LIVE REVIEW: WAGE WAR + ORTHODOX + HEAVENSGATE @ THE TIVOLI 06/08/26

Words by Steph Ure Photos Charlyn Cameron

Some gigs are loud. Some gigs are heavy. Then there are nights like Thursday night at The Tivoli for Wage War, where the entire room comes to a silent agreement the only acceptable response is absolute metal gremlin chaos.

Returning to The Tivoli as part of their It Calls Me By Name world tour, Florida metalcore heavyweights Wage War were joined by Orthodox from Nashville, Tennessee, and Melbourne heavy hitters Heavensgate, creating a lineup that barely allowed the Brisbane crowd a moment to catch its breath.

Walking into The Tivoli, the atmosphere was already electric. Metalheads packed the floor, eagerly soaking up every moment of Melbourne five-piece Heavensgate's set. Crushing riffs, emotional vocals and commanding stage presence filled the room, while a huge circle pit was already in full swing before the night's headliners had even appeared.

Frontman Ben Jones effortlessly commanded the stage, balancing raw screams with emotional intensity while constantly engaging the crowd. Every interaction was met with an enthusiastic response, and judging by the growing energy in the room, Heavensgate weren't just warming up the audience—they were winning over a whole lot of new fans. Sometimes the best measure of an opening act isn't what the reviewer says—it's what the crowd says on the way to the bar, bathroom or while in the smokers area.

"I think I've found my new favourite band."
"If that's the opener, I'm pumped for the rest of the night."

And perhaps my personal favourite from a fan who excitedly told me her whole experience of Hevensgate: "I asked the singer to marry me. He would've said yes if he could hear me... we definitely made eye contact."

Judging by the reactions around the room, Heavensgate did exactly what every support band hopes to do—leave Brisbane with a whole lot of new fans.

Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, hardcore five-piece Orthodox have built a reputation on pure chaos, and Brisbane quickly learnt why. Frontman Adam Easterling wasted absolutely no time. "I need a motherfucking circle pit." Brisbane obliged.

The already sizeable pit somehow found another gear as Orthodox launched into one crushing track after another, with Easterling barking orders between songs.

"We didn't come here to sing to you... We came here to ruin your goddamn night." Every countdown erupted into another surge of bodies. "Brisbane, fuck it up!" And Brisbane happily accepted the challenge. Crowd surfers continuously rolled over the barricade while Easterling encouraged everyone to climb over one another. "The name of the game is crowd surf."

Pausing briefly for water, he gave a genuine shout-out to the security team after estimating they'd already caught more than fifty crowd surfers before launching straight back into the carnage. Yet, as always, the beautiful contradiction of heavy music revealed itself.

When one bloke took an unfortunate knee to the groin and dropped to the floor, the pit immediately stopped. The perpetrator of the groin hit joined his victim on the floor, apologising, helping him up and checking on multiple times for the next few songs. It was another reminder that beneath all the aggression sits one of the strongest communities in live music.

When the lights finally dropped for Wage War, The Tivoli somehow found another level.

Formed in Ocala, Florida, the five-piece featuring Briton Bond (unclean vocals), Cody Quistad (clean vocals/guitar), Seth Blake (guitar), Chris Gaylord (bass) and Stephen Kluesener (drums) have become one of modern metalcore's defining bands, seamlessly balancing crushing breakdowns with soaring melodies.

Within minutes, a huge circle pit had opened, crowd surfers were appearing from every direction, and The Tivoli was home to one of the loudest singalongs I've heard in a long time. Every chorus was screamed back at Wage War with enough force to rival the PA itself, turning the venue into one giant choir fuelled by breakdowns and adrenaline.

Throughout the night, blinding white strobes cut through saturated washes of crimson and electric blue, creating dramatic silhouettes across the stage. It made for a spectacular visual experience from the floor.

A blistering guitar solo during Alive drew cheers almost as loud as the vocals themselves, while Blur carried an emotional weight that could genuinely be felt inside the pit. Recent single Magnetic became one of the night's biggest singalongs, while Don't Trust No One landed with bone-rattling force.

Then came Tombstone. The already enormous circle pit somehow grew even larger, swallowing almost the entire centre of The Tivoli, but what stood out wasn't just its size—it was who was in it. Some of the biggest energy came from the women.

Corporate women in their 30’s and 40’s; still in their office trousers, ponytails flying, chunky boots stomping, jewellery somehow surviving the chaos, shoulder to shoulder with seasoned metalheads. The girly metal baddies absolutely held their own, proving the pit isn't reserved for the dude with the most tattoo’s and biggest biceps.

If you've ever wondered whether you belong in a circle pit, let this be your sign—you absolutely do. Don't be surprised if you're back in the office the next morning blasting Wage War while typing out a strongly worded email with a bruised shoulder and the biggest grin on your face.

The band then handed Brisbane a choice. Relapse or Who I Am. After three rounds of cheers from the crowd for each song the crowd was met with "I think we've got a winner." The opening notes of Relapse hit, and the venue absolutely erupted.

After joking, "Do you guys mind if we catch our breath for a minute?" the band powered things down with an acoustic section before easing into Gravity. A beautiful moment, stunning vocals and one of my favourite moments of the entire evening .

Brisbane pit legend “Metal Mario” found himself slow dancing with an enormous Viking-looking man wearing a purple “Jeff Wiggle” T-Shirt. The pair spun each other around the middle of the pit while hundreds of people stopped to smile, point and laugh. It was ridiculous. It was wholesome. And it perfectly captured the beautiful absurdity that somehow only exists at heavy music shows.

As the heavier songs returned, the crowd responded by screaming every lyric louder than before. The guitar work throughout the night repeatedly drew audible gasps from the audience, while every breakdown seemed to push the room one step further into organised chaos. By the time Stitch rolled around, the venue had completely lost itself.

Then Manic arrived. Thousands of voices somehow became louder than the venue's own PA, creating one final emotional peak that was impossible not to be swept into. It also caused this reviewer to break her long-standing "no circle pits while working" rule. Turns out a lap (or several) around the pit is significantly cheaper than therapy... and arguably just as effective.

Finishing Manic and leaving the stage. The venue went dark. As chants of "One more song!" echoed throughout The Tivoli, Wage War returned for not one, but two final songs. Blindfold reignited the room before Song of the Swamp delivered one final explosion of energy, bringing an unforgettable night to its natural conclusion before the band thanked Brisbane and reminded everyone to take care of one another.

Because that's ultimately what nights like this are about. Yes, there are breakdowns. Yes, there are circle pits. Yes, there are crowd surfers flying overhead every thirty seconds. But underneath all of that sits one of the strongest, kindest and most welcoming communities you'll find anywhere in live music.

And after a night like this, it's hard to imagine wanting to spend a Thursday evening anywhere else.