20 April 2024 – Riverstage, Brisbane – words by Cody-James Henderson – pictures by Charlyn Cameron
The Metalcore collective of Australia let out a distinguished gasp when Bring Me The Horizon announced their first headlining tour since 2019 but for more than one reason. The tour would see the Sheffield Metal act bring fellow countrymen Sleep Token along for the ride with local legends Make Them Suffer and Daine creating the ultimate touring party.
We had been longing for a tour like this and it wasn’t hard to tell as each show would go on to sell out instantaneously forcing multiple shows in multiple cities. There’s no denying how popular BMTH has become in the grand scheme of things, but a tour like this only happens every now and then. So if you weren’t lucky enough to grab a ticket to one of the best nights of your life, then do we have the coverage for you.
Daine: Diversity amongst line ups can be a lost art. There’s nothing less appealing than a line up of 4 acts that sound the exact same. This however, does not apply to Daine. The electronic/pop synth artist is accompanied by low tuned guitars & a bass backing enough to make the average music fan churn their faces in glee. As Riverstage ultimately filled to the brim, Daine graced us bursting with energy although struggling with sickness. But unless you were told that, you wouldn’t be any the wiser, as Daine couldn’t keep still. Although their face looked worn out, their appreciation and joy shone through it. To the average heavy music fan, most wouldn’t know who Daine was as this mammoth tour package was announced, but it’s not hard to see how they garnered the interest of ‘Bring Me’ to be apart of this tour.
Daine – Riverstage – photos by Charlyn Cameron
Although hearing them talking between songs in the set in Auto Tune was great for a giggle; the raw emotion of Daine was something more to admire. A gathering of mobile phone lights accompanied a beautiful ballad piece before ultimately peaking with some harsh vocal work leaving the ability of some of us to shame. “Does anyone here like pop music?” They ask? If you think you know metal heads, guess again as the crowd erupted in cheers. We’re not all satanic & gloomy, we love a catchy hook and melodic 4/4 song as much as the general populace. I use this a dare to all metal bands wanting to make their line ups stand out; book a pop act. Chances are they might blow your friend’s band out of the water. Daine surely did.
“This is a song that I wrote with Oli Sykes” says Daine, as the crowd eagerly anticipates a sneaky feature. “I’ll be singing his part though, sorry.” You could collectively hear emo hearts shatter, no early appearance tonight. By the time the final song rolled around, you could hear the sickness coming through as ‘Daine’s voice slowly started to give away, but like a trooper they powered through. Regardless of what you think of their performance, you have to give credit where it’s due.
MAKE THEM SUFFER: Whilst my statement about metal heads enjoying Pop Music is true, they also enjoy the most head crushing, earth moving, soul shifting metal that there is consume. And when you need that from Australia, you call Make Them Suffer. It has been years since I’ve seen MTS live, but if there was one thing I can remember about them, it’s that there was not a single note out of place. Not a single note missed. Not a single person standing still. And it’s only fair to say, nothing has changed. A new era has begun for MTS, with former Drown This City vocalist stepping into the band on Keys/Vocals and it was no easy hole to fill, but she’s slotted in just perfectly. If anything, she adds a stronger depth to vocalist Sean Harmanis, who is at the top of his game even after doing this for 10 years.
Make Them Suffer – Riverstage – photos by Charlyn Cameron
Crushing the opening of the set with songs from their most recent album How To Survive A Funeral the set turns to a frenzy for ‘Hollowed Heart’ and if the music wasn’t getting you moving, the intensity of the strobe lightning was going to help. Or maybe you’re not a fan of the newer stuff. Thats okay because ‘Ether’ creeps its way into the set to get every single hand of the thousands in attendance swaying. The new era soon arrives in the set with the bands latest single ‘Epitaph’ a daring and incredibly high paced track that combines something from every era of MTS so far. This is a track where Alex really shines, going from harsh vocals in the verses to a strong powerful chorus delivery.
With no time to breathe after such an intense track, the circle pits would open for ‘Erase Me’, but not before a ear piercing scream for Bring Me The Horizon and Sleep Token. ‘Doomswitch’ literally switches the crowd on for the final track of the evening. The crowd surfing and moshing truly commences much to the dismay of security. The new era of MTS is in full swing, and if you’re not on the train well you better be quick. Not a lot of bands sound better live over their recordings, but MTS are without a doubt in that category. That’s no disrespect to their material, but a true statement to just how great this band is live.
SLEEP TOKEN: This truly a full circle for me. Almost 12 months ago I started reviewing again after hearing an album that just blew my mind from start to finish. I posted that review and was immediately contacted by a friend who wanted me to be a part of the media team they are in. And now I am here. That album was Take Me Back to Eden by Sleep Token. It feels fitting to be here. An honour and a privilege. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an act rise to such an immense level came this quickly in my life.
Sleep Token – Riverstage – photos by Charlyn Cameron
Two years ago this band was second act on supporting Northlane on their ‘Obsidian’ national tour. Now they’re playing only second to Bring Me The Horizon in arenas all over the country. To see a band achieve such a mainstream turnaround (especially a Metal band) in this day and age is truly astounding. It was finally time for worship. An Offering, if you will. As the lights fell black, an audience of thousands escalated into tens of thousands. As the anonymous men of the hour hit the stage, it’s hard to fathom that this isn’t the headlining act of the night. “I’ve got a river running right into you” Arguably the song that got a vast majority of people here tonight into the worship, ‘The Summoning’ will forever remain a key moment in any concert I’ve been to.
The volume of almost 10,000 fans was beyond deafening. It became a battle between the crowd and the band as to who would be louder. Even with hearing protection in, it almost didn’t help. Truly a memorable moment for anyone who has been lucky enough to see this tour. We continued through the garden of Eden as ‘Vore’ saw the backing vocals of ‘IV’ (Guitar) come to the front. Their supporting screams drove home a viscously heavy performance garnished with the elegant voices of the ‘Vesselettes’ providing distinctly beautiful harmonies. Scaling back slightly, ‘Rain’ saw Vessel turn to the piano to lead us in singalong. Not a word has been missed by the audience tonight. At times it was hard to tell if Vessel themselves was even singing as the audience overpowered all efforts given. Would you believe me if I said it started to rain during this? Poetic isn’t it?
Sleep Token – Riverstage – photos by Charlyn Cameron
‘Alkaline’ would be up next and it’s at this point where if you weren’t of Sleep Token before, you would be now. The charming dynamics contrasting with abrasive structure show more than just a unique entry in modern metal. It showed just why variety is important for a genre often written off to fail to continue succeeding. ‘Granite’ kept the voices as loud as ever before culminating in the title track of ‘Take Me Back To Eden’. A Bohemian tell tale of returning to peace, the ultimate closing piece for a chapter so personal. Those who have seen Sleep Token before would be used to hearing ‘The Offering’ close out a ritual as it has been the finale for many years, so to be in the country where everything changed is truly a special moment. It’s no easy feat supporting one of the biggest Rock/Metal bands on the planet, but Sleep Token have taken a small allotment of time and created an everlasting memory for all attendees. Whatever your thoughts are on Sleep Token, it’s impossible to deny their ability capture an entire venue without saying a single word outside of lyrics. A set to remember for a very long time. At least for me.
BRING ME THE HORIZON: All Hail Nex Gen! As the loading screen for patent ‘Bring Me The Horizon’ video game reminiscent of the PS1 (wow we’re old now) counted down to playtime, I was unsure just how much energy the crowd had left. Turns out it’s a lot. The program would boot up and introduce us to ‘EVE’; a ‘program’ from BMTH designed to scout the human race attending shows to prepare for NEXGEN. Scouting the audience for illicit substances and mosh pits, EVE would then tell us this would be the last night of our lives. I really hope not, I have tickets for tomorrow.
Bring Me the Horizon – Riverstage – photos by Charlyn Cameron
It was finally time; to an explosion of confetti we entered the ‘Darkside’. Tonight’s setting; the cathedral of BMTH. The followers? Us. The rain? Absolutely pouring. The band have never been shy about going all out to present a stage show to back up their performance. The LED backdrop provides cathedral glass stained windows, smoke billows out of cannons and the flames run high. The light show however stole the night. A vibrancy of colours fill the sky, strobing to every single beat leaving the crowd mesmerised. I was wary of laser shows filling the night sky potentially causing issues for the airport not too far from our location tonight, I’m sure we’ll hear more about that in the coming days. “I hope you have fun rotting hell”
As we eagerly anticipate the next album from the Sheffield Rockers, it hasn’t kept them from hiding songs from the setlist. Songs like ‘AmEN!’ & ‘Kool Aid’ being met to a thunderous reception, with already certified classics ‘MANTRA’ & ‘Teardrops’ giving the crowd a reason to get on their feet even if it meant jumping in puddles of mud like they were Peppa pig. Curse you British bastards for being your weather to us tonight. While Sleep Token bought us an audio story with ‘Take Me Back to Eden’, BMTH opted for a visual story of mankind falling to ‘Project ANGELDU$T’ destroying the back drop and showing her possessed mannequin giant presence much to the dismay of EVE.
Bring Me the Horizon – Riverstage – photos by Charlyn Cameron
The concept of a visual story and characterisation is not something I’ve seen before but I’m not sure I want to see it again. Primarily because I don’t think anyone will be able to come close to replicating the spectacle that BMTH has presented here. They’ve always been described as a band one step ahead of the next band, but with something like this they’re already further into the future than any of us. In the remains of a destroyed cathedral, spawned ‘Sempiternal’. “Can you tell from the look in our eyes?” I wasn’t sure how much louder the crowd could’ve been after ‘The Summoning’ but the sheer volume of a crowd screaming they’re going nowhere was beyond it. Well that was until the obvious. “THIS IS SEMPITERNAL,” Vocalist Oli Sykes demonstrated with a variety of screams that he hasn’t lost touch with the heavier side that Bring Me was founded on, even if did tire him out at parts of the set. Thankfully the voice of ‘Yungblud’ helped Oli through ‘Obey’ as were the crowd being taunted with “You’d have to be deaf to hear that” to get the thousands even louder. But they were sure to get even louder for ‘Kingslayer’.
Accompanied by cybernetic versions of ‘Babymetal’ equipped with full choreography, it’s clear the band hasn’t forgotten about anyone that made their past records a reality. A much needed break in the set; ‘sTraNgeRs’ was given the acoustic rendition. But I feel this was just preparation for ‘Diamonds are Forever’ sending the craziest fans into a mosh pit frenzy. The show so far feels like an Eras tour for Metalcore. The rain however was making itself more welcome, becoming vastly heavier. But it wasn’t enough to dampen the spirits of the crowd as Sleep Token guitarist ‘IV’ joins the band to feature on ‘Antivist’. A truly unexpected feature performance, this has already made music headlines across the globe as I’m writing this. I feel bad for the gentleman in the crowd holding a ‘King of Antivist’ sign hoping to sing with Bring Me, but come on. This was as once in a lifetime performance. You can say what you want about Metal bands and if they care, but when Oli spends the entirety of ‘Drown’ walking the length of the barricade giving hugs, laying on shoulders, signing autographs all whilst performing, you can’t deny his ability to be a terrific frontman but a caring human being.
Bring Me the Horizon – Riverstage – photos by Charlyn Cameron
After a powerful rendition of ‘Can You Feel My Heart?’ the band would disappears before EVE made her triumphant return to tell us we were all doomed. But before the band could return for the encore, we were lucky enough to be shown a career spanning montage from the very early days right through to modern history, highlighting shows, fan encounters, music videos and home videos. It’s hard to believe a band like Bring Me even after 20 years together is still continuing to rise in popularity with no indication of ever going down. It’s a rare breed, but it’s nothing less than what they deserve. ‘LoST’ served as one last chance for the crowd to put on their dancing shoes. And as ‘Throne’ put everything the band had delivered to Brisbane over the course of the last 90 minutes into just 5, it’s hard to believe such a vibrant and all around incredible night has come to an end.
As monumental of a tour this was for Bring Me The Horizon, this was just as important for the generations of fans in attendance tonight. From the eldest of the scene kids down to the young children in attendance, this wouldn’t be what I would class as a family outing. But to see fans as young as I was when I was getting into metal screaming their lungs out, I remind myself of why I love this scene. It’s built on diversity, humility and emotion. I wasn’t afraid to let myself cry, laugh, scream, sing and feel tonight. No one was. We may just be a room full of strangers, but thanks to Bring Me The Horizon, we are witnesses to a spectacle that will unite us all forever. All Hail Nex Gen.