Chances are, at this point, interested parties will already know the NeX GEn hallmarks. A massive video production repurposes the imagery of classic survival horror Resident Evil 2 for a modernist masterclass in cutting-edge. Digital demon E.V.E. is a sort of extra avatar for Oli, demanding more and more from fans even when he’s taking a breather. Screens are constantly flickering, sometimes with pre-rendered imagery, but often adapting in real-time to footage of the band and fans. One punter fumbling a chaotic video call in the middle of the pit couldn’t be more perfect.
The set list remains immaculate. Cranked to eardrum-battering volume, The House Of Wolves, MANTRA and Happy Song should feel like an overwhelming onslaught but, even at this titanic scale, Horizon are able to pick out shades of playfulness, swagger and vulnerability. Teardrops is a particular highlight this evening, weaving threads of the band’s heroes, from In Flames to Nine Inch Nails, into a staggeringly dynamic sonic fabric. Pulling down the temple for Kool-Aid has become an onstage set piece for the ages, while Shadow Moses might be the biggest sing-along all weekend.
Somehow, though, this show stands above what we’ve seen before. Oli is a frontman who relishes big nights like these, but where he has felt a tad distant, glazed over, even, at some massive outings this last few years, here he is clear-eyed and wholly dialled-in. Playing to an impressively agile onstage cameraman almost as much as the crowd would be ill-judged by anyone less skilful but the singer incorporates it flawlessly, throwing himself around with utter commitment, daring the lens to pick out subtle twitches, grimaces and grins that would otherwise be lost on fans a few feet away let alone a few thousand. Even the old-fashioned bit where he picks “Banana Man” in fancy dress from the heaving throng to sing Antivist comes across as audaciously postmodern.