Bring Me The Horizon, Leeds Arena, 24 November 2018

In the pitch black of Leeds Arena, 15,000 people gathered in the shadows of a Saturday night, eagerly awaiting the arrival of BMTH.

Opening with "Mantra", their first single from AMO, the rapture began. And here's the thing, without irony, there's something vaguely cultish about BMTH. Their iconography game is strong (see Coldplay ripping off Sempiternal, see the best umbrella since Rihanna with That's The Spirit). The DropDeadClothing line is making models of us all, not seen since Atticus back in the day (ask your dad). The tie-in merch is frankly on another level (bauble, anyone?). And there's an emerging Beatles-style hysteria for Ollie and co, just wearing more black.

As ever in this era, they're an open target for knocking, but this set felt like a blistering reminder that Sheffield's finest have always bought their A game. There's the hits, the new stuff, and, pleasingly, a medley of the old songs. There's old skool screaming, an acoustic number, the dance infused metal mash up and ever relevant anthemic songs. There's a wall of death, moshing, dancing, and mass sitting down. There's streamers, lights, flash cannons and a curtain of acceptable-phone-torches-in-lieu-of-lighters (ask your mum). There's even banter and a Yorkshire flag. Above all, there's genuine energy in the room, people in the here and now, enjoying the music.

And that's when it hits home. BMTH are colossal. They've sold out arenas ahead of the new album dropping. They've gone to playing to single figures in County Durham to lining up millions of fans. Songs like Throne, House of Wolves, Avalanche have transcended into anthems for us all. In a typically rigid genre of music, they've soared above expectations, constantly evolving and challenging stereotypes along the way. They've risen to heights few UK bands scale in this era of music, arenas are usually the realm of 80s pop stars and mass marketed noise. And most of all, they don't give a fuck. And neither should we. If BMTH are a cult, sign me up.


BMTH played:

Mantra

The House of Wolves

Avalanche

Go to Hell, for Heaven's Sake

Sleepwalking

Wonderful Life

Shadow Moses

Happy Song

The Comedown / (I Used to Make Out With) Medusa / Diamonds Aren't Forever / Re: They Have No Reflections

Can You Feel My Heart

Follow You

Antivist

Drown

Doomed

Throne


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Fun fact - seated block tickets turn into standing within 0.001 seconds of the band starting.

AMO is out now.