Deftones under a blazing South London sky felt like something close to mythic. a reminder that after three decades, they’re still untouchable…
Images and words by Josephine Best | July 10, 2025
It’s not every day you catch Deftones on a hot summer day in South London, but last Sunday, Crystal Palace Park was buzzing. With a bill that leaned from hardcore to indie nostalgia to alt-metal royalty, the day unfolded like a well-curated but mixed playlist – and the headliners delivered a set that more than made up for their Glastonbury absence the day before.
As we arrived HEALTH blasted the gates wide open for us. Wasting no time, they dropped an intense wall of industrial‑tinged alt‑metal and techno – a curated chaos that felt cinematic, with Jake Kuzsik’s vocals landing like intimate confessions amid the noise . A visceral start that set a moody tone for the night.
High Vis followed with a stark shift in energy – urgent, cathartic, and yet deeply human. The London hardcore crew brought grit and melody in equal measure, with frontman Graham Sayle pouring his guts into every line, with his lyricism earning a genuine connection with the audience. You could tell this wasn’t just performance – it was testimony to all they’ve achieved. Seeing a London born and bred hardcore band command Crystal Palace Park was truly a special sight to see. It was shout-along Brit punk perfection, blending fury and vulnerability in that distinct High Vis fashion that as fans we’ve come to know and love.
Next came Weezer, who brought a perfect dose of sun-drenched nostalgia to the day. If there was ever a band to unite a crossed-genre crowd, it’s these rock veterans. Breaking out the hits Island In The Sun, Buddy Holly and Say It Ain’t So, the set was a rush if 2000s nostalgia and pure melodic serotonin. Of course, singalongs were inevitable. It was fun, maybe a little silly, but totally irresistible and served as a great palette cleanser for what was yet to come…
Given they’d pulled the plug on Glastonbury just 24 hours earlier, there was a lot of anticipation waiting for the main event to hit the stage. But it was clear to see, whatever was bugging them at Glasto had clearly vanished: Deftones delivered a seismic headline show to what must have been around 15,000 fans – their biggest UK headline show to date, a historical return.
From the minute they launched into Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away), it was clear they weren’t here to mess around. Without giving the crowd a second to catch their breathe they wasted no time and rolled straight into My Own Summer (Shove It), delivering that spine-tingling, near-religious rush that you only get from a bulletproof opener like that. It’s a bold move opening a set with two of your biggest songs, but boy did they do it well. Frontman Chino Moreno was on another bloody level – sprinting from one side of the stage to the other, screaming like his soul was on fire one minute, then crooning softly the next. You could feel how much he meant it, and the crowd gave it all back. Every drop of sweat, every scream, every beat was matched, the band and the audience feeding off of each other.
Something that really stood out to me was how tight the band sounded without losing that quintessential Deftones rawness. Abe on drums was a machine, with Stephen’s riffs feeling like earthquakes under your feet. You could feel the weight of the sound in your bones, especially during heavier cuts like Rocket Skates and a personal favourite of mine, Headup. When they pulled out 7 Words for the encore, the place erupted like it was 1997 again, total and absolute carnage.
Tracks like Digital Bath and Change (In the House of Flies), washed over us with that strange, ghostly beauty only Deftones can pull off. Their presence was huge, filling up the space without ever overplaying it. Sextape, Rosemary, even Tempest gave an illusion of time slowing down. Everyone letting the music wash over them. That’s the thing about a Deftones show, it’s emotional, cinematic, almost spiritual.
By the end, no one wanted to leave. People lingered long after the lights came up, still buzzing, still trying to process what just happened. It wasn’t just a gig. It felt like we’d all shared something unspoken. For a band 30 years into their career, Deftones still feel vital – maybe even more now than ever. They didn’t just play a show; they held court, and we were lucky enough to be there.
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