Thursday January 30th, Princess Theatre.

The first night of the Hyperviolence tour was right here in Brisbane, celebrating the band’s latest album of the same name. The special guests include Headwreck, Diamond Construct, and Thousand Below (USA).

The release of Hyperviolence saw Windwaker delve into a fresh and exciting territory of sound, exploring hardcore, EDM, hyperpop, hip hop & alt rock. The Melbourne 5-piece band have an already dedicated fan base, and this album was just the perfect gift, offering their most dedicated and evolved work yet.

I arrived right on time at the Princess Theatre for what seemed like the thousandth time, it is truly one of my favourite venues in Brisbane. The exposed brick interior, along with the beautiful balcony and elevated stage makes for a sophisticated space – and who can be mad at the air-conditioned ballroom in the middle of summer? I had to walk outside to the beer garden for a pre-show drink and already the line for the merchandise was long and weaving throughout the masses, like a looping black snake amongst the warm air. The crowd was peppered with faces – both new and familiar, and eagerness was worn on each and every one.

The first band on the lineup was Brisbane’s very own Headwreck. The room wasn’t quite full yet as the band adorned the stage but immediately the energy they brought was a confirmation of their of rightful spot on this tour. This was Headwreck’s first show in over a year, announced vocalist Connor Hickman, diving into a bunch of new and old material. We heard tracks like Plan Z, Freefall and Buzzsaw. The band were super tight in terms of musicality and riffed perfectly between one another.

Next up to the stage was Sydney metalcore band Diamond Construct. Vocalist Kynan Groundwater emerged donning a sparkled matching tracksuit and gloves, just oozing with what I can only describe as swag – confidence, style and attitude. As instructed by Groundwater, the pit opened up immediately and it got sweaty pretty quickly, not to mention the wave of B.O that rolled through the room and hit me in the face. Their performance was heavy on the riffs and breakdowns mixing in some djent and hip hop elements too.

Our second last band of the evening was California post hardcore quartet Thousand Below. The set began with new single Shake and vocalist James Deberg told us fans that this was the their third time to our beautiful country, “We fucking love it here.” And of course this was met with a roar from the crowd. With a grand curation of emotional lyrics, instrumental complexity and downright catchy tracks, it’s not hard to see why they have a solid fanbase. Rounding out their set with Sabotage, it was a moment to savour until the next time the band arrives upon our sunburnt shores.

It was then time for the main event, Windwaker. For myself this was the first time seeing them live so I had high hopes and a bunch of adrenaline. As the boys made their way onto the stage one by one, the blue hues of the lights were setting the scene for an epic experience. Since the release of Hyperviolence, fans like me were super anticipated to hear the new songs live.

Vocalist Liam Guinane has this certain charm whilst onstage, captivating the audience with both his clean and heavy vocals. We heard the likes of Tabula Rasa, Vertigo, Apathy, Arcane … many of which were a live debut from Hyperviolence . They also gave some love to their 2022 record Love Language by performing Beautiful and Superstitious Fantasy. Mosh pits arose during Vertigo and a wall of death was appointed during Memories. The bands effortless marriage of genres made the show extra electric and looking around the room seeing so many people sing back the lyrics to each and every song was a nice reminder of comradery and connection. There was no sign of slowing down over the course of the show, even with synthist Connor Robbins leg in a knee brace.

As the evening drew to a close, we were treated to an encore of The Wall and my personal favourite, Sirens. At this point, I’d made my way to the back of the room to fully take in the atmosphere and have a better view of the stage. Enthralled fans raised their hands to form a ‘W,’ a hand signal for Windwaker. It was beautiful sight amidst the light and fog. The show was that good it ended before I knew it, and I was back home reminiscing about a wonderful night.

The tour continues in Adelaide Melbourne and Perth. Get your tickets here via Destroy All Lines.