GOOD THINGS FESTIVAL – Brisbane, Australia 8th December 2019

High humidity, high temperatures, full sun….nothing spells Australian festival season like sweat and sunburn.

With almost an overwhelmingly vast array of bands playing, it was hard to catch full sets of each band, but one band I knew I had to witness a full set of was Ice Nine Kills. However, before Ice Nine Kills, as I was prepping to be deep in the mosh, the band on the neighbouring stage caught my attention…and also the Brisbane crowd.

Man With A Mission, a dance rock/nu metal band hailing from Shibuya, Japan who sport wolf masks, were captivating to say the least. Their stage presence is enticing, and their Nu Metal sound had me quite grateful the genre is still thriving. Playing tracks including ‘Dead End In Tokyo’, ‘Hey Now’ and a fantastic cover of Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, I’m certain they’ve gained a fresh new fan base within Brisbane.

Within minutes of Man With A Mission completing their set, Ice Nine Kills took to the stage and opened with ‘The American Nightmare’,  the opening track to their latest album (The Silver Scream). Also playing notable hits such as ‘A Grave Mistake’, ‘Your Number’s Up’ and ‘Savages’, Ice Nine Kills had stage presence, audience interaction, and played marvellously. The stage set up also played into the Hollywood Horror theme in which the latest album has. 

After attending one of the Chill Out rooms provided at the event, which helped keep the concert-goers slathered in sunscreen, out of the heat and provided free water and lollipops for a sugar hit, I made my way to the main stage area…for The Veronicas. Yes, The Veronicas. Why? Well…for the meme (but also this metal head also had a high school guilty pleasure for them).

Circle pits, screaming of lyrics in unison and a  row pit broke up briefly. The Veronicas were incredibly welcomed by the metal crowd of their home town, and then came time for… the Wall of Death. As the song ‘Untouched’ played, Jess and Lisa themselves counted the crowd down to the moment in which thousands of people all ran at each other in attempt to outdo the Sydney and Melbourne crowd. Despite many injuries, including sustaining one myself, it was a beautiful moment.

After the Veronicas closed out their set, I ran to catch the end of The Butterfly Effect’s set, who were added to the lineup only a week out from the event.  I managed to see their last few songs, ‘Room Without a View’, their latest single ‘Unbroken’ and one of their most popular songs, ‘Reach’. The Butterfly Effect always performs incredibly, and this was one of the clashes that had myself a bit upset, but that’s the reality of festivals.

Upon the completion of The Butterfly Effects’ set, it was back to main stage to see Trivium. I managed to make it to Trivium just as they broke into the song ‘Like Light to the Flies’. The crowd were incredibly energetic, jumping and pumping fists in unison to the beat. Trivium played a variety of songs spanning many of their incredible albums, including ‘Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr’, ‘In Waves’ and ‘Until The World Goes Cold’. Conversations were had with some devoted Trivium fans who spent hours in the Brisbane heat and humidity, waiting to have a position up front for this band… all I can say is that I am impressed with the dedication!

After Trivium, it was time to head back to Stage 3/4 for Falling In Reverse. Before FIR, Enter Shikari hit the stage with a short set. The Post-Hardcore/Electronicore band played some notable songs, ‘Stop The Clocks’, ‘Rabble Rouser’ and their most notable track, ‘Sorry You’re Not A Winner’.  

The crowd slowly began to grow to a tightly compacted group in preparation for Falling In Reverse, and one of the kings of emo music himself, Ronnie Radke, to enter the stage. The band broke out immediately into ‘I’m Not A Vampire’, from their first album. Playing tracks from each of their albums, such as ‘Drugs’, ‘Raised by Wolves’ and ‘The Drug In Me Is You’, Falling In Reverse kept the crowd hyped, and provided an array of back catalogue hits to keep new and old fans attention. Definitely a stand out performance from the day. 

After Falling In Reverse closed out their set, one of the bands I was most hyped for, Thy Art Is Murder, took the stage. Beginning their set with ‘Death March Anthem’ and leading into ‘Make America Hate Again’, the pit had more energy than any other band to hit Stage 3/4 area. Thy Art also had an amazing wall of death, and also performed ‘Holy War’ and ‘Reign Of Darkness’. Thy Art Is Murder is one of those bands that provide an amazing show every time, filled with energy and technical prowess, sounding near identical to record, and in my opinion, one of the best of the day. 

Following Thy Art, came Karnivool. This Perth veteran progressive rock band never disappoints. Opening their set with ‘Shutterspeed’, I saw many devoted Karnivool fans… and spoke to a few who had seen them more times than can be counted on hands. Karnivool have a very dedicated fan base, which is pretty exciting to see for an Australian band. When the band began their third song, ‘We Are’, the crowd in almost entirety sung along to the perfect and emotive performance. Karnivool played other tracks from each of their albums, including ‘Roquefort’, ‘Themata’, ‘Simple Boy’ and ‘Set Fire To The Hive’. Another stand out performance of the day, and another amazing experience with Karnivool.

After Karnivool finished their set, it was time to head back to Main Stage area for the headlining band, Parkway Drive. However, during the wait, I managed to see the back-end of A Day To Remembers’ performance. Songs I was able to see included ‘If It Means A Lot To You’, ‘All Signs Point To Lauderdale’  and their most recent single release, ‘Resentment’. ADTR had an amazing stage presence, and pulled a massive and devoted crowd, most of which were singing alone to each song. The confetti cannons to end their set was a nice touch, and created a moment of awe. 

As ADTR finished, the crowd scuffled over to the stage in which Parkway Drive would take, and the moment came. A pre-recorded video played to excite their fans, and then came their entrance… straight through the crowd. They walked directly past me, security clearing their path, flame torches lighting their way to the stage, immediately opening into ‘Wishing Wells’. Parkway Drive performed a variety of their songs, particularly their newer catalogue, including ‘Idols and Anchors’, ‘Karma’, ‘Writings on the Wall’ and their classic mega hit, ‘Carrion’.

The band had the pyrotechnics and setup I’ve only witnessed at European festivals. Bringing that touch to Brisbane had even non-fans of PWD staring, as flames exploded from stage points, and various areas around the main stage area. That coupled with the entrance, and the finale, it was the perfect way to end another successful Good Things Festival.

Since the fall of Soundwave festival in late 2015, there was a gaping hole in the market of alt/metal music festivals in Brisbane, until Good Things began last year. I am thoroughly impressed with the set up and organisation of Good Things, from the bands and stages, to the fact that chill-out rooms were provided, with free sunscreen, water and sugar, to minimise the injuries and heatstroke of concert-goers, Good Things covered all bases and made it a safe, enjoyable festival filled with absolutely amazing talent. 

See you next year, Good Things Brisbane!

Reviewer: Ree Phillips

Photographer: Davey Rintala @fastlanephoto