LIVE REVIEW: SOULFLY + NAILBOMB + SNOT @ THE TIVOLI 26/01/26

Words by Stewart Munro  Photos Charlyn Cameron

By the time we reached the venue, the night already felt bigger than the room could hold.

The line stretched down the street and wrapped around the corner, a sold out crowd spilling out onto the pavement before the doors even opened. Inside, the merch line snaked its way around the venue, fans wasting no time locking in their spot and their shirt before the music even started.

A heatwave had settled over the city, and despite the venue being air conditioned, it felt like the warmth had followed everyone inside. Bodies packed shoulder to shoulder, anticipation hanging thick in the air. The front barrier filled fast with hardcore fans who clearly knew exactly where they wanted to be.

Snot hit the stage to a massive reception. It had been over a decade since they last toured Australia, and the crowd made it clear they hadn’t been forgotten. From the first notes, the energy in the room shifted, the kind of response reserved for bands with history and a fanbase that never really let go.

Fronted by Andy Knapp, alongside guitarists Mikey Doling and Doc Coyle, drummer Jamie Miller, and bassist John “Tumor” Fahnestock, the band sounded tight. There was no easing into the set. The crowd was already moving, already shouting lyrics back, already locked in.

On stage, the band fed off the room, matching the crowd’s energy with their own. Sweat, movement, and sound blurred together under the lights, setting the tone for everything that followed.

The anticipation in the room shifted the moment Nailbomb were up next. It was the kind of tension usually reserved for headliners, sitting heavy over the crowd.

By the time they hit the stage, the temperature had climbed again. Whether it was the lingering heatwave or the sheer number of bodies packed into the room, there was no escaping it.

Fronted by Max Cavalera, alongside Jackie Cruz on bass, Travis Stone on lead guitar, Igor Amadeus Cavalera on rhythm guitar, Adam Jarvis on drums, and Alex Cha handling samples, Nailbomb wasted no time. Song after song came down hard and fast, with no space left to breathe.

Tracks pulled from their sole album Point Blank landed like blunt force. Jagged riffs cut through the mix and the drums never let up. It felt straight-up hostile, in the best way.

The crowd met that energy head on. Movement, sweat, fists in the air, and faces locked in concentration filled the room. Nailbomb’s set didn’t offer relief or release. It was pure pressure, sustained from start to finish.

As Nailbomb wrapped up, the crowd spilled out toward the exits, chasing cooler air and a moment to breathe. The heat inside the venue had built steadily by this point, sticking to skin and clothes with nowhere to go.

Outside, an ambulance was parked near the venue. A couple of paramedics moved through the area as people filtered past, a quiet reminder of how intense the night had already become.

When Soulfly took the stage, the room snapped straight back into motion. Crowdsurfers appeared almost immediately, bodies lifted overhead as the band powered through the opening part of the set. The heat lingered, heavy and unavoidable, but no one was backing off now.

Their sound filled the room with a thick mix of tribal rhythm, groove, and thrash. Drums hit with weight, riffs locked in tight, and everything felt physical rather than polished. During Favela / Dystopia, a circle pit opened up, pulling people in and widening as the song pushed forward.

From where I was standing, the crowd sang along relentlessly. No Pain = No Power saw the band briefly leave the stage, only to return moments later for Back to the Primitive, the reaction immediate and loud. For Bleed, Richie Cavalera joined the band on stage, and the whole room sang along.

Before launching into Jump da Fuck Up, Max Cavalera brought the entire room down to the floor. Hundreds of people crouched low, waiting. When the song kicked in, they launched into a Jump Da Fuck Up / Eye for an Eye medley, and the moment Jump Da Fuck Up hit, the whole room went airborne.

Soulfly sounded massive from start to finish. No gimmicks, no filler, no bullshit. Just heavy, groove driven music played with intent. A band that knows exactly who they are, and delivers it without compromise.