Project Description
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BAD OMENS
+ House Of Protection
+ Poppy
@ Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
28th January, 2025
(Live Review)
Review by Amelia Torresan
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Last night at the Bad Omens show in Sydney was proof that rain cannot keep a good fan away from seeing a band they love perform. The wild weather was only a mere teaser for the intensity the night was to bring, with artists jumping into mosh pits as they performed and cannons for all kinds of things including confetti and fire exploding above the crowd. The crowd matched and then doubled the energy that House of Protection, Poppy and Bad Omens display, resulting in a mutual understanding and gratitude that worked both ways.
House of Protection were the first band of the night, literally bounding out as they took their places, eager to perform. The duo, consisting of ex-Fever333 guitarist and drummer Stephen Harrison and Aric Improta started their set off heavy and strong with their track ‘Pulling Teeth,’ followed closely by ‘Learn to Forget’ during which he jumped into the centre of the mosh and performed. His infectious and energetic nature only amplified among the crowd as they all danced and moshed alongside him. House of Protection boasts a heavy grunge and anarchist sound, as if you mixed Rage Against the Machine with bands like Polaris, Make Them Suffer and Alpha Wolf. Their presence onstage is intense and chaotic to the untrained eye, but it’s clear that both Stephen and Aric are in their own little bubble, losing themselves in the music they create and perform. After a few more songs, including an unreleased track ‘Fire’ which they absolutely need to release ASAP, their set came to a bittersweet ending as they played the first ever song they wrote ‘It’s Supposed to Hurt.’ It’s not easy being the first act on stage, but House of Protection made it seem like performing was second nature, showcasing their captivating potential of being a headlining act in the future.
“Hi! I’m Poppy!”
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Eclectic viral YouTube sensation turned incredible musician, Poppy was next. Kicking things off with ‘Have You Had Enough?’ her sweet vocals and intense screaming created a striking contrast between themselves and the instrumental. The grungy, distorted guitar blended well with the light, high-pitched vocals, setting the tone for a unique sound. ‘Sit/Stay’ effortlessly fused metal and electronic elements, creating a vibe I’d personally compare to the tattoo style ‘cyber sigilism’ whilst Poppy’s overall image was reminiscent of the main character from the classic horror film Orphan, in which the protagonist appears sweet and innocent on the outside but is deceptively dark and sinister inside. ‘They’re All Around Us’ was incredibly heavy, while the song that followed ‘Anything Like Me’ had a childlike melody with a mocking vibe. ‘Crystallised’ stood out with its eerie atmosphere, easily becoming one of my favourite tracks of her set. I would suggest Poppy’s music to fans of BABYMETAL, especially after listening to her song ‘I Disagree’, which not only showcased her Japanese language skills, but had that same contrast of sweet feminine vocals over a heavy instrumental. During the second-last song ‘Bite Your Teeth’, Poppy taunted the crowd, asking if they knew what a mosh pit was, and egged them on to run around faster and faster as a carousel-like intro that also sped up. Her screams were haunting, in the best way possible, as she was preparing for her big finale. The set closed with one of her biggest hits, ‘No Way Out’ which had left the crowd on such a high, energised and ready for Bad Omens.
Bad Omens delivered a truly unforgettable performance, starting with an air of mystery as the band members emerged one by one, hooded and masked, for the song “Concrete Jungle,” with a concrete cityscape backdrop that perfectly echoed the song’s title. The show’s intensity was amped up with flame cannons and explosive energy, especially during “Artificial Suicide,” where the heavy, distorted guitar riff and driving beat—reminiscent of Down with the Sickness by Disturbed—ramped up the chaos. Poppy’s whimsical, delicate vocals on “V.A.N” provided a contrast, showcasing the band’s range with light, graceful moves. But the moment the first percussive beat of “The Drain” hit, it felt like an electric shock to the heart—marking the point where the energy skyrocketed. Lead singer Noah Sebastian’s live vocals stood up to their recorded versions with ease, pulling the crowd deeper into their trance-like pull, especially during the hypnotic “What Do You Want From Me?” with its green, Matrix-esque visuals.
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As the set progressed, the band performed tracks like ‘What It Cost’ and ‘Like a Villain’, each song building momentum with confetti cannons and crowd sing-alongs. The visuals aligned perfectly with the messages of each song, creating a fully immersive experience. After a quick chat revealing that this was their biggest headline tour to date, Bad Omens launched into “Take Me First.” Before performing “IDWT$,” Bad Omens cleverly inserted snippets from radio stations alongside their visuals, including one dissing them as “mid” and their album as “sucked”—a bold move that energized the crowd even more. When they performed “Glass Houses,” their first ever song which was released 10 years ago, the Stranger Things-inspired font and imagery hit just right, adding nostalgia to the night. “The Grey” showed off the theatrical side of their music, with its cinematic crescendos fitting for a movie soundtrack. The crowd’s excitement reached a fever pitch during “Death of Peace of Mind,” especially when the long intro led into the echoing tones of the actual song. The acoustic version of “Just Pretend” felt like a beautiful, healing moment, intimate and raw, shared between the band and the audience, as if the world outside the venue didn’t exist. The encore of their track “Dethrone” was an absolute spectacle, with the crowd chanting the song name in unison before the first notes of the song echoed through the hall and the circle pit was easily the largest and most intense of the night. It was the perfect, heavy send-off for a show that deserved nothing less than the biggest and most powerful conclusion.
Bad Omens’ presence and performance were perfectly accompanied by their opening acts, House of Protection and Poppy, and together they created an unforgettable night that left the crowd absolutely buzzing and on a high. Their setlist showcased their musical versatility, playing a variety of tracks from their discography and saving their best ones for the end. The hall being literally packed wall-to-wall is a testament to their impact in the music scene and on their fans. Bad Omens are a force to be reckoned with in the alternative metal scene!
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About BAD OMENS
Bad Omens slither through boundaries, only to ultimately choke convention in the process. The quartet—Noah Sebastian [vocals], Joakim “Jolly” Karlsson [guitar], Nick Ruffilo [bass], and Nick Folio [drums]—materialize with ghostly atmospherics, striking hooks, and the tingles of sensual high-register harmonies uplifted by cinematic production. Racking up over 1.9 billion worldwide streams to-date and earning widespread acclaim, the band presented an uncompromising and undeniable vision on their third full-length album, THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND [Sumerian Records].
FOLLOW BAD OMENS
Website – Facebook – Instagram – X – YouTube – TikTok – Spotify – Apple
About POPPY
An insatiably inventive drive has fueled Poppy’s surrealistic rise through countless corners of the arts and music worlds, with each of her many projects so far revealing a different glimpse of a true visionary unconcerned with genre, unimpressed by convention, and forever defying expectations. It’s that eclecticism that has cemented Poppy’s reputation as a boundary-obliterating artist redefining culture as we know it, at every turn.
From performance art provocateur, to video director, to sci-fi graphic novel author, to a globe-traveling recording artist whose songbook encompasses anything from brutal metal breakdowns and snappy ‘60s bubblegum, to trap-pop and grunge-punk, absolutely nothing has been off-limits when it comes to Poppy masterfully executing her varied artistic vision. Her 2021 GRAMMY nod for Best Metal Performance (“BLOODMONEY”) marked the first time a solo female artist had ever been nominated in the category. Her staggeringly chameleon-like adaptability has kept fans guessing what’s next every step of the way. And yet, each impressive and feverishly ambitious pivot manages to sound uniquely, and singularly “Poppy”.
Poppy’s 2024 has been one of her most memorable years yet, between touring with 30 Second to Mars and Avenged Sevenfold, and releasing smash collaborative singles with the likes of Bad Omens (“V.A.N.”) and Knocked Loose (“Suffocate”). It only gets better, with the solo artist now vaulting deep into her next daring era with the release of her fifth multi-versal full-length, Negative Spaces.
Follow POPPY
Website – Facebook – Instagram – YouTube – TikTok – Spotify – Apple
About HOUSE OF PROTECTION
House of Protection, the new venture from Stephen Harrison and Aric Improta, serves as a sanctuary for those who surrender to impulse. Abandoning any regard for tradition and form, they followed a feeling and unearthed a sound that sees them push their limits further than ever before. Bridging the not-so-disparate worlds of hardcore, electronica, and punk, they forged a space for boundless creativity and a community fuelled by chaos.
Between their shared experience with Fever 333, Aric’s ongoing work with experimental rock group Night Verses, and Steve’s turn as guitarist for iconic post-hardcore band The Chariot, the pair are renowned in the world of heavy music for never being afraid of extremes. House of Protection is a continuation of that unabashed self-expression, bottled into a snarling vessel of anger, uncertainty, joy, and creativity.
Inspired by the likes of The Smashing Pumpkins, The Prodigy, Alice Glass, Massive Attack, Cocteau Twins and Sleigh Bells, the pair were drawn to bands that invented their own way to bring a certain energy to the stage.
Teaming up with close friends Nick DePirro (Night Verses) and Jordan Fish (Bring Me The Horizon), they created the sprawling, urgent debut single ‘It’s Supposed To Hurt.’ House of Protection thrive in the margins of unpredictability, where anything goes and all are invited.
Follow HOUSE OF PROTECTION
Website – Facebook – Instagram – X – YouTube – TikTok – Spotify – Apple
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About Live Nation Entertainment
Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world’s leading live entertainment company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts, and Live Nation Media & Sponsorship. For additional information, visit livenationentertainment.com.
Press Release 25th October 2024 (below) HERE
BAD OMENS
announce new shows
on their
‘GOODBYE, FRIEND’
Australian Tour
due to phenomenal demand
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