LIVE REVIEW: BURY TOMORROW + GIDEON + HEADWRECK + HEISTS @ THE TIVOLI 04/09/26

Words by Steph Ure Photos Charlyn Cameron

Brisbane’s The Tivoli was thrown headfirst into metalcore chaos on Friday night as Bury Tomorrow opened their Australian Will You Haunt Me tour alongside Gideon, Headwreck and Heists. With four bands bringing very different flavours of heavy, the night became as much about community and connection as circle pits, crowd surfers and sweaty bodies.

There was no easing into the night as Eora/Sydney four-piece Heists kicked things off with crushing heaviness, breakdowns and an emotionally driven edge. Blue and green lighting washed over the stage as the crowd almost instantly opened into a circle pit, while strong lyricism created space for big feelings, anger and release.

By Lights Out, Brisbane had well and truly answered the call. Metal Mario, two cowboys and a collection of metal daddies grinned at each other across the pit, ready for the impending barging, kicking and aggressive cuddles. More people were encouraged in — particularly the metal goddesses — and strangers became family while headbanging their problems away. Miles Away brought a slower ending, phones and torches lighting the room as Heists left the stage visibly stoked with what they called their biggest Brisbane show yet.

Brisbane’s own Headwreck followed with something completely different. Their mix of metal, hardcore and electronic sounds translated into a set that somehow felt equally like a metal show and a party. Dressed in black and white with an almost anime-meets-metal aesthetic, they bounced around the stage while vocals switched between lyricism and punchy gutturals.

Frontman Connor Hickman barely needed words to control the room, simply motioning his hands apart and watching the pit follow. But underneath the heaviness was something wonderfully unserious. Everyone looked like they were having fun and being just a little bit silly, right through to one lone metal goddess keeping pace amongst a sea of men with possibly the biggest smile in the room.

Then came Gideon. Hailing from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the four-piece brought Southern swagger crashing into metalcore, with vocalist Daniel McWhorter arriving in a cowboy hat under fiery reds, oranges and yellows. Somehow the band balanced too cool to be here with fucking pumped to be here, immediately commanding the room.

By the time the hit 4x4 was played, Brisbane had been instructed to fuck the pit up — and fuck it up they did. Metal Mario and the cowboys returned, more women joined our earlier metal goddess and a fuck-tonne of metal daddies looked after the kids amongst the chaos. Around 30 bodies took off together when McWhorter demanded a circle pit, before one of the biggest walls of death this reviewer has seen at The Tivoli split the room. Take Off shifted things towards raw emotion, the crowd screaming every word back.

Somewhere in there, this reviewer’s repeatedly broken no pit while working rule was officially retired. Whoopsies.

By the time Gideon demanded the most crowd surfers The Tivoli had ever seen, Brisbane needed little encouragement. When the first attempt wasn't good enough, a screamed “did I fucking stutter?” rather efficiently solved the problem. Bodies flew overhead as Gideon finished one of this reviewer’s favourite pits to date.

Then it was time for Bury Tomorrow.

With the stage flooded red, vocalist Dani Winter-Bates walked out alone and immediately had the room. Before he’d even sung a word, his hands separated the pit and the crowd simply obeyed. The remainder of the band emerged and that controlled tension exploded into chaos. “Do not stand still on me, not tonight.”

Nobody did.

There was a commanding confidence to Bury Tomorrow that quickly turned The Tivoli into a room of loyal metal disciples. Dani Winter-Bates delivered some of the best crowd engagement this reviewer has seen from a headliner in a long time, at points controlling hundreds of people with little more than facial expressions and hand movements. Beautiful harmonies met heavy, emotional screaming while Brisbane sent seemingly every word straight back.

The physical chaos continued through expanding circle pits and Cannibal, which transformed the floor into a sea of jumping bodies. But one of the strongest moments came when everything slowed down.

Phones and lights went up as Winter-Bates spoke openly about poor mental health, loneliness and getting through it. For a night built around bodies crashing together, suddenly hundreds stood together in something far more vulnerable.

“I promise you can get through this, you fucking will get through this and tonight you're not alone” before diving into the song with raw emotion that showed truth and meaning behind his words through his art.

I absolutely cried. The connection, community and care in the room was felt through music.

That balance between heaviness and humanity became one of the defining features of Bury Tomorrow’s set. There was cheeky English-boy charm behind the metal badassery, genuine appreciation for the bands sharing the bill, and enough space between the smashing for the personalities onstage to shine through.

By Black Flame, crowd surfers were pouring towards the barrier, including one metal goddess apparently recording her entire journey overhead. The crowd echoed the lyrics while grins spread across the stage. And rather than disappearing into the darkness for the traditional we all know you’re coming back encore routine, Bury Tomorrow simply asked Brisbane whether it wanted another song.

Of course it fucking did.

“This song changed everything for our fucking band.”

Abandon Us sent the room into chaos one final time, ending a night built equally on aggression, vulnerability, community and ridiculous amounts of fun.

Brisbane certainly wasn’t abandoning Bury Tomorrow. If the opening night was anything to go by, Australia was very happy to have them back.