Bring Me the Horizon cancels remainder of tour after frontman sustains vocal injury

English rock band Bring Me the Horizon was forced to cancel the rest of their tour last week after lead singer Oliver Sykes ruptured his right vocal chord. The band released a new album, “amo,” last month and had been on tour to celebrate its release. 

“I’m gutted to announce we have to cancel the remainder of our American tour,” Sykes said in a tweet on Feb. 15. He explained the injury and said, “I’ve been told if I don’t rest it immediately I’m in serious danger of doing permanent damage” (). 

Sykes has historically struggled with his voice throughout  his career. The singer strained his voice for years by performing concert after concert of screaming. The band changed its style and moved away from screaming after Sykes left rehab for drug addiction. Some fans have largely critiqued Sykes ability to sing since then, saying his voice is weak and he just doesn’t sound the same live anymore.  

The band has had to cancel concerts in the past due to Sykes’ voice, but typically due to things like Laryngitis. Back in 2016, they had to cancel a few shows in Australia and New Zealand for this reason. 

Sykes is devastated by his inability to perform now. 

“I’ve been trying my best to fulfill our commitments as I really, really hate letting you guys down, not to mention these shows have literally been the most fun ever- but at this point, me singing in this state would be the equivalent of a footballer running on a broken leg,” he continued on Twitter. “We are working on plans to come back to Phoenix and Las Vegas this year to make it up to everyone who missed out.” 

In a separate tweet on the band’s Twitter, Sykes apologized further: “Once again, I’m so sorry, I hope you all understand”. 

Luckily, the injury comes towards the end of the U.S. tour, so the band only had to cancel two shows and reschedule a charity show.  

Due to his past issues with straining his voice, many fans assumed Sykes blew out his voice by screaming. The singer was quick to make sure fans knew that this wasn’t what happened.  

“People forget the vocal chords are a muscle, a muscle that can be compromised by not just exertion but the elements/conditions etc.,” he said in a tweet. “Screaming when done correctly is actually less strain on the voice than singing in your top octaves. (in fact if I’m trying to go easy on my voice I’ll often resort to doing my old style of screaming, it’s literally like putting on an accent) but this is just something that happens sometimes… as much as it sucks!”   

Here’s to wishing Sykes a full recovery and hoping he is able to get back to doing what he loves soon.

Courtney Gavitt is a Staff Writer for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at courtney.gavitt@uconn.edu.