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GOOD THINGS FESTIVAL
@ RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane
8th December 2024
(Live Review)

Review and photos by Tam Schilling (@tamcamimages_)

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KORN / Photo – @tamcamimages_

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Another December rolls around which can only mean one thing, all the music lovers are looking forward to their most favourite music festival of the year, Good Things Festival.

Good Things Festival has a great variety of live music from Pop Punk, to Pop, to 80’s to Alternative and also over to Heavy Metal. This is not just a festival for one genre of music, but more a festival for music lovers to gather and forget the worries of normal life for one day whilst they all gather in this festival for the same reason, their love of music.

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LOATHE / Photo – @tamcamimages_

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COSMICA / Photo – @tamcamimages_

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Arriving into the Brisbane Showgrounds today already knowing today is going to be a warm day, I arrived at the venue early and to my surprise the gates had opened early which was a delight as it meant no standing in a long line in this horrible heat, so that to start of the day was a win! Thank you festival organisers!

Now, the main reason I was at this festival was to not only see, but also get the opportunity to photograph a band that I grew up on and have been following for 30 years, KORN! However, there was a lot to see and do before getting to the main act!

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BOWLING FOR SOUP / Photo – @tamcamimages_

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AVIVA / Photo – @tamcamimages_

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Starting the day off with checking out Aviva, Loathe and Cosmica before heading over for one of the first bands I was excited to see, Bowling For Soup. Bowling For Soup are a fun pop punk band that everyone loves kicking off their set with “Almost”, “High School Never Ends” and “Ohio” before Jarret Reddkick announces to the crowd “I’m a bit under the weather today, but we had to play because we didn’t want to be another pop punk band that has to pull out of the show” after Sum 41 had to pull out due to the singer Deryk getting pneumonia. Jarret noticed these two young boys on the barrier wearing banana outfits to which he made up a song about them “The banana song”. Towards the end of the set Jarret asks for “Austen from the crowd, Austen who sent me an instagram message about 10 minutes before our set started, are you here Austen?” To which one young excited guy says he is Austen and he gets taken up onto stage to play guitar for the final song “1985”. That would have made Austen’s whole day! 

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THE LIVING END / Photo – @tamcamimages_

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Next up is an iconic Aussie punk band, The Living End. Now, I was quite excited to see these boys on this bill as you can never have enough support for your homegrown acts. These boys always put on a fantastic show kicking it with all your favourites “Second Solution” “All Torn Down” & finishing off with of course “Prisoner Of Society”. Chris Cheney did mention once he got off stage he was going to get up to some very bad things, I am left wondering what he actually went and did! 

I also caught a bit of Mastodon, L7, Aussie rockers Jet before heading over to catch The Gaslight Anthem. Now, I personally haven’t listened to this band before, but I thought I would check them out. As the boys came out on stage the singer Brian Fallon looked down at my in the photo pit and asked my if I was ok, he also did this to the other photographers. Now, this may have been nothing to him, but that small gesture went a damn long way. The heat was brutal and us photographers had been running around like crazy to cover as many acts as we could so clearly we were all red faced due to the crazy heat, so for him to notice us and check that we were ok was a moment for me. Thank you Brian! The Gaslight Anthem started playing and it was clear, these boys were here to have a good time. I thoroughly enjoyed their set, thanks boys I will have to add you to my Spotify playlist now! 

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L7 / Photo – @tamcamimages_

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KERRY KING / Photo – @tamcamimages_

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Now, to warm up for Korn I had only one choice and that was to check out Kerry King’s new band! If any members of Slayer were at this festival I had to check it out. Kerry King has come over with his new band and his recently released album “From Hell I Rise” showing us what his album is all about. Delivering us a pure gold thrash metal set. 

Meanwhile, I make my way back over to the main stage to prepare for Korn whilst Electric Callboy had already started their set. Damn, those boys know how to pull a crowd! The entire showgrounds in front of the main Stages 1 & 2 was completely packed! Electric Callboy have become very popular over the past few years with them playing an earlier time slot on a previous Good Things Festival to now being the second main Headline. Electric Callboy most definitely bring out the fun in people setting off pyro and Glitter to the crowd! 

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NORTHLANE / Photo – @tamcamimages_

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KORN / Photo – @tamcamimages_

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Now the crowd is most definitely warmed up for the main act, with a storm literally brewing we were all wondering if KORN were bringing the storm. I personally haven’t seen Korn since 2014, so ten years is quite some time to be waiting for another dose of this goodness. Korn is a band that I spent a lot of my younger years listening to and still listen to, to this day. Korn brings back a lot of memories for me and I would imagine most of the crowd here tonight. They take you back to a time when you were young, however there are also a lot of youngsters here tonight waiting to see Korn for the very first time, boy are they are in for a treat.

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KORN / Photo – @tamcamimages_

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It’s Korn time people! Jonathan Davis hits the stage opening with “Here to Stay” before kicking into “Dead Bodies Everywhere”. Damn, Korn, you guys still freaking have it! On fire! Focusing heavily on their older catalogue tonight we got treated to all the fan favourites like “A.D.I.D.A.S”, “Good God” “Blind” and “Ya’ll Want a Single” before walking off stage with words displayed on the stage to get the crowd to encourage them to come back on stage like “ARE YOU READY” “LOUDER”. Of course Korn weren’t done just yet, they were on fire tonight and had the entire showgrounds eating out of the palm of their hand after delivering such an old skool set list. Korn hit the stage to finish their set with three more fan favourites “Falling Away From Me”, “Oildale” and of course the final song of the night, “Freak on a Leash”. Damn, Korn really showed that Nu Metal is still in fact a very current genre. There was not a disappointed punter in the showgrounds tonight after that set! Please come back again soon! 

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KORN / Photo – @tamcamimages_

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Lastly, for me, getting the opportunity to photograph such a band that means so much to me, KORN, you took me through my teenage years and you were a huge part of who I have become today as a person. Standing in front of the stage awaiting to photograph a band that means so much to me, was a surreal moment. A moment of pure joy. I am not just a photographer but also a music lover.

I would have loved to have seen so many other bands on the bill, however there is just one of me, if only I could be in two places at once.

To the organisers of Good Things Festival, you delivered well this year and I can not wait to see what you have planned for 2025, can you just request the weather be a bit cooler please?! Ha ha . 

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KORN / Photo – @tamcamimages_

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Check out Tam Schilling’s (@tamcamimages_) full gallery of this event HERE

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KORN / Photo – @tamcamimages_

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Follow GOOD THINGS FESTIVAL
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311 / Photo – @tamcamimages_

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Press Release 28th November 2024 (below) HERE

Have we gone mad?… GOOD THINGS FESTIVAL kicks off next week!

ALEX LAHEY
joins GOOD THINGS
2024 lineup

Battle of the Bands winners
& Local Acts announced

Maps & Timetables are here

STAGE 666 RETURNS WITH CIRCUS PERFORMERS,
KILL YOUR POP STARS LIVE KARAOKE BAND & MORE

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH REGULAR ALL THE GOOD THINGS & GOOD THINGS BRINGS EPISODES

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AMNPLIFY – DB