The UK is in trouble right now; it is toooo damn hot, but that didn't stop the hog crackers, the starfish spreaders, the 400lb back squatters, and the country-core kids of Birmingham from turning up in force for a very...very sweaty night with Ohio's finest, BILMURI.
There was just the one support slot of the night, and that came in the form of Melbourne's (Australia) very own metalcore merchants, THORNHILL.
Using this support slot as part of their 'MERCIA' tour, the band are primarily showcasing tracks from their third (and most recent) studio album, 2025's BODIES. An opening salvo in the form of "DIESEL," "Revolver," and "Mercia" defined the tone of the set, the latest offering of tracks, a DEFTONES-esque progressive yet angsty affair reminiscent of early 2000s metalcore setting the tone.
THORNHILL
The night continued to build in heat (both literally and metaphorically) as the riffs on stage got heavier and the energy in the room ramped and ramped.
"under the knife" was up next, followed by "Silver Swarm", "fall into the wind" and the most recent single from the album, "TONGUES".
"Casanova" was the only track we heard from further back in the bands back catalogue, as we briefly dipped our toe into 2022's Heroine.
We were treated to hearing the majority of BODIES during this set; things came to a close with "Obsession" and the powerful "nerv" which saw an admirable stream of crowd surfers up to the barrier to keep security busy.
A project birthed in 2016 from the former ATTACK ATTACK! guitarist Johnny Franck, BILMURI has now engorged itself into a seriously unserious phenomenon.
Initially landing on a lot of fans' radar in late 2024 (when they supported SLEEP TOKEN on their "Teeth of God" UK & EU tour), their "Y'all-ternative"/"Country-Core" brand of metal blends elements of metalcore/post-hardcore/pop punk/indie, melding together with atmospheric soundscapes and all sprinkled with a bit of an American Country twist.
What has really elevated the project from its solo endeavor roots to sell-out European tours is the cast of extremely talented musicians that Franck has decided to collaborate with, most notably saxophonist GABI ROSE (ENROSE) and (recently troubled) guitarist REESE MASLEN, who make the live show something that really cannot be missed.
There is only one band in the world right now where you can hear a banjo-backed saxophone solo, a disgustingly brutal breakdown, and songs that talk seriously about depression and mental health...but also about jacking off or forgetting to use toilet paper when you wipe your ass; and if you're lucky, a bubble machine or two all in the same show. (yes every part of that last paragraph is entirely true and what you can expect during BILMURI's current 'Kind Hard World Tour').
The show starts off with the stage dark and filled with fog, Gabi emerging, backlit through the mist and breaking into a saxophone rendition of the main theme tune from the Halo computer game franchise (I'm immediately transported back to 2007 and Halo 3 Xbox lobbies with the boys...simpler times).
A skidding handbrake turn takes us into the face-melting titular track of the new album "KINDA HARD" (KINDA HARD, 2026) which flows seamlessly into "TWICE".
The setlist tonight naturally favours the most recent release, with 11 of the 13 tracks that can be found on KINDA HARD getting a play through. But there is a healthy dose of fan favourites from previous LPs (plus a deep cut or two). The first of these is the bopping "EMPTYHANDED" (AMERICAN MOTOR SPORTS, 2024) before one of the recently released singles from this cycle "HARD2TELL"...queue the bubble machines.
BILMURI
"BLINDSIDED" and "THE END" are a double dip back into AMERICAN MOTOR SPORTS before a very, very serious conversation with Johnny, where he lets the crowd know about the time he forgot to use toilet paper, thus resulting in the next track from KINDA HARD, "SHYT FYST".
"BACK, THEN" gets a huge reception from the crowd as they belt out the lyrics back at the band. Before a trip further back in time to 2020's EGGY POCKET in the form of "FLOURIDEINTHEHARDSELTZERWATER," Gabi requests, "We need more bubbles; we need a bed of vibes for this one," leading into a flute intro. Then the legendary fan favourite and, at this point, cult-level meme "ABSOLUTELYCRANKINMYMF'INGHOG".
BILMURI
"ACOWBOYSHEAVYLOAD" from 2021's 400LB BACK SQUAT leads us into another brief moment of thanks from Johnny.
"I'm so honoured that you entered into Hog Crankin' tutorial lobby here; by the end of the night, you will be drained clean of every fluid you have in your body, I promise you that...I am so thankful that all of you people are here to see us; we flew all the way across the ocean, and now we're playing riffs for you that I wrote in my mother's basement. This is wild."
The deepest dip back in time sees "80/20SKYBEEF" (RICH SIPS, 2019) that leads into the song with the best sax solo of the entire evening, "A HOGMAN'S DELIGHT" (GOBLIN HOURS, 2022).
By now shirts are being stripped off on stage. "I've never said no to a cookie in my goddamn life"....did I mention it was a very humid 34°C outside before 3000+ bodies squeezed into a venue that "apparently" had air conditioning but must have been akin to an asthmatic mouse blowing through a drinking straw (the UK was not built for the weather we have had this week). "WHERE TO FIND ME", another recent single, gets a good old sing-along.
Another favourite from AMERICAN MOTOR SPORTS, "ALL GAS", gets the crowd jumping in unison before the anthemic "ROCK BOTTOM".
"My armpits smell, my sack is wet, this one is called" leads into "WORST PART OF YOU" followed up by "2016 CAVALIERS (Ohio)" (AMERICAN MOTOR SPORTS, 2024), a brief moment of chill to level us all out a little bit before the collab single with A DAY TO REMEMBER, "ALWAYS LET YOU DOWN".
The energy ramps back up with a metaphorical slap in the face (and kick in the balls) with the chug-tastic "MORE THAN HATE" and equally riff-heavy "ST4RF1SH SPR34DR" from this year's LP.
Absolutely drenched in sweat, we reached the end of the night with possibly the band's biggest song, "BETTER HELL (Thicc boi)" (AMERICAN MOTOR SPORTS, 2024); as Johnny had promised, not an ounce of bodily fluid was left within us, but we were all scattered out into the night air with an enormous smile on our faces. You cannot go to a BILMURI show and not have fun.
The KINDA HARD World Tour keeps on rollin' through 2026 with more dates and cities still to be announced. If you have not got your tickets yet, I implore you to not miss out on this one.
