Posted February 19, 2019 by Kailey Howell Concert Reviews & Galleries

Bring Me the Horizon – The Fillmore – 2.4.19

Bring Me the Horizon, Thrice, Fever 333
The Fillmore – Detroit, MI – 2.4.19
Photographer: Kailey Howell

Bring Me the Horizon released their sixth studio album, Amo earlier this year. The album follows the leap away from the band’s original hardcore, heavy metal sound towards a synth filled, ambient pop sound.

The band stopped in Detroit at The Fillmore, packing the venue. Powerhouse trio Fever 333 opened the evening. The band is made up of Jason Aalon Butler (vocals), Stevis Harrison (guitar) and Aric Improta (percussion). Together, the three use their work as a form of activism, even going as far to call their sets “demonstrations.”

Their set opened with Butler standing in the middle of the stage with a bag over his head, setting the political tone for the set as they opened with “Burn It”.

Butler’s energy on stage can hardly be measured; he is never on the stage. Without waiting for the second song, Butler jumped into the pit, feeding off of the energy of the crowd. From there, he climbed over the bar and swung from the balcony above.

Harrison’s interaction with the crowd complemented Butler’s energy off the stage. Improta constantly jumped up on his stool, landing down as he crashed the cymbals.

After “One of Us,” Butler and Improta showcased their skills with a beatbox and drum solo. Their set ended with “Hunting Season.” You can stream their debut album STRENGTH IN NUMB333RS here.

There was a slight change in the mood of the crowd when Thrice took the stage after such a high energy set. Nonetheless, fans sang along with vocalist Dustin Kensrue as they opened with “Only Us.”

The Orange County natives released their tenth studio album Palms in 2018. The band’s set did a nice job of incorporating radio hits like “Black Honey” and “The Grey” alongside older songs like “Yellow Belly” and “The Arsonist.”

It may be argued that Thrice did not have a place in the lineup for this tour. This isn’t true. The slower, calmer set was a nice interlude from the attention demanding tone of Fever 333. The passion in Kensrue’s voice rang loud through each song.

Finally, the lights dimmed and Bring Me the Horizon front man Oliver Sykes took the stage alone. The delicate notes of “I apologise if you feel something” began to play, and the crowd fell silent, taking in Syke’s melodic vocals. After the band took the stage, they broke into the first single off of Amo, “MANTRA.”

The thing about BMTH is that despite the studio album carrying a lighter tone than their previous work, they still carry that heavy energy on stage. Sykes broke into a couple screams during “MANTRA” that don’t appear on the album. This pattern was repeated during various songs throughout the set.

The foggy, glowing stage presented the band in a mysterious light, highlighting the moodiness of the set. However, the lighting created a heavy focus on Sykes. This left Matthew Nicholls (drums), Matt Kean (bass) and Lee Malia (guitar) in the background. Unfortunately, Jordan Fish (programming and keys) was not able to be there.

While their set was heavy with songs from Amo and That’s the Spirit, it was appreciated that they included songs off of Sempiternal, the band’s last “heavy” work.

“Shadow Moses” and “Can You Feel My Heart” received some of the heaviest reaction from the crowd. This reigned true until everyone in the room began chanting “middle fingers up, I don’t give a fuck,” shaking the floor as everyone jumped. “Antivist” is one of the most in-your-face songs that the band has, including the line “You can say I’m just a fool who stands for nothing / Well for that, I say you’re a cunt.”

The band gave an acoustic rendition of “Drown” that brought tears to the eyes of fans. Sykes took a moment to absorb the sound of his fans singing back the lyrics to him.

Their two song encore included “Doom” and “Throne.”

After a performance on Jimmy Kimmel, Sykes announced that the rest of the North American tour has been canceled due to the rupture of his right vocal chord.