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BIRD’S ROBE 15th Birthday Tour
@ Metro Theatre, Sydney,
14 December 2025

(COG, Squat Club, Trail of dead, SEIMS, Meniscus, Myriad Drone, Solkyri,
Echotide, Shanghai, The Crooked Fiddle Band, Mushroom Giant, Grun, Svntax Error)

(Live Review)

Photos and Review by Rob Mezzatesta (@robmezzphoto)

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There’s something quietly defiant about gathering on a Sunday afternoon to celebrate heavy, strange, uncompromising music. As punters filtered into Sydney’s Metro Theatre from mid‑afternoon, the mood felt closer to a reunion than a festival. There were familiar faces, shared memories of sweat‑soaked rooms, and the unspoken understanding that Bird’s Robe has always been about more than just releases and tours.

Celebrating fifteen years of fiercely independent Australian heavy, experimental and progressive music, Bird’s Robe marked the milestone with an afternoon‑into‑night mini‑festival that progressed like a living timeline of the label itself. Spread across two stages, the bill brought together thirteen bands who have shaped, stretched and occasionally shattered Bird’s Robe’s sonic identity over the past decade and a half. With reunions, rare appearances and the only Australian shows in 2025 for several acts, the event carried both historical weight and a crackling sense of immediacy.

Kicking off early in the afternoon, the atmosphere was relaxed but expectant. Merch tables doubled as meeting points for old friends, while staggered set times encouraged a steady migration between stages in two rooms. By the time the sun dipped outside, the Metro was heaving, the air thick with sound and sweat, and the day had traced a remarkably coherent arc through ambient drift, psychedelic heft, math‑rock abstraction and full‑throttle psychedelic rock catharsis.

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Svntax Error opened proceedings with an appropriately cinematic sense of mystery. Spacey textures, theremin flourishes and mist‑shrouded crescendos eased the room into festival mode without demanding attention too loudly, rewarding those who arrived early. Their blend of guitars, bass, drums and spectral electronics felt exploratory but controlled, setting a mood of curiosity and openness that framed the day ahead.

Returning from an eight‑year sabbatical, Grun delivered a set defined by patience and emotional restraint. Instrumental and slow‑burning, their swirling dual‑guitar lines built the tension gradually, with delicate keyboard accents drifting in like hesitant footsteps. It was music that asked for immersion rather than applause, and the crowd responded in kind, leaning into the quiet power of a long‑awaited comeback.

Mushroom Giant shifted the energy decisively upward. Backed by swirling psychedelic projections, the quartet eased the crowd into a trance-like groove before steadily descending into heavier, sludgier territory. The set was made up entirely of new material, previewing their upcoming release that leans confidently into prog-psych heft, metal-tinged riffing and mind-bending guitar interplay. By the end, the room had thickened with bodies, volume and a palpable sense of momentum.

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ARIA-nominated cult favourites The Crooked Fiddle Band infused the afternoon with movement and mischief. Armed with violin, cello, drums and a host of other strings, they blurred lines between experimental folk, medieval rhythms, punk aggression and jazz-fusion looseness. Chainsaw fiddling, tribal grooves and occasional operatic vocalisations turned the Metro Social into a swaying, stomping dance floor, complete with the odd jig breaking out mid-set.

Chaos arrived in blissful form with Shanghai. With a football teams worth of members on stage, their genre‑agnostic barrage of brass, metal guitar, percussion and groove‑heavy quirky rhythms felt like organised mayhem. Pulling from samba, ska, rap and pure party energy, the set built quickly, transforming an initially modest crowd into a bouncing, grinning mass through sheer momentum and collective joy.

Brisbane’s Echotide pulled things back into darker, more brooding territory. Loud, immersive and entirely instrumental, their set moved with deliberate intent, riding waves from chiming melodic passages to full‑blown sonic abrasion. Overlapping guitar lines and patient rhythmic builds created a tension that lingered long after the final notes, reaffirming their reputation as one of the country’s most compelling heavy instrumental acts.

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Solkyri followed with a set that balanced fragility and force. Soft, melodic passages bloomed into driving walls of sound, culminating in a punishingly dark finale that flirted with sludge. Minor technical hiccups barely slowed them down, but the emotional payoff was worth the turbulence, earning a warm response from an increasingly packed main room.

Melbourne’s Myriad Drone leaned fully into darkness. Precise guitar melodies cut through a dense low‑end of brooding bass and drums, gradually layering into towering walls of noise. When vocals emerged, they arrived as raw screams, riding double‑kick drums and relentless distortion. It was confrontational, uncompromising and deeply effective, marking one of the day’s heaviest moments.

By the time Meniscus took the stage, the Metro was near capacity. Long celebrated for their cinematic approach to post‑rock and ambient heaviness, the trio delivered a mesmerising set enhanced by immersive video projections. Their music moved like a guided journey through deep oceans and shadowed forests – melodic, dramatic and strangely soothing despite its weight. The crowd stood transfixed, collectively breathing through each rise and fall.

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SEIMS wasted no time in resetting the energy. Full‑tilt from the opening seconds, their hyper‑precise blend of bass, drums, guitar and subtle keys felt urgent and tightly coiled. Rapid‑fire melodic runs and rhythmic complexity gave the set a sense of controlled chaos, reminding everyone why the band remains such a vital part of the Bird’s Robe story.

Making their first Australian appearance in a decade, …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead brought the only international band to the celebration. The six‑piece delivered a barrage of art‑rock anthems and punk‑edged intensity, driven by three guitars and a palpable sense of rebellion. Their set felt like a bridge between eras. It was raw, loud and unapologetically rock‑focused.

Reformed math‑prog pioneers Squat Club followed with a set that felt equal parts cerebral and playful. Stream‑of‑consciousness jams, staccato rhythms and quirky time shifts unfolded as extended conversations between the instruments. It was music that rewarded close listening, and a fitting nod to Bird’s Robe’s experimental roots.

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As headliners, COG carried both the emotional and historical weight of the evening, which they proceeded to rise effortlessly to the occasion. Renowned for their fusion of power, precision and groove, the Sydney trio delivered a commanding set that balanced political urgency, personal reflection and sheer musical muscle. Drawing heavily from their latest release “Walk The Line”, the band showcased a rawer, more fluid, jazz-inflected edge without sacrificing the intensity that has long defined their live shows.

Early in the set, the band paused to acknowledge the tragic events unfolding in their hometown of Bondi Beach, grounding the room in real-world gravity. Launching into “What If”; introduced by Flynn Gower as a song about a better future, they transformed collective grief into shared resolve, with the crowd singing back every word.

From there, momentum built quickly. Elastic bass lines in “The Middle” had the room moving as one, while “Silence Is Violence” delivered crushing low-end weight that seemed to make the ceiling sweat. Tracks like “Run” revealed the band’s increasingly groove-driven confidence, flirting with jazz rhythms while retaining undeniable rock muscle. Throughout the set, Luke Gower was propelling his bass around the stage with seemingly boundless energy, never keeping still for a second. His restless pacing and leaping was the complete embodiment of the band’s restless spirit.

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COG’s connection with the audience was immediate and undeniable. Sing-alongs erupted, fists rose, and the already humid room became a pressure cooker of sound and motion. Closing with a run that spanned long-time favourites “My Enemy” and “Birds of a Feather”, the band affirmed not only their own longevity, but the enduring relevance of the community Bird’s Robe has built.

What lingered long after the final notes wasn’t just volume or creative virtuosity, but connection. This didn’t feel like a label anniversary so much as a room full of people who’ve grown up alongside this music. The artists, promoters and punters all sharing the same air, the same noise, the same history. Fifteen years in, Bird’s Robe isn’t slowing down; it’s loud, curious, and very much alive – and it was a pleasure to be part of it.

COG – Set List

Doors (Now And Then My Life Feels Like It’s Going Nowhere)
Are You Interested?
What If
Paris, Texas
Walk The Line
The Middle
Drawn Together
Silence Is Violence
The Spine
Run
My Enemy
Bird Of Feather

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Check out Rob Mezzatesta’s (@robmezzphoto) full gallery of this event HERE

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Follow BIRD’S ROBE
Website – Instagram – Facebook – Bandcamp

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AMNPLIFY – DB