Sunday 8 December
Brisbane Showgrounds, QLD
For the past six years since its inception, Good Things Festival marks the official kick-off of summer in Australia. For Brisbane fans, this was particularly the case as the 2024 edition proved to be a hell of a scorcher. Despite the heartbreaking news earlier that week that Sum 41 were sadly not going to be playing to Australian fans for the final time, the rest of the lineup stepped it up – especially German metalcore heroes Electric Callboy.
Loathe kicked off the day with their brand of alternative metal. While still very early, the temperature was on the verge of its peak. The boys lived up to the hype regardless though, as their enticing blend of gritty metal made things just comfortable enough to enjoy. But it was Texas pop punkers Bowling For Soup who were the band on everyone’s lips after Sum 41 pulled out just 48 hours ago and they exceeded all expectations.
While frontman Jaret Reddick was feeling a little off that day, he persevered for fans with an insanely fun set, full of some of the band’s biggest hits that hadn’t been heard on Aussie soil in over a decade. Shoey chants led to Reddick recreating Australia’s least favourite pastime with someone’s boot, while the Phineas and Ferb theme song proved highly popular amongst the younger crowd in attendance.
Loathe.
Bowling For Soup
Honestly, even amidst the 34-degree temperatures, Bowling For Soup pulled off one of the most exciting sets of the day and we’re lucky they got in early. Following this, the main stage arena of Brisbane Showgrounds was excruciatingly painful to stand in. With no shade structures, those that couldn’t decided to spend the afternoon keeping their bodies cool by chilling outside the main arena and/or giving other stages a go – which is exactly what we did.
Bad Neighbour.
The Butterfly Effect.
Alpha Wolf.
The Living End.
There were a plethora of acts from Brisbane’s Bad Neighbour, who capped off their biggest year yet with a stint on Good Things Festival whilst metalcore boys Alpha Wolf had the Stage 3 tent packed out in its entirety for a mammoth set. For those that couldn’t fit in that area comfortably, chose to find heat relief amongst the food trucks maintaining their electrolytes with giant bags of crushed watermelon. I think I speak for everyone that day when I say that the lack of airflow and wind on the grounds that afternoon proved extra challenging to deal with. Shout out to those that managed to find little wind tunnels on the outskirts of the venue though — it was very much exactly what we needed to push on.
Only getting to witness The Living End’s return to form in passing from Stage 3 to 5 was a bummer, but those that found Main Stage bearable seemed to be having a great time. We spent the late afternoon getting to know US pop punk singer Taylor Acorn and 90s rock heroes Killing Heidi and, while Acorn delighted the younger pop punk crowd with her catchy pop sensibility, the atmosphere changed drastically to an audience almost into their 40s and 50s when it was time for the Aussie rock act. However, between Taylor and Killing Heidi vocalist Ella Hooper, the similarities were abundant through punchy pop melodies.
It was wild that Hooper kicked the band’s live set off with the biggest songs of their career, ‘Weir‘ and ‘Mascara‘ but heck, we’ll take it. While they haven’t really played a show in a hot minute, the band sounded fresh live and we very much enjoyed this throwback into the year 2000.
Killing Heidi.
JET.
Dragon.
Walking across the grounds in the late afternoon, the temperatures were still soaring, sitting uncomfortably in the mid-30s. It wasn’t until that 5:30pm mark while we were enjoying The Gaslight Anthem that a cooler change in the air was amongst us. The Gaslight Anthem were my surprise act of the day. Having never heard of their music before today, I surprised myself as I got into their effortlessly cool melodies and upbeat punk rock demeanour. Listening to them reminded me that music festivals are not just about catching your favourite bands but perhaps uncovering new acts and music to fall in love with.
Thank you Gaslight for your slick tunes and refined musicality that afternoon. You guys were absolutely an underrated musical act to see live in 2024.
The Gaslight Anthem.
Northlane.
Sleeping With Sirens.
US emo heroes Sleeping With Sirens almost tore the roof off Stage 3 with their dynamic performance and it made perfect sense. With that cooler change in the air and the sun slowly beginning to set in the background, I’ve personally always found this time of day at a festival the idyllic set time. Frontman Kellin Quinn is a delight to witness live, with his powerful vocal range leading fans into big singalongs from the band’s 2019 hit LP, Leave It All Behind. Having missed them in Vegas two months ago, I had slept on this band live for too long and I confess that I won’t make the same mistake again — Sleeping With Sirens were the real MVPs of Good Things!
Having back-to-back set times of the two best acts of the day (in my eyes) meant I did have to cut Sirens short to prepare for Electric Callboy over at the Main Stage Arena. Lightning flickered over in the distance, however, this didn’t end up being a huge concern. Props to the Good Things team for keeping us updated via the giant screens as things developed though.
Stage 2 transformed into a giant disco ball as the German metalcore heroes kickstarted the party with ‘Tekkno Train‘ and ‘Dancing Like a Ninja’. Vocalists Nico Sallach and Kevin Ratajczak stormed the stage throughout each partybanger, allowing fans to truly let loose. For many fans like myself, I don’t think we could pick a better band to replace the highly coveted Sum 41 to take over their original set time. The boys paid massive respect to the Canadian pop punkers and wished lead vocalist Deryck Whibley well wishes by teasing fans with a snippet of ‘Still Waiting‘ — complete with Sum 41 drummer Frank Zummo (who managed to save his Australian trip by giving the Electric Callboys a hand after their own drummer, David Friedrich fell ill). Between you and I though, I wish they’d have pulled off ‘Still Waiting‘ in its entirety.
Electric Callboy.
Korn.
After missing their past two visits down under, Electric Callboy truly lived up to their legendary status they’ve grown into since dropping hit tune ‘HYPA HYPA‘ way back in 2021. Their performance was fiery, passionate and most of all, as entertaining as the music videos they work relentlessly on. It all came together with the epic finale, ‘We Got the Moves‘ and gave proof that these guys are the festival band we all came out in droves for.
As the lights dimmed on Callboy and Korn finally took to Stage 1, moving straight into ‘Here To Stay‘, fans and onlookers were exhausted but there were still grins all around. Nothing will quite unite people like music will, in particular the alternative/heavy scene. I didn’t quite hang out for most of the 90s nu-metal icons, but it didn’t stop me from feeling a full circle moment — vaguely remember hearing ‘Freak on a Leash’ from a family stereo as a 10 year old.
As Good Things wraps up the Australian heavy music calendar for another year, many fans might consider the 2024 edition to not be as strong as previous years. I beg to differ though. This festival in particular has always been about highlighting the variety of emo/punk/metal/rock in this country and across the world. This year, Good Things absolutely gave into the nostalgia element, bringing back iconic Aussie and international rock of the 2000s amongst the current wave of new age acts in emo and metalcore. We may no longer have Big Day Out or Soundwave anymore, but Good Things Festival is here and it’s here to stay as the nation’s best music festival for alternative/rock fans all over.
Review by Tamara May
Photos by Reece Trudgen. Please credit images accordingly.
