Bring Me The Horizon at Furnace Fest

Metalcore trailblazers Bring Me The Horizon brought two decades of genre-bending intensity and innovation to Birmingham for the 2026 edition of Furnace Fest. The UK-based band, initially formed in 2004, has built a massive global following by shifting from brutal deathcore to anthemic, experimental rock. Their catalog has racked up billions of streams and earned them Grammy nominations and festival headliner status worldwide. For this special night, they returned to their roots, playing 2006’s "Count Your Blessings" in full. As they took the stage at the iconic Sloss Furnaces, it was clear that this wasn’t just another festival performance, but a landmark celebration for band and fans alike.

Sloss Furnaces, a historical landmark located in Birmingham, Alabama, has been the heart of Furnace Fest for the last 26 years. This year’s standout headliners were A Day to Remember on night one and Bring Me The Horizon night two, making this a weekend one to never forget. With towering steel structures and the remnants of an industrial past, the venue gave the night an unforgettable backdrop worlds apart from a typical concert venue. As the sun set Sunday night behind the rusted stacks, the crowd’s anticipation reached a fever pitch. Fans old and new pressed forward, knowing they were about to witness more than just a festival set. This rare full-album performance had been talked about for months, and the anticipation was electric before the night even began.

The night opened with the song “Pray for Plagues,” setting the tone for a setlist built entirely around the iconic album. From the first notes to the last, the energy barely let up as bodies collided with one another. The technical instrumentals and stage production of the band, paired with Oli Sykes’ relentless vocals, brought these songs to life and reminded everyone how raw and heavy the band sounded in their early days. Hearing tracks like “Black & Blue”, “Fifteen Fathoms, Counting”, and their newly released song “Dehumanized” live was a personal highlight, bringing deeper cuts from the record into the spotlight. As the main set came to a close, the crowd erupted into a unified chant for the song “Chelsea Smile”. The band responded with a brief tease of the iconic riff, stoking the energy even higher before diving into the encore. The encore itself brought out another side of the band's history, with heavy hitters like “Blessed with a Curse” leading into “The Fox and the Wolf”, which the band brought out Josh Scogin, ex-vocalist and founding member of Norma Jean as a special guest, making the moment especially significant given the possibility that this could be the last time they perform the song together. After a brief pause, they closed out the night by playing their song “Diamonds Aren’t Forever,” with Oli moving from the main stage to a small stage near the sound booth, giving fans a more intimate chance to catch a closer glimpse of the performance from the hardly barricaded area before heading back to the stage. As the band reached its final chorus, confetti cannons erupted, showering the crowd in a burst of color and celebration. Seizing the moment, Oli dove headfirst into the sea of fans, turning the climax into a communal release of energy and gratitude. A perfect, unforgettable finale to a legendary set.

Overall, this performance in this venue Sunday night could never be replicated. It celebrated a band, an album, and a scene that refused to fade away. By the end, fans were already reminiscing about a night that instantly became Furnace Fest legend. For a festival that honors the past while pushing heavy music forward, Bring Me The Horizon’s set stood as proof that some records and the memories forged within them never lose their power. Twenty years on, Count Your Blessings still hits as hard as ever, and this was a night no one in Birmingham will soon forget.