Queens of the Stone Age do it again in Torquay

US hard rock legends Queens of the Stone Age turned up the volume in Torquay on Sunday night, closing out a big day of bands as the Lookout Festival came to Torquay Common.

Opening with “No One Knows”, QOTSA’s two-hour set wandered through their discography, from last year’s In Times New Roman… (“Paper Machete”, “Negative Space”, “Carnavoyeur”) to Rated R from more than two decades ago (“I Think I Lost My Headache”), an extended version of “Make It Wit Chu” that folded in the chorus of the Rolling Stones’ “Miss You” without missing a bit, and even an audience request, with “You Think I Ain’t Worth a Dollar, but I Feel Like a Millionaire” winning the vote on the voices.

The band’s signature display of driving, repetitive rock mixed with intricate melodies was in full effect, with at times three guitars (Josh Homme, Troy Van Leeuwen and Dean Fertita) all hammering out different lines.

 

Homme worked blue for most of the evening – most of what he said between songs cannot be reprinted here – but seemed genuinely delighted with not only the crowd but also the Torquay Common setting.

“We’re all here together, even all you motherf***ers way out there; I see you up there,” he quipped early on to the hundreds watching on from outside the festival fence. “Thank God you didn’t have to pay for this s***!

“What a beautiful place!”

Other acts on the bill at the Lookout Festival included The Chats, Spiderbait and Pond.