Brisbane is absolutely baking, 34 degrees without a drop of rain in sight.
This serves as no deterrent to the thousands of patrons who are at Good Things Festival bright and early (3 December), eager to soak in every dollar's worth of their sold-out tickets. PVRIS smash headfirst into the day on the main stage. Dressed in flowing, black shorts and brown boots, frontwoman Lynn Gunn bursts into her brilliantly controlled yet deeply emotional tone with 'I Don't Wanna Do This Anymore'.
The band are tight and their electro-heavy rock tunes are a brilliant introduction to the day. Gunn momentarily stops to tie up her boots, before sharing that she lost her voice yesterday. You would be forgiven for assuming you misheard, as her voice flows flawlessly. 'Anywhere But Here', played on acoustic guitar, is a moving ballad of longing. A highlight of the day.
At stage three, Stand Atlantic has their sizeable crowd jumping in the nicely shaded tent. Back at the main stage, the bagpipes ring out for Eskimo Joe's 'Foreign Land', and you remember just how good Australia's rock offerings are.
Eskimo Joe - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Donning a low-cut shirt with a rockabilly hair style, frontman Kav Temperley does what he does so well, instantly drawing in the massive crowd with singable vocals, as the guitar drips out impressive licks. "Your love is a drug, but the drug won't take me higher," he sings, but the vibe here feels pretty high right now.
The crowd clap furiously for 'Black Fingernails, Red Wine', before 'To The Sea' graces our ears with a flurrying, elongated finish. A class act.
At stage five, Japanese import HANABIE. are about to rock our socks off. Furious musicianship rests on the frenetic vocals of frontwoman Yukina. The crowd is enamoured, and HANABIE. have certainly made more than a few new fans today.
HANABIE. - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Back at the main stage, Slowly Slowly sprint onstage and leap into their first song. "If anyone in this audience is unhappy about my haircut," frontman Ben Stewart momentarily leaves the crowd hanging, "then you should see my pubes."
They are a well balanced mix between heart-wrenching lyrics and a catchable pop sound that is just hard enough. 'Daisy Chain' from their 2022 album of the same name showcases a harder edge, and their talented songwriting shines through.
"This is the last time we're going to sing this song," Stewart shares. "I swear." They play Blink-182's 'I Miss You', and Stand Atlantic's Bonnie Fraser joins to duet. The crowd affectionately enjoys the rendition.
"Will you stay for another one?" Stewart asks Fraser. "Do you know Toto's 'Africa'?" Fraser nods. "I'm just kidding, this is totally rehearsed," Stewart confirms, as they move into 'Safety Switch'.
'Jellyfish' brings the crowd up, as Stewart announces: "I had a daughter last week. The due date was Dec 1st. She came early. We are so lucky to be here. Let's send it!" Luca Brasi frontman Tyler Richardson joins for 'Creature Of Habit Pt. 2', ending a highlighted set.
The heat has proven to take its toll as one patron collapses. Ambulance officers are quick to attend, giving immediate attention, before the patron is rapidly taken to hospital. All of the first responders did an amazing job throughout the day in difficult conditions.
Corey Taylor - image © Clea-marie Thorne
Back at the main stage, Corey Taylor assumes control, and his version of the Spongebob theme is well received. "If you love me, let me go," he sings mournfully in 'Snuff'. He covers INXS' 'Don't Change', and the crowd embraces it wholeheartedly. It is a beautiful moment of connection.
Bullet For My Valentine enter in front of no less than 12 guitar amps. There seems to be temporary sound issues as the bass completely cuts out for half of the first song, but returns for the remainder of the set.
At stage four, Jebediah rock the crowd with a refreshing classic take, as 'Harpoon' has everyone singing like we're back in 1998. 'Fall Down' is a heart-filling highlight of the day. Seamless and thoroughly enjoyable, they are a must-see act.
Back at Bullet, Michael Paget plays some of the slickest, cleanest guitar of the whole day. In the front row, one patron waves a Kermit the frog plush toy, who seems to be really enjoying himself.
Bullet For My Valentine - image © Clea-marie Thorne
I Prevail follow as the sun begins to set, bringing some much welcomed relief from the heat. At stage four, Boom Crash Opera provide a chunky serving of rock, atop infectious melodies under sentimental blue lights. They finish in a flurry of searing guitar notes, an unexpected treat.
Time for the much anticipated set from Devo. They don their classic red hats for 'Whip It' and the crowd loves it. The band cycle through numerous costume changes, one particularly memorable one being yellow suits that members tear apart as the song progresses.
They end the show in black leather tops emblazoned with singular letters of the band name. Interesting, futuristic and unashamedly themselves, Devo have to be seen to be slightly understood.
Limp Bizkit commence their set with static cracking sounds, and hip hop beats playing at half volume. "Justin what are you f...ing doing?” frontman Fred Durst asks, before growling guitar starts 'Break Stuff'. A sea of phones emerge and begin jumping furiously.
Limp Bizkit - image © Clea-marie Thorne
"Thank you for taking time out of your life to be here," Durst says. "It's a real honour." After long scrutiny, it becomes apparent guitarist Wes Borland is wearing a clown mask with a santa beard. Props for the most interesting outfit of the day.
Durst traverses the other stage announcing: "I'm the new guitar tech for Fall Out Boy. Let me check everything is going ok over here. . . Imma head back to the Limp Bizkit stage. They think I’m gunna sabotage something over here," Durst adds, before finishing 'Hot Dog'.
They play the intro to 'Seven Nation Army', and the crowd joins in excitedly. "You know what time it is bitch," Durst announces as they launch into 'Rollin''. The crowd is off their feet. "Call me a ho!" Durst asks as the DJ plays 'Hip Hop Hooray' by Naughty By Nature. "That's a lot of people callin' me a ho," Durst laments.
He brings up a 'granny' holding a sign reading: 'can this granny get a hug?' She kisses him profusely, as Durst pulls away. "Wait until after the show," he exclaims. Cheeky and engaging, Limp Bizkit proved again that you never really know what you're going to get at one of their sets.
Fall Out Boy begin with a pre-recorded spoken piece about a boy who never saw his father much. His father then gives him a pink shell and tells him the answers are inside. But the shell is empty.
They launch into new song, 'Love From The Other Side', as fireworks bang unexpectedly. An ominous red orb glows like a sun for 'The Phoenix', and flames shoot out. They are pulling out all the stops, as Pete Wentz's bass even shoots out fire.
Fall Out Boy - image © Clea-marie Thorne
They play first catalogue classics 'A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More "Touch Me"' and 'Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy', as Joe Trohman slays on the guitar. The original fans scream out every word.
Meanwhile, holding down the other stage, Spiderbait have accrued a massive crowd, as the band humorously sport Devo hats. They play 'Sunshine On My Window' and the crowd adores it. It's a set of connection and fun.
For 'Black Betty', a didgeridoo player enters at the beginning and again just before the guitar solo. The second entrance was apparently a surprise for guitarist Damian Whitty who needed to be reminded by Kram screaming out from behind his drums, "not yet!" The crowd leaves with smiles wide.
Back at Fall Out Boy, a Wentz request leads to Patrick Stump performing 'Down Under' by Men At Work alone on the keyboard. 'Save Rock And Roll' is touching and features an impressive key change, before a cover of 'Crazy Train' leads into 'Dance, Dance'.
'Young Volcanoes' shines across the crowd with the backing of Stump's acoustic guitar, and 'My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)' explodes as the crowd lift off. 'Thnks fr th Mmrs' keeps the vibes sky high.
"We were just a sh.tty little band watching Limp Bizkit on MTV, and now we're sharing this stage with Limp Bizkit," Wentz shares tenderly. "I guess the takeaway is, dream big, because I know there are people out there [points to the crowd] who will one day be on this stage too."
'Saturday' closes a heartwarming, nostalgic set and crowns a wonderful day of fun, banging tunes, and new memories made.
Good Things is building a strong brand of delivering at a high level. Do we really have to wait a year for the next one?
More photos from the festival.
