LIVE REVIEW: Corey Taylor @ Swansea Arena, Swansea

‘Swansea’ and ‘arena’ are two words that most people never expected to unironically hear in a sentence together. Now add COREY TAYLOR into that sentence and it becomes a whole lot more bizarre. As one of the newest large music venues in the UK, Swansea Arena has a lot to prove, and they are rounding off their first year open with some of the biggest gigs they could hope to get. Tonight, we had the pleasure of joining them to witness one of the biggest names in rock and metal at work: COREY TAYLOR. 

Beginning the evening is the CHERRY BOMBS. Founded by Taylor’s wife Alicia, this group is among one of the most unique on the circuit blending a range of different performance styles together to produce an action-packed theatrical dance show that most spectators wouldn’t expect. Though we may have missed the first half hour of their show due to extreme unorganisation by the venue, what we manage to catch is the latter half of a full stage production that isn’t far off being the lovechild of Cirque du Soleil and a club night at your local rock bar.

It’s an extremely eyebrow raising set that for us begins with a rendition of METALLICA’s Creeping Death accompanied by flamenco, quickly followed by a range of aerial acrobatics using a range of hoops and silks at the side of the stage. As if the audience wasn’t quite warmed up by the adrenaline inducing act, they quite literally get warmed up by the fire performance and angle grinding that ensues soundtracked by Du Hast. The production level for their set is incredible and the amount of effort that has gone into it shows that this opportunity hasn’t been taken for granted, as they try to open the eyes of more traditional metal fans to the entertainment they’ve been missing out on. CHERRY BOMBS are truly a unique act so here’s to hoping that they inspire more groups like this. 

Rating: 8/10

At least 90% of Swansea Arena is filled with SLIPKNOT or STONE SOUR shirts, worn by those anticipating a set full of Taylor’s ‘best ofs’, but there is no way that he treats this tour as a victory lap for his extremely extensive career. As a solo artist, COREY TAYLOR is extremely impressive and can showcase his raspy vocals instead of the aggressive screams that he is usually so well known for. The music he plays as CMFT is reminiscent of classic rock bands like THE ROLLING STONES or AC/DC and allows him more time to play guitar and show us his other skills. It’s a welcome departure to see him on stage in a plain t-shirt and jeans, rather than the excessive costumes and masks of SLIPKNOT and while he may be a performer at heart, this seems more comfortable. He spends the first half of his set showcasing his newest release as a solo artist, giving the audience tracks like HWY 666 and Samantha’s Gone, both tracks that echo that classic rock sound that he is so inspired by.

Though he may be somewhat tethered to the spot by a microphone, he uses his spare time to skulk around the stage as he plays and shout encouragement at the audience that aren’t moving anywhere near enough. In a change of pace from the fast tempo of much of his discography, Taylor pulls up a stool to sing the few ballads in his set – but not before a short rendition of the Spongebob Squarepants theme tune. It’s at this point that he finally satisfies the SLIPKNOT fans in the audience and plays an acoustic rendition of Snuff, arguably one of the more emotional and moving of their songs. In a complete 180 in mood, he throws the stool away and ditches the guitar so he can move around the stage, all while singing STONE SOUR’s Absolute Zero, which the audience are very much on board with. Taylor encourages a singalong, and the audience are more than happy to oblige, the entire arena echoing with the instantly recognisable vocal hook.

COREY TAYLOR sets a relenting pace switching straight to Wait And Bleed, the opening of which instantly changes the entire dynamic of the room. What was once a largely static crowd is now in a frenzy of moving limbs and band t-shirts, which swiftly carries on to the end of his set. This energy has come far too late from a crowd who were clearly expecting a SLIPKNOT concert, as if they hadn’t bought tickets to see COREY TAYLOR. It’s disappointing to see purely because Taylor is a ridiculously talented entity in his own right and his solo project deserves so much more praise and fan appreciation than it has received. 

It’s no secret to absolutely anyone that COREY TAYLOR is a living legend. In the last hour and a half, he has managed to convert a room largely filled with SLIPKNOT fans into people who can appreciate his solo work and his sultry tones, not just the down-tuned fast paced guitar work that comes from a certain band with nine members. Though he has previously sold-out arenas and festivals much larger than this small arena, Taylor seems right at home here with the people of Swansea, observing them as a king would his kingdom.

Rating: 9/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Swansea from Megan Jenkins Photography here: 

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