Live Review: Good Things Festival

Throngs of people are already huddled under the tent away from the sun ahead of Ice Nine Kills early at Good Things Festival. The rich and passionate voice of Spencer Charnas rips through the hum of the crowd and resonates overhead. The crowd seems visibly excited as the melodic intro to The Grave Mistake curls through the air, with screams and shouts of “You can't save yourself!” filling the tent, the energy of the crowd never dying. 

Ice Nine Kills @ Good Things Brisbane. Photo by Markus Ravik.

With the afternoon sun beating down on Skegss, you can tell they’re feeling the heat. Frontman Ben Reed belts out the ever-popular Mustang, barely missing a beat, finishing up by exclaiming, “It’s hot as hell today!” The heat doesn’t stop the crowd from acting like a bunch of acrobats, jumping around and tumbling over themselves during every song. Throughout the course of Skegss' set, the crowd slowly grows and grows, with Reed even giving a shoutout: “Hey Veronicas people! How ya going?” This sends a ripple across the crowd and excitement grows.

Skegss @ Good Things Brisbane. Photo by Terry Soo.

Shortly after Skegss have left the stage, the crowd swells to the left. A solitary punter on another man’s shoulder holds up a pink banner bearing the words, “Duck, duck, goose here,” and true enough, we wander over to find a heated game already taking place. As the first notes of Take Me On The Floor begin to emanate through the speakers, the game continues amid the excited crowd. The Veronicas walk onto the stage to screams and whoops, bursting straight into their first song. They belt out songs like Everything I’m Not, Hook Me Up and In My Blood, and even treat us to a cover of blink-182's I Miss You, which incites a crowd-wide singalong. It doesn’t take long for the crowd to reach peak intensity, with the iconic violin notes sending everyone into a frenzy – it’s the song everyone’s been waiting for. After the second chorus of Untouched, Lisa and Jessica Origliasso count everyone in for a huge wall of death. It’s intense. Hoping the punters still playing 'Duck, Duck, Goose' are faring ok after that, we run over to the next act. 

The Veronicas @ Good Things Brisbane. Photo by Markus Ravik.

The Butterfly Effect have somehow managed to squeeze even more people into Stage 3. The air inside is damp and warm, which is probably a contributing factor to singer Clint Boge’s seemingly struggling voice, as he belts out the final bridge of Always. It doesn’t seem to bother him for long though, as after a few more songs he’s back to perfect pitch and harmony. The Brisbane band are full of energy back playing in their hometown, and the crowd loves it. You wouldn’t think that we were lucky enough to have them play back in August what with the energy rippling through the tent. Adding fuel to the fire, Boge makes the announcement that they are working on new music, with plans to release a new album by the end of 2020. Incredible. 

The number of punters boasting Trivium shirts outnumber any other band it seems, so it’s no surprise that the field in front of Stage 2 is almost full, teeming with diehard fans. The atmosphere is electric in spite of the near-crippling heat, with punters pushing their way to the front of the crowd and throwing each other around in the pit in a friendly fashion. Security behind the barricade bring out the hose, periodically spraying the near-rabid crowd in an effort to beat the heat.

Trivium @ Good Things Brisbane. Photo by Terry Soo.

In comparison, the crowd is small but the energy still runs high for Voyager. We’re treated to an unexpected cover that sends the crowd dancing, with singer Daniel Estrin breaking out a keytar to perform Darude’s Sandstorm. Definitely a highlight. 

Voyager @ Good Things Brisbane. Photo by Terry Soo.

As the afternoon moves steadily along at Good Things Festival, crowds drenched in sweat and Red Bull look for salvation, and many find it, with the audience doubling in size just in time for Enter Shikari. The English electronicore group bring a revived sense of enthusiasm to a crowd that had almost been lost to the ruthless Brisbane heat. Witty banter from frontman Chris Batten as well as their eclectic musical style make for one hell of a show. 

Enter Shikari @ Good Things Festival Brisbane. Photo by Terry Soo.

The crowd begins to scream and chant, “Ronnie! Ronnie! Ronnie!” until Ronnie Radke and the rest of Falling In Reverse run out onto the stage, which makes the crowd scream even harder. The crowd is nuts, to the point where from the back, you can barely hear what song is being performed. It’s a mission to squeeze up the front, but we manage, and we sing along with the crowd to the catchy chorus of Fashionably Late. By far though, the fan favourite song is Drugs, with punters screaming the chorus louder than Radke can sing into the mic, who instead elects to just hold it out to the crowd. 

Eager festival-goers rush back to the main stage to secure a good spot for Canadian rock band Simple Plan. Lead vocalist Pierre Bouvier takes us right back to our teenage angst and leather-studded wristbands with vocals that sound as youthful as the day they debuted. Besides the musical talent and stage presence the group have, what makes a Simple Plan set so rewarding is the warmth and appreciation they have for their audience. As crowds scream every lyric to every song, there are a few standouts, with opener I’d Do Anything, Welcome To My Life, Shut Up! and I’m Just A Kid the throwback anthems we need. 

Simple Plan @ Good Things Brisbane. Photo by Terry Soo.

Moving straight into local heroes Violent Soho's set, it's clear they are no stranger to a thrashing festival slot. While just as professional as other billed acts today, there is a certain element of rawness which we see here. It's something the others just can’t imitate and Soho bring it with each track bigger than the last. Jesus Stole My Girlfriend is a standout, with thousands of punters screaming the lyrics back to the stage. Fans remain riled up as the night progresses. 

Violent Soho @ Good Things Festival Brisbane. Photo by Markus Ravik.

Karnivool absolutely nail their set, with perfect harmonies and progressive breakdowns that shake us to the core. You can really see where their Deftones and Tool influences come into play, a perfect amalgamation that they really make their own. 

In a moment presumably anticipated by most here today, A Day To Remember carry on the antics with their metalcore/pop-punk fusion. A set not for the faint-hearted, experienced moshers who brave the front of stage celebrate the Floridian powerhouse with violent thrashing and walls of death. With polished vocals, Jeremy McKinnon leads the angsty classic All Signs Point To Lauderdale and the singalong ensues. The set concludes and crowds are satisfied by a performance that was well worth battling a big crowd. 

A Day To Remember @ Good Things Festival Brisbane. Photo by Terry Soo.

Coming from the minds of two of the more influential musicians of our time, Mark Hoppus (blink-182) and Alex Gaskarth (All Time Low), Simple Creatures unfortunately fall a little short as a headliner against other bands on today’s line-up. A small crowd gather in front of the stage as hundreds of punters begin the walk over to the main stage for Parkway Drive, but while the crowd is small, they make up for it in enthusiasm. A highlight of the set is their cover of Depeche Mode's Personal Jesus.

Simple Creatures @ Good Things Brisbane. Photo by Markus Ravik

But then it's the moment we have all been waiting for as Parkway Drive take the stage in flames of glory. Whether you're a Parkway fan or not, there is no denying the pure showmanship on display. The Byron Bay locals execute an incredible display of pure talent as they prove deserving of their international stardom. It's taken to new heights with the 360-degree rotating drum kit, a stage lit on fire and flamethrowers to excite the crowd. Parkway Drive show us exactly why they took out the headlining slot. 

Parkway Drive @ Good Things Festival Brisbane. Photo by Markus Ravik.

Overall, Good Things shows Brisbane exactly what it means to rock out. Another successful festival sees punters satisfied with what was one hell of a day.