Review and photography: Dan Maynard

The first week of March 2025 is one of the busiest weeks of concerts i think Brisbane has ever seen. On top of Knotfest, we have all the sideshows, Green Day and many more. But there’s one specifically in here that I have been waiting for, I’ve been counting down the days for and it’s finally here.

The goliath of a lineup that is Alestorm and Nekrogoblikon. Amidst the oncoming cyclone Alfred, Brisbane punters are not letting a natural disaster get in the way of such an epic line up. As the line works its way down Costin St, the doors open, the crowd enters The Tivoli and its game on.

Opening support act is the ever-brutal Snake Mountain. Making their way up from the Gold Coast, they’ve brought carnage with them. The five piece death metal band take to the stage to Ren and Stimpy’s Happy Happy Joy Joy as vocalist Nev Pearce gets the already packed-out Tivoli to sing along with the soundtrack.

They open the night with a brand-new track, The Serpent, fast and heavy and the perfect start to the night. Though a short set, the boys waste no time and are determined to squeeze in as much brutality as possible. Slaying through the set, the band closes out the night with Everliving. If the crowd isn’t warmed up now. They’re never going to be.

Onto the first of the two main bands, Nekrogoblikon. There is as much hype surrounding their set as there is for headliners, Alestorm. As I walked up the street towards the front door earlier, I heard people talking about the American death metal act excitedly. Quite literally heard a girl about the band, say if she didn’t get on the barricade tonight, she would cry.

A lot of this excitement can probably be put down to one main fact, that this is Nekrogoblikons first Australian tour. Brisbane will round out the end of the Australian leg of the tour, so the band is well and truly warmed up and ready to brawl.

As the band make their way to the stage, the crowd immediately show their love for the Los Angeles natives. And even more excitement is shown when the goblin himself, John Goblikon hits the stage.

The energy these guys have is on another level. Not one person in this band is pulling back on having the best time. Opening with 2013s Powercore, an oldie but most definitely a goodie, a song that perfectly sums up Nekrogoblikon and opens the set perfectly. They take no time to race into The Many Faces of Dr. Hubert Malbec, keeping the energy rolling.

They use their first trip to Australia to play a solid selection from their back catalogue, they plow through tracks like No One Survives, Bones, Dressed as Goblins and We Need a Gimmick. They round off the nights with smash hit This Is It. The band leave the stage to a “one more song” chant that doesn’t end until the drums begin to be packed away.

The iconic giant yellow rubber ducky sits perfectly center at the back of the stage, the lights shut off and a voice speaks over the PA. An introduction and a 10 second countdown lead into the almighty Alestorm running out onstage and powering straight into 2009s Keehauled.

A fun and Celtic driven power metal song, it’s fast and full of energy, it’s everything that makes a perfect opening track to a setlist. In the same vein as Nekrogoblikon, these guys (and gal) are nothing short of energetic. It’s all guns blazing from the get-go and you can feel the room burst with life from the moment Keehauled kicks in.

It is really hard to convey just how fun Alestorm are in a live setting until you’ve actually been in the presence of their live show. This being my first time at an Alestorm show, I’m completely blown away. Not only is the show itself fun and playful and energetic, but there is a spout of professionalism and musicianship behind it all that really steers the haul (pun intended).

A powerful 20 song setlist is everything you would expect from this band. They don’t fuck around and they’re here to party. And yes, they play P.A.R.T.Y.

Big Ship Little Ship, Zombies Ate My Pirate Ship, Under Blackened Banners and Wooden Leg all make a stop in the set, just to name a few. As the night draws near to a close, they choose the most exquisite of songs to close out the night. Of course I’m talking about Fucked with an Anchor.

A song that more or less just shouts insults to the crowd as the crowd screams identical insults right back at the band. Possibly the greatest pirate metal song ever, you couldn’t choose a more fun song to end the night on. Unless you are Alestorm and you tag the 6 second classic Rumpelkombo onto the end.

I can’t express enough how much fun tonight has been. Every band has been big, large, fun and energetic in their own rights. I’ve seen fans dressed as pirates and goblins, I’ve seen rubber duckys, I’ve seen a merch line wrap around the Tivoli like never before. It’s been one of the best nights and shows I’ve attended in a very long time.

Alestorm will no doubt be back out real soon, as they seem to be in Australia almost more than their own homeland Scotland (not complaining). And Nekrogoblikon have hopefully heard the voices of their fans and they come back for their own headline tour soon!