Words by: Belinda Quick
Photos by: Missy Smiley
Special thank you to Destroy All Lines
“There isn’t a guarantee I can still be myself. Why would you wish to? All things change in a dynamic environment. Your effort to remain what you are is what limits you” – The Puppet Master, Ghost In The Shell
Japan’s BABYMETAL are more than a mere musical group, they are a phenomenon. Formidably female-fronted, the iconic trio are renowned for their distinct amalgamation of kawaii metal, Japanese dance performance and neotraditional aesthetic, there’s no questioning the basis for which their global reputation has been built – and continues to soar.
Releasing the fifth studio album, Metal Forth, in 2025, BABYMETAL teased its arrival to audiences during March’s Knotfest run before embarking on successive European, North American and Asian arena tours. Australian fans waiting a year to witness the full bloom, for capital crowds outside of the eastern states, the opening performances were worth every minute of patience; Adelaide’s sold out Entertainment Centre Theatre on Saturday night showing such premium respect.
The second night coinciding with South Australia’s March madness season, lovers of the arts swarmed across the CBD for the infamous Fringe festival festivities, and, tonight, courtesy of BABYMETAL and their international super supports – BLOODYWOOD & MAGNOLIA PARK – overtook the city’s edges. Descending upon the AEC, where accommodations were shared with warriors of a different kind, the Adelaide Thunderbirds, winding queues and restless defectors spilling over to The Gov for refreshments suggested – the wait was not quite over yet.
An achingly long delay to entry ended, Floridia’s genre-fluid quintet, MAGNOLIA PARK, appeared. Killers in the Jungle unleashing frontman Joshua Roberts’ inner Animal, a black-and-white invitation to ‘Join The Vampires’ (a nod to the band’s latest release, VAMP) permanently blares, as bassist Vincent Ernst & frontman Joshua Roberts participate in Shadow Talk. High on the Cult of personality, co-vocalist & guitarist Tristan Torres, Chasing Shadows, leaps into the crowd with DANGEROUS and wild abandon, safe in the appreciative audience tonight.
The cry goes up, ‘Bloodywood, Bloodywood, Bloodywood!‘ The notorious nu-metal Nu Dehli sextet exploding Aaj,
‘Metal has never been big in our country, but Australia has always been a big part of what keeps us going’.
Accolades offered from the magnanimous debutants, guitarist & flautist Karan Katiyar embodies the band’s fusion style. Continuing Dana Dan, dual vocalists Jayant Bhadula & Raoul Kerr are Bekhauf in performance. Bahdula inspiring, ‘fear will rule you, unless you rule it‘, the band formed out of parody are deadly serious about their craft.
The collaborative track with BABYMETAL unfortunately not shared live, ‘this is the second show we’ve ever played in this country‘, and, ready to Halla Boi about how happy they are to be here, burst into a SLIPKNOT–esque opus. Dohl drummer and touring artist, Sarthak Pahwa beats his instrument and flays his hair; a beautiful act, a master-class in cultural amalgamation, the final song and a compliment for being ‘fucking fabulous‘, this was a celebration for sure, but Machi Bhasad until the end.
An omniscient narrator dictates, ‘Whether by coincidence or by design, please enjoy; this is BABYMETAL DEATH.‘ Pandemonium erupting to fill the momentarily black void, hearts beat in Doki Doki, as Su Metal, Moametal & Momometal take the stage. POPPY’s lovesong from me to you opens the chorus of collaborations to come, before the unmistakable scowl of Alex Terrible dominates the LED screen. BABYMETAL’s Kami Band donning Kid of Darkness masks in homage to their SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL friends, the guitarists’ ferocity for Song 3 momentarily distracts from the legends themselves.
Pure anarchy ignited by streams of fire and ice, Bloodywood rejoins the stage for the Metal Forth’s powerhouse track – KON KON! Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello is almost three-dimensional, tearing through the backlight on guitar, before SPIRITBOX’s Courtney LaPlante, My Queen, graces the screen. Asking Adelaide to ‘turn on your lights‘ and send BABYMETAL’s Monochrome dresses sparkling, a prolonged hype up featuring the faces of the innumerable young fans in the crowd leaves ELECTRIC CALLBOY take out the collaborative honours, with a little RATATA!
Forever entertaining, immeasurably creative, infinitely fun, BABYMETAL serves PA PA YA and Give Me Chocolate to an insatiable audience. Flames literally and figuratively leaping once more, in the bounty of overstimulation it’s impossible to estimate whether the hosts or our gestures are conjuring them. The trio feeding off the energy, the Kami Band more animated than ever, photographers converge upon the stage to capture the final Headbangeeeerrrrr. Knowing the end is nigh, after such a wait, the crowd reacts with impossibly greater force.
Protracting our last moments together, demonstrating a sheer diminutive domination, there remains no doubt (as if there ever was). No Road of Resistance can possibly halt them, no dynamic can define or hold them; this is BABYMETAL.
GALLERY
MAGNOLIA PARK
BLOODYWOOD
