Last night (June 20th) alt-metal trail-blazers Deftones played the U.K. arts and music festival Meltdown 2018, which this year is curated by the Cure’s Robert Smith. The date was significant for the band as it marked both the 18th anniversary of the release of their breakthrough album White Pony and the birthday of singer Chino Moreno. The festival itself was significant because Smith and the Cure are foundational influences for the the Deftones, who have previously paid tribute to them on MTV’s 2004 Icon special. As such, Chino Moreno and Co. broke out a very special set, including their cover of the Cure’s “If Only Tonight We Could Sleep,” which they hadn’t played since 2007, as well as two other rarely played songs, “Battle-Axe” and “Birthmark.” Photographer Nick Sayers was there to catch all the action and captured the evocative shots above and below.
