Friday 15 May
Supports: The Beautiful Monument, RinRin, Pilot Crisis
Sydney’s genre-defying rock titans Hellions have made their long-awaited return to stages across Australia for the tenth anniversary of their monumental album ‘Opera Oblivia’. Alongside supports Pilot Crisis, RinRin, and The Beautiful Monument, they graced Brisbane’s The Triffid for a night that felt like a celebration and homage to Australia’s heavy scene.
First on the line up was our very own Brisbane-grown alternatives Pilot Crisis opening their set with ‘Death Chills’. A quick look at their Spotify shows that a majority of the songs from their set are yet to be released, but that didn’t stop the committed fans in the crowd from singing along and showing their love to the band. Being first on the bill can sometimes be an intimidating feat, but judging from the confidence and ease they exemplified on stage, it was clear this didn’t shake them.
With lead singer (and cellist!) Evie’s powerful vocals, catchy riffs from guitarists Chen and Eliot, vigorous drums from Tim, and grooves from bassist Nick, the 5-piece made for that classic pop-punk sound we all know and love, but with a heavier edge. Single ‘No Vacancy’ leaned heavily into their influences WAAX and Paramore, and the band treated the crowd with a taste of a possibly-soon-to-be-released song, ‘Saints Don’t Carry Dead Weight’, featuring a satisfying guitar solo. Having recently opened for The Smith Street Band and headlining a gig at Greaser in January, I suspect we’ll be seeing more of Pilot Crisis soon.
Perth-based act RinRin was second on the bill tonight and as soon as she opened with ‘WASHED’, I knew we were in for a fun time, which was made apparent by the people two-stepping in front of me. As she approached ‘FCKNRUN’, I quickly realised she’s the type of artist that melds genres so seamlessly that it’s quite impossible to even put her in a box, much like the headliners. Perhaps that was the appeal of having her as one of the supports this tour. This blend of metal-core, hyper-pop, alternative and pop punk continued through to the rest of her set, and I was left feeling quite enamored by the flawlessness in which she embodied each genre.
With her band wearing black face masks, and RinRin herself armed with striped forearm sleeves, chains hanging off her jeans and a studded belt, I felt transported back to being on MySpace in the 2000s. I can confirm I probably would have put ‘SMOKEBOMB’ on my profile.
Recounting her experiences facing racism in ‘F.O.B’, the Filipino-born artist garnered some well-earned crowd participation as she asked “who wants to learn how to say “your mum’s a hoe” in Tagalog?”, and proceeded to guide the crowd to chant “putang ina mo”. Riding the high of the crowd’s attention, she debuted an unreleased song, ‘I Said It’, moving to a classic pop punk beat with a RinRin twist.
Somewhere between ‘Killher’ and ‘CORNDOG!’, she announced she was battling bronchitis, which up until that point, went unnoticed by me as she was still powering through some evidently challenging vocals. Ending her set with ‘Gunmetal Black’, I noticed her kneel down to take a hit of her inhaler before letting out a vicious scream, and I thought, “now that’s metal”.
Having recently wrapped up her Australian tour in March this year, and scoring a national support slot with Scene Queen in 2025, RinRin has positioned herself to be one of the up-and-coming acts in the Australian heavy scene to look out for. Tonight was the first time I had seen her live, and considering it was only a short set, I can’t wait to see more of her.
After following them on social media for quite some time, I was excited to finally see The Beautiful Monument live, and while the absence of bassist Amy McIntosh was felt, the remaining three powered through to give us a stellar performance. As they worked their way through their older releases ‘Hellbound’, ‘Deceiver’ and ‘Invisible’, they made their way to newly released single ‘Cry About It’, a heavy and rage-filled feminist anthem lead vocalist Lizi McIntosh dedicated to the non-men in the room. Released only 2 days before the show, the alt-metal outfit debuted their latest single and title track ‘Euphoric Thriller’, teasing their new album set to release on August 7 with Grayscale Records. If the new album is anything like the three singles that have already been released, it seems fans should expect the familiar high-impact vigor and raw lyricism surrounding the human experience that we know and love from the band.
I typically enjoy looking out for ‘the moments-in-between’ when a band performs, those moments where there’s a knowing look or shared laugh between the band. As I watched the three on stage, I noticed there wasn’t a shortage of these moments for them. From guitarist Alex Manhire strutting over to drummer Adam Pinzone, to the shared smiles between the three, they weren’t just having fun on stage, but were delivering a phenomenal performance while at it. The energy exuded in their live performance videos was proportionately felt through their attention-grabbing stage presence, finely complemented by their vulnerable and confronting lyrics.
Halfway through their set, I realised all the supports tonight were female-fronted bands, and I’m not sure if this was intentional by the headliners, but it was definitely a welcome change in what we know to be a male-dominated scene.
The Melbourne-grown act ended their set with the first single release from the upcoming album ‘Dancing With The Buried’, showcasing Lizi’s belting vocals, and well-loved ‘Misery’, earning a cathartic sing-along from the audience.
Opening their set with recently released ‘Fear Flow’, ‘Hellions’ from ‘Indian Summer’ and ‘X (Mwah)’ from ‘Rue’, the return of Hellions felt like a montage of old and new, while priming the crowd for the next hour of nostalgia. But as they played ‘24’, it was evident it wasn’t just nostalgia, but a true coming-back-to-yourself as I felt that ‘reconnection’ the band has mentioned in recent interviews, like a cord connected between the band and fans through an album that has likely been an anchor for many of those in the crowd. From that point, the Sydney-grown four-piece played their arguably most pivotal album, ‘Opera Oblivia’, from start to finish, with only a few changes to the order.
It’s easy to feel a sense of all-togetherness from their genre-bending theatrical sound, but seeing them live brought this to an atmospheric degree. With their anthemic and melodic choruses and fans singing along from start to finish, it felt less like a performance, and more like a celebration — of the album anniversary, of their reconciliation, and of the love for the music that has persisted 10 years later. I know we’re not even halfway through the year, but I think this may have been my favourite 2026 gig so far.
After seeing Dream on Dreamer last month and now having a Hellions gig under my belt, I realised I may have a soft spot for bands who have stepped away from the scene for a while, and have returned with a greater sense of connection, inspiration and intention to the music. I didn’t have the opportunity to catch Hellions back in the day, but it seems there’s a healthier and newfound commitment to looking after themselves while staying true to the love of their craft.
Noting in recent interviews that the Sydney and Brisbane shows in December 2025 were an opportunity to get their footing again after years performing without guitarist/vocalist Matthew Gravolin, the standard of performance tonight felt like no time has passed. I suppose that’s the magic of playing music with friends you’ve known for most of your life. With seamless vocals from Matt and Dre Faivre, intense stamina from drummer Anthony Caruso, and grit from guitarist Joshua Campiao, it was clear they’ve returned with a rejuvenated commitment to their act.
After a short break following the cathartic sing-along of ‘25’, they debuted an unreleased song, ‘Don’t Forget About Me’, a track more reminiscent of some of their melodic sounds compared to the heavier and punchy nature of ‘Fear Flow’.
The band ended the night with ‘Thresher’, moments after the guy behind me said “there’s no way it’s gonna be Thresher”. With fans continuing to sing after the final chorus and searching for tickets to their Gold Coast show tomorrow, it was indicative that people were hungry for more of Hellions. While I echo these wishes, I’m also cognisant of the fact that they’ve only just returned and the gratitude that brings. In the 10 days it’s been since the release of ‘Fear Flow’, it has already amassed a positive response. As Dre teased after ‘Don’t Forget About Me’, it seems there may be more new music in store for us, and if there’s one thing their break and reconnection has taught us, is that good things come to those who wait.
Review by Mariyah Shahrin
Photos by Reece Trudgen
