BRING ME THE HORIZON // MEETING OLI SYKES
06.02.2017 | MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
So on Sunday night, I out of the blue received a tip off from someone about the hotel BMTH might be staying at in Melbourne. Let me firstly say that I HATE hotel stalking. No matter how desperate I am, I would never go and sit in the lobby of a hotel I knew a band was at. Not only is that super stalker-y for the them, but I would never even have the nerve! Anyway, I didn’t get to bed until something like 3am after BMTH’s first show that night, but I dragged myself out of bed at 9am to walk up to the area of town where this hotel was. Now, of course I had no idea if the info was right... if they were actually staying there, if they were they could have already gone out, they could be sleeping all day or even if they did go out, would I happen to be in the right place at the right time to see them while I was wandering about? Probably not.
Before my trip, I had told a couple of friends that my mission of the weekend was to meet Oli Sykes. That scared me in a way because I have read all the stories saying he picks on fans, that he's an asshole and everything else. I didn't know how he would react to me on the street if I did miraculously run into him, but I decided to take my chances. I was scared about my whole "mission" because I knew that I was going to be disappointed if I didn’t meet him, and I knew it would be a pretty impossible task. I had thought that catching him on Saturday night after his DJ set at Bang! nightclub would be my best opportunity, so with that night gone, as well as the first show night gone without even having him, or anyone from the band off of stage, I was sure my mission was going to be a fail. Monday morning was day 3/3 and it felt impossible.
I debated whether I should hit snooze on my alarm and just go back to sleep, but I decided that I had to have some faith, even though it was feeling like false hope. I got ready and headed up to the area where the hotel was and walked around for a while. I got water at a convenience store, looked at a theatre and then after about 40 minutes I stopped walking, sat down on a ledge and called a friend to keep me from giving up. She knew about my mission so wasn’t surprised I was hanging out in the area to at least increase my chances. “If I suddenly hang up on you, you know why.” I warned her. I somewhat forgot about what I was even doing as we talked, though I felt sick to my stomach and anxious as hell when I remembered and that any one of them could appear out of nowhere at any given moment.
Of course, in my heart, I always hoped I’d run into Oli… but I still would have been happy seeing any of the guys truth be told. With five band members, the chances of meeting Oli were low. I didn't have much hope. I was deep in conversation with my friend for about 40 minutes, people watching, watching cars pass by and I was starting to feel crazy. “It’s ridiculous that I’ve been hanging around here for an hour.” I said to her, frustrated at myself. I had already started thinking about leaving as it had been over an hour that I had been wandering the same blocks and sitting around. I remember thinking I could have been having a massage or going to the art gallery again. I had almost decided in my head that I would leave in the next 10 or so minutes, and that I was being ridiculous for even being where I was. I was feeling defeated, stupid and actually embarrassed that I was there.
As people walked by and appeared from behind the huge concrete wall I was sitting beside, I would always look at them, met over and over by people in business suits and delivery men. Each time, it would be a short pulse of adrenalin followed by the disappointment that I was getting more and more used to. I was staring out into the street when another body around the wall that I was sitting beside. My eyes looked at them as they always did but this time, there was no suit or high-vis vest, just an infamous, completely black, filled-in tattoo covered arm. That short pulse of adrenalin turned into my heart dropping into my stomach. My heart was already racing as my eyes traced up the arm to the person’s face. Before I could even realise what was happening, I had instinctly said his name. "Oli."
I can assure you that throughout this whole exchange, I didn’t have control over my mouth, my mind or my body, everything that happened was pure reflex.
The first thing that came out of my mouth as I stood up was “Can I take a photo with you?” [ARGH] I wish that it would have been something like “How are you doing?” or “Wow it’s so cool to meet you!” but no, my selfish brain just wanted the photo. He had stopped in front of me after I said his name and he replied “Sure” with a little grin. I got a really good vibe from him. He seemed chilled out, laid back… he didn’t seem uncomfortable or frustrated that I’d just asked him for a photo. He was wearing a sleeveless black vest and a black beanie, but I couldn’t tell you anything about his pants or shoes as I had only seen his tattooed arm and then travelled up to his face. He had a happy vibe about him that I found comforting, and it had already put all of the things I'd read about him to bed.
He had come out of the building with another guy, maybe some kind of assistant or manager, who had kept walking and was on his phone waiting a little further down the street. Now, for those of you who know me, as much as I can use a phone perfectly fine, I still have my moments. Factor in my surprise, excitement and pure shock, and it leads to disaster. I tried twice to hang up the call to my friend that was still going on in the background of my phone. I had managed to minimise it but not end it. I hit clear, but it stayed there. Fuck. I tried to clear it again, nope. Somewhere in my mind, at least I thought to make conversation. “Have you been down to Hosier Lane?” I asked him. I brought my eyes away from my phone and looked at him when I asked. “Hosier Lane...” he said trailing off in that fantastically thick British accent. He had kept eye contact with me while I asked but looked up like he was thinking as he repeated the name. I pointed in the direction of the graffiti alley. “There’s a huge 'Doomed' poster someone has put up down there.” I added, while he looked back to me and I once again was losing the battle with my still connected phone call. He replied “cool” or something, but I was scrambling with my phone and I can’t remember exactly what it was.
Somehow now, he was kind of standing beside me, so he was no doubt at this point noticing my screensaver as it kept popping back up as I fumbled– a photo of him with Jared Leto from a few years ago. “I’m so sorry.” I said starting to panic. “I’m really frazzled!” I added. The moment my mind caught up to what my mouth had just said, I was mortified. Frazzled. WTF? I felt ridiculous. “That’s ok, take your time.” He said calmly and patiently seeming completely unphased that I was wasting his time. That made me feel better, the fact that he was so laid back and seemed understanding of my nervousness. I eventually managed to end the call and held the phone up for the photo. “Oh God I’m shaking” I said to myself, though I’m pretty sure I actually said it out loud. I didn’t even look at the screen as I took the photo, or maybe I did, but I don’t remember. Oli had leant in close and done his pursed lips/half-grin that he always does. When I opened the photo and actually looked at myself in it, I realised my hair was covering half of my face. “Ah crap, can I do it again?” I asked instinctly. “Sure” he replied once again, calmly, politely and with a smile. He leant in even closer the second time and grinned even bigger. I took the photo and this time it was perfect. “Thank you so much!” I said to him as I hit the button to turn the screen off on my phone. “It was really nice to meet you.” He said looking at me, then suddenly coming in to hug me. I was surprised that he instigated that, but maybe he felt sorry for me because I was clearly nervous. Who knows. I hugged him tight and said Thank you again and then we went our separate ways. As I walked away, I opened the photo to check it was really there. I didn’t look back once.
As I walked away my entire body was shaking, I had my free hand covering my mouth in a state of shock and I felt like I’d just come out of a hurricane. My mind was in a complete mess and my heart was beating so hard it felt as though it could have ripped straight through my chest. I remember looking at my phone and trying to call my friend but it was just a blur, an emotion filled, ecstatic blur. With shaking hands, I managed to hit the button to call my friend that I’d (finally) hung up on a few minutes earlier. All I could say was “I MET HIM!” I can’t remember any more of that phone conversation.
I walked back to my hotel with my hand over my mouth. When I remembered I was in public, I would move my hand away but then break into a stupid smile again every minute or so and bring the hand back to my lips. I stopped twice to look at the photo – just to be sure I didn’t dream the whole thing. I don’t actually remember walking back to my hotel at all.
When I finally got back to my room, I sat on my bed for a good 45 minutes before I calmed down, though even then, I couldn’t figure out what I was going to do with myself because my mind was still racing. I had cried tears of joy, I had done some deep breathing to calm myself and I had already transferred the photos to my laptop so I couldn’t lose them if I lost my phone.
It was an hour after I met Oli that I posted the photo to facebook, and I did it with the biggest smile on my face because I really didn’t think I would ever be lucky enough to meet anyone from the band, let alone him. I made a fool of myself in front of him, but somehow it was like he was understanding of it, and for that I am grateful. Not all celebrities are like him, in fact, few are I’m sure and it really goes to show that you can’t judge a book by it’s cover.
I’m still constantly looking at the photo just to make sure that it really happened because it still doesn’t feel real. I know it is, but sometimes when your dreams are so big and feel so impossible, it’s hard to believe it when they finally come true. One thing it does prove though is that if you want something bad enough, and you’re prepared to go after it – even if it terrifies you, anything can happen.
I met Oli at 11:30am on Monday February 6th, 2017
Before my trip, I had told a couple of friends that my mission of the weekend was to meet Oli Sykes. That scared me in a way because I have read all the stories saying he picks on fans, that he's an asshole and everything else. I didn't know how he would react to me on the street if I did miraculously run into him, but I decided to take my chances. I was scared about my whole "mission" because I knew that I was going to be disappointed if I didn’t meet him, and I knew it would be a pretty impossible task. I had thought that catching him on Saturday night after his DJ set at Bang! nightclub would be my best opportunity, so with that night gone, as well as the first show night gone without even having him, or anyone from the band off of stage, I was sure my mission was going to be a fail. Monday morning was day 3/3 and it felt impossible.
I debated whether I should hit snooze on my alarm and just go back to sleep, but I decided that I had to have some faith, even though it was feeling like false hope. I got ready and headed up to the area where the hotel was and walked around for a while. I got water at a convenience store, looked at a theatre and then after about 40 minutes I stopped walking, sat down on a ledge and called a friend to keep me from giving up. She knew about my mission so wasn’t surprised I was hanging out in the area to at least increase my chances. “If I suddenly hang up on you, you know why.” I warned her. I somewhat forgot about what I was even doing as we talked, though I felt sick to my stomach and anxious as hell when I remembered and that any one of them could appear out of nowhere at any given moment.
Of course, in my heart, I always hoped I’d run into Oli… but I still would have been happy seeing any of the guys truth be told. With five band members, the chances of meeting Oli were low. I didn't have much hope. I was deep in conversation with my friend for about 40 minutes, people watching, watching cars pass by and I was starting to feel crazy. “It’s ridiculous that I’ve been hanging around here for an hour.” I said to her, frustrated at myself. I had already started thinking about leaving as it had been over an hour that I had been wandering the same blocks and sitting around. I remember thinking I could have been having a massage or going to the art gallery again. I had almost decided in my head that I would leave in the next 10 or so minutes, and that I was being ridiculous for even being where I was. I was feeling defeated, stupid and actually embarrassed that I was there.
As people walked by and appeared from behind the huge concrete wall I was sitting beside, I would always look at them, met over and over by people in business suits and delivery men. Each time, it would be a short pulse of adrenalin followed by the disappointment that I was getting more and more used to. I was staring out into the street when another body around the wall that I was sitting beside. My eyes looked at them as they always did but this time, there was no suit or high-vis vest, just an infamous, completely black, filled-in tattoo covered arm. That short pulse of adrenalin turned into my heart dropping into my stomach. My heart was already racing as my eyes traced up the arm to the person’s face. Before I could even realise what was happening, I had instinctly said his name. "Oli."
I can assure you that throughout this whole exchange, I didn’t have control over my mouth, my mind or my body, everything that happened was pure reflex.
The first thing that came out of my mouth as I stood up was “Can I take a photo with you?” [ARGH] I wish that it would have been something like “How are you doing?” or “Wow it’s so cool to meet you!” but no, my selfish brain just wanted the photo. He had stopped in front of me after I said his name and he replied “Sure” with a little grin. I got a really good vibe from him. He seemed chilled out, laid back… he didn’t seem uncomfortable or frustrated that I’d just asked him for a photo. He was wearing a sleeveless black vest and a black beanie, but I couldn’t tell you anything about his pants or shoes as I had only seen his tattooed arm and then travelled up to his face. He had a happy vibe about him that I found comforting, and it had already put all of the things I'd read about him to bed.
He had come out of the building with another guy, maybe some kind of assistant or manager, who had kept walking and was on his phone waiting a little further down the street. Now, for those of you who know me, as much as I can use a phone perfectly fine, I still have my moments. Factor in my surprise, excitement and pure shock, and it leads to disaster. I tried twice to hang up the call to my friend that was still going on in the background of my phone. I had managed to minimise it but not end it. I hit clear, but it stayed there. Fuck. I tried to clear it again, nope. Somewhere in my mind, at least I thought to make conversation. “Have you been down to Hosier Lane?” I asked him. I brought my eyes away from my phone and looked at him when I asked. “Hosier Lane...” he said trailing off in that fantastically thick British accent. He had kept eye contact with me while I asked but looked up like he was thinking as he repeated the name. I pointed in the direction of the graffiti alley. “There’s a huge 'Doomed' poster someone has put up down there.” I added, while he looked back to me and I once again was losing the battle with my still connected phone call. He replied “cool” or something, but I was scrambling with my phone and I can’t remember exactly what it was.
Somehow now, he was kind of standing beside me, so he was no doubt at this point noticing my screensaver as it kept popping back up as I fumbled– a photo of him with Jared Leto from a few years ago. “I’m so sorry.” I said starting to panic. “I’m really frazzled!” I added. The moment my mind caught up to what my mouth had just said, I was mortified. Frazzled. WTF? I felt ridiculous. “That’s ok, take your time.” He said calmly and patiently seeming completely unphased that I was wasting his time. That made me feel better, the fact that he was so laid back and seemed understanding of my nervousness. I eventually managed to end the call and held the phone up for the photo. “Oh God I’m shaking” I said to myself, though I’m pretty sure I actually said it out loud. I didn’t even look at the screen as I took the photo, or maybe I did, but I don’t remember. Oli had leant in close and done his pursed lips/half-grin that he always does. When I opened the photo and actually looked at myself in it, I realised my hair was covering half of my face. “Ah crap, can I do it again?” I asked instinctly. “Sure” he replied once again, calmly, politely and with a smile. He leant in even closer the second time and grinned even bigger. I took the photo and this time it was perfect. “Thank you so much!” I said to him as I hit the button to turn the screen off on my phone. “It was really nice to meet you.” He said looking at me, then suddenly coming in to hug me. I was surprised that he instigated that, but maybe he felt sorry for me because I was clearly nervous. Who knows. I hugged him tight and said Thank you again and then we went our separate ways. As I walked away, I opened the photo to check it was really there. I didn’t look back once.
As I walked away my entire body was shaking, I had my free hand covering my mouth in a state of shock and I felt like I’d just come out of a hurricane. My mind was in a complete mess and my heart was beating so hard it felt as though it could have ripped straight through my chest. I remember looking at my phone and trying to call my friend but it was just a blur, an emotion filled, ecstatic blur. With shaking hands, I managed to hit the button to call my friend that I’d (finally) hung up on a few minutes earlier. All I could say was “I MET HIM!” I can’t remember any more of that phone conversation.
I walked back to my hotel with my hand over my mouth. When I remembered I was in public, I would move my hand away but then break into a stupid smile again every minute or so and bring the hand back to my lips. I stopped twice to look at the photo – just to be sure I didn’t dream the whole thing. I don’t actually remember walking back to my hotel at all.
When I finally got back to my room, I sat on my bed for a good 45 minutes before I calmed down, though even then, I couldn’t figure out what I was going to do with myself because my mind was still racing. I had cried tears of joy, I had done some deep breathing to calm myself and I had already transferred the photos to my laptop so I couldn’t lose them if I lost my phone.
It was an hour after I met Oli that I posted the photo to facebook, and I did it with the biggest smile on my face because I really didn’t think I would ever be lucky enough to meet anyone from the band, let alone him. I made a fool of myself in front of him, but somehow it was like he was understanding of it, and for that I am grateful. Not all celebrities are like him, in fact, few are I’m sure and it really goes to show that you can’t judge a book by it’s cover.
I’m still constantly looking at the photo just to make sure that it really happened because it still doesn’t feel real. I know it is, but sometimes when your dreams are so big and feel so impossible, it’s hard to believe it when they finally come true. One thing it does prove though is that if you want something bad enough, and you’re prepared to go after it – even if it terrifies you, anything can happen.
I met Oli at 11:30am on Monday February 6th, 2017