A Decade of FAITH NO MORE 2009 to 2019

Photo Jimmy Hubbard 

Over the course of their career Faith No More have dominated two decades. During the 90's - with the addition of Mike Patton -  they were catapulted from underground hippie college favourites to stadium rocking MTV leaders in a new generation of music. From genre busting album The Real Thing to the most influential record of all time Angel Dust. From the angry brilliance of King For Day Fool For A Lifetime to the funeral marching tones of Album Of The Year.  Ever changing, unpredictable and innovative... FNM were a force to be reckoned with for nine years. 

In 2009 our favourite five-some returned when we needed them most and proceeded to reclaim their throne as alternative majesties over the following ten years. We look back over the 2010's and some of the greatest Faith No More moments from 2009 to 2019. 

1. Reunited 'and it feels so good...'

The single most astonishing thing that occurred during the last decade was the reformation of a band we thought would never share a stage again (let alone a recording studio). On February 24th the impossible was made possible and Faith No More ceased rumours by announcing that they were a unit once again. 

"And so with this we've decided to hold our collective breaths and jump off this cliff.... BACK, GOD FORBID, INTO THE MONKEY CAGE!!!" - Faith No More

What followed was a world tour spanning three years, a new album and tour. During their travels the band visited almost every corner of the globe - not only those countries who had traditionally adored the band but also places no other band would dare to perform. 

2. Download Festival, UK (2009)

The band kicked off Faith No More 2.0 with a warm up show at their spiritual home of Brixton Academy in London on June 10th 2009. However it was Download Festival two days later which was undoubtedly their comeback concert. It would be FNM's first live performance in front of a 40,000 strong audience since 1998. This return not only reignited the spark in existing fans but it won over a new generation of music lovers who would go out and grab a copy of FNM's greatest hits the very next day. Those who weren't lucky enough to attend would see Faith No More perform in HD for the first time. 

"Ever a band for who the unexpected can be expected, tonight in a drunken field, they are an absolute delight. Welcome back, gentlemen."  - Kerrang!

If there were any doubts about the band's decision to return they were quashed on June 12th at Donington Park. 



3. Teletón, Santiago (2010)

Faith No More closed the Second Coming Tour with two dates in their adopted home of Chile. The band were invited back to Santiago to perform at the televised charity event Teletón. 

"Chile is a very special country. A very important country for us. Thank you, Don Corleone," - Mike Patton



4. Maquinaria Festival, Santiago (2011)

A year later and the band returned to Chile, this time to headline the Maquinaria Festival on November 12th. At this show FNM played King For A Day Fool For A Lifetime in full, which included premieres of the songs Star AD and Absolute Zero. They were also joined onstage for the first (and only) time by Trey Spruance who had written and recorded songs for the 1995 album. 



5. Record Store Day Black Friday, San Francisco (2014)

We asked you - the followers of Faith No More - what was your highlight of the decade. A popular choice was the 2014 show at British Summer Time Festival in Hyde Park. We can't argue that it was a tremendous set - the boys dressed as priests performing Superhero and Motherfucker for the very first time was unquestionably a spectacle to behold. However we have trumped that particular concert with the surprise gig at Amoeba Records in San Francisco which took place four months later on November 24th - Record Store Day Black Friday. 
This would be the first time we saw FNM perform in civilian clothing since 1998 and the first truly intimate gig of the reunion. Most importantly it was to promote the release of Motherfucker, FNM's first single in 16 years. 



6. Sol Invictus

The next step for Faith No More was recording new music and on May 18th we were blessed with a miracle as the band released their seventh studio album Sol Invictus. FNM succeeded in delivering a collection of songs which was completely different to it's predecessors while still retaining their unmistakable sound. 
Sol Invictus was received by fans and music journalists as a triumphant addition to the band's catalogue. 

"It was a language that we all speak together, and it was clear that it was still there. Then we decided that we wouldn’t play any more shows unless we made more music. So we did." - Roddy Bottum



7. BBC Maida Vale Session, UK (2015)

On June 16th, during the Sol Invictus tour, Faith No More returned to the famous Maida Vale studios in London to record a live session for BBC Radio 1. The last time the band had recorded in this particular studio was 1995. The result was unbelievably good and with the added extra dimension of video footage. FNM included the previously unrecorded cover version of Burt Bacarach's This Guy's In Love With You, which was the icing on the cake. 



8. Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon (2015)

Another great show to promote the release of Sol Invictus was Faith No More's return to television. The band actually managed to fit two in - the first was on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon which aired on May 13th, the second was on Jimmy Kimmel Live and aired on September 3rd from Hollywood. 
It is the first of these two broadcasts which makes it into our list simply because it's reminiscent of such legendary shows as Saturday Night Live 1990 or Hanging With MTV 1992. The band comfortably blasted out Superhero and Easy without causing too much distress to the host or the audience. 



9. Chuck Mosley and Friends (2016)

In 2016 Faith No More made bold move and revisited their roots by releasing a reissue of their debut record We Care A Lot. Promotion for this album led to two nostalgic live shows complete with original singer Chuck Mosley in Los Angeles and San Francisco (the last FNM have performed). Not only were these shows a treat for hardcore FNM fans, but as Chuck passed away in 2017 they are wonderful tribute to the late singer's legacy with the band. 



10. Small Victories : The True Story Of Faith No More (2017)

After initially refusing interviews Faith No More finally broke their press silence and there have been some incredibly insightful interviews with members of the band which have revealed precious details we never knew.  Mike Patton spoke with Decibel and Alarm magazines. Bill Gould with Kerrang! and Metal Hammer. Mike Bordin with Drum Magazine and Rolling Stone. Roddy Bottum revealed all to The Quietus and The Guardian. Jon Hudson was quoted by Guitar Player and... erm... us!

Yet the most perceptive and complete documentation of Faith No More history to be published (since Steffan Chirazi's 1994 book The Real Story) was Adrian Harte's book Small Victories : The True Story Of Faith No More released in August 2018. The author travelled to San Francisco to spend time with band members and he conducted interviews with over forty people to unearth facts that were before unknown. 


Bill Gould's Favourite Shows of the Last Decade

When researching this article we thought it would be fun to find out which gigs were remembered most fondly by Faith No More themselves. Bill sent us a list. 

1. Teletón - Santiago, Chile (2010)
2. Macka Küçükçiftlik Park - Istanbul, Turkey (2009)
3. Moscow (all)
4. Malta Festival - Poznan, Poland (2012)
5. Prague/Chech Rep (all)
6. Aegon Arena - Bratislava, Slovakia (2015)
7. Sziget Festival - Budapest, Hungary (2009)
8. Exit Festival - Novi Sad, Serbia (2010)
9. Sudoeste Festival - Zambujeira do Mar, Portugal (2009)
10. Kindl-Bühne Wuhlheide - Berlin, Germany (2009)
11. Royal Center - Bogota, Columbia (2015) 
12, Estadio Malvinas - Buenos Aires, Argentina (2011)
13. Maquinaria Festival - São Paulo, Brazil (2009)
14. Ejekt Festival - Athens, Greece (2010)