‘Watching Them Grow Has Been Something Else’: Friends & Partners On 20 Years Of Bring Me The Horizon

Bring Me The Horizon‘s rise to one of the world’s premier rock acts has been slow and steady. They have been visiting markets outside their home country of the UK right from the start of their career in the mid-2000s, when their reach on Myspace made it clear that fans were listening from all over the world. Their sound particularly resonated with the U.S. audience, which led to them touring the country for the first time in 2007. The following year, they joined the Vans Warped Tour, an important event on their U.S. circuit over the years.

Warped Tour founder and promoter Kevin Lyman booked them for the first time without having ever seen them live, based on his trust in Raw Power Management’s judgement. For a long time, Lyman has been vocal that “for metal to grow, they needed to get young energy into their scene. My com- ments sometimes were not taken kindly by the metal world at that time. In 2015, I saw these younger bands connecting, and thought they should be embraced. It has been 10 years [since then], but now they are the headliners.” Speaking about Bring Me The Horizon’s 20th anniversary, he says, “They always seem at the top of their game. Never hear a bad thing about their shows. I wish them another 20 years but to remember to support the younger generation of artists that looked up to them when they started.”

Another U.S. promoter who’s played an important role in Horizon’s U.S. touring history is Danny Wimmer Presents founder Danny Wimmer, who says the band really picked up momentum after the release of Suicide Season in 2008, “which was early for a UK hard rock band. Most British acts have a rougher path here — logistics, funding, finding the right crowd. But BMTH had this raw sound that hit a chord with American audiences. And they weren’t afraid to tour relentlessly and take those risks to make it happen.”

Relentless is also the word he uses to describe their energy on stage. “I remember me and my partner Joe Litvag asking Oli to tone it down a bit at Carolina Rebellion in 2016, because the crowd was pushing too hard against the barricade. Their shows have this infectious, visceral intensity that’s hard to describe until you’ve seen it.” Wimmer adds, “Watching BMTH grow over the past 20 years has been something else. They’ve pushed boundaries without losing themselves, always evolving in their sound and vision. It’s rare to see a band stay that true to who they are while also changing so much. Can’t wait to see what they bring in the next 20.”

Japan is another market Bring Me The Horizon targeted early on, organically growing their fanbase and culminating in the launch of their own festival, Nexfest, in 2023, and headlining Summer Sonic 2024 in Tokyo. To headline a festival that is “not a hard rock oriented festival, and to be a part of selling out 220,000 tickets across the weekend is definitely a big story especially for rock fans,” says Naoki Shimizu, CEO of promoter Creativeman Productions, who’s been working with the band for 15 years. “Since their first play in Tokyo at a small club in 2009,” he recalls, “they have been on board with our ideas presented to them and were ready for any challenges and achievements all throughout. I feel that it shows their commit- ment and their respect towards Japan and its fans.” He also praised the band’s management and agents for being “as supportive as they are. They always share their vision and timelines for a project in advance, and welcome us as part of their team.”

Speaking about the evolution of Horizon’s live show, Shimizu says, “No matter how big the venue gets, their live performance embodies their attitude of being a larger-than-life band that shares the loneliness and frustration that young people today are feeling. The way they express their worldview in a dark and hard, yet catchy sound makes it all very relatable. BMTH is way ahead of any other bands in terms of their perspective, as well as their uncompromising methods of production. Congratulations on this big 20!”

Europe, too, was high on the band’s agenda right from the get go. The Pollstar Boxoffice shows a run in June 2007 that visited Belgium, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy. Fans in Europe are just as frenetic about the band as elsewhere, as became evident during Horizon’s summer run of festivals, which included events as diverse as Mad Cool in Spain, I-Days in Italy, Graspop Metal Meeting in Belgium, Rock For People in the Czech Republic, and Germany’s twin events Hurricane/Southside. Next year, however, comes the big one: their first main stage headline performance at Rock am Ring and Rock im Park, which celebrate their 40th and 30th anniversaries next year. They so far performed six times at Rock im Park, and five times at Rock am Ring (their 2016 Rock am Ring performance had to be cancelled at short notice due to a severe thunderstorm).

The festivals’ promoter Matt Schwarz at DreamHaus remembers seeing Bring Me The Horizon for the first time at Frankfurt’s legendary club Batschkapp in 2011: “They were already making waves in the German scene, and their performance that night was electric. I remember having the feeling that this show was a harbinger of their rise to greater heights. Their live energy and the crowd’s crazy response foreshad- owed their future successes.” He says, “BMTH have undergone a remarkable development in their musical style. Coming from deathcore and metalcore beginnings, and evolving into a genre-fluid act that attracts a diverse and mainstream fanbase at the same time and staying true to their roots by incorporating a multitude of styles is a very modern approach and a huge accomplishment in my mind. They stand out visually from many other acts and manage to create a captivating artistic presence. With their intense focus on light, design, and a unique aesthetic, they create an immersive experience that feels real and goes far beyond the musical.”

Then there’s South America, Brazil in particular, where 30e, in the form of VP of global touring Caio Jacob, and CEO Pepeu Correa, has been a loyal partner. “In Brazil,” says Jacob, “rock music is not just a genre — it’s a culture, a way of life. The passion here is unmatched, and BMTH’s ability to connect emotionally with fans makes them perfect for such a monumental venue like Allianz Parque.”

He was referring to the band’s Nov. 30 performance in front of 45,000-plus people, their biggest show to date. Speaking after the concert, he tells Pollstar, “The show was stunning! One of a kind, surpassed all expectations. A day I will always keep in my memory: the day we made history with Bring Me The Horizon and 30e. Seeing this plan come to life reminds me that the real reason we put on shows is to bring happiness, fulfill dreams, face challenges, put all our creativity into practice, and constantly strive to do bet- ter. This show means so much to so many people – it’s 20 years of the band, a history that transcends a continent, evolving every year with modern music, creative albums, and a unique and eccentric way of delivering a performance. And all this connection with the fans resulted in a sold-out Allianz Parque – a moment forever etched in the memory of those who had the privilege to witness it.”

And back home in the UK? In terms of rock events, it doesn’t get bigger than Download, which the band headlined in 2023. Their June 11, 2006, performance at the event marks the first Bring Me The Horizon box office report submitted to Pollstar. Live Nation’s Andy Copping, promoter of Download Festival, says, over the years, “The band have always delivered a killer and mesmerising show. Each time you see them, their performance and show just gets better and better. After the band’s monumental headline performance at Download Festival in 2023, where a lot of people said their show was the greatest headline performance of any band in Download’s history, Bring Me The Horizon have now firmly established themselves at the top table of festival head- liners across the world.”

Bring Me The Horizon will headline another UK event closely linked to their history next year in August: Reading & Leeds. For a brief summary of the band’s colorful history with the festival, head to Pollstar‘s big Bring Me The Horizon 20th anniversary cover story. Their last performance at Reading & Leeds in 2022 saw a surprise appearance from Ed Sheeran, and earned a glowing five-star review from NME. Bring Me The Horizon’s frontman Oli Sykes said, “We are beyond excited to be returning to Reading & Leeds for our first fully-fledged headline slot. We are going to bring hands down the greatest show of our careers. It’s going to be our only UK performance next year and the final European show of the “NEX GEN” campaign before the band take time away, so if you want to see BMTH next year, this truly is your only chance. Can’t wait.”

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