There is no better way to spend a sweltering Australia Day than in the middle of a heaving, humid mosh pit at The Tivoli. With the Brisbane humidity sitting at a thick 90%, the “public holiday” energy was at an all-time high. Walking into the venue, it was clear that the “Long Weekend” spirit had taken hold; half the crowd looked like they were just starting their celebration, while the other half looked like they hadn’t stopped since Friday night.
The sweat was practically dripping off the walls before the first riff even dropped, but for a bill featuring Snot, Nailbomb, and the mighty Soulfly, the heat was just part of the atmosphere.
Snot kicked off the night with a high octane set. The energy was electric from the jump as Snot took the stage. For a band with such a storied and emotional history, they didn’t hold back, delivering a high-energy set that bridged the gap between old-school hardcore and nu-metal groove. The crowd already glistening with sweat, didn’t need much convincing to start the first circles of the day. Ripping through tracks like like Stoopid, Joy Ride, The Box, Snooze Button, Get Some, Deadfall, and Absent, their set served as a frantic, fun, and loud tribute to their legacy, proving that their music remains as relevant and rowdy as ever.
Next it was Nailbomb releasing industrial warfare. As the temperature inside The Tivoli continued to rise, Nailbomb brought a different kind of heat. This was a rare treat for the Brisbane faithful. The industrial-metal project delivered a mechanical, crushing wall of sound that felt perfectly suited for the gritty, chaotic energy of the holiday crowd. Wasting away , 24 Hour Bullshit, Blind and Lost, and Cockroaches whipped the crowd into a frenzy. It was abrasive, loud, and uncompromising exactly what you want from a project co-founded by the Cavalera family tree. By the time they finished, the room felt like a furnace, but no one was leaving.
Soulfly closed out the night, fresh off their new album Chama being released, the “Third World Warrior” himself, Max Cavalera, took the stage. Max is an underground icon who doesn’t just survive; he thrives. Using the same voice and spirit that launched Soulfly in 1997, he summoned “impossibly heavy noise” that reverberated through the very foundations of the venue.
Soulfly’s performance was a masterclass in balance injecting bludgeoning riffs with moments of trippy nuance and tribal dissonance. It was more than a set; it was a celebration of family and legacy. Whatever Max hammers out on the bridges of his four-string guitars, it always “sets souls free.”
Soulfly Setlist
No Hope=No Fear / Seek N Strike / Prophecy / Fire / Bubklaatt / No Pain = No Power / Back To The Primative / Chama / Favela/Dystopia / Tribe / Nihilist / Bleed / Pain / Jumpdafuckup / Eye For An Eye
