Knocked Loose Kimmel

Photo Credit: Jimmy Kimmel Live

Knocked Loose and Poppy teamed up for a heavy metal performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, which put off a certain demographic of viewers.

Hardcore punk outfit Knocked Loose enjoyed a performance with Poppy on Jimmy Kimmel Live last week, but the band’s extreme style put off certain viewers who aren’t accustomed to such music. Now the band’s singer, Bryan Garris, has a message for those viewers: “If it scared you, good.”

Garris and his band didn’t hold back, as he and Poppy went into full scream mode for the outdoor crowd, who started an enthusiastic mosh pit. But some found the entire scene offputting, with some outspoken viewers demanding an apology from the band.

“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,” wrote one viewer. “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.”

Other viewers criticized the genre overall, writing on social media, “That wasn’t singing; anyone can yell lyrics and get paid.” Someone else commented, “You can’t understand more than 5% of the lyrics. Moshing does not equal dancing.”

But fans of heavy music praised the performance, with some taking to social media to post comments making fun of the criticism. “My son and I watched this live on ABC. He started crying. So I gave him up for adoption the next day,” joked one fan. “The fact that this made grandmas clutch their pearls is hilarious,” wrote another. “What’s scarier is that this actually got me to watch a Jimmy Kimmel clip,” someone else concluded.

Garris was notably proud of the performance. “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,” he wrote on social media. “National television. 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.,” Garris continued. “That’s a moment I’ll never forget.” He concluded, “PS if it scared you, good.”

Knocked Loose kicks off a European tour in March, while Poppy will embark on a headlining North American tour around the same time.