Live Review: Bring Me The Horizon, Bad Omens, Cassyette and Static Dress | Utilita Arena, Cardiff | 09/01/24
The opening night of tour is a special one for any band, but when it comes to Bring Me The Horizon, there is always a buzz surrounding them. A tour that should have been used to promote their next release, the recent departure of long-time keyboardist/creative counterpart Jordan Fish and fresh off the back of a headline performance at Download, all beg the valid question; can the band carry this momentum? With a stacked bill on a frosty Tuesday evening, the cold doesn't fear off those who arrive in droves and this sold out opening show is wall to wall with excited and devoted fans.
Static Dress
Post-hardcore aficionados Static Dress take on the responsibility and daunting task of opening to a crowd that is ready and waiting. This pressure doesn’t affect the band whatsoever, taking to the stage with prowess and confidence. Opening with “disposable care”, those not aware of Static Dress, their vibe, sense of urgency and erratic energy, are quickly brought on board. They don’t waste a second and whilst their set is short, they make it impactful with arena-ready choruses in “Courtney, Just Relax” and “Sweet.”. Drummer Sam Ogden’s commanding drive behind the kit sets the tone whilst Bassist George Holding is able to keep pace and give Vocalist Olli Appleyard the support needed to draw the crowd in to his infectious and gripping performance. Appleyard uses a guitar pedal for his vocals to add texture and layering and anonymous guitarist Contrast is nothing short of astonishing with both their aesthetic and efficiency. Ending on “Clean.”, the growing crowd is well and truly in the palm of their hand. One thing is clear, Static Dress are going to turn some heads throughout this tour.
Cassyette
Next up, Cassyette enters to a rapturous reception and rises to the occasion, bringing all her pomp and party stomp to a crowd that is warmed up and ready to go. The blend of experimental and metal-tinged verse structures complimented by blistering choruses and laced with pop melodies serves the seasoned tourers well as she cycles through their big hitters. “Die Hate Cry”, “September Rain” and “Ipecac” all land well with an energised and enthused performance that is hard to resist. The impassioned set is not enough to be able to ignore the day one sound issues, with Cassyette herself sitting a little low in the mix and the whole band’s sound not reaching all corners of the arena. This doesn’t stop them from delivering a solid overall performance. These issues are rectified by closer “Dear Goth” and for their final 3 and a half minutes, Cassyette encapsulate their sound and leave a lasting impression.
Bad Omens
By the time Bad Omens enter the stage, there is a noticeable buzz in the arena for their performance. The band are clearly aware of the impact that their 2022 album The Death of Peace of Mind had as well as their subsequent rise in popularity. As such, it is no wonder they find themselves on the stage this evening and they are not messing around when it comes to such a landmark subheadline slot. With an enormous backdrop, complex lighting rig, smoke, strobes and screens with strong visual aesthetics, the band would’ve been able to put on a hell of a headline show themselves. Bad Omens operate with prowess and precision, power and passion. Vocalist Noah Sebastian is vocally pinpoint accurate and commands the stage with confidence, “ARTIFICIAL SUICIDE”, “Like A Villain” and “Just Pretend” all sounding as crisp as they do on record. Inciting a chant with the words “concrete jungle”, complimented by the screens, the band build hype with the crowd screaming back in unison, before kicking into final song “Dethrone” which is dominating and powerful, leaving hearts beating out of chests. Without doubt this has been a set people will remember and it is hard to find a reason why Bad Omens wouldn’t be looking at continuing their astronomical rise. Tonight gave very little reason to challenge why they couldn’t.
Bring Me The Horizon
The moment of anticipation approaches as EVE, the band’s virtual live companion makes her appearance on screens to gee up the crowd. Enter Bring Me The Horizon, poised and prepped, opening with “DArkSide” and following with “Empire (Let Them Sing)” and “MANTRA”, reminders that the band’s back-catalogue is thoroughly accomplished. The set list embraces the band’s Post Human era but by no means neglects their previous set staples such as “Shadow Moses”, “Drown” and “Antivist” where Noah Sebastian joins for a blistering performance. The likes of “Teardrops”, “Kingslayer” and “Parasite Eve” now also find themselves as firm fan favourites, all showcasing the varying ways that Bring Me The Horizon can craft an anthem. Pyro, dancers dressed as various creatures or in hazmat suits and an interactive background compliments the band who, as of late, have made their stage production elaborate and extensive.
“Strangers” is played acoustically, a song that has become the perfect anthem for their live show and one that sees them strip back the production, if only for a moment. In true Bring Me The Horizon fashion they follow this up by playing their heaviest song in the set, none other than Suicide Season‘s “Diamonds Aren’t Forever”, a song you’d have never expected to find being sung back in an arena but proving the band are clever in how they incorporate all their eras.
The absence of Jordan Fish is felt by fans but this has very little impact on the band’s live show with their superb touring guitarist/backing vocalist taking the mantle and running with it. Two injuries in the crowd halt momentum at points in the show but Oli Sykes handles this brilliantly and the show goes on. Teasing upcoming music with a number of track names identified as well as snippets of them, including an Underoath feature, the crowd were given the opportunity to record vocals for one of these unidentified tracks.
As the interlude before the encore plays, an ode to their history and tribute to their twenty years as a band, it is hard to not feel part of the nostalgia. There was a time where it was popular to hate Bring Me The Horizon and they haven’t forgotten, in fact they are wearing it on their sleeves, a big fuck you to the naysayers. However even the band themselves openly admit they couldn’t have imagined themselves headlining arenas once. These small moments of humility are sprinkled across the set and Sykes speaks of them fondly. Rounding out with “Doomed”, “LosT” and then of course “Throne”, Bring Me The Horizon’s performance is a very clear and unanimous response to the aforementioned question and there is clearly no sign or worry to be had, the wave is still rolling and Bring Me The Horizon are confidently stood upon it.
