Good Things Festival Melbourne @Flemington Racecourse- Friday December 2nd 2022
Photos & review by: Brittany Long
As more than 30,000 eager festival-goers flocked to Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne delivered a picture-perfect, warm sunny day to mark the long awaited return of Melbourne’s favourite Good Things Festival.
Fronted by lead vocalist Tatiana Shmailyuk Ukrainian metalcore four-piece Jinjer kicked off the day’s proceedings for me on stage two. After a mad dash to get there in time, I was immediately impressed by Shmailyuk’s powerful vocal ability, with her deep growls alongside her stage presence. She worked the stage like a pro, jumping and thrashing her hair around, an act which the crowd returned. The band treated fans to “Perennial” and several other tracks from their impressive back catalogue, with Shmailyuk also taking the time to acknowledge and thank Australians for their ongoing support of Ukraine. A barrage of crowd surfers flying over the barrier truly marked the momentous occasion that was Good Thing’s return.
Next up for me, and thankfully right next door over on stage one was Swedish punk rockers Millencolin. The band who celebrated their 30 year anniversary this year delivered a carefully selected set-list of hits which spanned their impressive discography. Opening with track “Kemp” from their 2002 album Home From Home, there was a defined focus on treating fans to several classics from their esteemed 2000 “Pennybridge Pioneers” album including “Fox”, “Duckpond”, “Penguins & Polarbears”, and closing with iconic “No Cigar”. Of course “SOS” from their most recent 2019 album “SOS” was a worthy inclusion to the setlist. Despite being a punk band the set also featured defined elements of rock and roll, and the crowd loved them.
A last minute decision to stay around stages one and two saw me rewarded. Although a band I personally was unfamiliar with, the crowd certainly knew exactly who they were, with a last-minute hoard of people flooding to the stage and a thunderous chanting for Sabaton even before the band took to the stage. Dressed in Swedish War Machine emblazoned jackets they established themself as exactly that, a machine! Notable for their powerful music written about historical events, they delivered a real warrior vibe, with attire to match the events they were singing about, right down to their uniform camo-clad instruments, pants and the details of their barbed-wire wrapped machine-gun mic-stands with battle helmets and hanging army dog tag necklaces. Lead singer Joakim Broden even had little pieces of artificial barbed-wire tied to his in-ear monitors chain. The Swedish heavy metal band were fierce, easily proving their place on the lineup and are one band I definitely look forward to seeing more from. Their set also featured pyro which took the show to new temperatures, literally.
On a friend’s recommendation and choosing to make the trek over to the other side of the festival grounds to stage four for Electric Callboy, I was not disappointed. Opening with “Pump It” and the notion of ‘feeling it day and night’ was exactly what we wanted. Before jumping straight into “Arrow of Love” they delighted festival-goers with their at times poppy, always catchy, energetic and fun metalcore set. Adorning wigs and coloured retro tracksuits they also brought the dance vibe and I noticed plenty of fans sporting a similar inspired festival attire. Several band members also sported their own ‘pump it’ band merch sweatbands. The band’s live show was truly electric and they definitely lived up to their name. For some reason the band’s live show reminded me of a zumba class, but of course with much heavier music. I can confirm they definitely gained a new fan and I only wish I could have stayed longer to enjoy more of their set.
But I had heard great things about One Ok Rock so it was a mad dash back to stage one. Opening with “Save Yourself”, a track I since have had on repeat, the Japanese rockers were a crowd favourite and they definitely exceeded expectations with their high energy set. Featuring an array of tracks from their 2017 album “Ambitions” and newer work from 2022 album “Luxury Disease” including newest single release “Wonder” which even featured a cute choreographed dance routine. They also treated fans to “Taking Off” which saw frontman Takahiro Moriuchi literally ‘taking off’ and leaping into the air. Unfortunately the timing of their set meant I regretfully had to cut my time short after three songs, however they were a more than worthy addition to the stellar lineup and someone I will definitely endeavour to go and see in the future.
Venturing all the way out to the other side of the festival across to stage 5 in anticipation for my favourites, Aussie nu metal band Ocean Grove, truly a trek and a half, I did not think after 2019 that stage 5 could possibly get any further, however I was very, very wrong. After arriving in a sweaty mess I was disappointed when unfortunately the band were running behind and I regretfully made the call to leave and dash back off to stage two in order to catch The Amity Affliction, a decision I unfortunately immediately regretted. Due to never having seen them before The Amity Affliction was one of my must-sees of the day, the size of the crowd definitely proved them as a crowd favourite. Their set featured an array of tracks including “All My Friends Are Dead”, “Chasing Ghosts”, “Drag the Lake” and “Soak Me in Bleach”. delivering clean vocals however I found their set was honestly disappointing and lacked energy.
On special request I waited nearby for Gojira on stage one. The French band delivered a tight performance with intense energy, accompanied with CO2 blasts. I would have loved to have gotten over to see the Nova twins however it was logistically not possible, such is the endless battle of making the decision and ultimately choosing who not to see at a festival.
I Ventured back over to stage three for Sleeping With Sirens, and for what I decided would be my last time over that side of the festival. The American band that had soundtracked the youth for many ‘emos’ in the crowd was a hit, treating fans to tracks including “Crosses” from their newest album ‘Complete Collapse’ as well as several classic older tracks spanning their discography. They delivered a high energy set with several band members unable to keep still and constantly jumping all over the stage, in the air and interacting with the crowd.
Shrouded in mystery and clothed in anonymity “This is Serious Mum" (TISM) returned to the stage after a nearly two-decade long hiatus, clad head to toe in shiny silver costumes also incorporating their signature balaclava look. Right from the start, there was nothing serious about TISM. By far a highlight of the entire festival, I didn’t know what to expect, nor where to look, and when they revealed themselves onstage each attached to giant inflatable silver balloons they truly delivered a unique live show like no other I’ve ever seen before. There were catchy songs about tradies, face defecation “Defecate On My Face”, stop signs “Greg! The Stop Sign!!”, sex “Everyone Else Has Had More Sex Than Me” and all array of things, with notable inclusions of crowd favourite (He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River about the ‘drug that killed River Phoenix’. TISM also boasted an impressive stage setup, complete with cement mixer and construction crew, and at one point even used tennis rackets to hit tennis balls into the crowd. These created tradie made TISN letters were later thrown into the crowd where they became the perfect platforms for crowd surfers. Props to the band members for enduring those costumes too, with the radiating sun and heat they must have been melting! Definitely a set that will go down as the most bizarre I’ve ever seen.
From the moment NOFX entered the stage they delivered sass, cheeky comedy and non-stop banter, at times with what can only be described as crass humour. From the outset the American punk rockers declared themselves as ‘the best band at the festival’, quickly drawing attention to their receding hairlines and the fact they were ‘also the oldest’. Their set was fun and featured a large variety of hits spanning their illustrious nearly four-decade long history. Including “Don’t Call Me White”, “Reeko”, “Murder the Government” and “Six Years on Dope”. The band still features an all original lineup, an impressive fact of its own. They also treated fans to several live tracks which hadn’t been played live in several years including “Fleas”, “The Cause”, “Happy Guy” and “Punk Guy”. Frontman Mike Burkett dubbed Fat Mike wore a greenish/blue striped dress that was colour coordinated to his hair and it didn’t take long for him to get his nipples out too. Although Burkett prepared the crowd for ‘more songs nobody cares about’ and ‘disappointment’ the crowd was definitely far from disappointed and there were many in attendance who did in fact care and loved the band. Notably, earlier this year the band revealed plans to disband in the very near future so I’m glad I took the opportunity to experience them in all their glory.
Alt metal veterans Deftones were a major drawcard on the jam-packed festival bill and rightly so. Opening with “Genesis”, they provided the perfect soundtrack as the sun began to set. Treating festival goers and fans to a setlist packed with crowd favourites, including “Diamond Eyes”,“My Own Summer”, “Be Quiet and Drive”, “Sextape” and “Rocket Skates”.
Finally, it was time for the long awaited and much anticipated headliners, British rockers Bring Me the Horizon to take the stage and the crowd was more than ready. Before the band entered the now transformed stage, complete with risers of varying levels, a striking white electronic drum kit and keyboard, a visual display appeared to scan the crowd, first for mosh pits and then drugs.
Opening with a bang to “Can You Feel My Heart” off 2013 album “Sempiternal” and accompanied by an explosion of pink heart-shaped confetti, renowned frontman Oliver Sykes emerged to thunderous applause and the band instantly had the crowd in the palm of their hands.
The whole set was accompanied by a spectacular and dynamic visual on-screen spectacle which also incorporated the risers themselves, with varying colourful neon-graphics providing the backdrop for the already impressive act. Lyrics also flashed across the screen, but the crowd didn’t need the prompt, they knew, and sang at the top of their lungs, and moshed, hanging off every single word. The twelve song setlist delighted with hits scratching the surface of BMTH’s nearly two decade long career; “Happy Song”, “Mantra”, “Shadow Moses” and 2021 single “Die4u”. Ultimately there was a special focus on more recent releases including tracks from their 2020 album ‘Post Human: Survival Horror”; “Teardrops”, “Dear Diary”, “Parasite Eve” and “KingSlayer”. “Drown” which has to be one of the band’s most popular tracks was an all out mosh-fest with circle pits and punters galore screaming at the top of their lungs ‘don’t let me drown’. “Follow You” was a crowd favourite and also provided the perfect opportunity for an iconic phone torch moment. Taking the energy down a notch which had until now been unrelenting, and with lighters and phone torches alight and swaying in the air the crowd sang barely missing a beat, clinging onto every word and soaking in the moment ‘I will follow you’ and follow they did.
Newest 2022 single release “sTraNgeRs” was another crowd favourite and the line in the song ‘we’re just a room full of strangers’ formed a perfect sentiment for the tens of thousands of festival-goers gathered together and packed into the Flemington grounds.
Chants of ‘one more song’ and ‘encore’ demanded the band’s return to the stage, which they did with a vengeance, delivering a smashing encore performance of “Obey” and closing out their phenomenal set with an explosion of red streamers with “Throne”. BMTH delivered not just a live show but an experience and it’s fair to say their first Australian festival headline slot will definitely not be their last. They truly gave it their all and left nothing on the stage. Unfortunately however, they were let down by the poor sound, with many fans unable to hear the band’s set properly.
The final message left on-screen after the band departed was “Bring Me the Horizon just rocked my fucking world” and rock our f**king world they did! Good Things returned in style, delivering a stellar jam-packed lineup of both international and homegrown Aussie talent, there was something for everyone.
Now as a wheelchair user it would be remiss of me if I didn’t address the blatant lack of accessibility Good Things posed. There were no accessible toilets, not one, which was beyond appalling. I even had one patron approach me at one point to ask if I had been able to find any, and they then proceeded to inform me they had had to carry and assist their friend in a wheelchair into a non-accessible toilet portaloo which was just disgusting and completely inhumane. The 'accessible viewing platform’ was another matter of its own. While I give the festival props for trying here and at the very least having one, it was so clearly a ‘ticking the box’ exercise and the actual execution and understanding of logistics needs plenty of work. The design reminded me of being in a cattle yard, and the positioning of the platform itself being so far off to the left side, as well as the lack of height essentially rendered it obsolete, you couldn’t actually see the band on stage two and also could not see the MainStage at all which was horrendous. Accessing the platform also required those using it to fight their way through the crowd which only became harder as the festival wore on and more and more punters packed in even tighter. There was nothing ‘accessible’ about it and it was one of the worst viewing platforms I’ve experienced thus far. If I was a paying punter and someone who required accessibility measures like such a viewing platform I’d be asking for a refund and honestly would have likely left the festival before headliners BMTH even graced the stage! Punters do not pay to stare at screens, and at the very least should be afforded a clear view of all stages, especially the MainStage.
Personally with any hope to actually be able to watch and enjoy the rest of BMTH’s set after photographing the first three songs from the photo-pit, I gave the so-called ‘accessible viewing platform’ a miss, choosing instead to brave the gigantic crowd and fight my way through the the tens of thousands of bodies and move towards the sound desk in my wheelchair.
Pictured: The view from the ‘accessible viewing platform’. Note the lack of height, poor placement and the clear lack of visibility of the red MainStage to the far right.