When Electric Callboy announced their return to Australia, this was one of those shows I knew I had to experience. The taste we got at Good Things 2024 had left me wanting more. That was my first real exposure to the band, and what an impression they left. I wanted that energy, that ridiculous sense of fun and, most importantly, that feeling of walking away from a show with a massive smile on my face.
Adding Ice Nine Kills to the bill only made things more interesting. Their theatrical horror-metal concept has built a devoted following, but having never experienced them live, I was intrigued to see how that spectacle would translate to an arena.
Before either, though, came the biggest surprise of the night: Japan’s Coldrain. It’s a pity a band with this much talent performed while more than half the arena was still making its way inside. From the opening moments of “Ex-Humanity”, Coldrain demanded attention. There was no pretence, just genuine energy and five musicians playing like everything depended on these few precious minutes.
With almost two decades behind them, Coldrain should be much bigger internationally. They possess the youth, hunger and intent of a band with something still to prove, and tonight they proved plenty. “Freefall” and “Mayday” loosened things up as the band fed from the growing energy of the crowd. Frontman Masato Hayakawa is an extraordinary vocalist, effortlessly moving from a superb clean melodic voice to moments of guttural destruction.
“Rabbit Hole” hit particularly hard, its chugging riff seemingly flipping a switch across the floor before its almost perfect pop pre-chorus and chorus demonstrated exactly why Coldrain are such an exciting hybrid of modern metal. “Cut Me” brought a huge groove, while the gentle introduction to “Vengeance” became the calm before another storm. By now subtle head nodding had transformed into bodies moving and circle pits erupting.
Sadly, time is never on the side of an opening act. “Chasing Shadows” provided one final chaotic blast before Coldrain disappeared. This is how bands win fans. No massive production. No gimmicks. Just songs, performance, energy and sincere commitment. Coldrain are unquestionably one of my favourite live discoveries of the year.
Setlist : Ex-Humanity, Free Fall, Mayday, Rabbit Hole, Cut Me, Vengeance, Chasing Shadows
Then came Ice Nine Kills.
The band has built something genuinely impressive around its horror obsession. The videos are fantastic, the catalogue is strong and musically they were flawless tonight. But despite all that, something simply didn’t connect with me.
I love theatrical rock. Alice Cooper is my theatrical hero. KISS were my gods, while Slipknot and Rob Zombie have demonstrated how spectacle can elevate music into something much larger. I grew up believing theatrics should bring drama, danger and excitement to a performance.
Tonight, Ice Nine Kills felt like they were trying too hard to manufacture it. To be fair, this was obviously a modified production. Sharing an arena stage places limitations on what can be achieved, particularly when your full concept involves horror, blood and gore. But rather than enhance the music, the additional cast and props sometimes distracted from just how good this band is.
Performance-wise, Ice Nine Kills are excellent. Their musicianship is outstanding and their ability to connect with their fans is undeniable. Watching the crowd lose their minds and seeing the broad range of ages embracing what they do was testament to that. Visually, however, I wanted Alice Cooper meets GWAR and ended up getting High School Musical.
Harsh? Maybe. But that was my experience tonight. I would genuinely like to see Ice Nine Kills again with their complete headline production, because I suspect that would be an entirely different experience.
Setlist : The American Nightmare, Meat & Greet, Funeral Derangement’s, The Laugh Track, Welcome To Horrorwood, Hip To Be Scared, Twisting The Knife, Play Dead, A Work Of Art
Then it was time for Electric Callboy.
From the moment the Tanzneid curtain dropped, electricity ran through Rod Laver Arena. Before a note had even been played you could feel anticipation washing over the room. There was that smile again.
Opening with “Tanzneid”, we were immediately thrown headfirst into the Electric Callboy universe. Pyro, smoke cannons, confetti — everything exploded at once, but underneath all the production was a band delivering an incredible amount of energy. Electric Callboy combine elements that logically shouldn’t coexist. Pop, techno, metalcore, deathcore and pure absurdity somehow come together seamlessly.
Tonight’s set leaned heavily on Tanzneid, with eight tracks from the album appearing, yet the set never felt unbalanced. “Tekkno Train” was simply enormous, its collision of dance music and aggressive modern metal encapsulating everything this band does brilliantly. A surprise cover of Sum 41’s “Still Waiting” also felt particularly appropriate with former Sum 41 drummer Zummo now permanently behind the Electric Callboy kit. His contribution tonight was immense. Kevin Ratajczak and Nico Sallach command an arena in a remarkably personal way. Kids, parents and hardcore metal fans were united in one gigantic party. Regardless of where you were sitting or standing, you felt part of it.
The production was enormous, but unlike my experience with Ice Nine Kills, every theatrical element seemed to serve a purpose. Costume changes, screen visuals, puffer jackets, mirror-ball helmets and the continuing adventures of their Robot character all contributed to the madness rather than distracting from it. Even Frank Zummo’s drum solo became something memorable. Drum solos can be the moment everyone disappears for a drink, but Zummo battling Robot in a drum-off was clever, concise and entertaining.
Then came another moment demonstrating just how few boundaries this band recognises. Dressed in white puffer jackets and joking about always wanting to be a boy band, they launched into Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” before seamlessly moving into “The Way You Are”. I’m still puzzled by how undeniable pop can transform into crushing deathcore without feeling forced, but Electric Callboy make those worlds collide brilliantly.
“Elevator Operator” closed the main set amid absolute chaos. Crowd surfers streamed towards the barrier while circle pits, walls of death and thousands of bouncing bodies made it difficult to decide where to look. Credit must go to arena security, who handled the relentless flow of crowd surfers superbly.
After the inevitable encore call; including a spontaneous arena singalong of “Hey Baby (Uhh Ahh)” the band returned to the stage. The band are challenged by the crowd to do what is now almost compulsory a shoey.
“Ratatata”, with BABYMETAL appearing cleverly through the video production, started the final assault before “Spaceman” sent the arena into another frenzy. Then came “We Got The Moves”. It was an adrenaline shot straight into Rod Laver Arena. Everything intensified. The crowd surfers multiplied, the floor erupted and Electric Callboy threw absolutely everything they had left into those final minutes. There are concerts you watch and concerts you become part of. This was the latter.
Electric Callboy have somehow created a space where metalheads, dance fans, kids, parents and people who simply want to have fun can lose themselves together for a couple of hours. Yes, there are pyro, costumes, confetti and ridiculous amounts of production. But underneath everything is a genuinely great live band that understands the most fundamental purpose of a rock show. Make people feel something. Tonight, they made an entire arena smile.
If you can catch one of the remaining shows on this tour, make it happen. You won’t regret it.
With thanks to Janine from Dallas Does PR & to Destroy All Lines for the media access.
Photos by Shot by Slaidins Photography