Bands & Fans Rally Behind Knocked Loose As Angry Parents Demand An Apology Over Recent ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ Performance

As proven by their recent live appearance, Knocked Loose and Poppy were ready for the late night talk show circuit, but it seems many fans of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!‘ were not ready for metalcore. Ahead of the performance, Knocked Loose self-described their then upcoming TV time as, “The heaviest band on live television.”

This past Tuesday, November 26th, they took their shot at living up to that claim, serving as the musical guests on the program. While they played a five-song mini-concert outside for the show, it was the performance of their GRAMMY-nominated single “Suffocate” with Poppy that made it to air. That performance however didn’t sit well with a vocal contingent of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!‘ viewers. As noted by The Mirror, one commenter on the talk show’s Facebook vented:

“You know I was trying to enjoy the program. I was sitting on the couch with my son who is an ADOLESCENT waiting to see the musical guest because we like the nice music the show usually books. By the third or fourth ‘JUNT’ from the guitars my son was in tears. He doesn’t like scary things and quite frankly I think the Kimmel show and its staff should make a formal apology.”

Another offered:

“How do I sing along with this??? Lol sounds just like a screaming frenzy to me!! Actually starting to hurt my ears!! People who listen to this have no room to complain about crying babies or screaming two year olds taking a tantrum!! Ha ha unreal!!! They call this music Jimmy??”

Since the performance aired, there’s been no shortage of confusion, bewilderment and disapproval from ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!‘ viewers who are obviously not fans of heavier music. However, the discourse over the performance has also served as a rallying cry for the newer breed of musicians and metalcore fans, with many taking to the band’s defense in the comments of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!‘s Facebook page.

There’s even some familiar faces in those comments championing the booking, including Periphery guitarist Misha Mansoor, who stated, “Goddamn you love to see it! And such a legit band too!” Attack Attack!, offered, “Big moment for heavy music.” Of Virtue also chimed in stating, “metal back in the mainstream. what a time to be alive (again).”

You can find one of the more active social media discourses regarding the apparently divisive performance via this X post as well. It’s been a banner year for metal and the mainstream, with Gojira‘s Olympics performance serving as a giant milestone for the genre.

However, the continued ascension of younger artists as heavy as Knocked Loose & Poppy, and this invitation to have them perform on one of the largest U.S. late night talk shows, is in a way being viewed as the metalcore scene’s Gojira moment. It would appear that in a way it also validates the genre to older generations as well, as perhaps best summed up recently by Counterparts‘ Brendan Murphy: