March 26, 2003

Linkin Park : London Brixton Academy

Ooof

Those against Linkin Park say they're more brand than band. Wicked whispers that they were engineered by a svengali looking to corner the pop-metal market dogged their early career. Detractors say they've cynically co-opted the angst of middle-America's teenagers and sold it back to them as a basis for the megalomanical aspirations of 14 million selling Linkin Park Inc.. Even the name of their frontman raises sinister eyebrows - would you trust someone called Chester Bennington?

On the eve of Linkin Park's return with new LP 'Meteora', pop music and pop metal has moved on. Today, Christina and Justin rule the charts. '4-real' pop-rockers like Avril Lavigne and Busted clog up the top 10. Comebacks from Papa Roach and Korn last year totally underwhelmed, while Limp Bizkit's new single sounds more like some bitter Chris Morris pastiche than the record that'll re-invigorate the genre.

Linkin Park are better placed than most of their peers, mind, mainly because they've solved their biggest problem - how do you follow up a multi-million selling debut LP? - in typically sensible Linkin style. By making a new one that's virtually indistinguishable.

Apart from 'Faint' (which sounds like something by '80s synth overlords Depeche Mode) the rap-rock furniture of new tracks like 'Don't Stay', and flyer single 'Somewhere I Belong' have the same unobtrusive turntablism, enormodome sensibilities and Jerry Bruckheimer aesthetics as 'Hybrid Theory' standards like 'Crawlin' and 'One Step Closer'. Only frontman Bennington's intensity (his face looks like a man at war with his colon) betrays the band's super sleek veneer. But even he's prone to saying things like "I just wanna give every one of
you out there a hug". Ooof.

Tonight Linkin Park give few indications that they'll save nu-metal or that they even want to. But there's enough here to suggest that having barely tinkered with the formula that made them such a globally successful brand first time around, the Linkin corporation can expect a few more mighty pay days yet.

Michael Lane