LIVE REVIEW: BUSH + SHINEDOWN + COAST ARCADE @ RIVERSTAGE 20/09/26

Words by Cecilia Pattison-Levi Photos Charlyn Cameron

What a night at Riverstage! I went in expecting a great show from three outstanding bands: the deeply experienced Shinedown and Bush along with a band on the rise, Coast Arcade, but I got more. It was a night of stellar guitar riffs, unbounded rhythm, powerful vocals and fantastic songs, all to explosions of fireworks, fire cannons and raw rock power.

The dual headlining experience of Bush and Shinedown was not to be missed. It proved that rock still has power as the bands delivered the energy, the passion, the unmistakable voices that once blared through Australian radio and teenagers’ bedrooms in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

The night commenced with Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) band, Coast Arcade, a four-piece indie rock band comprising of Bella Bavin, Thom Boynton, Leo Spykerman and Arlo Birss. Coast Arcade only had seven songs to show what the band could do. So, the band brought their bright and vibrant indie grunge guitar surf-rock style to warm up the crowd. They kicked off their set with a key song from their self-titled debut album: ‘Afterthought’.

Coast Arcade injected a contagious energy into every song, especially ‘Cycles’, the fantastic ‘Acetone’ and a very tight cover of hard rock group Velvet Revolver ‘Slither’. Frontwoman Bella Bavin used her soaring vocals well as her voice contrasted with the gritty sonic backdrop. The band seemed a bit nervous at the size of the venue and they acknowledged that to the crowd: “We aren’t used to this, it’s the biggest venue yet”, but they used their time well.

Coast Arcade demonstrated their captivating melodies, driving rhythms, and catchy lyrics through their songs. The band finished off their set with ‘Greener’ through a haze of squalling guitars. Coast Arcade have managed to take that guitar laden sound of the nineties and turn it into something of their own, something that sounds musically vital and fresh.

Then, as the stage was readied by the (so many) roadies for Shinedown, the PA blasted some great tunes like ‘Sick Bubblegum’ and ‘We Are Golden’. The crowd had grown, and the sense of anticipation was high, and there was a buzz around the venue. Then, someone put on John Denver’s ‘Country Roads’ and all I could think was, “Someone is taking the piss!”

Then, the lights went dark and the opening chords of Peter Gabriel’s ‘Sledgehammer’ blasted through the PA as a dancing man with a TV for a head came out and performed to the song. It was a fascinating way to start a set from a band that came armed with enough pyro to heat, or burn down, the entire venue. What a way to start their first performances in Australia after an almost 17-year absence.

Shinedown’s set kicked off with ‘Safe and Sound’ as flames and fireworks roared, and the band remained hot for the whole 75 minutes. The first three songs ripped as ‘Devour’ ramped up the tempo, and then the first huge singalong of the night hit with ‘Diamond Eyes’. Frontman Brent Smith took control of the stage and the crowd and was so vocally strong. The band were playing so hard Eric Bass’ bass broke. Shinedown fed off the crowd’s energy as the drummer Barry Kerch brought down the beat and guitarist Zach Myers spun across the stage. The crowd were loving it.

The anthemic songs came fast with ‘If You Only Knew’, then the hard rockin’ ‘45’ was awesome, before the singalongs of ‘Devil’ and ‘Enemies’ were performed as the stage was impressively lit up in flames. Then, Brent Smith went wandering as he ran up and down the pit, giving everyone a low high five and shaking hands with the security guards.

Then, the huge song ‘A Symptom Of Being Human’ was delivered. It was amazing. Phone lights lit up the venue. Brent Smith made the crowd split down the middle, the left side took five steps left. The right side of the crowd took five steps to the right. Then, he jumped into the middle of the crowd and had a walk around, greeting fans and singing. At this point, the heat from the Brisbane night and the gas fire cannons had Eric Bass strip off to reveal some very toned abs. Then, there was the jumping. And the crowd exploded!

The songs that hit the younger members of the crowd hard were ‘Bully’ and ‘Cut the Cord’. Then, the older fans really enjoyed ‘Monsters’, which was a highlight among so many highlights from Shinedown. Their songs are so infectious, along with great melodies and hooks. There was an unexpected cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ‘Simple Man’ before the band ran out of time as the last song, was delivered ‘Sound Of Madness’, there were calls for an encore, and the crowd wanted it so bad, but…time had run out. Damn that curfew!

Shinedown are a great rock band and a band you must see. Their set was a masterclass in live performance: loud, explosive, and impossible to ignore. They are one of the few bands that, even if you don’t know much about them, you will be transported into the rock ‘n’ roll heaven!

The reason for no Shinedown encore became obvious as the stage was cleared for Bush. There was a perfect storm of fire cannons being removed, so many gas cylinders, speakers, a huge drum kit, fireworks and control mechanisms, fire extinguishers, let alone the musical kit. The set ended abruptly due to time to make the stage ready and give Bush their allocated 75 minutes.

The stage was stripped back, the drum kit was put into its place and surrounded with a wall of black speakers. The “Bush” on the bass drum said it all! The band Bush formed in 1992, and the lead singer Gavin Rossdale may be the only original member left, but with musicians such as Chris Traynor on guitar, who has ties with Helmet, Corey Britz on bass, who has previously played for Eagles Of Death Metal, and the fabulous Nik Hughes who plays drums with Bishop Briggs and Youngblood Hawke, Bush are a juggernaut of professionalism on stage.

Bush came out swinging with ‘Everything Zen’ to open their set. It was followed by ‘Quicksand’ and then, ‘The Chemicals Between Us’, and the crowd were pumped and going wild. Gavin Rossdale really delivered a high energy stage presence. It was impressive and inspiring. At 60, he was out there moving around and performing like a man half that age. His voice was grittier, but he still had that dangerous rock god look.

Bush’s set was a great mix of classics and new songs, and it was wonderful to hear ‘The Land Of Milk And Honey’ from the 2025 album I Beat Loneliness. Then, the songs ‘The Sound of Winter’, ‘Ghosts in the Machine’ and ‘May Your Love Be Pure’ were performed with high intensity and emotion. Gavin Rossdale completely bewitched the crowd.

There was a delicate solo moment when the band left the stage and Gavin Rossdale, alone in the spotlight, delivered a chilling take on ‘Glycerine’ with his voice and guitar. It was intense and beautiful. The band returned to the stage, and the energy flipped as ‘Flowers On A Grave’ was performed. At this point, Gavin Rossdale climbed off the stage and up onto the barrier and was singing to fans. Then, he ran up and down the pit, greeting people before he climbed into the crowd and went off to meet and sing to fans. He returned to the stage to finish the regulation set with another new song, and it’s a stunner, in ‘I Beat Loneliness’.

The crowd were a bit exhausted or overwhelmed at this point. They remained silent, not knowing the set had ended. Then, Bush returned to the stage to bring the heavy hitters in ‘Machinehead’, ‘More Than Machines’ and the absolute classic ‘Comedown’ to end the performance. It was a powerful and unforgettable way to end.

Bush absolutely crushed it!

The night had been a celebration of rock ‘n’ roll. The kind of night where there are four people in a band and they play: guitar, bass, drums and sing. It was the no frills type of rock: big, loud, sharp and unapologetic. It leaves your ears ringing and your faith in music restored. Bush, Shinedown and Costa Arcade delivered that magic!