Words – Clare
Photography – Mitch / EVERYDAY METAL
The Good Things Festival finally returned! It was back in 2019 in the ‘before time’ that we first attended the alternative music festival Good Things, and we had nothing but good things to say about the experience. For 2 years we all waited patiently for the music industry to get back on it’s feet after those cursed covid years and the wait was oh so worth it. This years line up was choc full of nostalgic goodness from the likes on Millencolin, NOFX and Soulfly coupled with some powerhouse performers such as Gojira, Jinjer and Bring Me The Horizon.
What better way to get pumped for an epic day than to start with Jinjer on the 2nd main stage. This 4 piece groove metal band is one of the hardest working bands on the planet, not only do they tour consistently but they offer an amazing performance. It was really touching to see how much the crowd showed their support of the band by flying the Ukrainian flag throughout the performance.
Millencolin are celebrating 30 years in the punk rock game and commanded a huge crowd, the band played hit after hit and it was amazing to see the fans singing along to every song.
It came as no Surprise the Sabaton brought some serious on stage antics, from their matching guitars and stage clothes to their 02 cannons and pyrotechnics. Sabaton looked like they were seriously enjoying every moment, getting the entire audience to pump their fists in the air as they wailed through guitar solos.
From there we legged it over to Stage 4 to catch Electric Callboy, or at least tried to make it there. The crowd was packed in so tight it was difficult to navigate, but we made it to the front. Electric Callboy came all the way from Germany and were greeted by fans decked out in full costume. We were in a sea of wigs and fake moustaches. Even from the first song the crowd was singing along but things got serious when they played their mega hit HYPA HYPA.
Lacuna Coil have been dropping hits and touring relentlessly since 1994. There was no shortage of their signature gothic metal style with the band dressed in blood soaked white jumpsuits. From the first riff to the last song, the band never faulted and had the audience singing along to every track.
Hailing all the way from France, there is no denying that Gojira are one of the biggest bands in metal today and they looked right at home on the festivals main stage. The audience roared as they played Another World and Silvera, then the band demanded that they open the pit before playing one of their biggest songs ‘Stranded’.
We will never miss an opportunity to watch Soulfly perform live, so it was a brisk walk over to Stage 4. This old school band brought some serious nostalgia with ‘Refuse, Resist’ the 1998 hit ‘Bleed’ and having Dino Cazares on guitar they also treated fans to a rendition of Fear Factory’s ‘Replica’.
Directly after Soulfly came Polaris, who have been selling out headline shows across Australia, so even though this was a smaller stage for the band there was no shortage of energy. Each member the band smiled as they bounced around the stage.
We caught the first half of the Regurgitator set on Stage 3 which acted as a fantastic palate cleanser before the headliner of the day. The mature crowd had a blast bopping up and down to Polyester Girl along with some other classic favourites from The Gurge.
As the sun began to set, it was time for the festival headliner, the genre bending Bring Me The Horizon. The audience was greeted by a huge animated character thanking them for participating in this experience before an explosion of paper hearts showered them before the band launched into ‘Can You Feel My Heart’. Layered with illuminated risers the stage was engulfed in lights and patterns assaulting all your senses. In the brief lulls between tracks you could hear members of the audience professing their love for the band. There was no doubt that Bring Me The Horizon was a solid choice to close out the festival.
A huge thanks goes to Good Things Festival for having us and special thanks goes to the team at Dallas Does PR and Destroy All Lines.
Don’t forget to follow Good Things Festival on social media for future events.
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