Bring Me The Horizon at Sound Academy – February 22, 2014

Bring Me The Horizon rolled through Toronto this weekend with their ‘American Dream Tour’ featuring: Of Mice & Men, Issues & Northlane, to promote their latest album ‘Sempiternal’.

Hailing from across the pond, this metalcore band from Sheffield tore apart the Sound Academy on back-to-back nights with their intense breakdowns and hardcore mosh sessions. They kicked off the night with a bang as silver confetti flew into the crowd as they played ‘Can You Feel My Heart’, the opening track to their album ‘Sempiternal’. They followed up with ‘Shadow Moses’ and then ‘Diamonds Aren’t Forever’. The set was heavily weighted with new songs, but in my opinion, the set felt a bit short; given that the band only played about 11 songs yet has 4 studio album catalogue.

One surprising highlight of the night was frontman Oli Sykes’ stage presence, showmanship, and how well he matched the ferocity of BMTH’s music perfectly. Sykes kept the crowd constantly energized while he bounced around the stage and throwing it down during the breakdowns. To top it off, he even invited fans to crowd surf to the front and give him a high-five. It was amazing to see such an intimate connection he had with the fan as he sat down at the edge of the stage giving out high-fives and occasionally interrupting his own singing to say “hi!”; Definitely something I haven’t seen at a show before! Normally when I see frontmen asking for high-fives they still distance themselves a bit from the crowd, but Sykes put himself right where every fan could reach him as they made their way to the front.

Despite their ever growing popularity and exposure, it was humbling and comforting to see how Bring Me The Horizon still appreciates their roots and the core for their success-their fans. Their gratitude and appreciation seems to be their driving force for putting on a great show with heart.