Pix by Devanshu Damle
Words by: CeeCee
The night kicked off with a bang as Knosis, a high-energy band all the way from Tokyo, Japan, took the stage and immediately set the venue on fire. From the moment they stepped under the lights, their energy was relentless—jumping around like they were on trampolines and delivering an electrifying performance from start to finish.
Vocalist Ryo, clearly thrilled to be in Melbourne for the first time, hyped up the crowd with nonstop moshing, jumping, and hands raised to the beat. Their setlist featured songs like 忌鬼 (Imioni) and 神喰 (Kamigurai), along with a killer cover of Machine Head’s Davidian—a moment that saw Ryo dive straight into the mosh pit, going full force with the audience.
Their infectious energy and stage presence were undeniable. As someone who had never heard them before, I was instantly drawn in, and I’m sure many in the crowd felt the same. Knosis made a lasting impression, and I’m definitely looking forward to hearing more from them.
Next up were the boys from Dallas, Texas—UnityTX—who kept the energy levels high, using every inch of the stage to hype up the crowd. Front man Jay made sure no one stood still, yelling for the pit to open up and warning that if it emptied, he’d jump in himself.
As they launched into DIAMOND DIEZ, Jay took a moment to acknowledge the ladies in the crowd, saying,
“Where my ladies at? This space is just as much yours as it is the guys’. Guys, step out—this one’s for the ladies.”
The women took full advantage, diving right in and clearly having a blast.
Before FAKE LUV, Jay’s charismatic banter continued: “I talk a lot of shit, don’t take it personal,” he joked. “I’m trying to get you motherfuckers hyped up.” And it worked. The crowd was all in, feeding off the energy as the band tore through tracks like RUCKUS, BANG SH!T, and ROC SH!T.
UnityTX looked like they were having just as much fun as the Melbourne crowd, and with that kind of energy, it’s no surprise the audience ate up every second of their set, I hope they make a second trip to Australia.
Then it was time for the Southern heavyweights—Gideon—all the way from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Vocalist Daniel McWhorter hit the stage rocking a cowboy hat, and the crowd wasted no time, immediately breaking into a wild mosh pit. After seven long years since their last visit to Australia, they weren’t here to mess around.
During Push It Back, the energy hit another level as a massive circle pit erupted, an absolutely insane sight to witness. Before launching into MORE POWER. MORE PAIN., McWhorter fired up the crowd with a rallying cry:
“All right, listen up—on the count of three, I don’t give a fuck who you are, who you came here with, how many shows you’ve been to, how fucking old you are—you are in this motherfucking pit!”
And with that, nearly everyone joined in, the pit consuming most of the floor. The chaos didn’t stop there—McWhorter gave the crowd even more reason to go wild, encouraging crowd surfing to the front:
“I don’t give a shit if you’ve never done it before or if you’ve done it a thousand fucking times—get the fuck up here! Come on, come on!”
Fans wasted no time helping each other up, creating a wave of bodies flying toward the stage as TAKE ME ripped through the venue.
Adding to the madness, Gideon brought out a special guest—Ryo from Knosis—for a crushing performance of Cursed, before closing the night with BITE DOWN. As their set wrapped up, they fittingly played Sweet Home Alabama as their exit song, a perfect nod to their roots.
Other highlights from their set included No Love/No One and Too Much Is Never Enough, solidifying a performance that left Melbourne in absolute awe.
During the intermission, melancholic songs played over the speakers as Void of Vision’s banner hung across the back of the stage, boldly displaying the words TILL I’M FUCKING DEAD. A fitting message for a Melbourne band that, after more than a decade, was bringing their journey to an end with this farewell tour.
As Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls played over the speakers, the crowd sang along, their voices filling the venue. Then, in complete darkness, Jack Bergin took the stage, wearing the eerie mask from their Neurotic video. He began singing Beautiful Things, which seamlessly transitioned into Oblivion—sending the pit into chaos, a mass of bodies colliding with raw energy. After the breakdown, the crowd raised their hands high, waving them side to side in unison.
The intensity only grew with BERGHAIN, where the audience completely drowned out Jack, screaming every lyric without missing a beat. This crowd wasn’t holding back—not in the slightest. Multiple walls of death erupted throughout the set, so many that I lost count at seven. Even at major festivals, I’ve never seen that many in one performance. Every time Jack called for one, the crowd delivered without hesitation.
As the band launched into Decay, Jack urged the audience to jump in time with the song. Then, in a nostalgic moment, he announced,
“This is the portion of the set where we turn back the clock.”
Jacob Charlton from Thornhill joined them on stage for Year of the Rat, sharing a heartfelt embrace with Jack before giving handshakes and fist bumps to the rest of the band in farewell.
The energy stayed relentless as Sunrise turned the venue into a sea of crowd surfers, with one lucky fan sharing a special moment with Jack as he embraced them by the head. The movement never stopped—from mosh pits to death walls to constant crowd surfing, the sheer enthusiasm of the audience was undeniable.
After Midnight Sweat, drummer George Pfändner took center stage for a solo, while the rest of the band stepped off, letting him soak in the moment before they returned to launch into ALTAR.
With one last song before the encore, Jack rallied the crowd:
“Ladies and gentlemen, I need you fucking moving, and I need you right fucking now! This one is for all the lonely fucking people—from the front to the back, the left to the right!”
The crowd erupted as they tore into The Lonely People.
Other songs in the set included Blood For Blood, Neurotic, Angel of Darkness, Nightmare, and more. But before their final song, Jack took a heartfelt pause to reflect:
“Melbourne, it all fucking started here, didn’t it?”
He went on to share the origins of the band, recalling how, years ago, his McDonald’s manager asked if he wanted to join a band with a group of guys he’d never even met. “And I said, why the fuck not?” That decision led to this incredible journey, and Jack made it clear that none of it would have happened without the fans.
“I’m saying all of this right now because this is NOT the fucking end. This isn’t a sad ending—this is a happy ending. What we want to leave you with tonight is that same fucking energy. If there’s anyone in this crowd thinking about making music, wanting to do music, wanting to play from their fucking heart—you NEED to fucking do that. Meet people in this room, meet people out there.” He also praised the strength of Australia’s music scene, before teasing, “This is a funny one, because this is where we’d love to fucking leave it… but we’ve still got to go to fucking Perth.” The crowd erupted into playful boos, but Jack wasn’t done…
“And we do NOT want to fucking end this story in Perth. So… how about we come back after that and do one more show for you guys?” The venue exploded in cheers—so it looks like Void of Vision’s final show will take place in the city where it all began.
Closing out the night, the band played Empty, sending the crowd into a frenzy—especially with the promise that Melbourne might get one last show from the boys.
