Project Description

GOOD THINGS FESTIVAL

@ Centennial Parkland NSW

07/12/19

(Live Review)

Reviewer: Laura Hughes

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The heat was already beating down as people lined up early at 11 am. Confusion on when the gates were going to open as people were busting to get in. There was an array of outfits ranging from typical whacky festival shirts to us emo and alternative people dressing in all our glory, ready to mosh to the music that speaks to our souls.

From afar it looked like a weird mix of people clustered together, but we were all here and united for one reason, and that was music. There was a buzz that was hard to ignore, everyone was planning who they were going to see, and how quickly they could run between the five stages.

The one good thing about this year’s venue was that there was going to be more trees than last year, and let me tell you that everyone took advantage of that, because let’s face it last year was too hot to function.

The first band up for me was the band comp winner Teeth. A metal act from Sydney who I first heard of at AM//PM: Emo Night. There was a small crowd surrounding their stage, all eager to hear their first band of the day. There were many fans wearing their merchandise and screaming for them to come on stage. Despite being a small band, they had a fanbase that wasn’t afraid to make a ruckus for them. When they finally walked on stage, everyone went wild, and that’s when you know the day has started. A mix of males and females moshing around the small crowd, throwing themselves in all directions and screaming with excitement. Teeth will quickly become a scene favourite, I can just tell, especially with their creative part of the set where they decided to make the crowd do a crawl of death, yep that’s right a crawl of death; where everyone had to get on their hands and knees and crawl towards each other with force. Make sure to keep an eye out for Teeth, because these guys are going places.

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Next up was probably my most anticipated act of this year’s lineup, Ice Nine Kills; an American metalcore act who has taken on a theatrical horror persona that is just wild to watch, and amazing to listen to. They had a huge crowd, all hyped for their set. They had amazing stage props, with a huge hand holding the infamous IT red balloons and flashing lights. If their stage set up wasn’t impressive enough, then there stage persona and outfits were something that would make you lose your mind. Each member dressed up as a character from a horror movie, as well as having a stage performer/dancer coming in and out of each song dressed up as a victim and performing snippets of horror scenes. It was hectic and amazing to watch, especially the props that the lead singer pulled out each song, whether it was an axe or Freddy Krueger’s claws, which left me wondering how they managed to get all of them through customs at the airport.

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Now here is the part where I get to finally tell you about The Veronica’s set that made instant made waves across Sydney’s news platforms. The Veronica’s being added to this year’s Good Things lineup came as a surprise to everyone, what was a pop duo doing on a rock festival bill? It was strange and unheard of, but their set managed to draw in a big crowd, and everyone was ecstatic to survive the wall of death 2019. They added unclean vocals into their songs, giving them a new kick that sent everyone wild, like who thought that Jess would actually scream? Another surprise was bringing The Used’s Bert Mccracken on stage, now if that didn’t send your emo heart into cardiac arrest then I don’t know what will. It was an incredible set, with fan favourite songs from their earlier albums, as well as managing to fit in two walls of deaths, as well as numerous circle pits that left many wounded (but hey don’t go in the pit if you don’t want to get hit as we say). Their unexpected appearance was a hit and will be a memorable set to all those that watched it.

If there was one set that was under the radar that should have been hyped up more was The Beautiful Monument. A rock outfit hailing from Melbourne who knows how to work the stage and put on a good show. With their set clashing with major international artists such as Simple Plan and Falling in Reverse, I knew that these guys weren’t going to get a lot of people drawn to their set, but those who did let the band know that they were just as loved as those international acts. These girls deserve so much recognition and praise for their music, they are hard-hitting and even one of their songs brought tears to my eyes. This is a band you will want to keep an eye on, they are feisty as well as lovely and down to earth. Watching them lit a fire inside of me, they had so much passion and drive in them towards music, it was inspiring to watch them work the stage and rile up the crowd that they had. I would recommend listening to the album they dropped this year called ‘I’m The Reaper’.

Now if you missed out on seeing the debut Australian performance of supergroup/duo Simple Creatures, then have no fear because I’ve got you covered. Mark Hoppus and Alex Gaskarth slayed their set, with flashing lights and creating dance vibes which counteracted the noise that legends A Day To Remember and Parkway Drive were making. Now finally seeing Mark Hoppus in the flesh was a serial moment for me, and was something I couldn’t pass up and boy was it worth it. Sure the vibe was more chill than what was going on with the rest of the bill, but it was nice to watch the sunset with these two joking around and vibing together on stage.

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Other sets that deserve a mention and appraisal for their performance are Man with a Mission, Violent Soho, Slowly Slowly, Enter Shikari, and the obvious Simple Plan (hello teenage heartbreaking), A Day To Remember (the band that got me through high school and represented my teenage angst to a T), and of course headliners Parkway Drive who will forever remain kings of the metalcore scene in Australia.

But I can’t end this review without thanking all those people who worked hard behind the scenes to make Good Things possible. All the Live Production crew, Managers, Publicists, Promoters, and Event and Tour Managers, Volunteers, and so so many more that I have forgotten to mention, without them this festival wouldn’t be possible, and they deserve just as much recognition as the artists who performed.

Good Things 2019 was a success, and I cannot wait to see what they have waiting for us next year.

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Check out Wezzy Cruze‘s gallery of the Brisbane show here

 

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