Bring Me The Horizon show Manchester how to repent at the first of two no barrier Count Your Blessings anniversary shows…
A group of hair farmers from Sheffield have somehow managed to sell out two nights at Manchester’s Bowlers Exhibition Centre just by playing scrappy deathcore. Of course, that group does happen to be one of the biggest heavy acts of all time, so maybe there’s some sense after all.
Bring Me The Horizon’s beloved debut album Count Your Blessings was gifted to us 20 years ago in all its rugged charm, but with their enormous Repented release buffing out the scratches, the Yorkshiremen have decided to take to the stage in its honour and play it all in one go, with a star-studded bill supporting them.
After making our way to Manchester, we set out to catch all the action…
“We need more stage-divers!” barks Still In Love vocalist Nicholas Worthington, as the emotive breakdowns of the UKHC supergroup tear through the crowd. Inciting a huge mosh-pit at the indoor stage to warm up for the seven acts to come, the five-piece rip through a set that’s full of power and pain. Tell The Truth, Pillar Of Strength and It Will Never Be Enough in particular open up the floor and send the called-on stage-divers into overdrive.
Back outside, watching Showing Teeth feels like a lesson in how to put on a modern metal show. Even with just two songs released, her blend of melodic singing and deathcore growls captivates and enthralls all in attendance. As the harsh Manchester sun (a recent addition to the city) beats down, Nashville’s newest metaller screams through the blistering Rip and Labyrinth, winning over a legion of new fans in the process.
As Car Underwater take to the second stage, the overwhelming feeling is that their set could be in a sauna. Despite the humidity though, this showing of LA emo is raw, heartfelt, and perfectly suited to fans of Bring Me’s entire discography, with its melodic catchiness and surprising heft pairing fantastically on Calling This Healing. A connection between band and crowd has been forged here that won’t easily be broken.
The main stage is heaving and buckling under the weight of Dying Wish’s burly, thrashy metalcore. Vocalist Emma Boster is a magnetic presence amongst their imposing bandmates, and together they make a concerted effort at destroying the BEC. With an arsenal containing such tools as Symptoms Of Survival and Cowards Feed, Cowards Bleed, the call of “One! Million! Crowdsurfers!” is obeyed eagerly and triumphantly.
Cataclysms don’t often sound as good as Heriot. The ferocious foursome sound as apocalyptic as ever, more comparable to some dark ritual than music. Recent single Master Of Deceit begets a whirlwind of spin kicks, as Showing Teeth makes a commanding feature. “Lemme fucking see it” comes the order from her majesty Debbie Gough, and the crowd duly start front-flipping and stage-diving at Heriot's altar. Finishing with At The Fortress Gate, it feels impossible now to not think this band has got what it takes to headline these events one day.
Right off the back of their Outbreak secret set, Static Dress return to the very same stage, only this time a little later in the day. Olli Appleyard is the picture of joy as he and his band create a scene of mayhem and reckless abandon. “Spin it, spin it, spin it, spin it!” he barks, as the audience is whipped into a frenzy for Nostalgia Kills with Showing Teeth, before a thrilling version of Courtney, Just Relax sees Emma Boster join them on stage, revelling in the chaos.
The ethereal beauty of a Rolo Tomassi set cannot be overstated. Even as stage-divers cloud the view, the entrancing power of their unique brand of heaviness translates effortlessly here. Searing screams and gorgeous melodies intertwine on A Flood Of Light, and a brief story is told of their first ever show, opening for tonight’s headliners in Sheffield 20 years ago, that makes for a perfect full-circle moment before finishing with recent epic Prescience.
And then all of a sudden, after all the build up of the day, it’s time. The twin video screens burn their display to black, and Bring Me The Horizon take the stage. There’s surprisingly little fanfare to the moment, save for the bellowing of the crowd.
Then all at once, it begins with – what else? – Pray For Plagues. The immortal opener to the band’s 2006 debut album, live, in all its glory. And it is glorious. “What the fuck is up Manchester?” howls Oli Sykes, determined to bring about carnage of the highest order from the off, and he gets it. A wall of death, more stage-divers than the rest of the day combined, and a singalong loud enough to wake the dead.
Lee Malia tears up his fretboard on a truly devastating version of Tell Slater Not To Wash His Dick, replete with flames and two-steppers, whilst Mat Nicholls oversees proceedings from atop his percussive throne, drumming like a man possessed.
“This one’s my favourite” smirks Oli, as Sheffield’s own burst into Dragon Slaying, and the audience roar back as if in agreement, only to then hear the instantly recognisable (I Used To Make Out With) Medusa and lose any semblance of restraint.
It’s not the usually jokey Bring Me tonight; a more sincere Oli and co. are on display. “This means the fucking world to us” says the frontman, ever so slightly choked up, and it’s clear that even though these songs haven’t been played in years, they mean just as much to the band as their fans. After a soulful rendition of Fifteen Fathoms, Counting, there’s barely time for Oli to yell out “This one’s for Curtis Ward” – Horizon's former guitarist, who took to the stage earlier today with Still In Love – before beating the crowd into submission with Off The Heezay and new track Dehumanized.
After rounding off the full Repented set, our headliners take a quick breather, only to return with a highlight reel of their old work, starting with fan-favourite Suicide Season. Of course, a huge singalong ensues, but when Re: They Have No Reflections fires up it leaves the crowd genuinely stunned, making what was already a real ‘I was there’ moment into something truly historic. And when the opening notes of Blessed With A Curse ring out loud and true, it brings both tears to eyes and phones to the sky.
In a rather concise summation of the day, Oli Sykes leaves us with, “You motherfuckers have left me speechless. This might be the best gig ever,” before Diamonds Aren’t Forever caps off tonight’s gig for the ages. A stunning cherry atop a marvellous cake, and deafening proof that Bring Me The Horizon really can do it all.
Get your limited-edition Count Your Blessings: The Inside Story zine now.
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