Knocked Loose frontman responds to viral complaint about ‘Kimmel’ performance: “If it scared you, good”

3 December, 2024

Bryan Garris performing live on stage with Knocked Loose

Knocked Loose frontman Bryan Garris has responded to a viral comment about the band’s recent performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

The US hardcore punk group appeared as the musical guests on the ABC chat show last week.

They were joined by Poppy for a ferocious rendition of their collaborative single ‘Suffocate’, and performed some other tracks from their third and latest album, 2024’s ‘You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To’.

The epic TV appearance included blazing pyro, circle pits in the wild crowd, and next-level screaming from both Garris and Poppy. Knocked Loose played the hard-hitting and riff-heavy song in front of the audience as rain poured down at the outdoor venue.

Upon announcing the “mini-concert” on Kimmel, Knocked Loose described themselves as “the heaviest band on live television”. Responding to the ‘Suffocate’ outing, one impressed fan wrote: “TV history was written right here. Perfect performance!”

Another said: “A song this heavy being on a late-night talk show is insane.” A third person commented: “Gojira at the Olympics. Knocked Loose on Kimmel. What a time to be in the metal scene.”

However, some fans complained about the performance on social media – with one even calling on Kimmel to apologise for airing it.

“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,” a viewer wrote on Facebook (via The Mirror US).

“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.”

Writing on Instagram, Garris has seemingly addressed this criticism and other similar complaints while also reflecting on the significance of being featured on mainstream US TV.

“You may have seen it already, you may have not. I’ve been lucky enough that my timeline is flooded with so much support that I see it every time I open my phone. But I wanted a chance to post about it myself,” he began.

“The other day Knocked Loose performed on @jimmykimmellive. For a long time now our goal has been to see how far we could squeeze this band into places where we don’t fit and I think this may be the biggest one. National television.”

Garris contained: “It feels like the ceiling gets higher for EVERYONE, every single day. We celebrate this together. Thank you so much.

“Walking down the hallway as we were escorted to [the] stage I’m looking to my left and right and seeing photos of all the celebrities that have been on the show over the years. Presidents, actors, musicians etc.

“I leaned over to [guitarist Isaac Hale] and said ‘this started in your garage’. He grabbed onto me and squeezed as hard as he could. That’s a moment I’ll never forget.”

In an apparent jab to the aforementioned viral complaint, Garris signed off: “PS if it scared you, good.” You can see the post and revisit Knocked Loose’s Kimmel performance above.

Knocked Loose and Poppy’s ‘Suffocate’ was recently nominated for Best Metal Performance at the Grammys 2025.

The team-up also landed at Number 17 on NME‘s 50 best songs of 2024 list. “With ‘Suffocate’, hardcore heroes Knocked Loose have one of the heaviest tunes of the year,” the entry read.

“Its onslaught of pit-starting violence and the band’s seamless synergy with Poppy already made it one for the books – but the pummelling reggaeton-inspired breakdown and Poppy’s blood-curdling scream are unbelievable knockout blows.”

Knocked Loose will embark on a UK and European headline tour next March – find any remaining tickets here (UK) and here (Europe). The group played in the UK and Europe earlier this year.

The post Knocked Loose frontman responds to viral complaint about ‘Kimmel’ performance: “If it scared you, good” appeared first on NME.