Oli Sykes of Bring Me The Horizon reveals what song got him into music and through tough times

In a recent interview with BBC Radio 1, Oli Sykes, lead vocalist of Bring Me The Horizon, has shared what song has kicked things off for him. As transcribed by us, this is what he said.

One I picked was “Freestyler” from Bomfunk MC’s. So sick. I mean, I thought, I need to be honest. And also like, I could start where I properly got into music, which were like rock music with like Linkin Park and Glass Joe, but I feel like everyone’s heard that from me a million times. That was when I got into music as like, I was obsessed with music, but trying to think as far back as like, what did I own like cassette or whatever. And the earliest I can think of is Bomfunk MC’s. And I remember, I think we went camping one weekend.  And I was sat in the front of the camper van, just listening to the first side, which was just the song, then flipped it over and there were remixes. Listened to that, flipped it back. And I must have just sat in this car on my own, just while everyone out walking or something, just listen to song on repeat. We actually stole the synth. We were writing something recently. We stole the synth line. It’s not out yet, but it sounded pretty sick actually.

He also talked about which artist he loved that he saw in concert.

One of the questions you gave me were artists I’ve seen live that I liked. Pick serpentwithfeet, a song called “Four Ethers”. It’s just sick. It’s proper good. And I was trying to think of someone I’ve seen live in recent memory because actually my, like, worst nightmare is going to a gig. I just hate them. Yeah, the anxiety. I think people, crowds and all this stuff. And when people are like, who would you love to see live? I’m just like, there’s not many people I’d leave my house for to go and see. And then we were on tour. The guy was like doing photos and stuff at the time. I’m going to go see this artist tonight, serpentwithfeet. And I’m like, are you kidding? I’ve got to come. And like, that’s a gig I actually want to see. Do you know what I mean? I’m excited about that. So went and it was proper good.

And a song that got him through hard times.

A song that got me through a tough time is “Tender” by Blur. I think it was just the main line there. “Come on, come on, come on, get through it.” That’s all I remember of it. Cause actually since that tough time, I’ve not really listened. It’s actually quite painful to listen to now. It was just before I went to rehab and it was just like, maybe like a week before, like I’d stopped using. So I was like, obviously the worst place I’ve ever been. Like the reality of everything was, you know, I’d been on drugs pretty much every day for like a long time. So the comedown mixed with the realization what was going on and realizing all my friends hated me, my band, everyone was worried sick of me. Everyone, you know, it felt like the end of the world. I remember at the same time we were trying, we’d gone to the Lake district to try and write some music and I would just not there. Do you know what I mean? And I just, it would just, I would just seem like agonizing pain. So, and I just remember having this song on and I think just, I don’t, I don’t even know what the song’s about. I just remember that line and that for some reason, just putting that on, on repeat, just, well, just the only thing just pulling me through each day for like a week. 

And something about life and death.

David Bowie, Blackstar. I think what struck me about it was the fact, the realisation that he made this knowing he was going to die. And I just think how many artists have actually bowed out and gone out in a classy way? I probably could count it on two hands. Do you know what I mean? It’s most artists fizzle out, have some tragic ending or do some cringe or do some, you know, get cancelled or whatever it is that there’s not many that go out in a really cool way and how, like the fact that he knew he was going to die and he went into the studio and made like this insane, dark, different, at his age as well and everything. Like how the hell, even like it’s harder every year you get older. I think it’s you have to squeeze harder to get that creativity out. It’s just, you know, as you get past 27, your brain physically starts rotting and you just, it’s harder just like everything else in life gets harder. Could you go out in a classier way? And the thing is, he knew, did all that knowing he’s not even going to get any recognition for it because he’s not going to be and that’s why it changed the way I approach music. That’s what I want. Not in 10 years or 20 years when I’m looking back on music. I don’t want to go. “Oh, I had a one hit wonder.” I want to, I want to put my music on and go and listen to it and go: “We’re best band in the world. This is the sickest thing ever.”

Let’s continue with a celebration – a song for a party.

A song that you’d put on a party if you handed the aux. Grimes, “Kill V Maim”, Little Jimmy Urine remix. For some reason, 2016 is like the year of like, where everything was good for the last time. Like in terms of partying carefree and just like, I will go back on my Spotify, um, and the years and all that stuff. And I could really see in 2016, I had a real passion for finding new artists. And there’s so much stuff that I still listen to today from that. And I think I’ve dropped off a bit since that in terms of like actively searching for new artists. there was just like a creative period there where, you know, you had all these artists doing all these different things. And I feel like we’re lacking those kinds of characters right now in music. Do you know what I mean? I think Grimes is one of them. That’s just, she’s just sick. I’ve like hung out with her as well. And she’s just like exactly as she comes across, like, she’s like the queen of overshare. And she’s just a queen of like, when, like when all that stuff at Coachella happened, I would just like that is her to a T she’s just going to be so honest about it. She’s like, I am literally fucking up now. I’m sorry. I thought it was cool. It’s all a matter of perspective. Do you know what I mean? She is just who she is. And I think she’s just like, I don’t know. She’s one of the sickest artists of our generation.

For the end…

A song I wish I’d wrote, “Shame” by PJ Harvey.