Review – Jack Price
Photography: JD Garrahy

It’s not often Brisbane is the first on the line for tour dates, even for homegrown talent. The Melbourne genre-melding, face melting Windwaker said fuck that and have graced the Princess Theatre (a subtle nod to the inspiration for the bands name, maybe? Okay, bit of a stretch) this evening with some friends from abroad – California’s Thousand Below – as well as Sydney’s Diamond Construct and Brissy’s very own Headwreck to kick off the madness.

Tonight’s festivities are in honour of Windwaker’s sophomore album, Hyperviolence, with the tour hitting all mainland states. This album was personally my favourite release of 2024, with its synth laced metalcore, personal and home hitting lyrics, meticulously constructed composition and just a damn good time, this alone ensures a killer setlist for tonight’s performance.

The mass of black clad punters, speckled with flashes of colour be it hair or outfit, swelled into the Princess Theatre’s ballroom as the local boys

Headwreck prepared to take the stage, taking the stage with the energy of a much more mature band than we had previously witnessed from the four piece.

The set was tight and polished, playing a mixture of old and very, very new material. Showcasing their most recent single, Plan Z, the intricacies of the composition finely practiced to perfection and holy shit, the tempo changes! If you haven’t already, check it out.

Headwreck have really found their sound, a masterfully mixed combination of metalcore, numetal, numetalcore if you will, with a pinch of hip-hop and a fistful of Brisbane attitude. The vocal work of Connor Hickman, guitarist Jamo Benadie and bassist Dayne Paix work in synchronicity, a blend of harsh growls, hissing screams and clear cleans.

Sydney’s Diamond Construct are next to storm the stage, a fever dream of eclectic frequencies raging vocals, blast beats and distorted guitars.

The aggressive energy of frontman Kynan Groundwater is matched perfectly by that of his band mates. The quartet perfectly in synchronous harmonious chaos, sets the crowd on fire with their brand of hardcore. Kicking off the evenings first circle pit early in their set, the crowd raged to the disorientating synth that flowed between the roaring vocals, crashing drums and screaming guitars.

Despite the heaviness of the early portion of their set, the Diamond Construct gents mixed in some melodic tracks and smooth clean vocals to even out the set.

Cali’s Post-Hardcore Thousand Below are welcomed to the stage with applause and gleeful cheers, opening with their latest single Shake, an absolute crowd pleaser.

“Anyone heard of Thousand Below before?” question frontman James Deberg which is met with a round of cheers from the crowd. “Fuck yeah, keep it up” he finished.

The set list featuring songs from the band’s discography such as Face To Face, The Love You Let Too Close and Wrong Again. Deberg’s vocal range is spectacular, switching from innocent high cleans to monstrous roars, defining the emotion in the lyrics.

Taking a moment to acknowledge both Headwreck and Diamond Construct, as well as the headlining Windwaker, the Californians are clearly stoked to be here tonight. The rest of the tour is going to be hard to top after tonight’s performance. With the mass of post-hardcore bands popping up, these guys show there is nothing like good old fashion American post-hardcore with overlapping vocals, harsh, gritty growls and heartfelt lyrical content.

“My friends it is our third time back to your beautiful country, we fucking love it here” toted the frontman before introducing their final song, Sabotage. The melancholy, somber closure to the set was the perfect farewell to the Brisbane stage.

Finally, as the house and stage lights dim, Windwaker gear up to face the now packed mosh pit, a chorus of cheers erupted from the crowd. Jumping, literally as energetic front man Liam Guinane leapt centre stage, into Infinity from the tour album, the roar of the crowd shaking the theatre walls.

Justin Keurntjes fluorescent orange guitar glowed under the blue stage lights while drummer Chris Lalic and synthist Connor Robins hid in the shadowed belly of the stage, Robbin’s right leg fashioned with a brace/peg leg apparatus thingy (I dunno, I’m no doctor). That didn’t stop him from grooving and moving, maybe less than usual but he didn’t miss a beat! Indey Salvestro provided backing vocals as well as slamming on bass, while Guinane danced and gyrated across the stage. The Windwaker boys were obviously here to have some fun, and fun they had!

Not only did the setlist showcase killer tracks from Hyperviolence like Tabula Rasa, Venom, The Wall, and Break The Rules, but also crowd favourites like Superstitious Fantasy and Beautiful from 2022’s Love Language.

“Do you wanna hear a new song” asked the frontman before swinging into Apathy accompanied by dance moves to match the fun the track brings to the already entertaining set. Liam’s vocal prowess and ridiculous flow are showcased amazingly during the whole set but really stand out in this track. Walls Of Death were the mosh of choice tonight during both Villain and Venom, while the crowd was also treated to Arcane from the upcoming “expansion pack” to Hyperviolence set to release on Valentine’s Day.

The room illuminated with phone lights and lighters for Haunting Me, and Lalic and Robbins had some fun between Vertigo and Villain with a well-crafted drum/synth solo. Break The Rules brought around the end the set with Liam stating “This brings us to that part of the night, our last song”. The crowd groaned, as if the night had been robbed of all entertainment. However, The Wall and of course Sirens were played as an encore.

Being the first stop on a fully packed tour was a huge treat for Brisbane. All the bands on the bill performed amazingly, with some really stellar moments that will be hard to beat for the remainder of the tour. With the tour heading down the border, let’s hope NSW are ready to have their faces melted!

Windwaker ‘HYPERVIOLENCE’ Australian Tour

Friday 31 January: Newcastle Hotel, Newcastle 18+
Saturday 1 February: Manning Bar, Sydney 18+
Sunday 2 February: Beer Deluxe, Albury 18+
Thursday 6 February: Uni Bar, Adelaide Lic AA
Friday 7 February: 170 Russell, Melbourne 18+
Saturday 8 February: Amplifier Bar, Perth 18+

More info in the latest press release here.