Masked alternative metal buzz band PRESIDENT have shot down allegations of essentially being an industry plant. While the somewhat mysterious outfit are long thought to be fronted by Charlie Simpson of Fightstar/Busted fame, and share management with Sleep Token in Future History, the group’s vocalist insists their explosive rise to fame this year isn’t the result of industry manipulation and corporate backing.
Speaking with Metal Hammer, the group’s frontman, offered:
“When you blow up really quickly, it’s assumed you’re backed by a huge corporate machine. People find it hard to accept that something can just explode organically. But if something’s getting a lot of attention, you’re gonna draw equal measures of hate as you are love. I’d rather people felt something than nothing at all.”
Among one of the arguments used against the band by their naysayers to being an industry plant was their prominently placed live debut at this year’s ‘Download Festival‘ in Donington, UK. The band’s vocalist instead insists that cherry-picked opening bow was more a personal challenge than the result of a substantial financial exchange:
“If it [the Download performance] went wrong, it would have been a fucking disaster. But it spurred me on to rise to the challenge. And hearing everyone shouting ‘President!’ made it all worth it; when I walked offstage, I was wiping tears off of my mask. It was such an emotional moment.”
While U.S. fans recently got a brief taste of the band with their first live shows in North America having taken place in New York and Los Angeles earlier this month, PRESIDENT will be out opening for Bad Omens and Beartooth on the below winter 2026 trek.
02/22 Salt Lake City, UT – Delta Center
02/24 Denver, CO – Ball Arena
02/26 Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center
02/28 Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
03/02 Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
03/04 Rosemont, IL – Allstate Arena
03/06 Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
03/08 Laval, QC – Place Bell
03/10 Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
03/11 Boston, MA – TD Garden
03/13 Philadelphia, PA – Xfinity Mobile Arena
03/14 Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena
03/16 Raleigh, NC – Lenovo Center
03/17 Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
03/19 Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
03/20 San Antonio, TX – Frost Bank Center
03/22 Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center
03/24 Glendale, AZ – Desert Diamond Arena
03/26 Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum
03/27 Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena
