"This is our biggest show ever, I reckon everyone should crowd surf over this barrier so I can see your beautiful faces," declares Bring Me The Horizon frontman Oliver Sykes, to the thousands of screaming fans at Wembley Arena.
As the glaringly green Ed Sheeran banner looms down from Wembley Stadium next door, fans of Bring Me The Horizon walk towards the little sister version that is Wembley Arena with a feeling of pride, knowing they’re about to watch a new breed of younger, heavier bands, unite to conquer these larger venues together. And with support from the likes of Sleepwave, Issues and Young Guns, Wembley Arena has arguably never been more in danger of collapsing from noise, mosh pits and madness.
Young Guns manage to light up the venue ahead of Horizon, asking everyone to raise their lighters or phones in the air – a classic arena trick, but it works everytime. As the thousands of spectators are illuminated, making Wembley look mighty pretty in the process.
“It’s our first London show in one year,” announces frontman Gustav Wood, before the band launch into tracks such as ‘Bones’ and ‘Winter Kiss.’ They also treat us to new (unnamed) material, which goes down well with fans, who easily pick up the lyrics and begin chanting along halfway through the track. It’s a sign of a return to form for the foursome, and if the rest of the new material is anything like the teaser, then we’re sure 2015 could be one hell of a year for Young Guns.
Opening with ‘Shadow Moses’ and sticking to an identical set from Wednesday night’s warm up show at The Underworld in Camden, it’s incredible to see Bring Me The Horizon step up to the mark and generate as much passion and energy as they would in a more intimate venue. With a gigantic backdrop of moving images, fire and jets of smoke filling the room from the off, you get the impression that there’s going to be no half-measures tonight.
In the opening few tracks the crowd seem to only get more and more hysterical too, as high-pitched screams of “OMG I LOVE YOU OLI” can be heard from younger members of the audience. Staring out into seas of Drop Dead merchandise worn by fans it’s clear that Bring Me The Horizon (and Oli Sykes alone) have built up a dedicated empire of fans, not too dissimilar to something you’d find at a One Direction concert – only these guys wear way more eyeliner.
Stand out track ‘And The Snakes Start To Sing’ sees Sykes become overwhelmed with passion, as he embraces the lyrics and falls screaming to the floor. The backdrop of venomous snakes luring through the screen is also a spectacle in itself, as the band’s tight syncopation ensures the song is precisely executed.
Later on into the evening Sykes mentions “We wanna do something special, we want to play a song that you guys have been asking for us to play for a long time,” as old band member Curtis Ward joins the band onstage for ‘Play For Plagues’. As Ward gets his moment of glory, Sykes also eggs on the crowd to open up the biggest wall of death of the night, with fans smashing into each other for a mammoth display of commitment.
The band play through tracks such as ‘Antivist’ and ‘Sleepwalking’, before returning for an encore, featuring new single ‘Drown’, which Sykes has previously described in an interview with Gigwise as the track they’d designed specifically for Wembley. It certainly fits the bill, but it’s their final song ‘Can You Feel My Heart’ that really seals the deal and elevates the room into final cheers of emotion.
Tonight Bring Me The Horizon have proved they were more than ready to play Wembley, managing throughout their set to deliver powerfully implemented songs that sound even fuller in a bigger setting. Bring Me The Horizon will remember this night forever and we’re pretty sure the fans will too, but the question is, can they go up from here?
