Review Josh Hobbins, Benjamin Coe & Renee Aspery
Photography: Nate Rose and Luke Petty

Summer has well and truly kicked off, and that means the short but sweet run of the Good Things Festival up the East Coast of our beautiful country is upon us.

The sweltering heat starts nice and early but does little to deter the legions of alternative music fans slowly trickling into the RNA Showgrounds for a jam-packed day of musical mayhem.

Getting things going on Stage 1 is Sydney-based rockers Yours Truly, who take to the stage in front of an adoring crowd. Frontwoman Mikaela Delgado is in fine form, leading her band of merry men through a set of powerful rock and jovial tunes from across their 10-year career. Their energetic performance gets the early starters bouncing and singing along.

Over on Stage 5, Boof Heads open with the subtlety of a brick through a patrol car windscreen. Sitting somewhere between Rage Against the Machine, Turnstile and The Warriors, their set is a blend of groove, attitude, and tongue-in-cheek hostility. Tracks like “Ooshlad” take aim at hating your boss, while “ACAC” is a cheeky dedication to the cops, delivered with a grin and middle finger. They take things to another level by singing part of the set from atop the stage scaffold before closing with “Scum Bag”, sending the early crowd into a frenzy.

Stage 4 openers Inertia begin the day by absolutely tearing apart the crowd with their aggressive riff work, while vocalist Julian Latouche’s vocals cut through the air like a broadsword. They amass a decent crowd despite their early timeslot, and the band incites those in attendance to get moving with their heavy AF breakdowns and catchy-as-hell hooks.

Viral internet sensation Maples Pet Dinosaur definitely win the award for youngest band of the day, yet their set on Stage 5 is an expertly executed venture into hard-rock brilliance, played far beyond their years. Opening with the groove-laden track “The Man”, vocalist Maple Johns introduces her band and proceeds to blow the audience away with her stunning vocal delivery.

Meanwhile, over on the main stages, Scene Queen smashes out an unbelievably raucous and fiercely anti-misogynistic set before handing things over to pop-punk royalty New Found Glory, who hit like a sugar-rush nostalgia trip with the cardio output of a CrossFit class. High-energy and surgically tight, the band tear through a set stacked with singalongs, including “Hit or Miss”, “All Downhill From Here”, “Truth of My Youth” and crowd favourite “My Friends Over You”.

Frontman Jordan Pundik works the audience like a pro, turning the midday sun into a pop-punk summer camp. The band also debut new tracks “100%” and “Laugh It Off” from their upcoming tenth album Listen Up!, due in February, and even throw in a cheeky cover of Sixpence None the Richer’s hit “Kiss Me”, sending phones skyward and nostalgia into overdrive.

Stage 4 is filling out as Windwaker make their triumphant return to Australian stages after playing around the world for the last 12 months—and boy, are the crowd here for it! Opening with “SIRENS” from their 2024 album HYPERVIOLENCE, the band’s charismatic stage presence and high-energy tunes carry them and the fans through a blistering set that showcases just how far they’ve come.

Swedish punk pioneers Refused take to Stage 2 like returning revolutionaries, firing straight into “The Shape of Punk to Come” as if daring the Brisbane audience to keep up. Dennis Lyxzén still moves with the swagger of a man who views stages as political battlegrounds, and tracks like “Rather Be Dead” and “Coup D’Etat” hit with just as much venom as they did decades ago. The band slam capitalism during “Rev 01”, proving their message hasn’t dulled with age, and a mid-song homage to Slayer’s Reign in Blood whips the crowd into chaos before they close with their smash hit “New Noise”, turning their farewell into a riotous goodbye.

Sydney’s Tonight Alive are always ones to get the party going, and they do exactly that to the packed Stage 3 tent. Vocalist Jenna McDougall bounces about the stage, commanding the crowd through a slew of hits such as “The Ocean”, “World Away”, and “Crack My Heart”. She also addresses the amount of not just Australian bands, but female-fronted bands on the Good Things bill, declaring, “These are the times we’ve been waiting for!” A punked-up cover of Mumford & Sons’ “Little Lion Man” has the tent singing every word in unison.

Tucked away on Stage 5, Wargasm turn the area into a sweaty, throbbing, techno-tinted chaos pit. Their brand of dancefloor-infected metalcore feels like a rave collapsing under the weight of its own distortion, and the crowd absolutely devours it. The band shine brightest when leaning into their more melodic material, but the underlying big, lurching grooves keep bodies in motion throughout.

Dayseeker are no strangers to a crushing live show, and they deliver exactly that to Stage 4’s huge crowd with smoke cannons, powerful vocals and massive singalong choruses that draw in more and more people as the set goes on.

Over on Stages 1 & 2 are the last-minute additions of Stand Atlantic and Thornhill, the latter of whom had mere hours to prepare after being called up Friday morning to replace their friends in Alpha Wolf, who had to pull out due to a medical emergency. Both bands fire on all cylinders and are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to play the main stages.

Thornhill declare their presence and dedicate their set to both Knocked Loose and Alpha Wolf, both of whom they replaced on the lineup. Frontman Jacob Charlton’s vocals are as powerful as ever, and the confidence in his delivery has the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand.

If Good Things had a church, GWAR are its blood-drenched clergy. They pack the undercover stage shoulder-to-shoulder and the devotion is absolute. Limbs, liquids and laughter fill the space as the intergalactic murder clowns unleash barbaric theatre backed by crushing riffs. GWAR remain one of metal’s great entertainers—grotesque, ridiculous, obscene and impossible not to love.

The intro to “Imperium” rings out through the main arena and signals the arrival of Robb Flynn fronting a rare three-piece version of metal titans Machine Head. The massive crowd wastes no time moshing along to the frontman’s guttural roars and crushing rhythms, appropriately accompanied by a flurry of pyrotechnics. As one of the heavier bands on the bill, it’s surprising just how many punters have come to watch them play, which stands as a testament to Machine Head’s staying power and Flynn’s never-say-die attitude.

Goldfinger bring pure joy wrapped in horns, hooks and controlled chaos. Seeing Charlie Clausen back in the band has added a welcome dose of authenticity, and the set serves as a ska-punk time machine featuring “Spokesman”, “Open Your Eyes” (which also included guest vocals from Jason Butler of Fever 333) and a legitimately perfect cover of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven”. Kelly LeMieux’s return on bass gives “Here in Your Bedroom” real weight, and the cameo parade continues with El Hefe of NOFX tearing through “Linoleum” before switching to trumpet like it was nothing.

By the time “99 Red Balloons” wraps things up, Goldfinger have turned the festival into a confetti-filled street party, just in time for James Reyne (who, slotted between Goldfinger and Kublai Khan TX, certainly has his work cut out for him!) to take the stage. Undeterred by the shrinking crowd, he and his band play through a crowd-pleasing set of Australian Crawl classics as well as hits from his solo career. His voice is as good now as ever, and those present were treated to one of the biggest singalongs of the day as the entire tent belted out the chorus to “Reckless (Don’t Be So…)”.

In stark contrast to Stage 3, Stage 5 is playing host to a set from Fever 333 that feels less like a gig and more like a controlled riot. Jason Butler sprinted from his Stage 4 guest spot with Goldfinger, barely stopping to breathe before launching into his trademark tornado-frontman mode. The band are razor-sharp, the message furious and the delivery explosive. Every moment feels like a call to arms—a sermon set to detonation.

Kublai Khan TX arrive on Stage 4 to commit structural assault. Their set is a masterclass in groove-laden brutality, every riff designed to fold ribcages and every breakdown landing like a deadlift gone wrong. The pit becomes a demolition site, and anyone unprepared for impact learns quickly. Kublai Khan once again show how to weaponise brutality.

Over in the main arena, Garbage sweep onto Stage 1 with noir-tinged cool and confidence sharpened over decades. Shirley Manson balances venom and wit, joking about the beach balls flying through the crowd during “There’s No Future in Optimism” and changing the lyrics to “If you’re ready for balls!” They then launch into nostalgia overdrive with “I Think I’m Paranoid”, “Vow” and “#1 Crush”. The band sounds enormous—jet-engine low end, shimmering guitars and Manson’s voice slicing through it all like a scalpel.

Garbage curate the perfect mood for Weezer, who follow with a set overflowing with fuzz-drenched hooks and power-pop perfection. Fill-in drummer Josh Freese gives everything extra punch beneath spotless harmonies. The crowd erupts for “Say It Ain’t So”, the sound of thousands belting out the chorus giving goosebumps. The setlist is stacked: “Surf Wax America”, “Buddy Holly”, “Hash Pipe”, “El Scorcho”, deep-cut “Jamie” and a surprise cameo from Victoria of Cobra Starship on “I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams” pave the way for tonight’s main event.

Tool proceed to close the night with a tectonic, earth-shaking performance. The sound is colossal—Danny Carey drums like a mythological creature, Justin Chancellor’s bass rattles ribcages, Adam Jones weaves everything together and Maynard James Keenan prowls the back of the stage with sardonic menace. He jabs at the crowd, comparing Brisbane’s response to Melbourne and Adelaide and, while drawing a few laughs, kicks the energy into the next realm.

For 90 minutes, Tool bend space, time and brain matter, leaving punters somewhere between enlightenment and bewilderment as they march slowly out of the gates.

While Tool warp reality on the main stage, Lorna Shore prepare to tear open hell next door on Stage 3. Even with the huge drawcard on Stage 1, the band still draw a massive crowd who revel in the technical chaos. The sound on Stages 3 and 4 isn’t as pristine as it could be, but it barely matters—the orchestral deathcore onslaught is towering and terrifying. Will Ramos remains a generational anomaly, and the band’s wall of sound feels like standing inside a cathedral collapsing in slow motion. Those who chose Lorna Shore over Tool definitely did not make a mistake.

As the night draws to a close, the crowd is left sweltering in the beauty of yet another Good Things Festival done and dusted. Here’s to the future of this incredibly well-oiled machine of an event.