LIVE REVIEW: SANGUISUGABOGG + PEELINGFLESH + GUTLESS @ THE TIOVLI 19/06/26

Words Steph Ure Photos Tahni Davis

A sold-out crowd packed into The Tivoli on Friday night, with the line snaking down the street long before doors opened. It was the kind of raw, high-energy atmosphere only a death metal show can create. Black leather, chains, heavy eyeliner and battle jackets filled the room, while merch lines for all three bands wrapped throughout the venue before a single note had been played.

Outside in the smokers' area, early punters were treated to a glimpse behind the curtain. Members of all three bands could be seen backstage joking, practising, vibing and genuinely enjoying each other's company ahead of their final Australian show. There was excitement in the air from both bands and fans alike, setting the tone for what would become an unforgettable Friday night.

Opening duties fell to Gutless, the Melbourne death metal outfit who wasted absolutely no time making their presence known. A siren blared through the venue as red and blue lights flashed across the stage and crowd before the band launched into Joe's Song, immediately commanding attention. From the opening moments, the band delivered exactly what the growing crowd wanted: crushing riffs, thunderous drums and enough intensity to get necks moving early.

The vocalist's golden curls whipped through the air with every movement while his powerful screams cut cleanly through the wall of sound. On either side of the stage, the guitarists traded riffs and solos, creating moments that felt almost symphonic beneath the brutality. Behind them, the drummer delivered a sickening display of power and precision, driving every song forward with unwavering force.

By the time the band reached Tom Song, the circle pit had shifted into full gear. Horns were in the air, bodies were moving and the room had officially transformed into a death metal playground. The members danced in and out of formation, rotating positions and playing off each other like a bunch of metal kids let loose at their favourite gig. One of the night's standout moments came before Evil, when the vocalist paused, took a drink of water and casually announced: "I'm a bit parched." A beat later he followed it with: "NOW FUCKING KILL EACH OTHER."

The room erupted. The band launched into the next track with arguably their most explosive energy of the night, the vocalist unleashing his biggest scream of the set while the rest of the band somehow found another gear to match him. Strong lighting complemented every punchy riff and relentless drum pattern throughout the performance. Meanwhile, somewhere in the pit, the night's most committed participant appeared to be a pink-haired pixie sporting a Pikachu backpack who was absolutely demolishing everyone around them.

After finishing with Boiled a final crushing vocal note cut into the venue and vocalist Tom Caldwell simply looked out and said: "That's it." The band calmly walked off stage after delivering a sickening performance that perfectly set the tone for the rest of the evening.

If Gutless warmed the room up, PeelingFlesh detonated it. The Oklahoma City slam outfit arrived to a roar before vocalist Damonteal Harris addressed the crowd: "It's our last night in Australia. Raise your hand if you have no idea what the fuck you're in for."

A few hands went up. I don't think anyone was disappointed by what followed. Moments later Harris screamed: "WE'RE IN BRISBANE MOTHERFUCKER!" before launching into Crime Buddy, immediately showcasing the band's signature blend of brutal death metal, hardcore grooves and hip-hop influence.

The second song, Bed Bath, introduced Harris' now-famous whistle scream. The sound left jaws on the floor throughout the venue, with many audience members visibly trying to process what they had just witnessed. Every member carried undeniable main-character energy. The band controlled the room effortlessly, balancing professionalism with pure chaos as they encouraged crowd participation at every opportunity.

Midway through the set they gave security guards an unexpected arm workout. Introducing 12 Gaug, Harris announced: "This one's a crowd throwing song. Throw somebody up here." The invitation was accepted immediately.

Crowd surfers appeared from every direction, with this reviewer losing count somewhere around twenty bodies sailing overhead before the song was finished. The band never let the momentum drop. Massive bass rumbled through the walls and floorboards of The Tivoli while crushing riffs and relentless drums kept the room moving. Harris stalked the stage with undeniable metal swagger, commanding circle pits and crowd responses with ease. "Let me see a Brisbane circle pit. GO GO GO!"

Brisbane obliged. Later, introducing what he claimed were new songs, Harris yelled: "Brisbane, I wanna see some fucking hands!" The crowd responded instantly before he launched into Autistimus Prime. After finishing, Harris laughed and admitted: "How y'all doing? It is hot as fuck up here and I'm not gonna lie... that wasn't the right song. New songs for real this time, I swear."

The crowd loved it. The set continued with longer whistle screams, crushing breakdowns, huge guitar moments and an insane drum feature that had the entire band moving in perfect unison. By the time PeelingFlesh reached FFWASSSSS, they were somehow performing with even more intensity than they had started.

"You still with us Brisbane?" The answer was obvious. Circle pits continued spinning, bodies kept flying and the band left the stage having completely controlled the crowd from start to finish.

By the time Sanguisugabogg took the stage, The Tivoli was primed and ready to explode. The Ohio death metal outfit entered to deafening cheers before vocalist Devin Swank wasted no time. "Yo Brisbane, make some fucking noise. Let's fuck this place up." The band launched straight into Rotten Entanglement, delivering a crushing opening that immediately sent the room into overdrive. The bassist stalked the stage with undeniable rockstar energy, slowly headbanging while completely feeling himself in the moment. Warm lighting drenched the stage, matching the band's thick, punchy sound perfectly.

The circle pit started before anyone even requested it. The crowd already knew the assignment. There was a genuine sense of community throughout the night. People were looking after each other while still embracing the chaos. It was heavy, intense and surprisingly wholesome all at once.

One of the biggest reactions came early with Skin Cushion. Introducing the track, Swank explained: "This song is about killing people with furniture. It's called Skin Cushion." The crowd absolutely lost their minds. The pit widened instantly and the energy somehow climbed even higher. Earlier in the set, Swank gave a shout-out to both Gutless and PeelingFlesh, and throughout the night there was a genuine sense of camaraderie between the touring bands. Having watched the members joking together backstage before doors, it felt less like three separate acts sharing a bill and more like a travelling death metal family finishing their Australian run together.

After thanking both support acts, the band launched into Felony, with matching movements from the musicians sending sweat and hair flying in every direction. Everything was being left on that stage. A drum feature brought the audience into perfect sync before Swank encouraged even more chaos. "I wanna see some fucking crowd surfing. Try and join us on stage."

Security immediately switched into full metal mode as bodies began appearing overhead once again. Swank was endlessly charismatic, holding a very attractive “metal daddy” presence throughout the performance. Long hair, tattooed arms, sweat glistening under stage lights and a cheeky grin that suggested he was enjoying every second of the chaos unfolding in front of him.

Before moving into the next track, Swank took a moment to introduce the touring lineup. Cody Davidson had stepped away from his usual position behind the kit and was handling guitar duties for the Australian run, while Joe Pelletier of PeelingFlesh pulled double duty throughout the tour, stepping behind the drums for Sanguisugabogg's set. It was a cool moment of recognition between two bands that had clearly become close mates on the road.

Before Face Ripped Off, he thanked the audience."This song is dedicated to all of you. Thank you for coming out tonight." The band then delivered one filthy riff after another, with bass vibrations so intense it occasionally felt like The Tivoli itself might collapse.

Nobody cared. The crowd just kept finding another gear. As the set continued through A Lesson in Savagery, Abhorrent Contraceptionand Mortal Admonishment, Swank repeatedly demanded bigger circle pits, more movement and more chaos. Brisbane delivered every time.

At one point nearly half the floor was consumed by a spinning pit while audience members illuminated the room with phone lights and cut loose even harder. Approaching the end of the set, Swank teased the crowd. "We got one more for you."

The band launched into Dragged by a Truck, delivering arguably the highest energy point of the night. Sweat poured from every musician, hair continued flying and nobody seemed interested in standing still. Then came the twist. "You know how I said it was the last one? Well I fucking lied. Let's fuck shit up." The band erupted into Dead As Shit and the crowd went completely feral. More crowd surfers. More chaos. More exhausted necks. Exactly what everyone wanted.

As the final notes rang out, Sanguisugabogg left the stage having delivered an intense, sweaty and deeply satisfying performance. Before disappearing backstage, Swank began throwing bottles of water into the crowd, somehow managing to further cement the "metal daddy" energy he'd been radiating all night.

The crowd left with sore necks, exhausted bodies and huge smiles. Exactly as a Friday night death metal show should end.