Review and pictures: Nate Rose

On a humid Brisbane Tuesday, The Tivoli was packed wall to wall with punks, skaters, metalheads, and ST lifers ready to get cyco. Suicidal Tendencies are in town and this is not just another nostalgic run, but a living, breathing reminder of why they’ve outlasted almost everyone.

Currently touring the country with Metallica who are on their massive M72 world tour, ST are treating Aussie diehards with a side of Headline shows and bringing along with them the legendary Adam Briggs new hardcore/rap crossover Big Noter.

Big Noter open the show with grit and swagger. Blending thick riffs with hip-hop bravado, they powered through a set that felt like a powerful statement and left the crowd wanting more.

Fronted by Adam Briggs, one of Australia’s sharpest and most outspoken voices, Big Noter has quickly become one of the country’s most talked about new heavy acts. For fans who know Briggs through his hip-hop catalogue, seeing him step to his roots of hardcore, punk and metal space could have felt like a gamble. Instead, it feels like destiny.

Big Noter is no novelty project. It’s a full throttle, riff driven eruption of punk, hardcore, and hip-hop defiance. And on this run supporting Suicidal Tendencies, they’ve found the perfect proving ground. I was lucky enough to hang out with the guys earlier in the year when I shot their Gold Coast show supporting Karnivool and chatting with Briggs I could feel how genuine his love for punk and Hardcore is and this shines through in spades when they’re on that stage.

Having only released two songs so far in ‘IDENTITY’ and ‘TALKSTRAIGHT’ you would have been mistaken that a whole album has dropped with the crowd singing along to newer tracks like ‘M.F.D’ but this isn’t Big Noter’s first Brisbane rodeo they’ve graced the stages of Brisbane 3 times prior and have built a solid following thus far which is evident with the crowds response tonight.

Briggs commands the stage like he was born on it. Pacing, shouting, laughing, taunting, his presence is absolutely commanding, like he’s conducting chaos. The transition from MC to frontman isn’t just convincing it’s seamless. His voice is rougher, angrier, but still razor-sharp and in my opinion fits this style of music perfectly.

Behind him, the band is tight and unrelenting. The drums of Steve Smith slam with that hardcore precision, Craig Strain‘s bass grinds deep in the mix and Leigh Davies guitar is thick, overdriven, and relentless. It’s loud, but not just for the sake of it. It’s intentional and heavy with purpose.Supporting Suicidal Tendencies is no small feat. They’re punk royalty decades deep, worshipped by skaters and headbangers alike. For Big Noter to not just hold their own but light up the stage before them says everything about where this band is heading.

Big Noter are forging a sound that’s heavy, political, and unflinchingly real. Let’s hope that album drops real soon and headline shows aren’t in the too distant future.

With the crowd now filled in like a can of sardines it was time for greatness. One by one the members of ST enter the stage as my old friend Sam Sal who is currently touring with the guys announces ” Are you ready? From Venice Beach California… Suicidal Tendencies” The Tivoli erupts as Mike Muir one of the greatest frontmen ever, races on the stage with manic focus, then all members come to a halt

‘I wanna know one thing? Mike quietly asks the crowd ‘ What the hell is going on around here?’ And with those words the Tiv turns into a riot of pits and flying bodies as the band literally flies into and extra-long extended version of ‘You can’t bring me down’.

What’s remarkable about Suicidal in 2025 is how fresh they sound. Ben Weinman (The Dillinger Escape Plan) is a livewire unpredictable, swinging between calculated chaos and absolute control be it on stage or his frequent trips on top of the crowd, one of which he climbed the Tivoli mezzanine and launched himself onto the awaiting crowd before being carried back to the stage without missing a note. His playing breathes new life into the classics like ‘Freedumb’ twisting riffs just enough to keep them dangerous. Then you have the legendary Dean Pleasants who was the perfect partner to Weinman. His blues tinged riffs and unforgettable solos had the guitar virtuosos in the crowd foaming at the mouth. Pleasants really is the glue the keeps the chaos together.

Across the stage, Tye Trujillo anchored everything with monsterous tone and groove, his youthful energy counterbalanced by deep musical intuition.The kid can slapm a bass, You can feel the lineage of his father’s bass thunder, but Tye makes it his own on the likes of ‘Subliminal’.

And then there’s Jay Weinberg, WOW is all I can say. Having only recently joined the fold, the former Slipknot powerhouse played like he’d been born into this band. Every snare hit was a statement, every fill an exclamation mark. His precision and stamina turned “Possessed to Skate” into an earthquake. He’s a once in a generation kind of drummer and to witness his drumming in person is something special.

I’m in total awe of the stamina of Cyco Miko from the moment he hit the stage till the very end he was a ball of energy; I was exhausted for him.

The way Mike holds the crowd and the band in the palm of his hand is a testament to his craft. Decades in, he’s still the high priest of punk self-belief, reminding everyone that Suicidal has always been about individuality and resilience.

Between songs he offered bursts of life philosophy, gratitude, and self-deprecating humour, weaving stories about perseverance, friendship, and his love affair with Australia.

It’s no secret in the bond ST have with Australia with Mike having lived in the country for several years and his children being born here. As a nod to his respect for our country and our artists he brings out local Aussie talent Nisha Star for an epic rendition of ‘Adrenaline Addict’. Keep an eye out for an upcoming collab with Mike and Nisha, Cyco Star.

His gratitude between songs wasn’t rehearsed; it was lived and when Mike wants to tell a story you listen because you know he’s talking that real shit and he deserves the respect. ‘This one here is what we call a feel along, life is hard sometimes, yes because life will teach you how to swim and you gotta rise above to where you should be and not where it tries to hold you down. Never let yourself hold you down. This one here is what we call War Inside my Head’ Amen Mike.

The setlist was a masterclass in balance. They leaned into the classics that made the crowd erupt, circle-pits and walls of death. It was the kind of performance that reminded you why this band is still so revered and respected after all these years. By the time “Pledge Your Allegiance” closed the night, arms were locked and voices unified in that iconic chant, one between generations.

Suicidal Tendencies proved that legacy isn’t about nostalgia. It’s about evolution. It’s about finding new fire in old words and new players. And for one sweaty Brisbane night, they were as vital, unhinged, and uplifting as ever. Long Live Suicidal.

SUICIDAL TENDENCIES – ANZ TOUR 2025
Fri, Nov 14: The Roundhouse, Sydney
Tues, Nov 18: The Powerstation, Auckland

www.suicidaltendenciesofficial.com