Words – Brett Ensbey
Photos – Luke Petty @ohsnaplivephotographs +
Elizabeth Sharpe @ummagummamummaphotography
View Good Things Festival Gallery – Vol. 1 HERE
View Good Things Festival Gallery – Vol. 2 HERE
Scorching heat and music festivals are two things you can guarantee during a Queensland summer, and anyone that was at the Brisbane Showgrounds on Sunday the 8th of December will tell you we definitely got both of those things. Brisbane showed up in droves for 2024’s Good Things Festival despite it being the hottest day that any human has encountered anywhere in the history of ever. Maybe I’m being a little dramatic, but it was really hot, and this is my review so I’ll do what I want. You can’t stop me. You’re not my real dad.
Anyway, before I show my age and start rambling about the weather, here’s my thoughts on the day.
Sydney born – LA based artist AViVA kicked off the festival through an atmospheric haze of lights and smoke, playing to a decently packed Stage 4. She captured the crowd with an ethereal force opening her set with single The Saint and The Sinner. Her fans were up front and ready for more, with her alternative/electronic sound winning over the crowd some. Her short set showcased tracks from her latest album along with fan favourite Psycho, a must for any set. With her 2020 debut single, GRRRLS, gold in the US and Canada, and platinum in Australia, AViVA made sure that anyone present for the show won’t be forgetting her name any time soon.
AViVA (Luke Petty)
Straight from AViVA a good chunk of the crowd just moved left to Stage 3 ready for Swedish metalcore act Imminence. The band have built a solid following over their 15 years. The energy and depth swept across the metalcore crowd from the first track. The intensity and emotion from their key point of difference, the violin, adds to their brand of metal perfectly. Sweden and metal are a synergy. Music runs in the blood of most Nordic countries. The history is there to delve into. The fact that you have bands like Imminence infusing classical instruments into modern metal is extraordinary and very welcome. Lead vocalist and violinist Eddy Berg played with so much passion, screaming into the stringed instrument during musical crescendos creating an eerily captivating effect. The band played popular tracks Heaven Shall Burn, Erase, Temptation and The Black all in their short but epic setlist. Stand out of the set was Paralyzed. Good Things was off to a great start.
Imminence (Luke Petty)
There was no time to waste leaving the shelter of the Stage 3 and 4 tent and heading into the sun to catch pop punk legends Bowling For Soup as they did their thing on Stage 1. I managed to make it just in time to see the Texas natives making their way onstage as their very own theme song played on the speakers before launching into their 2005 single Almost. Singer Jaret Reddick didn’t let the fact that he was sick and didn’t have much of a voice left stop him from delivering a fun, entertaining set for everyone in attendance. Whether ad-libbing a short song about two audience members dressed in banana costumes, or having a lot of fun with being able to use the word c**t freely in Australia, Bowling For Soup kept the audience laughing while delivering crowd favourites like Highschool Never Ends, Girl All The Bad Guys Want, and Punk Rock 101 before ending their set with their hit single 1985.
Back at the tent on Stage 3 Pennsylvanian Nu Metal rockers, From Ashes To New, made their long awaited Australian debut in front of a large gathering of fans. Another US band that has taken way too long to visit their Aussie contingent of listeners. They’ve now rectified that with this outstanding set. The majority of their set was dedicated to their 2023 album release ‘Blackout’ giving the crowd some epic new music, including massive tracks Nightmare and Heartache. There were a lot of old school fans present and they got some classic FATN with Panic and back to the early days with fan favourite Through It All.
Engaging the crowd the band played through the heat as the fans built up a sweat moshing up front. Danny Case and Matt Brandyberry move seamlessly between their musical role as dual frontmen with both clean and rap vocals faultless. It was a long time coming but worth the wait. From Ashes To New were a standout for many on the day and left fans hoping for more to come now their Aussie cherry has finally been popped.
From Ashes To New (Luke Petty)
Between needing a break from the heat, and the inevitable overlaps that happen with music festivals there was no way to see absolutely everyone I wanted to see, but I did want to take a moment to shout out two bands. I only got to catch the first half of The Living End’s set before I had to rush off to catch Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls. Thankfully that meant I got to see them play Second Solution, Roll On, and West End Riot. Anyone who has seen the Australian rock trio play live knows just how good their show is, and they definitely didn’t disappoint.
The second band I wanted to mention was Alpha Wolf, who were finishing up their set by the time I made it to the tent. What I saw made me wish I’d seen the rest of their show. The crowd was absolutely loving every minute of it, and it was easy to see why. I definitely won’t be missing them the next time I get a chance to see them play.
Alpha Wolf (Luke Petty)
As soon as Alpha Wolf finished their set Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls made their way out and opened their set with Recovery. Whether armed with an acoustic or electric guitar, the ability of the English born singer songwriter to work the crowd while delivering his unique blend of folk punk storytelling is undeniable. Treating the crowd to newer songs like No Thank You For The Music and Girl From The Record Shop from the band’s latest album ‘Undefeated’, as well as reaching into the back catalogue of fan favourites such as Photosynthesis and Try This At Home, it was easy to remember why this wasn’t the first, and won’t be the last time I’ve seen Frank Turner live. As the set was drawing to a close it was time for one of the many staples of their live shows, I Still Believe which not only had the crowd singing along but also featured a kazoo solo from Bowling For Soup singer Jaret Reddick. Nobody was left standing still when the band launched into their final song for the day Four Simple Words. I don’t think I’m alone in saying that 45 minutes wasn’t long enough for Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls, but they made sure to make every minute count.
Frank Turner And The Sleeping Souls (Elizabeth Sharpe)
Northlane are no strangers to massive crowds and that is what engulfed main Stage 2 as fans anticipated the insanity of a Northlane show. These ARIA award winners have taken Aussie metal to new heights with not only their music but their monumental live performances. Sunday in Brisbane was no different as the band commanded the stage, opening with Carbonized the crowd in full mosh from the start.
Frontman Marcus Bridge, not standing still for a second, at times jumping as much as the crowd. Bridge was constantly encouraging the crowd to jump, dance and mosh. That crowd deserves a shout out. By mid-afternoon the heat and humidity were overwhelming. Those committed to the heaving pit, sweaty and dehydrated, deserve a shout out. Early on Bridge became the bouncers worst nightmare and his fans best friend as he encouraged the crowd to surf up to the front and over the barrier to get the free water the bouncers had up there to hand out.
The band burnt through an epic set playing mainstay popular tracks including Bloodline, Quantum Flux and new music with Welcome To The Industry, from video game ‘Fretless – The Wrath of Riffson’. The visuals in the background mesmerizing, each one lining up with the song, not just a random array of graphics. Clockwork closed out the set and brought out the final frenzy from the crowd, ready to rehydrate, close to collapsing from the heat. Another brilliantly brutal set from these Aussie metalcore giants.
Northlane (Luke Petty)
I want to say L7 are rock royalty, but I don’t feel that ‘royalty’ cuts it. These women are higher than that. Let’s say the High Priestess’ of punk, or maybe the Empresses’ of rock or Goddesses of grunge. Regardless of the description you can’t deny these four women are one of the most solid and influential bands in alternative rock history.
The fans definitely agreed as the band opened their set with a classic, Andre. Stadium West got the fans jumping, the four women on stage looking like the rock goddesses they are. Donita Sparkes, Jennifer Finch, Suzi Gardner and Demetra Plakas have been rocking stages for almost four decades. They looked at home on the stage smiling and joking with each other through the set. Shove was a fan favourite but the stage 3 crowd really came alive through Pretend We’re Dead. The bands political track dedicated to the upcoming President (actually written the last time he was elected) Dispatch From Ma-a Lago made a poignant statement. The set closed out with the ever-popular Shitlist, a brilliant song to sing out loud. L7 are not a band that command respect, they have earnt it and the fans give it willingly.
L7 (Elizabeth Sharpe)
Getting to the next band was easy. A quick step to the right had me ready for New Jersey rock outfit The Gaslight Anthem. When a friend first introduced me to this band he described them as what would happen if Bruce Springsteen started a punk band, and honestly, it’s a pretty accurate description. With a stage presence as energetic as The Ramones the band really brings singer Brian Fallon’s heartfelt lyrics to life. The only negative I could find with the set was having to wait until the very end to hear The ’59 Sound, but it was worth it so I forgive them.
The Gaslight Anthem (Luke Petty)
As the heat started to let up and the sun was getting ready to set, it was time to head to the main stage area for a slight change of pace with veteran band Violent Femmes gearing up to entertain the crowd. Kicking off their set with the always popular Blister In The Sun, the band showed Brisbane how they’ve managed a career spanning over four decades. Most of the set was made up of their debut self-titled album, released in 1982, but fans of the band ate it up like it was the first time they’d heard it.
Violent Femmes (Elizabeth Sharpe)
And now, after a long, hot day, it was time for the second last band I’d be seeing, Electric Callboy. Now this part of the day may have been a little bittersweet for some fans as originally this time slot was for Sum 41 who had to pull out unexpectedly when their singer Deryck Whibley was diagnosed with pneumonia. But as disappointing as that was, if you didn’t enjoy Electric Callboy you may be dead inside.
In a slight twist of fate, the band’s own drummer was unable to play the show, so they were joined by Sum 41’s drummer Frank Zummo. The set started off strong with Tekkno Train, followed by crowd favourite MC Thunder 2 (Dancing Like a Ninja). While they’re often described as electronicore or synth metal, putting a label on this band just doesn’t do them justice.
Electric Callboy, or Wham!-Stein as I like to call them, blend so many elements, such as EDM, pop, and metalcore to bring their unique show together. They’re like the boy band of German metal, and I mean that in the best way possible. The front of the crowd was equal parts dance floor and moshpit as the band put on what was arguably the performance of the day. It really had everything. Glitter cannons, flames, costume changes and so much more. Not only did we get the hits like Hypa Hypa, and Pump It, but in honour of the band that couldn’t be there we even got a snippet of the Sum 41 hit Still Waiting. It would almost be a crime to not give another shout out to Frank Zummo for the awesome job he did filling in on such short notice. While he’s no stranger to stepping in for huge bands, even drumming for some Motley Crue shows in the past, the fact he learned this set in under a week shows just how talented he is.
It definitely didn’t feel like an hour had passed when the set was closed out with We Got The Moves. I know a couple of people who hadn’t listened to Electric Callboy before seeing them at Good Things and they have all now added themselves to the list of people, myself included who will never miss a chance to see them whenever they come back.
Electric Callboy (Luke Petty)
As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end (see what I did there?) and there was no better way to end this year’s festival than nu metal juggernauts Korn. This wasn’t my first rodeo seeing this band, and they were just as good as the first time I saw them, which was more years ago than I’d like to admit. From the moment they opened with Here To Stay it was obvious that Korn was taking home the title of loudest band of the day. I have to say though, that hearing the intro to Dead Bodies Everywhere made my teenage self very happy, made only better by them jumping into Got The Life straight after. The crowd was a mess of limbs, crowd surfers, and people singing as loudly as they could as the band tore through their set of classics.
I tried to think of a list of favourites, but honestly, I was pretty much just listing every song, so if you weren’t there, go find the setlist on the internet and kick yourself for missing it. By the time the final song of the night, Freak On A Leash, (like it could have been anything else) hit, the crowd was ready to dig in deep one last time and give it everything they had.
Korn (Elizabeth Sharpe)
Thanks to Dallas Does PR + Destroy All Lines
