Review: Joshua Hobbins
Photography: Nate Rose
On Sunday night, the Brisbane Entertainment Centre hosted a lineup that pulled from different eras of heavy music, with LANDMVRKS, Papa Roach and A Day to Remember each bringing their own take on what that means.
France’s LANDMVRKS opened the night with intent. Creature hit with a massive sound straight away, driven by a thick low end and Florent Salfati’s versatile vocals that cut through the mix with clarity. Sulfurwas the first point where the floor really opened up, with the pit kicking off early as the crowd were eager to throwdown. The band’s tightness stood out across the set, particularly through the rhythm section, with Kévin D’Agostino’s hi-hat work adding detail to the heavier sections. Backing vocals from guitarists Nicolas Exposito and Paul Cordebard, along with bassist Rudy Purkart, gave the choruses extra weight without muddying the mix.
Lost in a Wave landed as the heaviest track of the set, hitting with real force, while Blood Red brought things back into a more controlled groove with a strong opening passage. They closed with Self-Made Black Hole, wrapping up a set that balanced precision with intensity. It was a confident performance from a band very much on the rise, and it set a solid tone for the night.
Papa Roach shifted the focus from precision to presence. From the opening of Even If It Kills Me, Jacoby Shaddix had the crowd on side straight away. Hands and horns were up, voices were loud, and the energy lifted quickly. Early cuts like Blood Brothers and Dead Cell hit hard, before …To Be Lovedpushed things further, with Shaddix engaging with fans on the barrier before venturing out into the seating areas to bring the performance closer to the crowd.
The set leaned heavily on interaction, and it worked. Kill the Noise opened the pit back up, while Getting Away With Murder had the entire room locked in, with Shaddixrepeatedly hyping up the Brisbane crowd with his much-loved “sick cunts” phrasing. Liar created a strong dynamic shift, with Shaddix dropping the crowd low before a huge jump brought the energy straight back up. Scars followed as one of the biggest singalongs of the night, with the arena carrying the chorus.
There was space for something more grounded too. Leave a Light On (Talk Away the Dark) brought a more reflective tone, tied to raising awareness around mental health and suicide. It felt like a genuine moment of reaching out, encouraging anyone doing it tough that they’re not alone and that there’s always someone willing to listen. For those who have been impacted by suicide or mental health struggles, it landed as a genuinely positive message of support and strength.
Braindead then offered a taste of new material from the upcoming album, before Born for Greatness closed out the main set with a bang. For their encore, they began with Between Angels and Insects, closing the song with a tasty bass outro from Tobin Esperance before launching into a nu metal medley of classics that pulled from Korn(Blind), Deftones (My Own Summer (Shove It)), Limp Bizkit (Break Stuff) and System of a Down (Chop Suey). It fed directly into Papa Roach’s own classic, Last Resort, which closed the set with the entire room shouting every word back at the band.
By the time A Day to Remember took the stage, the room was fully engaged, and it was a great touch seeing a group of lucky punters up on stage behind drummer Alex Shelnutt’s riser. The Downfall of Us All kicked things off with an immediately huge crowd response, followed by I’m Made of Wax, Larry, What Are You Made Of? and 2nd Sucks, which kept the intensity high early. Right Back at It Againand Bad Blood kept things moving without losing momentum.
Paranoia and Miracle pushed the heavier side of the set, with Miracle landing one of the biggest breakdowns of the night and drawing a huge reaction from the floor. All My Friendsshifted the mood, with a Mario-clad crew member using a cannon to launch shirts into the crowd before a confetti blast closed things out.
The middle of the set leaned into the band’s more melodic side. Have Faith in Me and If It Means a Lot to You were both carried strongly by the crowd, with voices filling out large parts of each track. Mr. Highway’s Thinking About the End snapped things back the other way, with the “disrespect your surroundings” call triggering another surge across the floor.
LeBron brought a lighter moment, with an inflatable basketball segment that kept the crowd involved beyond just the music. From there, the band moved through All I Want, Monument and The Plot to Bomb the Panhandle, each one landing cleanly with the crowd. A short, tongue-in-cheek snippet of Nickelback’s Photograph added a bit of humour before the final stretch.
Closing with Resentment and All Signs Point to Lauderdale, A Day to Remember brought the night to a strong finish. The heavier sections hit hard, the melodic parts held up, and Jeremy McKinnon handled both comfortably throughout the set.
Across all three sets, the Brisbane crowd didn’t let up. LANDMVRKS set things in motion early with a tight, high-energy opener, Papa Roach turned the room into a full arena singalong, and A Day to Remember carried that momentum all the way to the finish. Pits were moving early, crowd surfers kept rolling over the barrier, and the singalongs only got louder as the night went on. It all built to that shared release that shows like this do best, where heavy moments and huge singalongs hit side by side. Different sounds, different eras, but the reaction in the room said it all, and everyone left with their voices gone and something to hold onto.
If you’re doing it tough, there are people you can reach out to.
In Australia, you can contact Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. Both offer free, confidential support 24/7.
– GALLERY –
