Not all heroes wear capes

As it stands today, my love for music is no less relevant to who I am than my lifelong passion for sports. I grew up listening to basically anything that was on the charts, and once was a huge techno fan. And by “techno” I mean the kind of techno that comes close to an earthquake, noise wise.

However, during the course of the years, I realized that I needed something completely else. At some point, Metallica’s “Until It Sleeps” happened, so did HIM and their beautiful “Join Me”. Something started to click, and my taste in music shifted away from “easy” to “heavy”. As in, Heavy Metal and Rock. Since I am very fond of being obsessed, I found myself obsessing over various bands along the way. If it made a good amount of noise and I could relate to the lyrics, too, I usually was hooked.

Bands came and went, and then, some time in – I think – 2012 I was introduced to the band which holds a special place in my heart. I have a bond with them which is, even though I have “only” seen them 4.5 times (.5, since one of their gigs I went to was them opening for another band, so that doesn’t really count), and just got my ticket to see them later this year again, rather …strong.

This band is BURY TOMORROW.

Some account I follow on Twitter linked to their “An Honourable Reign” video, as enclosed below (to warn you, though: it’s …loud) :

I just LOVED it. Played the video a lot on YouTube and checked out some more of their songs. Bought the album, put it in its entirety on my iPod and used it a lot when I was working out back in the day. However, while I enjoyed “The Union Of Crowns” immensely, it wasn’t THE band just yet.

Fast forward to spring 2014. I saw that Bury Tomorrow would perform in Berlin on April 4, 2014, and I relatively spontaneously decided to purchase a ticket. It was just 20EUR, so why not checking them out live? I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into, but that evening sort of changed my life. In a positive way. I found myself in a nice little front row spot right in front of the stage. As in, no barrier, but literally at the stage. Now, I am claustrophobic, so it seems contradictory as hell that I am going to concerts and even more so concerts in small clubs – and we’re talking Metalcore here. As in, the crowd was going wild. Circle Pits and Walls Of Death included. Those, however, happened behind me, and me, being front row, managed to enjoy herself.

The main reason? Clear vocalist and guitarist Jason Cameron. Not only is he insanely talented, he also has a tremendous voice. He could, in fact, sing me the phone book and I’d be in awe. No joke.
So he somehow saw me standing there, headbanging and all, and we interacted a bit, which also resulted in Jason handing me his guitar pick at some point. But that is still not all. What happened after the show was what sealed the deal for good.

The thing with Bury Tomorrow is also that frontman Dani Winter-Bates hates that some bands charge an extra, often exorbitant, amount of money so that their fans can have a Meet & Greet with said bands. With “BT”? No such thing. You just go to their merch table after the show and there the boys are and will happily sign stuff and pose for pictures. Of course, I went there on that very evening, too. Four out of five members were there, just Jason was missing. Nevermind, I had them sign my ticket and decided to pick up my jacket in hopes that Jason might show up as well.
Sure enough, he did.
So he saw me standing there, smiled widely, walked up to me and greeted me, “Hey Sweetie! Come here, let’s hug!” I was totally surprised – in a very positive way, obviously. We chatted for a bit and he later asked for another hug. I was completely amazed and went home with a ginormous grin on my face.

Fast forward seven months and another BT gig in Berlin.

I had purchased the ticket months in advance, and as it happened, the gig collided with a Hertha BSC home game. Thank you, DFL! *shakes fist* Since I have more opportunities to attend a footie game, I decided to skip that one and go to the gig instead. (Turned out, it was the right decision.) A couple of days before the show, I tweeted at the band’s official Twitter account “I love you guys so much that I will miss out on a home game for you!”

Another Bury Tomorrow show, another happy Yours Truly, and after the gig, things got entirely awesome. I had a poster of the band from UK magazine KERRANG! with me which I had them all sign. Dani was the first one to sign it, and he asked me, “So, how are YOU doing?” I said, “I had a pretty shitty week, but your show just gave me so much LIFE again!” Next thing I know, he was leaning over the merch table and gave me a hug.

Not much later, Jason showed up. The usual hug from J-Cam, he signed the poster, and then he well and truly rendered me speechless. He looked at me and asked, “You missed a game today, right?” EXCUSE ME!? He bloody remembers THAT? Yowza.

But I shouldn’t be too overly surprised, since a line in their song “Lionheart” goes:

“faces remembered we’ll never forget”

And this is basically what is going on – hugs, chats, and while I wouldn’t say we’re actually “real” friends, we sure have a bit of a bond, including some kind of ritual in which I give drummer Adam Jackson a box of Ferrero Rocher as he once had tweeted that he likes munching on them. When I saw them in 2016, I sat down the evening before and wrote them a letter in which I told them how much their music helps me fighting against depression and anxiety. Essentially, this is why I am so into the kind of music I listen to – the lyrics and the messages the lyrics carry. I just poured my little heart out to them, and I meant every single word. (I once had also said to Dani, “I can relate to your lyrics so much!” and he smiled and said, “Thank you very much! That’s why I write them!”)

Need an example? The chorus of “Redeemer”:

Oh shallow man, for this is not the end,
the time hast come for strength, please don’t give in.
Show me the will to fight, after this there’s life,
this is where you start to believe
Oh shallow man, for this is not the end,
the time hast come for strength, please don’t give in.
Struggle through and show, there is always hope
this is where you start to believe you can grow.

And this is just one example where lyrics hit home and are spot on. There are lots more, but last time I saw them, I talked to J-Cam outside the venue and told him that I love that part so much, and he said, “Oh yeah, I love it, too.” (He also remembers which footie team I support even though I never verbatim mentioned it to him. He just effin’ knows. Which never fails to amaze me.)

Thing is, I have a lot of issues with people. Most of the time, socializing stresses me out and I am exhausted beyond belief at some point. I am not a people person, and while I do go out every now and then, I am careful while putting myself out there. However, these five adorable dorks from England are most definitely among my very favorite people and they – especially Jason! – make me feel comfortable in my own skin. As an “old lady”, I probably shouldn’t obsess over a band whose members all could be my younger brothers, but I don’t care.

Ever since that evening in April 2014, the lads in Bury Tomorrow have helped me A LOT in my fight against my inner demons named “Depression” and “Anxiety”. Dani gave me a super-tight hug after reading that letter and said, “Keep fighting depression!” I can well and truly say that they’re definitely inspirations for me. Not just because of their music, but also because they, too, overcame obstacles. They’re working their butts off to make it to the very top, and even when they were facing the potential end of their band, they didn’t give up. On the contrary, they got a record deal with Nuclear Blast back then and from there climbed out into the light, having released three albums since and working on the fifth as we speak. I am ridiculously EXCITED to see these five dudes again here in Berlin in June, hugs, chats, and smiles included. It’s gonna be a blast again, I am sure.

If you ever see that I am using BAND! somewhere to talk about my concert adventures whatsoever, I am referring to BURY TOMORROW. I love them so much and am so grateful for their kindness and their music. For them being who they are. For them being such an inspiration to me and delivering the soundtrack to kick depression and anxiety’s butts. For them helping me to come out of my shell a bit and putting myself out there. For basically telling me that I AM OKAY the way I am. (See also “Last Of The Ice” where it says I’m always telling you that you should just be you … Don’t let them pull you down). This is something that NO ONE can EVER take away from me.

(I’m with the BAND!)