Saturday 18 April
Supports: Dream On Dreamer, The Local Romance, Nervous Light
Hands Like Houses brought the house down last Saturday at The Princess Theatre for their Lótus Tour. Along with supports Nervous Light, The Local Romance, and Dream on Dreamer, it made for a jampacked night celebrating some of Australia’s homegrown alternative talent.
Local Brisbane emos Nervous Light started us off with an emotional post-hardcore sound, reminiscent of the palette found in this scene in the 2000s. Since first seeing them at a small O’Skulligans gig about 3 years ago, it was great seeing them perform on the big stage of an iconic Brisbane venue, a sentiment also shared by the band. As their last release was in 2025, the four teased an upcoming single and music video dropping this week.
The Local Romance brought a different sense of heaviness during their set, with deep growls from lead singer Zeph Chambers and filthy instrumentals from the band. Despite being one of Brisbane’s newest emerging metal bands, these four moved with such compelling charisma that you’d think they’ve been in the game for much longer.
Having stepped away from the scene in 2019, Melbourne’s post-hardcore four-piece Dream on Dreamer took the stage like they never left. And judging from the crowd’s reaction, it seemed like a welcome return. Playing hit after hit from their discography, it was clear they’ve returned to music with a much deeper appreciation and understanding of their ‘why’. While fans have already gotten a taste of their latest sound, Dream on Dreamer’s upcoming album Heavens is set to drop on the 1st of May.
Starting their set theatrically with each member coming out one by one, Canberra rock five-piece Hands Like Houses led us to the end of the night. They moved with a certain sense of confidence and assurance as they staunchly took The Princess’s stage. Frontman Josh Raven stepped into the crowd for “ICU”, creating the standout moment of the show, while later making special mention of looking after one another before “Hollow”. As Josh periodically spoke and made banter with the audience, I could see how they’ve garnered an unwavering fanbase for so many years, seeming almost like a friendship one could only build from a connection of many years. Towards the end of the night, they brought out vocalists Marcel Gadacz and Zachary Britt from Dream on Dreamer for ‘Warning Signs’, a single off Hands Like Houses’ upcoming album, Lótus, and spoke of their years-long friendship originating from their early days in the band.
Maybe it was the intentional showcasing of local Brisbane talent, maybe it was the exuding sense of friendship between Hands Like Houses and Dream on Dreamer, maybe it was a general love for alternative music. Whatever it was, there was a real sense of community throughout the night. It was one of those shows that left me thinking, “man, I love live music”, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it felt the same for others.
Hands Like Houses and Dream on Dreamer are set to continue the remainder of the Lotus tour in the Sunshine Coast, Albury, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth with local support acts from each stop.
Review & Photos by Mariyah Shahrin
