Aside from headliner Korn, there isn’t much metal on the 2025 Lollapalooza lineup. But if you’re still hoping to bang your head and throw up metal horns at Chicago’s Grant Park, consider checking out Bilmuri.
Bilmuri, which is playing Lolla on Saturday, is the project of Johnny Franck, former guitarist for the metalcore band Attack Attack! As one of the few artists from the metal world on the Lolla bill, Franck feels his set is an opportunity.
“I’m always super happy to play, like, pop festivals, because it’s nice when you stand out as kind of a heavier act,” Franck tells ABC Audio.
Franck adds that he’s “excited for pop fans to see what a heavy show is for the first time.”
“Maybe an Olivia Rodrigo fan wanders over or something like that and sees, like, ‘Oh, there’s pop elements to it that’s enjoyable,’ but there’s also, like, ‘Oh, this is a breakdown and this is a heavy riff and this is what fans do to that,'” Franck says. “Maybe we can be a gateway for some pop fans to get into heavier music.”
Bilmuri fans old and new — you may have also heard his single “More Than Hate,” which is currently charting on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay ranking — can catch him on his U.S. headlining tour, which continues Thursday in Detroit and picks up again after Lolla in September.
“I try to deliver an hour, an hour and 10 minutes of the absolute most pure enjoyable time,” Franck says of the Bilmuri live experience. “If something’s not enjoyable, it’s gonna get pulled for something that’s more.”
Lollapalooza 2025 takes place Thursday though Sunday. Select sets will stream on Hulu.
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