Festival Review – Good Things Festival 2023
Celebrating their fourth year, alt festival Good Things made its spectacular return to Flemington Racecourse for a stacked lineup of international and local heavy hitters. Ticking boxes for metal, punk, emo and rock fans, Good Things delivered on all fronts for an incredible day of live music and even better vibes. Dealing with typical Melbourne weather of extreme sun and some rain, the day ran smoothly as we saw all members of the alt scene come together to celebrate some old favourites and amazing up-and-coming talents.
Kicking off the Good Things festival in Melbourne was US band PVRIS, who delivered an incredible set despite the fact that lead singer Lynn Gunn was battling a cold. Opening with the intense I DON’T WANNA DO THIS ANYMORE, PVRIS set a high-octane tone for the rest of their set. Songs like ANIMAL and HYPE ZOMBIES showcased their unique blend of alt-rock and electronic pop, which kept the crowd on their toes. Their raw emotion in Dead Weight resonated, while the anthemic My House from first album White Noise had fans singing along at the top of their lungs. The set concluded with the powerful GODDESS; a fitting end to a performance that was both vulnerable and commanding – proving that PVRIS is a force to be reckoned with, even under challenging circumstances.
British electronicore pioneers Enter Shikari were also tasked with warming up the crowds, which is exactly what they did. Delivering a supercharged performance borrowing from their catalogue of seven albums, the St Albans four-piece wasted no time launching into { The Dreamer’s Hotel } and Juggernauts, which had the crowd itching to pile into the first huge mosh of the festival. At this point, vocalist Rou Reynolds is thoroughly ready to go – his dancing now erratic, before he claims ‘this one’s a banger’, and the band performs Bloodshot. Jumping into the audience and running through the crowds, Reynolds is singing into the faces of audience members, hopping onto the sound desk, and putting on a show for the camera. satellites was dedicated to the queer community, while the climate change-inspired Arguing With Thermometers still hits hard to this day – despite being written 12 years ago. Enter Shikari enter into a quick-fire round of older hits, which include Havoc B, Bull,The Last Garrison and Sorry, You’re Not a Winner – which has been given new life as a ‘2023 version’. Before we know it, the band’s energetic set comes to a close with Live Outside, complete with the audience singing along to every word. While this was not Enter Shikari’s first time at Good Things, we’re sure it won’t be their last.
Following Enter Shikari, Eskimo Joe took the main stage at the Good Things; infusing a sense of nostalgia and continuing on the vibrant energy seen throughout the day. Their entrance, set to the iconic Imperial March from Star Wars, immediately captured the audience’s attention. The band opened with Sarah, a classic hit that set the mood, followed by New York and Setting Sun – the latter prefaced by lead singer Kav Temperley expressing his fondness for the summer festival and its embrace of the colour black. Their performance of Foreign Land was not only a crowd-pleaser, but also a fitting tribute to Icehouse – highlighting Eskimo Joe’s ability to blend contemporary sounds with classic influences. The band’s set continued to impress with Love Is a Drug and the ever-popular Black Fingernails, Red Wine, eliciting a chorus from the audience. A special moment came with Sweater, their first-ever written song, which offered a glimpse into the band’s journey and growth. Before concluding with From the Sea, Eskimo Joe reminisced about the Big Day Out festival, connecting with long-time fans and creating a shared sense of history and appreciation for the evolution of the Australian music scene.
Once again, the festival’s diverse range of sub-genres and intense performances were on full display with bands such as Make Them Suffer, Hanabie, and Slowly Slowly each bringing their unique flair. Perth-based Make Them Suffer, known for their heavy sound, shook the grounds with tracks like Ether, Contraband, and Doomswitch; blending ferocious energy with intricate melodies. Following them was Hanabie from Japan; who captivated the audience with their dynamic setlist, which included Hyperdimension Galaxy and Osaki ni Shitsurei Shimasu and featured their eclectic mix of heavy metal and playful theatrics. Slowly Slowly brought a change of pace with their heartfelt and introspective songs. Their set ranged from the poignant Longshot to the energetically melancholic Race Car Blues. A set highlight was Safety Switch, where they invited Bonnie from Stand Atlantic to the stage for a memorable duet. Slowly Slowly’s cover of Blink-182’s I Miss You was a crowd favourite, and their commentary about feeling like ‘little plankton’ watching ‘the big boys on the big stage’ added a personal, relatable touch to their performance.
Corey Taylor‘s set at the Good Things festival in Melbourne was nothing short of spectacular; encapsulating his versatility and charisma as a performer. Opening with Post Traumatic Blues, he instantly grabbed the audience’s attention. His transition to Stone Sour’s Tumult and Song #3 reminded everyone of his range as an artist, which was only further supported by his interaction with the audience. With a ‘Melbourne, are you fucking ready? Make some noise!’ screamed to the crowd, and a confession to his love for Australia, Corey had everyone eating out of his hand from the moment the set began. The performance took an even more exciting turn with Slipknot hits such as Before I Forget and Duality, with Taylor urging the crowd to sing along. The energy peaked when he performed an unexpected cover of the SpongeBob SquarePants theme, showing his playful side, while Corey’s rendition of Snuff was hauntingly beautiful, creating a poignant moment amidst the high-energy set. The announcement of a song from his recent album, CMF2, added to the excitement, with a stunning guitar solo that felt like an additional headliner in the middle of the day. The performance concluded on a high note with a homage to INXS, one of his favourite Australian bands, through a cover of Don’t Change. This gesture, coupled with his promise of a special surprise for their next visit, left the Melbourne crowd eagerly anticipating his return.
Continuing with a diverse array of performances, were artists Bullet for My Valentine, who played an intense show, and a captivating set by Royal & The Serpent. Bullet for My Valentine started off strong; delivering a hard-hitting performance with songs such as Knives and Over It. Their classic 4 Words (to Choke Upon) was a highlight, chock-full of the band’s signature heavy riffs and emotive vocals, while Piece of Me continued to energise the crowd before we moved to catch Royal & The Serpent on Stage 5. Royal & The Serpent faced a challenging start with technical difficulties and delays, but regardless, turned it into an opportunity to display their resilience. As the project of New Jersey native Ryan Santiago, the set opened with their hit Overwhelmed, which set the tone despite the setbacks. The performance was a rollercoaster of emotions, with tracks like i can’t get high and FUCKBOI REJECTS showing off Santiago’s range and depth. While apologising for the ‘hot mess’ that was their set, single Happier in Hell and closing track Lover Abuser (Save Me) more than made up for it. Needless to say, we’re excited to see Royal & The Serpent back in Australia sometime soon.
Emo legends Taking Back Sunday played to a packed out stage, opening with older singles What’s It Feel Like to Be a Ghost? and A Decade Under the Influence, which had the audience screaming along. Newer tracks Tidal Wave and You Can’t Look Back showed how far the Long Islanders have come over the last few decades, and were a worthy addition to the setlist. You’re So Last Summer and Cute Without the ‘E’ (Cut From the Team) saw frontman Adam Lazzara’s mic-swinging skills in action, amongst the audience’s singing along to every word – all while thinking back to their earlier years. With everyone feeling nostalgic at this point, set closer MakeDamnSure brought the audience back down to earth for their 2006 hit, which hit home for a lot of people. We caught the second half of Michigan artist I Prevail whose energy exceeded all other bands in the day. From performing their big hit Hurricane, an amazing cover of Chop Suey, Deep End, Judgement Day, and closing on Choke and Gasoline, I Prevail had the biggest circle pits of the festival and kept telling the crowd, ‘here’s some more heavy songs’. It was what the crowd wanted and the band absolutely delivered.
New wave 70’s band Devo stole the show for a full hour as the American legends took to Good Things with all their signature moves and costumes to wow the crowd. From opener Don’t Shoot (I’m a Man), tracks including Peek-A-Boo! and Going Under and dropping crowd favourite Whip It mid-way through their set while throwing out trade-mark hats, the performance was absolutely faultless. Videos that told stories about our glorious milky way accompanied reverse evolution jackets and yellow tearable hazmat suits for the second half of the set – performing Planet Earth, Uncontrollable Urge and Mongoloid. Pre-encore tracks of Jocko Homo, Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA and Gates of Steel had the crowd wild for more Devo, while closing tracks Freedom of Choice and Gut Feeling (Slap Your Mammy) sent the band off with some new fans in an endless sea of people on the main stage.
Back on the main stage, the Florida-born and bred Limp Bizkit were due to bring nu-metal back to the masses. With a sea of red caps in the audience, the band came on stage to open with Break Stuff – which vocalist Fred Durst claimed was the ‘real reason [we] came here today’. Classics My Generation, Rollin (Air Raid Vehicle) and a cover of George Michael’s Faith were set essentials, and had the audience screaming along to every word. Just when we wondered what would close out the set, the band revisited another round of Break Stuff, much to the crowd’s delight. Prior to the main headline set, we head over to check out what was on across the rest of the Racecourse and caught some of the boys of Short Stack spending time with Shaun, Andy and Bradie. Partying along to everything from We Dance to a Different Disco, Honey to their new song IDGAF as well as crowd favourite Princess, the boys had a great time joking around on stage – telling the crowd to be prepared for ‘the heaviest shit you’ll hear all day’. We then headed over to spend some time with the Emo Never Sleeps DJ‘s at Stage 666 and bopped along to some Linkin Park, BMTH, and of course, Electric Callboy.
With everyone full of energy for the night’s headliner, the anticipation was palpable for Fall Out Boy – one of this generation’s biggest-ever bands. The Chicago four-piece, consisting of vocalist/guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist/lyricist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman and drummer Andy Hurley, have had a busy year since releasing their latest album So Much (for) Stardust. Lead single Love From the Other Side opened the set, after their rendition of We Didn’t Start the Fire brought the band out to the screaming audience. Playing a huge setlist borrowing from their eight albums, standout tracks included The Phoenix, which included plenty of pyro effects as well as a flamethrower on Pete’s bass, Grand Theft Autumn from their debut album, the rarely played Bang the Doldrums and Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes. Sitting behind a piano, Patrick treated the crowd to partial covers of Midnight Oil’s Beds Are Burning and Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’ , before another cover of Crazy Train is played, which leads into the iconic Dance, Dance. Tonight’s magic 8 ball-picked song is The (After) Life of the Party, which is a slow burn at first, until its build-up – which makes My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark all the much better. Just when we thought we hadn’t sung enough, set closers Thnks fr th Mmrs, Centuries and Saturday had us screaming along at the top of our lungs – our nights well and truly fulfilled.
There’s a lot to love about Good Things Festival – the bands, the people and the atmosphere. It’s a great day out spent listening to some great international and local talents, enjoying amazing food and exploring all that is on offer at the racecourse. We haven’t missed a Good Things yet, and we don’t plan to. We eagerly await hearing who will play the fifth edition, and can’t wait to attend again next year.
Stay up to date year-round by heading over to the Good Things Festival website here.