Say Anything Tickets

Fronted by prolific songwriter Max Bemis, Say Anything rose to fame for their visceral blend of emo, punk, pop and alternative rock, exemplified in critically acclaimed releases such as their 2004 album …Is a Real Boy.

Formed in 2000 whilst Bemis was at high school in Los Angeles, Say Anything’s early days featured a rotating cast of accompanying members for frontman Max Bemis and longtime drummer Coby Linder. After experimenting with self-releasing their own material, including a debut album entitled Baseball, Say Anything soon signed to Doghouse Records in 2003.

Drawing initial comparisons to Blink-182 and Saves the Day, Bemis sought to transcend the confines of the contemporary pop-punk genre when writing the band’s follow-up album …Is a Real Boy. Initially intended to be an ambitious ‘rock opera’ replete with a full script, narration and cast of characters, Bemis ultimately abandoned the idea in favour of a more conventional release produced by Broadway titans Tim O’Heir and Stephen Trask. Revered for its incorporation of indie-pop and math-rock (with Bemis playing every instrument except the drums), …Is a Real Boy retains some theatrical pomp with its tongue-in-cheek lyrics and unexpected arrangements. Featuring fan favourites like the ironically self-aware ‘Alive With the Glory of Love’ and emotionally raw ‘A Walk Through Hell’, the album left an indelible mark on the pop-punk and emo scenes, but came at a cost for Bemis whose struggles with bipolar disorder led to canceled tours and other setbacks. 

Despite these hurdles, Say Anything soon signed with J Records, a subset of Sony, to re-release …Is a Real Boy in 2006 alongside a bonus EP. The move propelled the band into the mainstream, culminating in a national headlining tour and renewed visibility on the radio and MTV for their single ‘Alive With the Glory of Love’. In the following years, Bemis continued to showcase his propensity for vulnerable storytelling paired with polished production, releasing an ambitious double album In Defense of the Genre (2007). The album arrived after a coveted support slot with Saves the Day, and featured an impressive number of vocal cameos, including Gerard Way and Hayley Williams. 

Further developing their knack for quirky storytelling and fearless reinvention, a succession of albums followed. The band’s self-titled effort Say Anything arrived in 2009, followed by Anarchy, My Dear in 2012, Hebrews in 2014, having traded their guitars for lush string arrangements. Say Anything went on to surprise fans in 2016 with the release of I Don't Think It Is, an experimental departure that hit no.35 on Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart. However, Bemis soon announced that the band’s next album would be their last. Pitched as a sequel to ...Is a Real Boy, Oliver Appropriate (2019) made for a poignant farewell, with Bemis embarking on a solo tour shortly after its release.

Fortunately for Say Anything fans, Max Blemis and co-founder Coby Linder reunited in 2023 to play a slew of festival performances and release two electrifying singles, ‘Psyche’ and ‘Are You (In) There?’, as well as a reissue of their long out-of-print debut album, Baseball. Later that year, the band announced a 20th anniversary tour for …Is a Real Boy to commence in April 2024, which would precede their ninth studio album …Is Committed and includes London and Manchester shows in January 2025.