Words and photos by: Joshua Stroud
There are some albums that just become part of people’s lives and Opera Oblivia is absolutely one of them. Seeing Hellions bring this record back for a 10 year anniversary tour felt less like going to a gig and more like stepping back into a very specific time in Australian heavy music.
The second they walked out the whole room was already cheering and screaming, people were genuinely losing it before the first song had even properly kicked in. You could tell straight away this was a band a lot of people had waited a long time to see again.
What always made Hellions different was the fact they never really sounded like anybody else around them. Back when Opera Oblivia first came out it felt chaotic, emotional and weird. One minute there’s these massive riffs and then suddenly you’re hit with lyrics that feel way more personal than most heavy bands were willing to write at the time. Ten years later those songs still hit exactly the same.
Tracks like Lotus Eater had the whole venue screaming every word back while Thresher absolutely sent the room sideways. Constant movement everywhere, people on shoulders, circle pits opening up and that feeling where everyone around you knows every single line. It never really slowed down either. Even between songs the room stayed loud.
Late 90s opened the night and set the tone perfectly, exactly the kind of band you want starting a show like this. Their set had that rough around the edges punk energy that immediately pulled people in and by the end of it the front of the room was already packed tight.
The Beautiful Monument followed and completely changed the atmosphere. Massive emotional choruses mixed with crushing riffs gave the crowd one of the biggest singalong moments of the night before Hellions had even stepped on stage. There’s something about this band that always feels genuine live and the crowd gave that energy straight back to them.
Then RinRin walked out and threw pure chaos into the room. Blending hyperpop, heavy music and complete unpredictability together somehow works way better than it should and live it becomes absolute madness. The crowd went from singing along to bouncing off each other within seconds and by the end of the set the whole venue felt like it was boiling over.
By the time Hellions finally hit the stage the room was completely ready to explode.
You could also see how much this tour meant to the band themselves. This didn’t feel like one of those reunion style cash grab anniversary runs people throw together for nostalgia. It actually felt important. Like these songs still matter to them just as much as they matter to the people standing in front of them.
As the final moments of the set faded out and the lights finally came back on, nobody looked ready to leave. People stood around drenched in sweat, yelling across the room about songs they hadn’t heard live in years while others just tried to take in what they’d witnessed. Hellions didn’t just come back to replay an album for a tour cycle. They reminded everyone why Opera Oblivia became such an important record in Australian heavy music in the first place.
GALLERY
THE BEAUTIFUL MONUMENT
RinRin
HELLIONS
