The end of an era or a step to the next level? Bring Me The Horizon do both, with awe-inspiring production to boot as they close the Saturday night of Reading Festival...
Welcome to the end of the experiment. Bring Me The Horizon's futuristic POST HUMAN: NeX GEn era began with their fiery statement of intent that was their Download headliner two years ago, and since that landmark moment, they’ve made every gig-goer a test subject in a series of twisted scientific endeavours. Having taken said dystopian story around the world, they’re closing the latest chapter this weekend with their second Reading headline set, and while in 2022 they were sharing the slot with schoolmates Arctic Monkeys, this year, they have it all to themselves. With that, they’ve thrown everything at it, including the kitchen sink, and probably also some garden furniture. Oh yeah, and a silly amount of cash.
Tonight’s spectacle is a Bring Me The Horizon show turned up to 11, or even 12 to be honest. Banging their heads in front of an opulent church-like backdrop, fireworks explode above them at an astonishing rate, smoke billows from columns in the crowd, and plumes of fire jet from seemingly all angles. Their eye-popping visuals are designed almost as a love letter of the art of video games, and skits featuring their characters E.V.E. and M8 feel more thorough and humorous as they progress BMTH’s world-building. Performance-wise, it’s heightened just as much as their production. Happy Song is titanic, AmEn sounds absolutely merciless, while Kool-Aid has a devilish menace to it that feels shiny and new all over again. Their setlist isn’t radically different from what they’ve done in the last couple of years, but the one curveball is their wacky-yet-genius cover of Wonderwall, which fits in seamlessly with their usual bangers.
To begin with, Oli Sykes baits in the crowd into moshing in a manner that’s even more ravenous than usual. “Could I see a real fucking mosh-pit?” he yells. “The ones you were doing for Limp Bizkit were fucking wank. BIGGER! BIGGER! FUCKING BIGGER!” Later on, however, he softens. “I nearly cried, I was overcome with emotion,” he says, not long after admitting that, even at the level they’re at, they still wonder if anyone is going to see them.
Their final songs are far more celebratory – Can You Feel My Heart is bright and victorious, Drown offers a heartening moment of connection as Oli heads down to say hello to the crowd, and closer Throne ends on a triumphant note, with Palestinian flags being waved onstage.
As the confetti rains down from the stage, Oli looks up to the sky, covering his face, almost as if he’s about to break down. They do huge stages all the time, and yet there is no room for complacency. They might be having a quiet one for a while, but Horizon won’t let themselves be forgotten. This has been the ultimate affirmation of their power. See you soon, lads.
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