Having already paid tribute to Janet Jackson, Aerosmith and Metallica over the three previous years, the annual television special MTV Icon turned in 2004 to salute British post-punk/goth-rock luminaries the Cure. Marilyn Manson played host while a very of-the-era lineup of Blink-182, AFI, Razorlight (an English indie-rock outfit that never really gained traction in the States) and the Deftones performed cover versions of Cure songs, with varying degrees of success and staying power. The most crucial of the takes was undoubtedly delivered by the last of those bands; the Sacramento alt-metal shoegazers have taken clear inspiration from Robert Smith and Co. before and since, and their rendition of the Cure's "If Only Tonight We Could Sleep" — since released on the Deftones' B-Sides & Rarities and Covers collections — was both reverent and revisionary, as the best covers are.
Smith was clearly impressed — he recently handpicked the Deftones for the 2018 edition of Meltdown festival, which he is curating. Other bands slated to appear include Nine Inch Nails, Placebo, Mogwai, My Bloody Valentine, Manic Street Preachers, 65daysofstatic, Alcest and the Libertines. The event will take place at London, England's Southbank Centre on June 15-24th.
Below, go deep into the backstory and legacy of the Deftone's game-changing album Around the Fur in our exclusive documentary:
