Photos by Kaotic Images
Words by Kyra-Jade Coombs
Editor’s note: The third – and final – leg of Good Things 2022 in Brisbane was a special occasion for HEAVY. For the first time since I took over the horns from Carl Neumann HEAVY had the honour of conducting backstage interviews with a hand-picked selection of bands who had made this year’s Good Things one of the best yet. It was the first time I have been involved in anything this large-scale and downright fucken awesome and, to be honest, I was shitting myself.
Thankfully I had a great team around me in interviewers/reviewers Simon Russell – White, Jimmy Glinster and Kyra – Jade Coombs. Plus the awesome video camera work of Ian ‘Squirty’ Graham and the photography finesse of Tracy McLaughlan. To say the gang nailed it is an understatement, but the one thing we didn’t cater for was the amount of time spent doing, rescheduling and making shit up on the fly that goes on backstage. Not complaining at all, it just meant that none of us actually got to spend much time watching the actual bands perform – or if we did, it was a quick couple of songs then back to the HEAVY tent.
So it was left to the newest member of the HEAVY gang, Kyra, to save the day when she somehow managed to catch enough of four band’s sets to piece some words together! At least Tracy got a shit tonne of happy snaps to carry us through, but, please, have a read of what Kyra thought of the bands she did see. I guarantee you it’s a completely different experience watching a band play who you were just sharing a laugh with backstage an hour or so earlier…
By some bizarre twist of fate Tracy didn’t manage to photo any of the bands Kyra reviewed either (except maybe Sleeping With Sirens, (but I wouldn’t know what they look like) so yes, the reviews and bands don’t match up, and if that’s all you have to whinge about then we shall take that as a win!
Sleeping with Sirens were one of the first interviews of the day for Heavy, and it was hilarious to say the least. After our chat we decided we absolutely needed to show up and watch what these boys do best. I arrived to an absolutely PACKED OUT tent, with bodies squeezed in right up to the front of the stage. Everyone was fucking pumped and singing along to every word of their songs. Their whole performance was high energy and that radiated through the crowd. What can I say? They had the crowd eating out of their palms. Kellin Quinn did a shoutout to the crowd about being special, important and pushing through difficult times and that really just sealed the deal, everyone loved him. Safe to say that even though they’ve been away from Australia for seven years their fans here have been eagerly waiting for this moment. I had to laugh when a lady next to me stated “Wow, this chick sings really good”. Look, you’ll never escape the comments, but who gives a fuck when your voice is iconic/ unmistakable, and your band is internationally recognized. I couldn’t stay for their whole performance and missed out on that nostalgic moment they promised earlier but can say that they sounded great and really enjoyed watching them.
Waiting to hit the stage from behind the safety of the Good Things fences are what can only be described as MASSIVE inflated silver dildos. This is the first sign of TISM’s presence. As soon as they hit the stage they started screaming profanities at the crowd, and we all cut sick! ‘Whatareya’ comes on and absolute chaos ensues with everyone singing in perfect unison. Were all you damaged fuckers forced to listen to this as children too? I couldn’t imagine how hot they must have been in their silver body ‘doms. Gotta hand it to them, it was fucking entertaining. Again, my time watching was cut short although as I took off, I saw one of their ‘cockloons’ break loose in a moment that could only be compared to the likes of that ‘cock rocket’ scene in Austin Powers. Imagine Brisbane seeing this fucker floating through the sky with no context, hilarious! I didn’t think I would ever get to watch TISM in real life, I guess I can tick that off my theoretical bucket list.
I couldn’t wait for the chance to watch Blood Command play. After speaking with Nikki and Yngve, I really needed to see that chemistry on stage. Let me tell you, it was a fucking experience! If you haven’t checked these guys out, you fucking need to. Where do I start? Seriously. The stage was set up with all the mics up the front and in line with each other horizontally. This made it so visually pleasing to watch everyone come out with synchronized leg kicks – and I mean above your head and impressive as fuck – then step up to the mic at the same time and sing. Not to mention all wearing Adidas sweats, they looked like a force to be reckoned with.
So bloody entertaining. How can I describe Yngve? A true dart lord with his ciggie never leaving his mouth and he had me in stitches watching him sing without a hitch. I could watch that shit all day. Now as for Nikki, our little homegrown Aussie’ export…. Wow. Her sexual energy could be eaten up with a spoon and oozes out of her like no tomorrow. It’s not your traditional ‘sexy’… More like a ‘yeah I know what I got, cop this cunt!’. And I mean it, she gave that stage a harder fuck than most people in the crowd have ever experienced in their lifetime. It’s amazing to watch her go from soft-spoken woman to this metal princess, demanding the crowd’s attention whilst literally rubbing her crème de la meow meow on stage. Yep, you’ve got my full attention. What an amazing performance. Blood Command put on one hell of a fucking show, and I’m so glad I got the chance to experience them in all their glory. Please come back again soon!
Oh Redhook! It’s no secret I’ve got a soft spot for these guys, and with good reason! Kris and I ‘clocked off’ and got the chance to watch their full set, and it was absolute chaos. The energy that they all bring to the stage is unmatched. How did they back this up three nights in a row headlining Stage 5? At one point in time, I had to wipe my eyes and make sure I was seeing straight…. three sax players on stage (shoulder riding?!), beach balls going everywhere and hitting your head unexpectedly, guest appearances from Jimmy Kyle (Chasing Ghosts) and Amy McIntosh (Beautiful Monument, Vilify) and so much more.
Sprinkled in between all the theatrics were all their hits Cute 4 Psycho, Jabberwocky, Say, Kamikaze and Bad Decisions to name a few, while also treating us with their newer material such as Low Budget Horror and Soju. I may have missed some major points here but was totally blind-sighted by Emmy’s immaculate boobs being unleashed….that’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it! Anyway, if you get the chance to watch this Sydney band, do. You will not regret it, nor will you be able to wipe the smile off your face. Redhook know how to pump the crowd up to the point where you feel like you are a part of the show too and when it’s all over you find yourself wanting more! Everything is really taking off for this Aussie band and I can’t wait to watch them grow and take a slice of what they truly deserve.
Never change you little weirdos!
And then it was over…
