Review: Alison Gustavson
Photography: Luke Petty

Black shirts and enthusiastic metalheads flooded Brisbane on Tuesday night, with the final show of Of Mice and Men’s 2024 Australian tour taking place at the Triffid. With support from Sienna Skies and Dream On Dreamer, we were all in for a treat.

After an almost 5 year hiatus, Sienna Skies has returned with their upcoming EP, ‘Only Change Is Permanent’ dropping March 8, and a series of four shows with Of Mice and Men. To say that these guys are a group of dedicated and down-to-earth people would be an understatement – and this shines through in every song they play.

After a slight hiccup on day three of the tour involving a kangaroo who liked the look of their van, they gave tonight their all, welcoming the crowd with ‘Quarterlife’. Their captivating stage presence not only got the crowd moving instantly but had them cheering as loud as for Of Mice and Men.

Dedicating ‘Even Stronger’ to their friend who recently passed, singer Thomas Pirozzi reminded us of the importance of cherishing our loved ones. Throwing in a heavier track, ‘Widow’, and the token throwback song, ‘Divided’, there was something for old and new fans alike before closing with one of the songs off the upcoming EP, ‘Let It Burn’.

Four-piece metalcore icons Dream on Dreamer were next on the bill, opening with ‘Let It In’. With only 24 hours to learn the set, drummer Matt Gibson crushed the set and the band brought a new level of energy while constantly hyping up the crowd for Of Mice and Men. Claiming the achievement of the first circle pit of the evening, ‘Surrender’ split the center of the room in two before slowing things down with ‘Love’.

Dreamers’ mix of melodic vocals and brutal screams not only saw the crowd of largely new fans jumping off their feet from the first track but had an almost full Triffid singing ‘Stay’ and ‘Don’t Lose Your Heart’ at the top of their lungs.

Leading into the closing song with an epic build-up, the band had every single person in the venue moving for ‘Runaway’, one of the crowd’s favourites for the night.

As the closing night of the tour, we knew we were in for something special with Of Mice and Men. Beginning their set with a solo from drummer Valentino Arteaga, the band shortly joined him onstage for ‘Bones and Exposed’, receiving a very enthusiastic Aussie welcome. Including a mix of new and old songs, like ‘Would You Still Be There’, ‘Castaway’ and ‘Earth and Sky’, the audio was consistently powerful and clear, which is no easy feat for that venue.

Turning up the heat ‘Warpaint’ and ‘OG Loko’, Of Mice and Men saw the biggest circle pits for the night, with a wall of death almost half the length of the venue for ‘OG Loko’. One brave soul was even confident enough to go up on shoulders while they charged into the moshpit.

The marriage of the audio, lights, and song choices throughout the set was beautiful, and the ambient tracks created an almost cinematic atmosphere in between songs. I have never seen an audience more willing to clap for most songs, but almost the entire Triffid ended up raising their hands for over a quarter of their set.

During ‘Bloom’, vocalist Aaron Pauley requested for everyone’s phone torches to be raised in the sky, which was easily one of the most special moments of the evening, closely followed by an entire venue down on one knee for the beginning of ‘The Depths’.

After returning from the conclusion of their mock final song, Of Mice and Men closed with one of their most iconic songs, ‘Second and Sebring’, and with a crowd almost louder than Aaron Pauley, it is clear how the fans are equally as passionate about this band as the band is about its fans.