When it was announced that Josh Homme, Dave Grohl and John Paul Jones were teaming up to form a band called “Them Crooked Vultures”, eyebrows were naturally raised.

With John Paul Jones on bass and Dave Grohl back behind the drum kit, it could be argued talented Queens of the Stone Age singer/songwriter Josh Homme had been graced with one the best rhythm sections imaginable.

Drawing on the collective talent acquired during their time in their respective bands – Queens of the Stone Age, Foo Fighters/Nirvana and of course Led Zeppelin – the band played an hour and half set that mostly consisted of tracks from their debut album.

Wandsworth Times: Them Crooked Vultures

Opening with the blues number “Nobody Loves Me and Neither Do I”, the band quickly settled themselves on the stage, and by the time the the song reached its explosive crescendo, it was clear the Vultures were on top form.

After a couple of songs, Josh Homme introduced the band. Starting off with Dave Grohl and then Alain Johannes, the biggest cheer of the evening was reserved for John Paul Jones (the English homeboy and Led Zeppelin legend).

Throughout the set the band showcased their musical abilities by venturing off from the established songs on the album and exploring new territory. During the performance of Scumbag Blues, the guitars dropped out and gave Dave Grohl (drums) and John Paul Jones (bass) the opportunity to have a bit of fun.

Joining the band on stage was multi-instrumentalist Alain Johannes, assisting the band mostly on second guitar. Playing the odd solo here and there and occasionally dropping off to play something else, like the clavinet, his addition brought a lot of depth to the show.

One highlight of the show was the creepy and haunting Interludes With Ludes. Not only did John Paul Jones come on stage with a keytar (a purchase from eBay apparently), prompting Josh Homme to state “only he could make that look good”, but the frontman then proceeded to dance round on stage whilst singing the song. For an individual who is rarely seen not playing guitar, this brought a refreshing change to the evening.

“Elephants” proved to be popular, sounding even more energetic than the album version and highlighting how disciplined the band have become with all the changes in tempo spot on.

Another highlight was Gunman, dedicated to “all the boozers” and featuring the funkiest guitar riff possible, along with some perfectly timed breaks. Needless to say the audience was quickly whipped up into a frenzy.

New songs were also given an airing. The song “The Way We Were” saw John Paul Jones take to the mandolin, yet still managed to sound as solid and heavy as their other songs.

Other favourites included Bandoliers, Spinning in Daffodils, Dead End Friends and Reptiles.

The band finished the set with “Warsaw or the First Breath You Take After You Give Up”, once again venturing off into new territory, only to come back to its hook line at the very last moment.

Ultimately the band were on top form, and as musically tight and disciplined as you would expect given their musical credentials. They were clearly having fun, something that makes a big difference when seeing a band live.

As the band got together and bowed to the audience, it was clear that they felt honoured to play to such a receptive crowd. Equally, the same crowd clearly felt honoured to have witnessed four musicians performing at the top of their game.