Live Review: Good Things Festival

The first rule at The Music is we don’t talk about the weather. The second rule at The Music is... Actually, we really need to talk about the weather. On a day when even Mayday Parade fans don’t want to be Anywhere But Here, it’s harder to get a snow cone than close to the stage, despite the crowds. Props to the organisers for the excellent facilities – the only blip being the demand for more shade.

Good things come to those who wait. This is the festival Melbourne didn’t know it needed, stepping into the void left by Soundwave and Big Day Out. Over on stage three, The Wonder Years are the first of many international acts to tip their hats to Aussie musos, saying, “One of our favourite fucking bands on the planet is The Smith Street Band,” before the crowd goes hard to Pyramids Of Salt. Later in the day, Mayday Parade will continue the theme with an excellent cover of Gotye’s Somebody That I Used To Know, Australian music clearly still kicking.

On stage two, singer Jordan Dreyer of Michigan band La Dispute wields a tambourine in a Godflesh shirt while punters can’t take off their own clothes quickly enough – one dude’s Slipknot patch sticking to his sunscreen. King Park resonates with a high level of crowd participation as Dreyer sings, “Can I still get into heaven if I kill myself?” A highlight. He acknowledges the venue is a step up from the abandoned warehouses of La Dispute’s early years, including one memorable one in Melbourne.

La Dispute

But soon enough Good Things becomes The Babymetal Show. There are tees and banners galore – the band bringing something fresh. The crowd chant “Babymetal” as a guy drinks out of his shoe, one of many juxtapositions today. The Kami Band’s faces are painted white, but Suzuka "Su-metal" Nakamoto, Moa "Moametal" Kikuchi and the recent replacement for Yui "Yuimetal" Mizuno bow in unison wearing fox masks. They’re singing in Japanese, but the metal in their souls is universal. The crowd clap as the lead singer yells, “Are you ready?” and sweet riffs blast from both guitars inspiring louder cheers than even Bon Jovi last week. People may have come for the likes of All Time Low, Stone Sour and Offspring but by day’s end, everyone is a fan of Babymetal.

An intense mosh is visible on screen, with others hanging back. The Used lack the more distinctive melodies of Babymetal or La Dispute, but they turn everything up to 11, frontman Bert McCracken noting, “We haven’t got a lot of time.” Soon McCracken is mopping sweat from his brow with a scarf as even the shade can’t quell the strong heat both on stage and off, with punters doing it tough despite the excellent misting stations.

The Used

Australian band Tonight Alive deserve more coverage than they’ll get. They're ones to watch. We catch the second half of their set on stage three, soaking up the softer vibes from under a tree ‘in front of’ the shade. They deliver strong vocals and R U OK?-themed banter, with singer Jenna McDougall delivering an important message about looking after each other. “And we salute you,” she concludes. The feeling is mutual. Sydney, represent.

Tonight Alive

Mayday Parade pick up the vibes where Tonight Alive left off, the transition between stages seamless. This reviewer has been shipping the boys from Tallahassee since Anywhere But Here, with the title track one of many crowd faves including Jamie All Over. It’s a bit harsh to say it’s Miserable At Best, but they do love to sing about broken hearts. The crowd thins, which is more a reflection of the time Melbourne has for All Time Low, with many punters looking back as they travel to the main stage. If only we could be in two places at once.

Corey Taylor tells the crowd it’s his birthday tomorrow, before sharing his birthday wish with the crowd early with a massive singalong to Bother. Stone Sour are anything but Tired or old with a rip-roaring set that includes guitarist Josh Rand's triumphant return after recently opening up about his struggles with addiction, giant cannons of confetti and fireworks galore, cranking the volume after an excellent set from All Time Low. Except they don’t need the fireworks, as the fire is inside of them.

They say go hard or go home. We went hard and now it’s time to go home. If only it were a bit easier to find Gate 7 in the dark.

Stone Sour