Bring Me The Horizon live in London: Sheffield icons take their place at rock’s top table
On the first of two nights at London's O2 Arena, Bring Me The Horizon show how they played the long game and won.
“We’ve been here since 5.30AM, we are tired and it’s cold, but it’s going to be so fucking worth it,” say Cory and Shelly, two of Bring Me The Horizon‘s fans who pitched up extremely early at The O2 Arena on Saturday.
READ MORE: How Bring Me The Horizon saved British rock
It’s testament to how far these these Sheffield icons have come. No longer the preserve of the underground, two sold out shows at this 20,000 arena reflects the fact that Oli Sykes and his band of merry misfits are now true rock royalty.
And on the first of two nights at the venue, the group’s championing spirit means they’re supported by rock icons in waiting too.
Cassyette warmed up the stage with her powerful vocals and larger than life stage presence, before Bad Omens threatened to blow the roof off The O2 before Bring Me… had even arrived. Frontman Noah Sebastian had 20,000 people bending to his will for the band’s entire set, with his piercing melodies and guttural growls cutting through crazed screams, tears and longing from fans. A band who have already developed a huge audience of their own, it’s hard not to picture their own headline show at this venue in the near future.
But when Bring Me The Horizon finally arrived, it was time for a show that proved why they’re constantly evolving and refusing to sit on their laurels.
Introduced by their EVE-IL avatar on the venue’s gigantic screens, the band burst onto the stage with ‘DArkSide’ and kicked off two hours of unbridled rock showmanship that celebrated their whole career. From 2008’s OG fan favourite ‘Diamonds Aren’t Forever’ to their newest single ‘Kool-Aid’, this was a true celebration of the story so far.
During the night the band were joined on stage by multiple special guests, including Rolling Stone UK’s very own cover star Yungblud for their collaborative song ‘Obey’ and Noah Sebastian from Bad Omens for ‘Antivist’.
Not even a brief stop for security – who tended to an injured fan in the moshpit – could dampen the night. In fact, that moment saw Oli Sykes encouraging fans to make room so the fan could receive care.
Bring Me The Horizon finished their set with their ‘That’s The Spirit’ favourite ‘Throne’. “So you can throw me to the wolves, tomorrow I will come back, leader of the whole pack,” came Sykes’ fitting guttural howl.
After all, this is a band that has survived, evolved, beat the odds and kicked down doors in the rock and metal scene for the last 20 years. Now, they’ve truly taken their place at rock’s top table.