Thursday, July 16, 2015

AFTERSHOCK PREVIEW: I can't drown my demons, they know how to swim... BMTH, live at Wembley, a review


Earlier this week, the 30th anniversary of Live Aid, and one of the venues was Wembley, a stadium-football-(soccer)-ground in London, England, UK. Wembley: full to the gills with people, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands.

And then, two days ago, a package that I'd been waiting for dropped into the mailbox with a satisfying thunk. Or rather, a satisfying scream, jump, howl, THUNK and so full-of-electrifying-energy that it probably moshed and crowd-surfed and roared across the ocean, across the skies, across the mail sorting room, into the truck, and jumped its own way here: Bring Me The Horizon, Live at Wembley, recorded on 5th December, 2014.... and once again, that stadium is alive, jumping, singing, yelling, writhing with energy. Just a lot more metal than Live Aid.

"This is our biggest show, ever", says Oli. (He hasn't been to Aftershock... yet. What is the capacity at Gibson Ranch, anyone know? Are BMTH fans going to test it???)

I am so very happy for these young men from England. They've been together for ten years now, and they put their everything into the show. Bring Me The Horizon (or BMTH) are Oliver (Oli) Sykes (vocals), Matthew Nicholls on drums, Matt Kean (bass), Lee Malia (guitars), and Jordan Fish (programming and keyboards), also joined by John Jones and a guesting Curtis Ward during this Wembley show. They've won awards. They've a huge, huge following of young-and-older fans in the UK, and now, the world. And they are coming to Sacramento.

"Jump! Jump! JUMP!!!"

(Don't expect to remain still during a BMTH show. Don't expect to just sit, and listen. Your feet may hurt. Your knees may not work for a week. You may leave cursing in Midlands' English. But you will not stay still.)

Homework for Aftershock:  practice jumping, crowdsurfing, more jumping, and singing along. These guys may steal the whole weekend...

"Go to hell, for heaven's sake."

Here's a sample. Turn up the volume. LOUD.



The Live at Wembley DVD set is currently out-of-stock at Amazon (WTH??? So glad I preordered it and yes, my name is in the book :-p ) but you can obtain Drown (single) from iTunes, along with the album Sempiternal. There are two live recording CDs, a booklet, and the live concert DVD in a gate-fold photo sleeve. The DVD, produced and edited by Tim Sidwell, worked on by a whole crew of cameramen etc., is just stunning. It's not a documentary of the show, or a happened-to-be-there filming: it captures the essence, the atmosphere, the energy and the whole Wembley full of BMTH fans.

(Zoltan Bathory, best-buddy, my love for this band is still all your fault. BTW, you still haven't friended me back on Facebook. I'm not hurt... yet!)

My birthday present to me: Bring Me The Horizon play at Aftershock in Sacramento on October 24th this year.

CAN YOU FEEL MY HEART?

(They'll also be appearing at Rock Allegiance in Chester, PA, and at Knotfest in San Bernardino, CA too. Check out all tour dates, including UK dates, on BMTH's tour page.)  And those of you who are also Marillion fans will recognise the DVD production team and Toward Infinity from some earlier wonderful videos... we're all waiting (im)patiently for the PZ weekend video!)

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