Live Review – Bring Me the Horizon – Glasgow, OVO Hydro | 14.01.24

 

January is always a long and slow month but when you have tours of this magnitude it makes it all worth while. As sick and stacked as this bill is, we send our thoughts to all the elder emo’s in this difficult time having doors at 5:30 – our backs were never ready. With the delay of Post Human: Nex-Gen being announced, the excitement for these shows were are high as I’ve seen for a Bring Me show and on a cold and snowy night in Glasgow, Oli and co rolled into town to take on a sold out Ovo Hydro.

Prior to the doors each show had a little pop up store in the city centre selling all tour merch and some exclusive pop up numbers – a nice addition to what was already set to be a special night. The store had all you could possibly need from hoodies to exclusive t-shirts, hats, jewellery and even trading cards. After a lengthy wait in the cold banks of the River Clyde, like many I left very happy but with a lighter bank balance.

The venue was filling up rapidly from doors, something that can be quite rare but a welcome sight to see knowing what each band are capable of and deserving of larger crowds. First up was Yorkshire 4-piece Static Dress, the last time I saw this band was in the 300 cap of the Cathouse only 2 months ago so to see them on the big stage was a proud moment. Despite their short set they were able to showcase exactly why they deserve this slot. They make full use of the little space they had on stage in the most effective way, their energy instantly projected to the crowd who gave as much back with pits starting from the get go with opener ‘Disposable Care’. With the crowd were firmly in the palm of their hands and it was time to kick things up a notch to fully warm up the already active crowd as tracks like ‘Push Rope’ and ‘Sweet & Clean’ rounded off a sick opener to an insane and well earned cheers and applause from the Glasgow faithful.

Next it was the long awaited return of Essex’s queen Cassyette. The singer has been a tad quiet since she last came to the city a year ago but is certainly back in style – with her new backdrop reading ‘This World Fucking Sucks’, later confirming this would be the title of her debut album set for release later this year. Like the Static Dress before her, she is making the very best of the smaller stage, covering every inch of it and giving it her all. A set with a good mix of classic Cassyette and a taster of what’s to come and she debuts new single ‘Ipecac’, it’s a less active crowd in terms of mosh pits but still loud nonetheless. Her roaring screams captured the room and left those who don’t know her visibly awed, a definite sign that she gained a few new fans that day. OG classics like ‘Dear Goth’ & ‘Petrichor’ made the short set along with more recent work in ‘September Rain’. This run starts the beginning of a brand new chapter for Cassyette and with her debut album nearing, it’s a chapter I’m more than willing to get aboard with.

After another quick interval and with the room close to capacity you’d think the next band were the headliners but it was time for Bad Omens. The stage setup was a thing to behold especially for a support band with screens on either side of Nick Folios drums while lights across the back line looped over the bands setup. Kicking off their set with a crowd favourite and rager ‘Artificial Suicide’, with scream-y vocals and heavy, relentless guitars it was absolutely electric and captivating way to start, instantly working the huge crowd into a frenzy.

The whole band has such incredible chemistry and that really comes across in their live show, whether they were playing one of the aforementioned heavy numbers or an atmospheric, softer gem such as “The Grey” or “The Death of Peace of Mind,” Bad Omens delivered, and the audience loved every minute. They have a presence about them and a mysterious image that is never really unveiled, even live, which makes one curious about the band. ‘Just Pretend’ received the loudest reception from the crowd and had fans lights up the room with their phones, looking around to see this for a support act settles the debate (if ever there was one) that this band are ready for arenas and i’m sure that time won’t be far away.

Now, it’s was time to prepare for history. The old school Nex Gen start screen appears while the stage gets prepared, as I stood waiting for things to begin, all that I could think of was how this set could possibly beat the brilliance of their Download 2023 headline performance – did it? I was about to find out…

AI character ‘E.V.E’ appears to make sure Glasgow’s ready then the lights drop and the confetti fills the arena as ‘DArkSide’ kicks off the fun before a welcome return for ‘Empire (Let Them Sing)’ with Oli’s vocals sounding as strong on this as they were in back 2013. You can’t dispute just how massive this band are at the moment and it feels like this show and this entire tour is testament to that. ‘Kool-Aid’ was just over a week old and was received like it had been in the set for years – the breakdown hit the same way it hit after the first listen and sent the crowd into a frenzy, even the visuals hit hard.

Trying to avoid the set before the gig was as tricky as you’d expect given the hype, however even knowing what was next, the feeling for each song was as if I was experiencing it with fresh eyes and ears. From the pyro intro to ‘Shadow Moses’, the famous “do do do do” intro to ‘Kingslayer’ to a special acoustic rendition of ‘Strangers’, this set really had everything you could possibly hope for from a Bring Me show. But just how far back in the catalog would they go? the next song was a nod to the OG’s with ‘Diamonds Aren’t Forever’ from their 2008 album “Suicide Season” which still sounds incredible in 2024. That song was one of the reasons I first fell in love with this band all those years ago so hearing this live again but in a sold out arena just felt like a full circle moment.

 

 

Following a short pause after some crowd issues it was time for another surprise in the form of Bad Omens frontman Noah Sebastian for an even heavier ‘Antivist’. ‘Drown’ follows with Oli taking a venture down to the barrier with a go-pro to sing with the fans as it gets projected across the main screens. A short interlude follows a very emotional ‘Can You Feel My Heart’ before a heart warming throwback video from the very start of the bands journey until now appears on the screens, ending on a Church of Genesis bible, a video that may or may not have brought tears. Kicking of the encore and back by popular demand comes ‘Doomed’ for the first time since 2019 and a welcome return it got. Rounding off a special night in style with a dance and sing along to ‘LosT’ followed by a huge confetti and fire finale with ‘Throne’ with Oli asking the fans for one last favour to get down and jump up to touch the sky – now that’s how you close a show.

So, was this better than Download? For me I feel they really stepped up a level or two from that headline slot. A bigger and more jaw dropping production paired with a personally perfect set. There really is no stopping this band right now and it sets the mind racing in thought of where they go next. Now we prepare for the Nex Gen landing.

 

 

Words by Craig McInnes