch’. And then everything was done: rock’n’roll penetrated everyone’s heart and adrenaline pervaded the air.

In a combination of old hits such as ‘The Lost Art Of Keeping A Secret’ and ‘Go With The Flow’ and new successes like ‘If I Had A Tail’ or ‘ Fariweather Friends’ (written together with Elton John), the shows reached its clou with Josh Homme singing ‘The Vampyre Of Time And Memories’ at the piano.

Every song was accompanied by ironic, sensual, mysterious videos à la Queens Of The Stone Age and transformed the stage into the perfect table around which hosts wanted to have their last supper.

Maturity in music and performance could be perceived in the words, the gestures and even in the  new arrangements of past hits. Yet, their ‘Nicotine, Valium, Vicodin, Marjuana, Ecstasy and Alcohol’ attitude is still flying the flag of Rock’n’Roll.

A concert is a ritual and QOTSA are the druids. Of Rock’n’Roll, of course.

Marcella Sartore