LIVE REVIEW: TONIGHT ALIVE + BELLA AMOR + HATERS @ CROWBAR 17/12/25
Words by Cecilia Pattison-LeviTonight Alive have played three gigs at Stage 3 over the Good Thing 2025 Festival in December. They have also played the When We Were Young 2024 Festival in the US during October and played a few shows in Melbourne. It is exciting to see the band back and playing live together for the first time in 7 years. It was wonderful to see them back in Brisbane at the Crowbar to kick off the mystery gig for the venue’s birthday bash. They have brought along Bella Amor and the Haters with them.
It was a night of the various flavours of hard punk rock – from its hard edge to its ‘poppier’ heart.
The evening started with local three-piece Brisbane based band Haters: Jai Sparks (vocals/guitar), Jimmy Priest (drums) and Kaitlyn Hold (bass/vocals). Haters kicked off their set with short, sharp and sweary songs ‘Dead’, ‘Quit My Job’ and ‘Ted Bundy’. The music has big guitar driven melodies with very tight rhythm delivered in the driving pounding beat in the drums and in the neat basslines.
The dual male/female vocals give the band a dynamic sound that was highlighted in ‘Young Ones’ and the fabulous fast and furious ‘Dead Inside My Head’. The Haters songs have real honesty and authenticity in their stories of the events in the local community and ‘Jimmy Says’ about police encounters outside of the Brightside was a great moment. As the band sang: “weird things happen to me”.
Haters looked like they were having a great time on stage and that feeling spread to the crowd, even as Jai Sparks chased his microphone as it slipped down. The song ‘Spit’ was funny and they closed out their set with ‘Wander/Wonder’. The band have just released their debut album ‘Non-Violent’ and if you love real music and indie punk rock is your thing, investigate the album and get along to a gig.
After a short stage change, Bella Amor’s very competent band, Libby on drums and Zane on guitar, got the stage ready and the instruments primed for their set.
Photo RC Stills
Bella Amor is a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from the Gold Coast. She has powerful vocals, bubbly charm and honesty in her lyrics, she has caught attention across the nation for her incredible work. Now, hot off her win at the Gold Coast music awards, where she won Song of the Year for the standout single ‘Rocks In My Pocket’, Bella Amor is ready to take her blend of indie, pop and pop-punk influences to the Crowbar and to the world.
And, that’s how the 10-song set started with the fabulous ‘Rocks In My Pocket’ that was followed quickly by an older fan favourite ‘Heart Attack’. Bella Amor seemed really comfortable on stage and she won over the crowd pretty quickly with her charming and funny manner, with her love of Christmas and her joy at this being the last gig of the year. Then, she sang ‘Simon Says’ and then performed her enchanting love song and fan favourite, ‘White Rabbit’.
It was interesting she didn’t mention the awards or her debut EP ‘This Is Where I'm At’, so I will do that here. She really had the crowd with her honest stage engagement and the songs ‘Basement’, ‘Play The Part’, ‘Keep Me Up All Night’ and ‘Daisyfields’. There was lots of filming on phones from a pretty hardcore crowd that were enjoying what they were seeing.
Then, the huge sing along of Wheatus’ ‘Dirtbag’ with added “fuck-up” at Noelene’s part was really enjoyed by the crowd. Then, Bella Amor closed out her set with the fabulous song ‘Couch’. Loved it! And Bella Amor and her band smashed it!
Then, the band that everyone had been waiting for, Tonight Alive, came onto the Crowbar stage.
Sydney band Tonight Alive comprises of Jenna McDougall, Matty Best, Cameron Adler and Jake Hardy. This was the band’s first headline gig in Brisbane in 7 years. It was great to see the band back and sounding fine. As Jenna McDougall said, “Who would have thought this. It’s 2025. But I feel the sass, the angst and the bitterness, Brisbane”, as she and the crowd engaged with their “teenage selves” to the bands hit songs like ‘The Edge’ and ‘Lonely Girl’.
The song ‘The Other Side’ had the crowd in a nostalgic haze and it seemed like Tonight Alive had not been away and that no time at all had passed”. “I have regressed to my 16-year-old self”. But time has moved on and front woman Jenna McDougall (aka Hevenshe) blew the crowd away with her range and vocal control that has just developed with depth and skill over the band’s break. Also, the rest of the band sounded tighter and had that lean, hungry look that came across in the music. The Crowbar crowd bounced in response.
Tonight Alive thanked the crowd for turning up and for the “warm welcome back. Yes. 7 years, thanks for waiting” as ‘World Away’ was delivered. This was swiftly followed up with 'Complexes’ which got everyone yelling and finger pointing. The band delivered a diverse set with big guitar riffs ‘The Ocean’, ‘Crack My Heart’, ‘Hell And Back’ the wave of cheers that crashed into the walls of the venue.
The band clearly fed off this energy of the crowd and creating this brilliant cycle of reciprocal energy and joy that extended through ‘Wasting Away’, ‘Disappear’, ‘What Are You So Scared Of?’ and ‘Listening’. The back catalogue of songs was rich.
The night was perfectly capped off with ‘The Edge’ and the fabulous ‘Temple’. The crowd expelling every bit of existing energy and whatever was left of their voice, with venue-shaking choruses of “I do not think you heard me when I said”.
The first night of Birthday Week wrapped up. The crowd shuffled out of the Crowbar exhausted and dreading going back to the reality of work in the morning. It was such a joyous and happy night, the music, the fun and excitement were shared and bonded the crowd together with the feeling: Tonight Alive are back!
