“If it scared you, good”: Knocked Loose singer responds to playing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! – and to the haters

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By ( Metal Hammer ) published

“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”

Knocked Loose singer Bryan Garris performing in 2024
(Image credit: Sarah Anne Cohen/Getty Images)

Knocked Loose singer Bryan Garris has reflected on a whirlwind week for the hardcore troupe, which has included playing Jimmy Kimmel Live! and sending some of its metal-phobic viewers into meltdown.

The frontman looks back on the Kimmel appearance, where he played Grammy-nominated song Suffocate with his band and singer/songwriter Poppy, in a new Instagram post. He announces his pride and gratitude in Knocked Loose’s recent achievements, before finishing with a brief statement to the detractors.

“The other day Knocked Loose performed on @jimmykimmellive,” Garris writes. “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. It feels like the ceiling gets higher for EVERYONE, every single day. We celebrate this together. Thank you so much.”

At the end of the post, Garris responds to a now-viral report by UK newspaper The Mirror, which quotes outraged Kimmel viewers who took to social media and expressed their disgust. One claimed that Knocked Loose’s constant “junt”-ing reduced their teenage son to tears. Others attacked Garris’ extreme vocal style and demanded apologies from Kimmel.

Garris replies simply, “PS if it scared you, good.”

Knocked Loose’s nomination for the 2025 Grammy Award For Best Metal Performance was announced earlier this month. The band are up against Metallica, Gojira, Judas Priest and Spiritbox in contention for the prize, and the winner will be named at the Los Angeles ceremony on February 2.

Want to see Knocked Loose’s mainstream-rattling live show for yourself? The band will tour Europe in March 2025, supported by Basement, Harm’s Way and Pest Control. See dates and details below.

Knocked Loose 2025 European tour dates:

Mar 17: London O2 Academy Brixton, UK
Mar 18: Manchester O2 Victoria Warehouse, UK

Mar 20: Tilburg 013 Poppodium, Netherlands
Mar 21: Paris Le Bataclan, France
Mar 22: Lille L’Aéronef, France
Mar 24: Brussels Ancienne Belgique, Belgium
Mar 25: Cologne Palladium, Germany
Mar 27: Berlin Columbiahalle, Germany
Mar 28: Leipzig Hause Auensee, Germany
Mar 29: Munich TonHalle, Germany

Matt Mills
Matt Mills
Online Editor, Metal Hammer

Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Metal Hammer and Prog, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, NME and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.