LIVE REVIEW: ESCAPE THE FATE + THE WORD ALIVE + THE GLOOM IN THE CORNER @ THE TIOVLI 07/06/26
Words by Steph Ure Photos Charlyn Cameron
Some gigs are about the music. Some are about the people.
On Sunday night at The Tivoli, Escape The Fate, The Word Alive and The Gloom In The Corner delivered both, creating a night that felt less like a concert and more like a gathering of Brisbane's emo punk rock community. A room full of people reconnecting with the music that helped shape us, united by nostalgia, heavy riffs, and one particularly enthusiastic Mario.
Opening the night, Melbourne metalcore outfit The Gloom In The Corner wasted no time setting the tone starting with Jericho Protocol. Known for blending theatrical storytelling with crushing heaviness, the band immediately filled the room with soaring melodies layered over powerful unclean vocals, technical musicianship and dramatic lighting.
"We are here to warm you the fuck up." - Mission accomplished.
A Happy Pride Month shoutout was met with cheers from the crowd before the band encouraged the room to lift the energy even higher. While one audience member dressed as Mario was already giving 110%, the challenge was accepted and rewarded with a phenomenal circle pit that quickly became one of the recurring images of the night.
The band's energy never faltered, combining beautiful melodies with impactful heaviness and passionate performances across the stage. By the time they closed their set with That's Life (Carry Me Home), The Tivoli was well and truly awake.
If The Gloom In The Corner lit the spark, The Word Alive poured fuel directly onto the fire.
The Arizona metalcore veterans have spent more than a decade building a reputation for balancing huge choruses with relentless energy, and Sunday's performance showed exactly why they remain such a beloved live act.
From the moment vocalist Telle Smith hit the stage, the band's chemistry was impossible to ignore. Between the tattoos, long hair, huge riffs and a glitter-covered guitar determined to catch every available spotlight, the band delivered a set packed with energy and personality.
Their connection with each other was just as entertaining as their connection with the crowd. Smiles, jokes and playful interactions flowed naturally throughout the performance, creating an atmosphere that felt welcoming despite the intensity of the music.
Even when technical difficulties threatened to interrupt the momentum, The Word Alive never lost control of the room.
"Maybe I'll just get butt naked on stage and scream."
The crowd laughed, stayed engaged and followed Smith through a recurring call-and-response mantra of "Hell Yeah!" "Fuck Yeah!" and "Woo!" that became the soundtrack of the set.
Rather than allowing the technical issues to derail the performance, the band handled them with humour and professionalism. Their cover of Heartless sent the crowd wild, while the drummer's stick tricks and showmanship constantly pulled attention toward the back of the stage.
As the issues were resolved, the energy returned in full force. Casanova Vail reset the room before an appearance from Escape The Fate vocalist Craig Mabbitt sent excitement levels soaring. An unreleased track, Lethal Dose, was met with enthusiasm, walls of death opened, Mario continued his side quest through the mosh pit, and a sea of phone lights illuminated the venue during the band's emotional finale.
By the time The Word Alive left the stage, anticipation for the headliners had reached boiling point.
During the changeover, Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody echoed through the venue and was immediately transformed into a full-room singalong. Every voice seemed determined to contribute before the lights finally dropped and the stage glowed electric blue.
The reaction was instant.
Escape The Fate entered one by one as a wave of early-2000s nostalgia swept across the room. The crowd didn't need warming up anymore. They were ready. For many in attendance, this wasn't simply another concert. It was a chance to reconnect with a soundtrack that helped define their teenage years.
Formed in Las Vegas in 2004, Escape The Fate arrived in Brisbane celebrating more than two decades of music and showed exactly why they continue to command such loyalty from fans around the world.
Frontman Craig Mabbitt balanced charismatic crowd work, cheeky humour and undeniable rock-star energy throughout the night. Matti Hoffman delivered a relentless supply of technical guitar work and soaring solos, while bassist Erik Jensen spent much of the set grinning ear to ear as he played to the crowd. Behind them, the drummer Robert Ortiz sat in sunglasses radiating effortless rock-star energy while driving the band forward with precision and power.
The response to Gorgeous Nightmare was immediate, with the crowd screaming every word straight back at the stage. Shortly after Mabbitt spotted an enthusiastic fan celebrating her birthday.
"Is it your birthday today sweetheart?" The resulting scream of "YES!" earned her a dedicated performance of Ashley, complete with a wink and a playful "Happy birthday babe" at the song's conclusion.
Throughout the set, the band's experience was impossible to miss. Headbanging, hair flips, cheeky smiles and synchronised stage movements carried the confidence that only comes from decades of performing together. The chemistry between the members was infectious and the crowd responded in kind.
The humour continued too. While troubleshooting a minor issue with his in-ear monitors, Mabbitt wondered aloud whether the problem was the batteries or one of his butt cheeks.
"I’m unsure if my left butt cheek or my right butt cheek did it. Oh, it's the batteries. My butt cheeks don't have that power."
The crowd erupted. While the issue was fixed, the band launched into an impromptu jam session before tearing straight into Paranoia. Later, as the crowd prepared for a wall of death, Mabbitt paused to deliver a reminder that perfectly captured the atmosphere of the evening. "If someone falls down, pick them back up. We aren't here to hurt anyone." A simple statement, but one that reflected the spirit of the entire night.
Beneath the screaming vocals, circle pits and flying hair was a strong sense of community. Strangers looked after each other. Everyone belonged.
The final stretch of the set saw guitar solos, drum showcases, huge singalongs and one last challenge to the audience to scream louder than the person beside them. The crowd happily obliged before the band thanked Brisbane for its support and left the stage to deafening applause.
It felt like the perfect ending. It wasn't.
Hiding by the piano near the door to backstage. Robert Ortiz was seated at a piano surrounded by fans, leading an impromptu singalong. Playing keys, singing along and chatting with those gathered around him, he moved effortlessly between Bohemian Rhapsody and Welcome to the Black Parade while the crowd happily joined in.
It felt fitting.
Earlier in the evening, Bohemian Rhapsody had transformed the entire venue into a choir of strangers waiting for Escape The Fate to take the stage. Hours later, that same sense of community remained, only now it was gathered around a piano instead of a stage.
Looking around the room, it was impossible not to notice the mix of generations present throughout the night. Long-time fans reliving their teenage years stood shoulder-to-shoulder with younger concertgoers discovering these songs for the first time. The excitement was shared equally by both.
Because while the music was exceptional, the real story of the night was the community it created. For a few hours, Brisbane's emo kids weren't strangers.
They were home.
