Live music review: Tomahawk and Melvins descended on a sold-out Emo’s
Mike Patton has spent three decades collecting bands like other people collect vinyl, and every one of them draws the same crowd, showing up less for the setlist than for whatever version of Patton decides to appear. This time it was Nashville’s Tomahawk, and the Monday, July 20 stop at Emo’s Austin sold out fast. After a canceled Sick New World Festival in 2025 for the band’s 25th anniversary, Tomahawk’s reunion after 12 years off took a backseat until now.
Pattonheads packed the room from stage to backwall, the same crowd that’s followed him through the alt-metal of Faith No More, the chaos of Mr. Bungle, and the crossover thrash of Dead Cross, all showing up for whichever stranger corner of the Pattonverse he’d chosen this time. Tomahawk brought its own flavor of heavy experimentalism for this run, proof that even three decades in, Patton still isn’t interested in giving fans the same show twice.
Washington State’s Melvins took the stage as the sole opening act, an apt decision for any heavy bill. Singer and guitarist Buzz Osborne always comes locked and loaded, now with two drummers after Coady Willis took over for longtime drummer Dale Crover, who took a health-related leave of absence. After Crover returned, Willis stayed on as the band’s second drummer. Double the drummers, double the weapons of mass percussion. Melvins has also featured Red Kross bassist Steven McDonald since 2015, acting as the de facto frontman of the group who does all the talking while Osborne focuses on the rocking.
Having seen Melvins perform in Austin several times in the post-covid era, the Osborne-led trio keeps the records coming without any signs of holding back. Having grown up around era-leaders like Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, and even drone metal pioneers Earth, there aren’t many faces that Osborne and his band haven’t shared the stage with.
Throughout their 60-minute slot, Osborne and his badass rhythm section left no stone unturned. It was all about the tunes with no time for small talk. The group stayed dialed in for the packed room, churning out cuts from across their whopping 28 studio album output. Selections from Bullhead, Houdini, Stag, and newer entry Tarantula all appeared, including all of the classics while still bringing a newer array of tunes that prove the 1983-formed group can still bring the sludge 43 years later. The manic howl of Osborne is still gracefully intact with few signs of aging. For a frontman that’s outlived a lot of his peers, it feels great that Osborne has kept the train rolling.
Formed after the initial disbandment of Faith No More in 1998, Patton needed another outlet. The result wasn’t just Tomahawk. Mr. Bungle carried on, Fantomas (featuring Buzz Osborne) spawned, and through their mutual friendship with Jesus Lizard guitarist Duane Denison, Tomahawk was born. The pair quickly began jamming and exchanging music before recording their self-titled debut album in 2001 and hitting the road. With the bandleader’s label Ipecac Recordings being a source of fruitful musical discovery, it’s safe to say workaholism is one of Patton’s dominant traits.
Along with Denison, Tomahawk features Mr. Bungle and close Patton associate Trevor Dunn, and current Battles and former Helmet drummer John Stanier. A supergroup of all proportions, the list of collaborators the vocalist chooses to enlist is a tight-knit circle of badasses that’s only gotten better over the years.
Monday night’s setlist featured numbers from throughout their 25-year tenure, dominated by 2021’s Tonic Immobility. Despite the stage being a comfortable place for the long-tenured star, Patton still shows visible appreciation for his audience and bandmates, with enthusiastic stage banter aplenty as he wades through each setlist no matter the performing act in question. In 1999, Patton said: “I like going into some place like Amoeba Records and saying ‘O.K. what’s gonna change my life today?” That open mindedness still feels relevant and fresh in Pattonland.
The amount of records between all of the performing acts on this tour is astounding. Melvins and Patton have known and worked together for years. With that much collaboration, it’s evident that the records will keep coming as we ride into the fifth decade of Mike Patton’s brand of hard rock paradise. Even if age comes for us all, the arsenal of tunes continues to grow, keeping crowds engaged and drawing new fans as the timeline pushes forward.
Tomahawk continues down the road with Melvins through August, wrapping up their tour in Los Angeles, CA. Tickets can be found via the Ipecac website.
All photos by Troy Gonzales
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