Queens Of The Stone Age @ The Corn Exchange, 9 Feb

Much like the Tin Man, there's a pleasing mechanical veneer to the Queens tonight, though you have to wonder what's making them tick. Aptly, Misfit Love's chugging, robotic guitar is stretched to hypnotic lengths and is swiftly followed by River In The Road, which is pretty much the apocalypse in flannel shirts. They neither pander to their audience (there's no Feel Good Hit or No One Knows), nor do they unnecessarily foist (Lullabies to Paralyze is distilled down to just Burn The Witch and Little Sister). Plenty of room then for the epic Song For The Dead, its stop-start dynamics and ad hoc signature changes bringing the crowd to a dizzying climax. For all their mastery though, there's an almost workman-like ethos from the band themselves; Josh and the boys dutifully punching in, rocking shit up then clocking out. Such grumbling may seem churlish, but it's disheartening to think you may be enjoying the party way more than the hosts themselves. [Darren Carle]