Bring Me The Horizon took a noticeable turn away from rock in the late 2010s (lookin' at you, Amo). In an interview with NME, vocalist Oli Sykes notes that the band's shift culminated in the 2019 festival All Points East. The festival featured a wide variety of non-metal artists, which Sykes admitted came back to bite the band big time.
Sykes said the festival only sold 500 tickets on the first day and ultimately caused a split in their fanbase. "[We] were so adamant on breaking away from our scene and saying 'Oh, we're not just a regular metal band' that maybe we put off our own fans. [Our All Points East event] didn't really work, which is why I guess there's not a lot of festivals like that."
Then earlier this year, Bring Me The Horizon just leaned all the way into their roots with the Malta Weekender festival featuring an entire throwback set of all the band's old material. The festival also included performances by Bullet For My Valentine, While She Sleeps, and Spiritbox among other – all the big modern metal names that Sykes notes should "actively bring the metal community together."
As a closing thought to that portion of the interview, Sykes offered the following: "Quite a few years ago, we were disillusioned with rock, but the last couple of years I have come to feel very different about that… It's very exciting to now see a lot of young kids getting into alternative styles and sounds. It feels so much more diverse than ever before." Personally, I absolutely agree with Sykes. There are so many great bands out there doing some really interesting things (which we're making a valiant attempt to spotlight), and making the assertion that the genre is dying or stagnant feels… wrong. And as long as the next generation of rock artists is properly fostered to take the place of today's headliners, I think we should be in pretty damn good shape.
Catch Bring Me The Horizon at one of the below dates with Knocked Loose, Grandson, and Siiickbrain.
9/22 Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life Festival [Tickets]
9/24 Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center [Tickets]
9/25 West Springfield, MA – The Big E Arena [Tickets]
9/27 Atlanta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre [Tickets]
9/28 Nashville, TN – Nashville Municipal Auditorium [Tickets]
9/30 Orlando, FL – Addition Financial Arena [Tickets]
10/1 New Orleans, LA – Emo Nite New Orleans Vacation [Tickets]
10/3 Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall [Tickets]
10/6 Los Angeles, CA – The Kia Forum [Tickets]
10/7 Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Federal Theatre [Tickets]
10/9 Sacramento, CA – Aftershock Festival [Tickets]
10/12 Minneapolis, MN – The Armory [Tickets]
10/14 Chicago, IL – Wintrust Arena [Tickets]
10/15 Detroit, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre [Tickets]
10/16 Pittsburgh, PA – UPMC Events Center [Tickets]
10/18 Dallas, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory [Tickets]
10/20 Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium [Tickets]
10/22 Las Vegas, NV – When We Were Young Festival [Tickets]
10/23 Las Vegas, NV – When We Were Young Festival [Tickets]
10/29 Las Vegas, NV – When We Were Young Festival [Tickets]
