The AI uprising is upon us. Alternative chart-topping and 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards Best New Artist (Alt & Rock) nominee Bad Omens and GRAMMY-nominated artist and multi-hyphenate Poppy have spun a gripping story straight out of your sci-fi horror nightmares on their collaborative new single “V.A.N”. Following an exclusive audio premiere earlier today on SiriusXM’s Octane, the ferocious single and cinematic music video officially released this afternoon via Sumerian Records. Stream and watch it now! 
Stream the song here:
https://sumerian.lnk.to/van
Written and produced by Bad Omens’ frontman Noah Sebastian, the song is the first glimpse of what the band will be offering on their upcoming album, the Concrete Forever project also known as Concrete Jungle Ost. The project is an experimental extension of Bad Omens’ hit LP The Death Of Peace Of Mind and the soundtrack to their ‘Concrete Jungle’ comic book universe.
Photographer Credit: Bryan Kirks
“V.A.N” is an industrial metal masterpiece about an artificial intelligence entity set out on a course to destroy humanity. The track immediately captivates the listener with Bad Omens’ hypnotic production and Poppy’s angelic, whispering vocals as she takes on the role of the Concrete Jungle Universe AI character ‘V.A.N’. It then shock-transitions into a powerful onslaught of frantic drums, heavy guitars, and Poppy’s vocals evolving from otherworldly tones to aggro screams.
When asked about his approach to creating the single Noah Sebastian explained, “That’s a song that started just with the hook ‘Violence against nature’, and then after saving the project with the acronym and seeing it we realized it could be fun to think of ‘VAN’ as a name. Thus the rabbit hole of ideas began that led us to decide to write lyrics from the perspective of an artificial intelligence gone rogue.”
Playing off the AI concept of the track and taking additional visual inspiration from the video game Portal, the film Ex Machina, and Stranger Things, the story is brought to life by a visually stunning sci-fi thriller. In the mini film written by Noah Sebsastian, Poppy, and Garrett Nicholson, Poppy portrays a synthetic human being held captive and subjected to experiments in a laboratory, eventually escaping and embarking on a murderous rampage. Watch the Garrett Nicholson and Poppy directed video HERE.
Fans will get to experience “V.A.N” live for the very first time on the European leg of Bad Omens’ CONCRETE FOREVER tour with Poppy. The tour kicks off in Berlin this Friday, January 27th and international fans can tune in to livestreams of the sold out shows from Cologne, Germany on January 28th and 29th, exclusively on VEEPS. The number of fans from around the world that streamed the Bad Omens’ recent sold out Hollywood Palladium show on Veeps was more than double the capacity of the venue.
Bad omens bio:
Bad Omens are coming off a wildly successful two years with the explosive success of their breakthrough third studio album The Death of Peace of Mind (2022). Hailed as “a stunning fusion of dark, Weeknd-esque pop and industrialized metalcore” (Revolver), the project has racked up over 940 million streams globally and surged Bad Omens catalog to over 1.5 billion streams.
The hardworking bands ascension was driven in part by the albums hit-single “Just Pretend” experiencing a viral TikTok moment that yielded a growing, dedicated fandom who catapulted them into the spotlight. Becoming the bands first RIAA-certified Gold single, “Just Pretend” reached #1 at US Alternative Radio and smashed multiple Billboard Year-End charts coming in at #1 on Hot Hard Rock Songs, #6 on Alternative Airplay Songs, #11 on Rock and Alternative Airplay Songs, #11 on Mainstream Rock Airplay Songs, #14 Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, and #23 on Hot Alternative Songs. The genre-defyers continue their climb with the albums seductive title track, “The Death of Peace of Mind,” currently sitting at #23 on Mediabase Alternative Radio Charts and #37 on Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. The song also became RIAA Gold certified in January 2024. Their radio success also earned Bad Omens a nomination for Best New Artist (Alt & Rock) at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards.
Gaining momentum online and over the airwaves, Bad Omens persistently surged ahead, captivating their rapidly expanding fanbase with electrifying live shows at numerous sold-out tours and festival performances worldwide. The band is already set for an intense touring schedule in 2024, recently concluding UK dates with Bring Me The Horizon, embarking on their CONCRETE FOREVER European headline run, announcing rescheduled US performances and unveiling a lineup of festivals throughout the 2024 season.
BAD OMENS 2024 TOUR DATES:
Jan 27 – Columbiahalle – Berlin, Germany*
Jan 28 – Palladium Cologne – Cologne, Germany*
Jan 29 – Palladium Cologne – Cologne, Germany*
Jan 30 – Zenith, Munich, Germany*
Feb 1 – Halle 622 – Zürich, Switzerland*
Feb 2 – Stadthalle Offenbach – Offenbach Am Main, Germany*
Feb 4 – Poppodium 013 – Tilburg, Netherlands*
Feb 5 – Ancienne Belgique – Brussels, Belgium*
Feb 6 – Salle Pleyel – Paris, France*
Feb 8 – Messe Dresden – Dresden, Germany*
Feb 9 – SaSaZu – Praha, Czech Republic*
Feb 10 – Congress Innsbruck – Innsbruck, Austria*
Feb 11 – Alcatraz – Milan, Italy*
Apr 21 – Boeing Center at Tech Port – San Antonio, TX
Apr 23 – Revel Entertainment Center – Albuquerque, NM
Apr 25 – Mesa Amphitheatre – Mesa, AZ
Apr 27 – Sick New World – Las Vegas, NV
Apr 30 – Tulsa Theater – Tulsa, OK
May 2 – The Factory in Deep Ellum – Dallas, TX
May 3 – The Factory in Deep Ellum – Dallas, TX
May 12 – Welcome To Rockville – Daytona Beach, FL
May 18 – Point Fest – St. Louis, MO
Jun 7 – Rock im Park – Nüburg, Germany
Jun 8 – Rock am Ring – Nüburg, Germany
Jun 12 – Rock For People – Hradec, Czechia
Jun 13-16 – Nova Rock – Nickelsdorf, Austria
Jun 14-16 – Download Festival – Derby, United Kingdom
Jun 26-29 – Resurrection Fest – Viveiro, Spain
Jun 27-30 – Hellfest – Clisson, France
Jun 28-30 – Tuska Festival – Helsinki, Finland
Jun 29 – Provinssi Festival – Seinäjoki, Finland
Jul 5 – Rock Werchter – Werchter, Belgium
Jul 7 – I-Days Festival – Milano, Italy
*w/Poppy
MORE ON POPPY:
Originating from a dance background, Poppy’s first steps in the creative world began with performance art video vignettes. These vignettes evolved, allowing the unique, multi-hyphenate performer to dig deep visually and experiment sonically to create something entirely new. After initially signing to LA’s Sumerian Records, she released her album, 2020’s I Disagree, to much acclaim. Disregarding labels and genres, it tallied over 100 million streams, and the song “BLOODMONEY” earned a GRAMMY nomination for Best Metal Performance, the first ever solo female artist nominated in the category.
Poppy’s recent Zig is a reflection of an artist who has been in the public eye since her late teens coming into her own in her late 20’s as a woman who knows what she wants and who she is. Pairing immersive, roiling electronics with candy-coated vocals, songs on Zig bubble just under the skin. At times, the music’s cool lacquer gives way to Poppy’s own lacerating screamed lyrics, the perfect complement to dislodging the songs’ pointed pop edges. Since its release, Zig has earned over 12 million streams globally, launching Poppy to 663M streams globally. It also reached #8 on Billboard’s Current Alternative Albums Charts and #9 on Billboard’s Current Rock Albums Charts.
In September, Poppy concluded the 17-date co-headlining GODLESS/GODDESS tour and most recently delivered an electric performance at Mexico City’s Hell and Heaven Festival. 2024 is shaping up to be a massive live year for Poppy – in January, she will embark on the Concrete Forever Tour supporting Bad Omens in Europe, followed by her headlining Zig Tour across Europe in February. In March, Poppy will support Avenged Sevenfold on their month-long run across North America, followed by opening for Thirty Seconds To Mars on their North American tour.
Poppy Tour Dates:
Jan 27 – Columbiahalle – Berlin, Germany*
Jan 28 – Palladium Cologne – Cologne, Germany*
Jan 29 – Palladium Cologne – Cologne, Germany*
Jan 30 – Zenith, Munich, Germany*
Feb 1 – Halle 622 – Zürich, Switzerland*
Feb 2 – Stadthalle Offenbach – Offenbach Am Main, Germany*
Feb 4 – Poppodium 013 – Tilburg, Netherlands*
Feb 5 – Ancienne Belgique – Brussels, Belgium*
Feb 6 – Salle Pleyel – Paris, France*
Feb 8 – Messe Dresden – Dresden, Germany*
Feb 9 – SaSaZu – Praha, Czech Republic*
Feb 10 – Congress Innsbruck – Innsbruck, Austria*
Feb 11 – Alcatraz – Milan, Italy*
2/14 – Manchester @ Academy Manchester
2/15 – Glasgow @ Barrowland Ballroom
2/16 – Liverpool @ O2 Academy Liverpool
2/18 – Bristol @ O2Academy Bristol
2/19 – Birmingham @ O2 Academy Birmingham
2/20 – London @ Koko
2/21 – London @ Koko
3/6 – Buffalo, NY @ KeyBank Center #
3/7 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena #
3/9 – Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena #
3/11 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena #
3/13 – Cincinnati, OH @ Heritage Bank Center #
3/15 – Des Moines, IA @ Wells Fargo Arena #
3/16 – Lincoln, NE @ Pinnacle Bank Arena #
3/18 – Moline, IL @ Vibrant Arena at The MARK #
3/19 – Indianapolis, IN @ Gainbridge Fieldhouse #
3/21 – Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena #
3/23 – Manchester, NH @ SNHU Arena #
3/25 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena #
3/26 – Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena #
3/28 – Knoxville, TN @ Thompson-Boling Arena #
3/29 – Raleigh, NC @ PNC Arena #
3/31 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center #
7/26 – Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre ^
7/27 – Ridgefield, WA @ RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater ^
7/30 – Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre ^
7/31 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre ^
8/2 – Maryland Heights, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre ^
8/3 – Nashville, TN @ Ascend Amphitheater ^
8/6 – Clarkston, MI @ Pine Knob Music Theatre ^
8/7 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center ^
8/9 – Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Music Center ^
8/10 – Chicago, IL @ Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island ^
8/12 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage ^
8/14 – Camden, NJ @ Freedom Mortgage Pavilion ^
8/15 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion ^
8/17 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center ^
8/18 – Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center ^
8/20 – Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion ^
8/21 – Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheatre ^
8/23 – West Palm Beach, FL @ Coral Sky Amphitheatre ^
8/24 – Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre ^
8/27 – Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion ^
8/29 – Houston, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion ^
8/30 – Austin, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater ^
9/1 – Phoenix, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre ^
9/4 – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre ^
* Supporting Bad Omens
# Supporting Avenged Sevenfold
^ Supporting Thirty Seconds To Mars
Bad Omens Online:
Poppy Online: