LIVE REVIEW: SAOSIN + SENSES FAIL + FALLWEATHER @ THE TIVOLI 22/04/26

Words by Cecilia Pattison-Levi Photos Charlyn Cameron

Orange County post-hardcore trailblazers Saosin performed at the Tivoli to celebrate 20 years of their iconic self-titled album by playing it in full, as well as other hit songs from their back catalogue. They brought post-hardcore legends Senses Fail and Melbourne melodic hardcore band Fallweather along for the album’s birthday festivities. What a way to celebrate. This was no throwback concert, it was a return.

The evening started with the five-piece band Fallweather, who kicked off their nine-song set with ‘Kill My Doubt’, followed by ‘Glance’ and ‘Carousel’. The band consists of Bradley Painter, Markus Stuart, Dimitrios Sotirakis, Halley Simpson and Cullen Forbes. They brought the energy and circle pit movement with ‘Another Vice’ and ‘Tired Eyes’.

Fallweather’s melodic ‘Rain’ was well delivered. When the band played ‘Need’, they swapped singers. The song ‘Bathe In Blood’ highlighted their early 2000s post-hardcore influences. Their closing number ‘Candlelight’ was dedicated to the lead singer’s girlfriend and encapsulated the melodic vocals, breakdowns and screams that made everyone in the venue take note of them as a band to keep an eye on.

After a short break and stage rearrange, the large crowd at the Tivoli waited for Senses Fail.

With a large dose of humour, Senses Fail came out onto the stage to Daryl Hall & John Oates’ ‘You Make My Dreams’ as they opened their set with style. With the crowd now well and truly crammed into the venue, the New Jersey-based band started with three huge songs, opening their set with ‘You’re Cute When You Scream’, ‘Calling All Cars’ and ‘Death By Water’.

From the opening moments of their set, Senses Fail were giving it their all. There were sprays of water, high kicks, twirling microphones and cartwheels. The band is anchored by long-time member and vocalist Buddy Nielsen, alongside Daniel Wonacott, Gavin Caswell, Jason Milbank and Steve Carey. They demonstrated their raw energy, mixing urgency with chaos in a way that felt both practiced and completely unhinged. Songs like ‘Lady In A Blue Dress’, ‘Bonecrusher’ and ‘Rum Is For Drinking’ resonated strongly with the crowd.

Buddy Nielsen addressed the crowd, talking about New Zealand, XXXX beer and the loss of his mullet that he was growing because his wife “hated it”. Then he kicked the band into gear as they launched into ‘Choke On This’, which elicited a massive crowd singalong. The circle pit was turning as ‘Wolves At The Door’ and ‘Renacer’ followed. Senses Fail pushed through their set with intensity, drawing on songs like ‘Shark Attack’ and ‘Buried A Lie’ that showcased the band’s ability to blend aggression with vulnerability. The band fed off the crowd’s energy, which was returned in full force.

Senses Fail ended their set with the two huge singalong tracks ‘Can’t Be Saved’ and ‘Bite To Break The Skin’. The crowd were loving it, but like all good things, it came to an end. Hopefully, Senses Fail return to Brisbane soon.

After another brief intermission, Saosin took the stage to close out the night, and from the first notes and guitar chords, it was evident the band were locked in.

Saosin’s sound was massive and polished as Cove Reber, guitarists Beau Burchell and Phil Sgrosso, bassist Chris Sorenson and drummer Alex Rodriguez delivered the opening songs ‘I Can Tell’ and ‘Translating’. Then the band stopped to address the crowd about the self-titled album and said they “were going to lose their shit tonight”. From there, they tore through the songs that celebrated their debut album’s 20-year legacy, performed in rapid-fire succession with ‘It’s Far Better To Learn’, ‘Sleepers’, ‘It’s So Simple’, ‘Voices’, ‘Finding Home’, ‘Follow and Feel’ and ‘Come Home’.

Saosin sounded urgent and relevant as they broke from delivering the album to play their newly released track, the fiercely triumphant ‘Starting Over Again’. The band followed it with ‘On My Own’ from In Search Of Solid Ground and ‘Silver String’ from Along The Shadow.

They then returned to their debut album with ‘I Never Wanted To’, ‘Collapse’, ‘Bury Your Head’ and ‘Some Sense Of Security’. Their mix was clean, the vocals were sharp and they moved confidently through both older staples and newer material. It felt like they hit the sweet spot between nostalgia and freshness, especially when they closed out their set with ‘7 Years’ and ‘You’re Not Alone’.

Hearing and seeing Saosin’s self-titled full-length debut album performed live in full is to witness an example of post-hardcore excellence and a record that shaped the direction of the genre. It was a great night.