Wednesday 28/11/07 Queens of the Stone Age, @ Carling Academy, Glasgow

If ever proof is needed of how quickly time passes in the music industry, just take a quick look at Queens of the Stone Age. It has now been over three years since the abrupt departure of Nick Olivieri, meaning the Californian rockers have a lot less nudity, beards and demonic shrieking with their live shows. Yet, rather than the bassist’s departure acting as a catalyst for the group going into meltdown or even breaking up, QOTSA seem to have progressed to an even slicker level, adding polish to their performance while retaining the forcefulness of old.

Strolling onto a decorated stage without a care in the world, the five-piece’s relaxed mood only lasts as long as the first few chords of ‘Sick Sick Sick’ ring out, following which an intense journey of powerful yet subtle rock commences. While the set list understandably focuses on newest offering Era Vulgaris, there’s also plenty played from the band’s past and it’s notable how well the set flows together, despite having tracks from several different eras being mixed together. So, the swaying, poppy blues of ‘Make It Wit Chu’ nestles nicely alongside the glam rock esque stomps and “hey’s” of ‘Do It Again’ while older classics like ‘Avon’ ensure the mosh pit is going full force.

Leading the onslaught as always is the towering figure of Josh Homme. A casual character on stage, he powers out riffs and launches into solos with ease, making it look like he’s occupying his mind with other things.  Yet he never descends to the level where his impressive playing becomes posing.  Behind him, Joey Castillo is simply a heavily tattooed demon of a drummer, providing the muscle that holds the songs together and driving them onwards, while the rest of the band hold their end together, not so much the rag tag bunch of collaborators that sometimes defined QOTSA but a proper, accomplished group, especially on the standout, Earth shaking rock of ‘No-One Knows‘, dispatched with relish halfway through the set.

The only minor quibbles that could be had were the odd sound problems that blighted the set, especially early on and rendered Homme’s voice indecipherable in places. Also, several classics like ’Lost Art of Keeping A Secret’, ’Mexicola’ and ‘Go With The Flow’ were left off the setlist, although a band with a back catalogue like the Queens are always going to leave some fans unhappy, unless they were to play every song in their repertoire. And what they do produce for a finale is what transcends the gig from very good to great. An anarchic riot of noise on ‘Feel Good Hit of the Summer’, followed by an encore of the swaggering howl of ‘Millionaire’ and a ten minute version of ‘A Song For The Dead’ that stops, starts, shifts gears and transforms itself back and forth more than a robot from Cybertron. All the while remaining an astonishing torrent of noise that leaves Gigwise’s ears ringing.

It’s a devastating finale, and caps the gig off in tremendous fashion. Never mind any changes in style or sound, Queens of the Stone Age are simply one of the greatest live bands in the world, and long may they reign.