We take a trip to Gunnersbury Park for Korn’s biggest-ever UK headline show to find out who their fans are, what they love about the adidas-sporting heavyweights, and why nu-metal will never die…
For more than 30 years, Korn have been pushing the boundaries of heavy music. Pioneering the entire nu-metal movement with their self-titled debut in 1994, the Bakersfield dreadlock enthusiasts helped take metal into the mainstream, reinvent themselves with a dubstep album, and explore the depths of darkness and depravity in the name of art. It’s testament to Korn’s legacy that decades later they’re still breaking new ground, headlining their biggest-ever UK show in Gunnersbury Park this month – backed by Spiritbox, WARGASM and Loathe.
But who are Korn’s fans in 2024? We put on our sparkly adidas tracksuit and headed to west London to find out. Arrrre youuuu readyyyyyyyy?
How long have you been into Korn for?
“I grew up with a lot of this kind of music. My dad got me into it early with Queens Of The Stone Age, AC/DC, etc and then it just kind of involved into Limp Bizkit, Korn and others!”
What do you like about them so much?
“They’re really unique: look at them! There’s no-one else like that. See them onstage and you think, ‘Oh, fuck, no-one is doing it like they are.’”
What keeps you listening to them?
“Like any nu-metal I’ve been listening to them for so long. Their music is fantastic – I can put it on no matter what mood I’m in and get the fuck on with things.”
Why do you think nu-metal is back in such a way?
“Because it’s sick! I don’t know why it ever went out of fashion.”
What’s your most nu-metal trait?
“Making weird noises just out of nowhere. Making a lasagne and I’ll just go, ‘Oooorahahaha!’”
What other bands are you into?
“I’ve been listening to a lot of Linkin Park lately, picking them back up. When the summer comes I usually get a bit back into my emo phase, too: Pierce The Veil, My Chemical Romance, all of that. I’ve been listening to pretty much the same things since 2007.”
Walk us through your outfit.
“I was going to wear something much more revealing, but then I realised I’d get sunburned really badly. I’ve gotten too old to be wearing massive intricate outfits, so I’ve gone simple and black. Easy. Obviously I’ve got the chain so I’ve got a bit of metal! But I’ll probably change into my new Korn shirt when it gets a bit cooler.”
How long have you been a Korn fan?
“Ooh, for years – at least 15. I’m 28 now and I probably started listening to them around 2008 or 2009, so a long time. I was listening to a lot of heavy music. I think I started off listening to a lot of rap and moved to Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park and eventually to Korn.”
What keeps you listening to them?
“There’s not many bands like them; they’re very unique. I like their whole style, I love how much bass there is – subdrops and stuff. Over the years I’ve dipped in and out of listening to some bands but they always come back around.”
Why do you think nu-metal is back in such a big way?
“I’m not sure. Obviously you’ve got Limp Bizkit coming back. It might be because a lot of people listening to it back then now have kids who are getting into it. People like heavy music!”
What else are you listening to?
“A lot of stuff! It’s a shame Denzel Curry cancelled today because I love him. Anything with Kim Dracula. I always listen to Limp Bizkit. New band-wise, I really like Maid Of Ace, I saw them supporting Green Day.”
What’s your outfit today?
“I’m wearing a Korn T-shirt, some nice Vans, shorts and that’s about it!”
How long have you been into Korn?
Sam: “Since I was about 15!”
Tanya: “Yeah same, we’re old-school fans.”
Sam: “A friend of mine’s brother was into them and he was a little older than us. If I’m honest I was young at the time and I thought, ‘What is this?’ and got into them from there.”
Tanya: “I think mine actually was through the Freak On A Leash video, seeing it on MTV and Kerrang! TV. I was literally like, ‘What the fuck is this?! This is amazing!’ It was just so different, wasn’t it? And it still is now.”
What keeps you listening to them?
Tanya: “They’re just fucking awesome, aren’t they?”
Sam: “I love them to bits. I saw them in 2002 on the Untouchables tour and have loved them since.”
Why do you think nu-metal is back in such a big way?
Tanya: “I think the whole ’90s and early-’00s revival, the fashion’s back and all of that era is back and brought nu-metal with it. But for us, we never left that era! So I’m totally here for it.”
What’s your most nu-metal trait?
Tanya: “That’s a hard one, but probably my love of adidas.”
What other bands are you listening to at the moment?
Tanya: “I’m stuck in a bit of a time warp. All of mine is Linkin Park, Misfits, Suicidal Tendencies… and Viagra Boys! They’re the newest music I listen to. All the old stuff: Rancid, NOFX.”
Sam: “Viagra Boys are the best band in the world, to be fair. I love Aphex Twin. Another band called Twilight Sad, they supported The Cure recently.”
Tanya: “It depends what mood I’m in. I love punk and whatnot but I also love pop-punk, actual pop, drum’n’bass. All from the same era, though…”
And what are you both wearing?
Tanya: “I’ve gone for… what have I gone for?”
Sam: “Tits McGee?”
Tanya: “Yeah, Phil and Grant are here for the Korn gig. This is my, ‘I don’t go out very often’ outfit, so I’m gonna be as glittery and slutty as possible.”
Sam: “I’ve got some adidas shorts on that are way too big for me, plus some adidas x Korn socks and this lovely white vest.”
How long have you both been fans of Korn?
Liv: “Since about 2019 for me.”
Hanne: “As long as I can remember, because I’m a rocker!”
Liv: “I love their energetic style of music so much and their methods of interacting with the crowds.”
Hanne: “We flew in from Norway to see them today, and it’s my daughter’s first concert.”
What other bands do you like?
Hanne: “I am a Rammstein fan – that’s my number one band of all time. Ever! I’ve seen them three times – once just now in Copenhagen, last year in Berlin and the year before in Oslo. They are amazing every time.”
Liv: “My favourite of all time is either Slipknot or Deftones.”
What’s your most nu-metal trait?
Hanne: “I’m a rocker at heart so I’d say everything. I have a tattoo of a whip, is that nu-metal?”
Liv: “Probably my sense of style.”
Can you walk us through what you’re wearing?
Hanne: “Bershka! adidas! And this necklace – it was quite expensive and I got it 10 years ago. It’s a necklace full of shiny skulls. Oh, and I’ve got a cool Guns N’ Roses ring.”
Liv: “A Chrome Hearts ring, a Vivienne Westwood necklace and earrings. This jacket is from my mom. This shirt is from a flea market and the skirt is from Bershka.”
How long have you been a Korn fan?
“Probably since when I first heard Falling Away From Me. The video looks like it’s filmed inside a cheese grater, it’s awesome.”
What’s kept you listening to them?
“Bagpipes.”
What else are you listening to at the moment?
“I’m more into pop-punk and emo, but I’m listening to Dead Pony and Static Dress a lot. NOFX are probably my favourite band – they’re fucking stupid, they play badly and they don’t care. Amazing.”
Why do you think nu-metal has had such a comeback?
“It’s just anything heavy, I think. I part run a night for students in Canterbury and all the 18-year-olds now are asking for Korn, System Of A Down. It’s fucking nuts. They didn’t used to care at all – it’s pushed pop punk out!”
What’s your most nu-metal trait?
“Probably wearing Dickies shorts, but I’m not wearing them today.”
What’s your outfit?
“My old friend’s band tee Giants – they’re Harvey [Freeman] from Graphic Nature’s old band. And some Vans!”
How long have you been a Korn fan?
“Since I was 18 and started going to alt. club nights. I didn’t know I was listening to Korn at the time, but that’s how I found them. I didn’t realise for years that I really liked them, but yeah, they slap!”
What’s kept you listening to them?
“The aesthetic – they are fashion icons.”
What else are you listening to at the moment?
“Sum 41, every single day. I’m going to their tour later in the year, around Halloween. Let’s go, babies. Sum 41 kept me alive, I have a tattoo of one of their lyrics: ‘I guess I knew that all along,’ from Pieces. I remember being a little 13-year-old emo and playing that in my bed on my Walkman. Thinking my life is so hard when I was 13, but obviously it wasn’t…”
Why do you think nu-metal has had such a comeback?
“The ’00s are back, baby!”
What’s your outfit today?
“I’ve got a custom printed ‘I’m with Stoopid’ tee, because my boyfriend is called Stoo. He’s had to be on the left side of me all day because of the arrow. And some Demonia platforms which I regret wearing because the ground is very uneven. But they look cool, so…”
When did you both get into Korn?
Alida: “Since they came out, so 30 years ago. I was listening to them in high school doing naughty things!”
Gregg: “I knew of them, but it wasn’t until Alida took me to Download Festival in 2013 – that was the first time I saw them live. All she said was to look out for the microphone stand. And I was there. Seeing them live is a whole different thing to on record.”
Alida: “I’m from South Africa, so coming to the UK and seeing my favourite band live for the first time… I was screaming.”
What keeps you listening to them?
Alida: “For me it’s how they keep the same style, but they always do something different. If you listen to their albums you can hear them evolve with time. There’s the one album where they incorporate dubstep [2010’s The Path Of Totality] and that was amazing.”
Gregg: “There’s something new all the time with them. It’s always their live experiences for me, though.”
Alida: “I got a Korn tattoo yesterday, of the bear from Issues! I’ll never stop listening to them.”
What else are you listening to?
Alida: “We’re massive Rammstein fans, but also listening to a lot of Gojira. We’re really excited by the Bloodstock line-up for next year! We were hoping they’d be at Download, as we go every year and have been doing so for 13 years in a row.”
Gregg: “We’ve already got the tickets for next year, but now we’re thinking we’ll have to do both.”
Why do you think nu-metal is back in such a way?
Alida: “It’s just a new generation discovering it, I think. A lot of our legacy acts like Ozzy and Metallica are getting quite old now unfortunately, so that generation is discovering Korn in the same way we discovered the older acts.”
What are your outfits today?
Alida: “My Korn ‘Still A Freak’ T-shirt. Some black leggings. My African Venda bangles.”
Gregg: “More Korn merch! I forgot to bring any adidas, though. I obviously went for comfort over style with my trainers.”
How long have you all been into Korn?
Darren: “Since my teens, so a very long time ago. It must have been seeing Blind on Kerrang! TV back in the day.”
Hayley: “I’m not even exaggerating, I think I was about six years old when I first heard them. My older brother was completely obsessed with them and his room was plastered in their posters. I looked up to him so much and thought he was so cool, so they must be cool. And now I still like them.”
Why do you love Korn so much?
Aimee: “…On the cob? Because it’s delicious! Nah, I like Korn because it’s nostalgic and I’m old. I got into them in a similar way to Darren – I must have discovered them on Kerrang! TV. That’s how we all found our music back then. I moved away from nu-metal for a while, though, and got really into prog.”
Darren: “We’re actually here running the pop-up tattoo activation for Korn, moving from city to city as a part of the official tour. The studio is Old Sarum and we’re the people that run the studios at Download and Bloodstock.”
That’s so cool. Do Korn have much participation or input in the process?
Darren: “Yeah. The bands are sent the designs for approval, and the ones we roll with are the ones they hand-pick themselves.”
Why do you think nu-metal is back in such a way?
Darren: “It’s an ageless genre, isn’t it? I’m one of these people that have their set bands they love and it’s very hard to get a new band in. No matter what you’re doing or where you are, feeling down or feeling up, you bang the bands on you like and then you’re instantly feeling great. That for me is the nu-metal genre in a nutshell.”
Reece: “Compared to mainstream music it’s so different. And a lot of Gen Zers are trying to be different. They’re listening to this sound because it’s so unique. That’s why I listen to it.”
Hayley: “TikTok has a big influence, as well. It really opens up new people to this kind of music. As much as people shit on it – TikTok goths this, TikTok influencers that – I think we should be a little more welcoming of that. They open up a whole new world of exposure to new audiences. My sister is 10 years younger than me and she asked me if I’d heard of Deftones. She’s discovered them through TikTok and I think there’s something special about that. Incorporating Gen Z into the alternative sphere is awesome.”
Who are all of your favourite bands?
Aimee: “Mastodon, System Of A Down. I don’t listen to much new stuff. Creeper, though! Oh, and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.”
Giada: “My Chemical Romance and blink-182.”
Darren: “Avenged Sevenfold and Slipknot.”
Reece: “Korn!”
Hayley: “This is a bit of a niche one, but Origami Angel.”
