An email address has brought “absolute chaos” into one man’s life.
Oliver Sykes is a children’s author, according to a recent article from Metro.co.uk. Coincidentally, he also shares his name with the famous Bring Me The Horizon singer. For the purpose of this article, we’ll refer to the children’s author as Oliver, and the singer as Oli.
Get Bring Me the Horizon Tickets
Oliver was happily living as a college student at Lancaster University back in 2008 when Bring Me The Horizon’s second studio album, Suicide Season, was released. At first, Oliver was “blissfully unaware,” seeing as he primarily listened to folk music, according to his essay. “But within a week of it hitting the shelves, that changed. My inbox started piling up with messages – predominantly from teenage girls – desperately trying to contact Oli Sykes. I had about 30 or 40 people telling me how much they loved ‘me’ and ‘my album.’”
The individuals began sharing intimate details about their mental health with Oliver, thinking they were speaking to Oli. “I was a student and completely unequipped to help or do anything about it, but I couldn’t just leave them unread – not when they were baring so much of themselves,” he writes.
Initially, Oliver replied to each person, telling them he wasn’t actually the Oli Sykes they were looking for, but that he was sorry about what they were going through. It got to the point where he was spending more time replying to emails for Oli than on his actual theatre degree. Oliver recalls, “I remember thinking around the 500 email mark that I should be getting some form of commission!”
He tried to contact the band’s record label, and even attempted to get in touch with Oli directly —all to no avail. The emails kept coming. Thankfully for Oliver, by the time Bring Me The Horizon released There Is A Hell, “fans had got a bit older and savvier.” Although dozens still contacted him, it was nowhere near the thousands that came after Suicide Season.
Unfortunately, it does not appear the ordeal left Oliver a Bring Me the Horizon fan. “I had a listen to their first albums and it sounded to me like somebody was pulling the brakes on a bicycle in dire need of some oil. It was an assault on my ears. I don’t think I could sit down with a full album without also coming away with a headache.”
These days, the musician Oli Sykes is out on tour in Europe with Bring Me the Horizon, and while author Oliver Sykes may not be there, you could be. Be sure to get your tickets here.
100 Best Rock and Metal Albums of the 21st Century
Loudwire’s picks for the best rock and metal albums from 2000 to present.
