LIVE REVIEW: Headwreck, RedHook, In Hearts Wake and The Amity Affliction - Woodport Inn Central Coast - 7th March 2026
Review By: Monika Oberscheven-Smith
Donning my metaphorical live music reviewer hat again felt a little strange, whilst the hat still fit, it also felt a little foreign/out of place and I had to spend the evening readjusting it so until it seemed a bit more familiar whilst my brain was shifing from focusing on my job and enjoying the evening like a camera unable to focus in the darkness.
I unfortunately arrived a little to late to missing the opening act Headwreck however the hum from the crowd that had arrived early were adament that I had missed out, which meant making a note in my phone to ensure that never happens again.
I was stuck in the line outside the newly, almost unrecogniseable Woodies. It no longer looked like the building I once spent hours of my 20s in upstairs at the karaoke bar where my metalhead friends would fill the room watching them sing Disney or pop songs and the occasional metal one mixed in. I hadn’t paid any attention to the gig listing but it was outdoors and the skies were continuing to open up and soak the punters in the crowd. Whilst outdoor events are enjoyable I think this show was a test of the waters for the Woodport and I honestly think that a few changes should be made to ensure that the enjoyment, safety and comfort of patrons. As someone who has attended thousands of gigs a few small but important changes should be made, especially when people have paid a bit of money to attend a show, and there were a lot of people who got to enjoy the show for free (strange sentiment coming from me, a person who doesn’t pay for shows, but hey I work them).
Anyway back to the actual show itself because that should be the main focus but I also believe in fairness to paying fans so I shall always stand up for them.
Ahem...
Redhook started to play as I waited in the seemingly slow moving line into the venue and I stood on tippytoes to try and watch what I could for the first two songs and as soon as I got passed security I darted up to the front because even though I am a veteran Redhook watcher, they are one of my favourite bands to watch up close. They are a band I have seen so many times now that you would think I would be sick of the sight of them, but I most definitely am not. The rain drizzled down upon everyone not really noticeably but enough to dampen everyone but not their enthusiastic spirits. The energy the whole band exudes on stage has never wavered and it shockingly seems to either be at the same level of chaos or far exceeds that. I may have a little bias as the angelic Emmy Mack has become a friend of mine just from my years of coverage of the band but I usually watch them with the goofiest proud parent grin on my face seeing the seemingly flawless sometimes syncronised energy and performance on stage together and individually. They have always managed to produce a tightly wound playing style but then somehow entangled that with absolute mayhem with Emmy, Craig, Alex and Ned all working together to create this whirlwind on stage as one giant category 5 together but then also break off to individually start their own intensity. A few costume changes from Emmy to coincide with the songs and a little bit of fake blood. Getting the crowd amped up with circle pits and mini walls of death to finishing up with Emmy clambering into the sea of people to have a mini mosh and singalong before dipping out and disappearing backstage.
Between sets the rain hardened a little bit and people tried to seek shelter in very limited spots while others embraced the drop in the temperature but also dissipating the humidity that has been lingering for far too long on the Central Coast.
In Hearts Wake were next to take to the stage and by this point the rain had decided it wasn’t quite finished with us yet. It started to come down a little heavier again which meant a few of us shuffled about trying to find whatever scraps of cover we could while still keeping one eye on the stage. I have seen these guys a couple of times before and they definitely lean into that heavier style that always seems to get a crowd moving without too much convincing. Early on they had the entire crowd crouching down low to the ground, everyone bending their knees and waiting for the call before springing back up all at once which always looks a little ridiculous from the outside but is a lot of fun when you are part of it. At one point the vocalist pointed out the cars passing by the venue, stopping at the red lights and clearly trying to work out what the hell was happening across the road, dedicating the next song to those confused drivers who were unknowingly getting a free glimpse of the chaos happening inside. They also mentioned that this was their last New South Wales show of the tour which drew a pretty decent response from the crowd who clearly didn’t mind being part of that moment before the tour continues on through the rest of the country.
By the time The Amity Affliction took the stage the rain had mostly backed off again, leaving just the occasional sprinkle drifting down every now and then which honestly felt like a bit of mercy after earlier in the evening. My friend and I had shifted back a little further from the stage at this point and for some reason the sound felt noticeably quieter compared to the earlier bands. Not in a bad way, everything sounded clean and clear, it just felt like the overall volume had dipped slightly although that may have simply been where we were standing. Their set moved through a mix of newer songs alongside the older tracks that clearly meant a lot to the crowd because the second those familiar intros kicked in you could hear people around us instantly singing along. There were pockets of people dancing, others with arms around friends belting out lyrics and it created one of those moments where you stop watching the band for a second just to look around at everyone else enjoying themselves. After leaving the stage briefly they returned for one final song, finishing the night with “Pittsburgh”, which was met with a pretty loud singalong from the crowd before the night finally wrapped up.
If you are lucky enough you can catch one of the upcoming shows via the link HERE
