It’s a bleak, overcast morning as the crowd snakes its way into Centennial Park, but Good Things Festival 2024 is anything but dreary. The energy is electric, fever-pitched, and unrelentingly communal. Metalheads—often intimidating in spiked vests and tattoo sleeves—reveal their soft-hearted core, the kind of people who’ll pull over mid-mosh to help someone out of a sticky situation. Case in point: a wheelchair-bound fan stuck in the mud quickly finds himself surrounded by a battalion of good samaritans, lifting him free and escorting him across the street with a casual, unspoken camaraderie.
Armed with a mix of sunscreen (somewhat optimistically given the gloomy skies) and frothy beers, fans funnel into the park, bracing for a sonic assault from rock and alt-metal royalty. There’s a crackling excitement in the air, thick as distortion in a breakdown—a cocktail of reverence for the icons on the bill and the insatiable hunger to discover the future of heavy music. It’s a day that promises catharsis, camaraderie, and, above all, chaos.
Despite the absence of Sum 41 (frontman Deryck Whibley is battling pneumonia), the day’s stacked lineup leaves no room for disappointment. Heavy-hitters like Korn, Violent Femmes, Mastodon, and Electric Callboy promise to set stages ablaze, while newer acts like Alpha Wolf and Reliqa carry the torch for a fresh generation. For those needing a jolt of ’90s grunge nostalgia, L7 are ready to deliver with their signature firepower, a set that promises to remind everyone why they’re punk royalty. Each act feels like a cornerstone in a monument to alternative music’s past, present, and future.
The day kicks off with a drizzle, but Aviva wastes no time setting the tone, electrifying the crowd with her alt-pop rock flair. It’s an unassuming start, the kind that masks the chaos to come.
Over at Stage 2, UK heavyweights Loathe waste no time whipping up a circle pit, their thunderous sound a testament to why they’ve been a force in the scene since 2014.
Sydney’s own Pyrefly follow, leaning into the madness with pool noodles—yes, pool noodles—delighting the increasingly drenched revellers as the rain turns from drizzle to full-on downpour.
Inertia’s set keeps the adrenaline flowing, though the storm’s getting serious now.
I bail to the cover of the Oozing Future Freakshow tent just in time to catch a guy casually driving nails into his face while a pole dancer spins overhead. Stage 666 is now packed to the brim with soggy festival-goers, where an impromptu live-band karaoke rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody morphs into a raucous singalong.
Then, as if on cue, the sun bursts through for Alex Lahey’s set. She and her band tear through a high-energy performance, the kind that makes you forget the mud caked on your boots.
The Living End are next, delivering their signature crowd-pleasers with a swagger that keeps fans screaming every word.
Frank Turner on Stage 3 is pure dynamite. His band is a blur of motion as they rip through anthems that feel like rallying cries for the soaked yet spirited audience.
Meanwhile, Taylor Acorn brings the pop-punk fire to Stage 5, the blazing sun now prompting a desperate scramble for sunscreen.
The juggernaut that is Mastodon hits next, their seismic riffs shaking the very ground beneath the mosh pit. From Game of Thrones to DC films, these guys are everywhere for a reason.
Then it’s a dash to L7—personal heroes of mine—and they’re everything I hoped for. Donita Sparks and Jennifer Finch lead the charge with a blistering set, Finch headbanging so hard it’s a miracle she stays upright.
Jet follows, proving that time hasn’t dulled their edge. Their set is a masterclass in Aussie rock, a testament to their iconic status.
Meanwhile, The Gaslight Anthem deliver a heartfelt performance, their gritty New Jersey punk infused with irresistible emotional hooks.
The Violent Femmes take us back 42 years, ripping through their self-titled debut album with all the sharpness and wit of their early days. They open with Blister in the Sun, and from there it’s a nostalgia-fueled whirlwind that’s anything but tired.
Over on Stage 4, Kerry King (yes, that Kerry King) has the crowd in a frenzy, including one guy who sprints from the mosh pit to the barrier eight times like he’s running laps for glory.
Electric Callboy, ever the showstoppers, explode onto the stage with confetti cannons and pyrotechnics, their wild fusion of synth-pop and metalcore igniting a euphoric, eye-searing spectacle.
Then it’s a brisk jog to Stage 3 for the legendary Billy Corgan. Stripped back and understated, his acoustic cover of INXS’s Don’t Change is a quiet moment of brilliance amidst the madness.
Finally, it’s time for the headliners: KORN. As the moon slips out from behind the clouds, the titans of nu-metal deliver a masterclass in controlled chaos. The pit is carnage, with security hauling fans out left and right as the band unleashes a set that reminds everyone why they’re still the blueprint for so many who followed.
Good Things 2024 had its share of rain, mud, and mayhem, but by the end, the sunburnt smiles and exhausted cheers make one thing clear: it was a roaring success, drenched and all.
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