DO YOU WANNA START A CULT WITH ME?

As the house music cuts and lights dim, an ear-splitting roar creeps across a packed First Direct Arena, ten thousand fans await their heroes’ arrival on stage. Lights flicker and an electronic beat cascades across the venue. Each member slowly steps on stage one by one. Matt Nicholls settling behind the drums, Jordan Fish entering and readying his synth before Matt Kean and Lee Malia take position at opposing ends of the stage. They’re all ready but a key ingredient is missing; Oli Sykes. The crowd demand their king, the volume notches higher and higher until finally he unveils himself, bounding on stage to rapturous applause. He swaggers and sways, dead center of the stage and takes a second to lap up the adoring crowd. Silence falls before the pulsating drums begin to match the crushing guitars. The iconic line Bring Me used so well in marketing and promoting of their recent single MANTRA, is bellowed. Every voice in the room screams it back to Oli, ‘DO YOU WANNA START A CULT WITH ME?’. “I’m not vibrating like I’m ought to be” is belted out next - but Bring Me are most certainly vibrating tonight. 30 Seconds in and they’re well and truly tearing the roof off Leeds.

Bring Me skip seamlessly between the Sempiternal and That’s The Spirit era, delving into House of Wolves, Avalanche, Go To Hell, for Heaven’s sake then capping a pulsating fifteen minute spell with the melodic Sleepwalking. New tune Wonderful Life is belted out next. The five piece begin to craft their new art with the crowd being their canvas, deep riffs and emotion is exploded to every corner of the arena. Everyone is simultaneously lost in the moment as another mosh pit opens. As the pit closes in, limbs and bodies scramble, jumping and dancing to the deep beat of the drums. An intermission follows attempting to allow the crowd to catch their breath, but there’s no let up as the Sheffield quintuple streak back onto the stage and pound out an electrifying rendition of Shadow Moses. A ten-minute mashup of The Comedown, Medusa and Diamonds Aren’t Forever throw it back to the bands origin and showcase their continued versatility and exclusivity to fans from their earlier era. The older sounds sit perfectly in the set list alongside Follow You and the emotionally driven Drown which comes next.  As Lee follows Oli onto stage, his acoustic guitar is clutched in hand. The duo prove all that’s needed is one guitar and one voice to bring a crowd to its knees. The crowd unite, swaying in harmonious time to the gentle chords from Lee’s guitar.

As the show pulls to a close, an encore is imminent. The crowd are thirsty for another fix. As the self-confessed “weird and crazy instrumental” track Doomed spreads like wildfire through the venue, Oli extends his mic out to the crowd and they oblige by singing the words “the sun doesn’t shine but it never did and when it rains it fucking pours and I think I like it” back to him. Many of Bring Me’s songs feature a bleak tone, featuring themes such as drug addiction, depression and heartbreak but nights like tonight serve a reminder to fans of the strength one band’s music can have upon the lives of so many people in helping them through the most difficult times..  

Oli Sykes confessed that Throne was their comeback track to their last album That’s The Spirit, but tonight it culminates the set and showcases the quintet as one of the hottest bands on the alternative music scene right now. Confetti cannons explode into life as the last chords echo around the arena, bringing this incredible experience to an explosive end. As the band bow and thank the crowd, each member looks eternally grateful to the reception and love they’ve just received. After a two-year hiatus to recharge, refresh and heal, Bring Me look ready to conquer the world with their ever-impressive new album amo. The band exit the stage for the final time and showcase just how important they are. 

One love.