What a magnificent day for music. That’s the only way I can start this review. From the main stage opening band of Yours Truly to the headline closers of Tool there was so much to see, so much atmosphere to soak in and the day hosted it all gloriously. Melbourne hasn’t had much of a summer but today was near perfect condition wise mid-twenties weather with a constant breeze, perfect for consuming live music. In a brilliant mix of bands, and styles, there was something there for everyone, it was a live music bonanza.
The appeal of this year’s line up was the pop punk element along with the iconic bands that now have created thirty plus year legacies. The beauty of events like Good Things for me is that you get to see so many artists, bucket list artists all in the one place and this year’s line-up gave me the chance to see so many bands for the first time. So that is where my priorities laid with my selection of bands to shoot and review. Believe me if I could have cloned myself three times over I would have been at every band because face it all bands and live music needs our support in any way shape or form.
One of the bands that excited me to see was unfortunately not to be, that band, All American Rejects. Due to family emergencies, they couldn’t make the tour. Family always comes first and while family trumps everything in life. There will be a next time. The same goes for Knocked Loose who again had to regretfully withdraw at the last moment. My thoughts go out to both bands and whatever they are dealing with.
With my timetable marked out, I set upon the day with catching Yours Truly on stage 1. This pop punk trio from Sydney first caught my attention in 2018 with their “Self Care” album and the 2024 follow up “Toxic” just grew my interest in them. Seeing them live today reassured me that this band is every bit as good live as they are on record. So good to see homegrown talent open up the big stage today.
YOURS TRULY GALLERY
Scene Queen, well this is a band that took me by surprise. There has been quite a bit of hype about this band and frontwoman Hannah Collins, so of course I had to check them out. Their style, well it’s a bit hard to lock into definition, but by Collins’ own labelling bimbocore is probably the best way to describe it.
Part pop, part punk, a little hardcore and a whole lot of female attitude. The songs are certainly catchy, and Collins is a fun watch and Melbourne just lapped them up. Her I hate men stance is great for connection with the female audience, it has a bit of empowerment along with not taking herself too seriously. With a setlist that included songs titled ‘Barbie & Ken’, ‘Pink Rover’, ‘MILF’, ‘Mutual Masturbation’ and ‘18+’ I guess you kind of get the jest of what Scene Queen are all about. I thoroughly enjoyed their set, it’s fun, just as music should be.
SCENE QUEEN GALLERY
Next up is one of the most anticipated bands for me on the Good Things 2025 line up, New Found Glory. This band I discovered via their “Sticks and Stones” record in 2002 when I was in the height of my punk-pop adoration stage. For me the movement they were a part of was so good for the soul, fun, feel good rock guitars, catch as hell choruses and songs full of messages that connected with me. These guys are the real deal and just so much fun. Missing was founding member Chad Gilbert who is currently amid cancer treatment and understandably couldn’t make the trek, however the band pulled in the skill of Cartel’s Will Pugh to cover his parts, and he did this so damn well. NFG played just as I had imagined them live in 2002. Energetic, fun and tight as hell!
Setlist – Understatement, Something I Call Personality, Hit Or Miss, All Downhill From Here, Truth Of My Youth, Head On Collision, 100%, Failure ‘s Not Flattering, Dressed To Kill, Laiugh It Off, Kiss Me, My Friends Over You.
NEW FOUND GLORY GALLERY
Swedish hardcore gods Refused were up next in what is possibly their last Melbourne show ever, and if this is the case what an incredible exiting impression they left us all with. Gritty, hard hitting and super powerful. But the one thing that set Refused aside from every other act I would see today was frontman Dennis Lyxzen.
This man knows how to own a stage, command attention and keep you glued to his performance. He danced, grooved and utilised his microphone and its cable like a yoyo champion sending it in all directions and bringing it back home after some super impressive displays. Lyxzen just draws you in and while I really wanted to catch a couple of songs from Tonight Alive who clashed with the band I was simply sold and sucked in hook line and sinker by this band and their stellar performance.
REFUSED GALLERY
Stand Atlantic the replacements for one of the bands I desperately wanted to see All American Rejects were nothing short of superb. I last saw them on a Stage 3 at Good Things 2023 where they tore the place apart, so I kind of knew what to expect. Stage 1 was the bands playground. They owned every inch of it from guitarist David Potter raising hell across it to bassist Miki Rich with his bounce to the charm and power of frontwoman Bonnie Fraser, Stand Atlantic gave everything they had and got it back in spades from the crowd who simply engaged with this set. The bands cover of the AAR hit “Gives You Hell” was so well delivered and the mass of beach balls delivered by the crew and other bands (yes, I mentioned them) was nothing short of fun. Expect massive things from this band as they certainly stepped up.
STAND ATLANTIC GALLERY
I missed the last couple of Stand Atlantic songs as I made my way to stage 3 to see the might GWAR, a band that needs very little introduction. When it comes to metal being fun, these beasts have it in spades. When you see the crew covering everything in black plastic at the front of the stage, you know this is going to be a fun soaked-bloodbath.
The alien horror-eque performance from these guys is just a blast. With more (fake) blood than a gorefest eighties horror movie the band sprayed their adoring fans while telling the story of this latest adventure. As the band ripped through their set they impaled, lost limbs, ripped faces off and slaughtered Trump. These were just a few of the Ohh-Ahh moments that the fans simply soaked up. GWAR are so much fun and the attention to detail in their set certainly made this one of the performances of the day. Great songs with fun theatrics make for a great time.
GWAR GALLERY
I rushed back to stage 2 where Melbourne’s late call heroes of the day Thornhill and caught the last half of their shortened set. As a band that got the call to play a major set at three hour’s notice they simply dominated. Whatever they brought with them was special. It had all the intensity I have come to expect from them along with some more. While there seemed to be a little chaos about their set (and understandably so) it worked so damn well and the mosh pit was in fine form. The big stage was Thornhills playground today and to deliver a set like that on such short notice demands attention.
The next band I caught was probably the hardest choice of all. The direct clash between Machine Head and Ska-punkers Goldfinger had me completely torn. Machine Head won the toss of the coin today and I am so glad I made the choice.
As a three-piece Machine Head delivered a crushing set that had it all. Those massive riffs, big energy and songs that just make you want to thrash your head were piledriven today. Just when I thought I had seen a show, I saw Machine Head. It had everything, flames, confetti, inflatable hammers and cubes. Rob Flynn’s ability to command and conquer a crowd is something to behold. Bassist Jared MacEachern is an absolute menace on stage; his presence and energy are undeniable.
Flynn was in great voice and spirit taking in what I think was spot of the day, position wise and set of the day when it came to an overall performance. To truly see how a band and their fans feed off each other at this level is insane, what I witnessed was a masterclass. Being able to command the biggest and most intense pit of the day the way they did is just phenomenal. Machine Head I can say without a doubt the next time they tour I will be front and centre and hopefully the absent Reece Scruggs will be back adding his cogs back into the machine.
MACHINE HEAD GALLERY
All Time Low were set to be one of my highlights today again as a fan of new millennium pop punk I was so keen to see these guys live. While they were fun, they seemed a little on the softer side by choosing to play more of their recent material versus the hits and classics. This unfortunately was not a mainstage performance for me today. On Stage 3 or 4 maybe the energy would have translated better but somehow, they fell a little short for me. They just didn’t captivate me.
ALL TIME LOW GALLERY
I headed to Stage 4 intentionally and promptly to catch the tail end of James Reyne’s set on Stage 3. I caught the last two songs, and from what I heard and felt Reyne was in fine form and the Melbourne crowd were lapping him up. How he dealt with a stage that less than an hour GWAR destroyed is inspiring. There was no shortage of Reyne fans as every line to the two songs I caught were sung back with such power. It has me wishing I had of got there a little earlier too.
Texans Kublai Khan Tx were up next on Stage 4. These guys were one of the new bands that I needed to check out, their hardcore roots and the twist they put on it set them up to be one of the bands to see. Unfortunately, I didn’t quite get what I was expecting. The performance lacked something for me, what I can’t put my finger on, but they failed to engage me and grab me as I hoped they would. The packed in crowd however was buying what these guys were selling by the ton. I obviously missed something here.
Kublai Khan TX Gallery
When asked by an attendee who I was excited to see I reeled off my list of pop-punk bands, headliners Tool, Refused and Machine Head along with Garbage. As a fan of great songs, I’m also a fan of the masterminds behind music and for me there is no bigger mastermind in the mid-nineties and mid two thousands than Butch Vig. His ability to pull out the magic that Nirvana had beneath the surface and then flex his talents on a band like Garbage who sonically blended old power with new technology certainly sat him as a visionary. It’s taken thirty years to get to this point where I would finally see Garbage with all original members is somewhat of a dream. Those first two Garbage records are simply sublime in my opinion.
Live the band are flawless, the soundscape that deliver is clearly technology being utilised to its highest capabilities. From the way guitars covered synth parts to the pure and clean delivery of the way the band sounds is incredible. Shirley Manson is one of those front women I had always admired. A little fiery, a little opinionated and outspoken, but above all always came across as classy. All these things she tested today. By now the world knows of Manson’s wrath and undeniable dislike of beachballs so it’s not worth even bringing up. What I will focus on is the performance and what a performance it was. The band sounded incredible, Manson’s voice is a strong as ever as they worked their way through an hour long set of old and new material. It was as if I was back in 1995 in an instant. While the position of the sun stole the thunder from the screen visuals and rendered them ineffective you got to soak in the music, which after all is what I was here for. Manson’s initial snarkiness I thought was a part of the performance, that character they become once they hit the stage. Her diva Esque presence has its charm and engagement leaving you wondering what would come next. How much performance vinegar and piss would we be copping was unknown. Prowling the stage Manson had moments where that exterior slipped away and her smile slipped through with a dash of attitude all the while delivering the words and melodies to these incredible songs. The hits were the winners of the day as people bounced and sang, just the way a rock show should.
Political stances I can handle, but what Manson said and how she addressed a male in the crowd that paid to be there, supporting her and the band in a time where bands need every bit of support they can get, spat in the face of us all and in an instant that vibe was robbed from all of us. The meaningful and beautiful words for Michael Gudinski and his passion for the band were instantly null and void. Unfortunately, this incident overshadowed the whole set and I do hope I get to see the band again without something like this occurring so I can soak in the experience of seeing one of my favourite female fronted rock bands absolutely shine.
GARBAGE GALLERY
Weezer were up next and this is a band that just knows how to write killer pop infused alternative rock songs. The hits are insane and the musicianship in the band is exquisite.
But visually the band are about as enticing as sweat soaked socks, I guess maybe I had hoped for some of that quirky fun that the music oozes from the performance. Frontman Rivers Como is unique; his talent is obscene and undeniable. With the sun now directly beating on Stage 2 all visuals and production values seem to have been lost. While this might sound negative, it’s not. The energy coming from the crowd, the interaction through singing back to the stage and the songs and performance were immaculate.
WEEZER GALLERY
I quickly exited Weezer for a few songs to catch Make Them Suffer on Stage 4 who despite some technical stage production issues were amazing. The energy this band gives is incredible and the fans simply lapped it up. I only caught two songs but man I wish I could have stayed for more. From flames to smoke what I saw of this set was explosive from the moment they took to the stage.
MAKE THEM SUFFER GALLERY
Tool are undoubtedly the drawcard today as it seemed like all of Melbourne moved towards Stage 1 for the main event. It’s quite surreal to think that it’s not quite dark yet. The sun is still setting, and the glow of dusk created a unique effect on the stage. It would be a rare moment these days to see Tool perform in natural daylight as their show is obviously geared to a dark environment. The band take the stage one by one. Maynard joins Danny Carey upon the drum riser where he stays for the entire show. The natural light illuminates Maynard in his position as the band launches into ‘Stinkfist’. In his play area Maynard prowls the stage glaring and glancing into the crowd who are simply losing their minds. Adam Jones and his guitar tone and playing are sublime, Justin Chancellor locks in and delivers a dynamic hybrid between Carey & Jones creating that musical soundscape that is uniquely Tools.
The production peeks its way through the dying daylight and eventually makes its full impact within fifteen minutes. Lasers, video screens and incredible lighting design takes the whole sonic experience to another level. Tool are the masters of creating a hypnotising, captivating atmosphere even in a festival setting. There is something to be said about feeling like the band are playing for and to you directly, Tool does this perfectly.
Tonight, this is my first Tool live experience, and I can’t help but feel completely consumed by them. The setlist is diverse with everything from deep cuts like ‘H.’ and ‘Crawl Away’ to the singles and fan favourites. All five records from the catalogue were represented. While it’s a festival set and a shortened setlist it’s pretty on point for the experience of the show.
Watching from the crowd it was however a little disappointing that the side of stage video screens became extensions of the graphic experience of the screens and didn’t allow us to really basque in the brilliance of the performing band. The darker the evening became the more the band and in particular Maynard became a part of the stage, which made that initial fifteen moments feel even more special and rare. Sonically live Tool is impeccable, perfect and dynamic. It’s a show and not a set so to speak.
Without a doubt Tool earned their spot and the Good Things headliner, their set was different from the others on show today due to the visual performance. Energy wise they didn’t exude much or whip the crowd into a frenzy as others did today. For a closing set in the context of the day it was nothing shorty of the perfect end to a fun day.
TOOL GALLERY
In wrapping it up Good Things 2025 my highlights were sets from Machine Head, GWAR, New Found Glory, Refused, Make Them Suffer, Stand Atlantic and Tool.
While my regrets were missing out on Dead Poets Society, Goldfinger, Palaye Royal and Lorna Shore. It must be difficult coordinating timetables for five stages, but I just wish that there weren’t direct timetable conflicts.
In short Good Things 2025 was a blast, it’s always a fun day and I can’t wait to see what Good Things 2026 will have in store for us all. To the cast and crew behind Good Things, the volunteers, the security thank you so much for making this event so amazing.
