The crowd at Good Things Sydney, 2025, Photograph by Kane Hibberd
It feels as though the 2025 edition of Good Things was born under a bad sign.
The intergenerational alternative festival put people off in the lead-up by restricting resales on Tixel for no apparent reason, and then found itself in turmoil when two major international acts – The All-American Rejects and Knocked Loose – simultaneously pulled out of the festival due to what appeared to be separate family emergencies. Throw in a Sydney heatwave, with tops of 40 degrees out west, and it felt like even the elements were working against one of the last major Australian music festivals.
Still, if there’s a good omen upon arriving at Sydney Olympic Park, it’s Scene Queen. The self-described “bimbo metal” singer is all kinds of fun. Highlights of her set included calling for the festival’s first-ever “twerkle pit” and causing spit-takes during “Mutual Masturbation” (“Don’t compliment me, I’ll cum!”). Incendiary closer “18+” seals the deal on this unique, exciting kickoff.
Pop-punk veterans New Found Glory, meanwhile, are having a shocker. With the power going out three separate times and vocalist Jordan Pundik’s in-ear monitors blowing out, it’s clear they’re struggling to keep it together. But they persevere, and eventually facilitate the first major sing-along of the day with perennial set closer “My Friends Over You”.
It’s bittersweet seeing Refused for the very last time in Sydney. On one hand, it’s a shame they didn’t do their own headline tour instead of playing a 40-minute afternoon set. On the other, it’s a special feeling seeing superfans and new converts coming together in the moshpit. A true unifying experience, which is really what punk and hardcore should be. Are we risking life, limb and heatstroke by going absolutely batshit for “New Noise”? Of course. Refused are fucking dead. It’s a sign of respect.
Who’d wear a white T-shirt to a festival? Someone keen to get it covered in Donald Trump’s blood, of course. GWAR have been spreading shock and awe since before most Good Things attendees were born, and it’s to their credit that they’re still pulling off such unbelievably fun shows. Who else on the bill is going to bring out a baby dinosaur and inject it with crack, or hold a public execution for the sitting President, all while playing face-melting guitar solos?
On the adjacent stage, Goldfinger are today’s sole flag-flyers for ska-punk – a title they clearly hold with pride, as it’s literally spray-painted on the banner behind them. The Tony Hawk soundtrack classic “Superman” is one of the standout moments of the day, and so is the one-two punch of “Open Your Eyes”, complete with 58-year-old John Feldmann crowdsurfing. They also pull off a blistering cover of NOFX’s “Linoleum”, complete with that band’s former guitarist El Hefe in the mix.
Fever 333, Photograph by Jay Wennington
“Has he climbed anything yet?” A late arrival to Fever 333 has their eye on the band’s constantly-moving frontman Jason Aalon Butler. The answer is no, but it’s only a matter of time (a stack of foldback speakers, if you’re curious). With their unique blend of rap, metal and post-hardcore, not to mention Butler’s live antics, 333 are a perfect festival act, equal parts sweat and spectacle.
Is it a sign from the universe that while James Reyne is playing “Reckless”, a stunt plane is doing tricks overhead? If so, what does it mean? Perhaps a question for another time. For now, Reyne and co. are running through a set of Australian Crawl’s greatest hits. Reyne follows Boom Crash Opera and Dragon as the lineup’s obligatory boomer act, and just quietly, he may be the best yet.
Back indoors, the perennially underrated Civic have drawn today’s smallest crowd. In no way, however, is this a reflection on their performance. They remain one of Australia’s finest proto-punk revival acts, approaching the buzzsaw sound with a heightened sense of dynamics and an ear for shout-along melodies. They even bring out the festival’s most unlikely special guest, Kirin J Callinan, for a jam on “Gulls Way”. It just goes to show that every festival has gold hidden in the poster’s fine print.
Garbage’s Shirley Manson, Photograph by Kane Hibberd
If you’re not terminally online, you might wonder why Garbage’s set begins with a half-dozen beach balls being launched from the stage. Apparently, there was a storm in a teacup yesterday involving a beach ball. It really doesn’t matter – there’s business to attend to. Though most of the younger crowd have no idea who they’re watching, elder millennials and Gen-Xers are revelling in the masterful “Special” and the alt-pop staple “Stupid Girl”. Lightning strikes overhead, which strikes the fear of God into irrepressible frontwoman Shirley Manson, but she maintains high spirits and infectious energy – peaking with the perfectly-timed “Only Happy When It Rains”, which kicks in just as a shower washes over ENGIE Stadium.
Weezer were last in Olympic Park just over two years ago, opening for childhood heroes KISS in the adjacent Accor Stadium. With no new album to promote, their hour-long set proceeds as a victory lap of sorts, opening with the pummelling waltz of “My Name is Jonas” and closing with the career-defining alt-rock suite of “Say It Ain’t So” and “Buddy Holly”. There are still some surprises in the mix: the hard-working Josh Freese is sitting in on drums, and the band pull out a faithful rendition of the Hole classic “Celebrity Skin”.
It’s been a long, hot, sweaty day by the time Tool arrive to close out the festival. Ticket resales, lineup changes, sweltering heat, beachballs… none of it matters when the LA prog-metal foursome hit the stage with all guns blazing. Although the dense, journeyman nature of their songcraft isn’t to everyone’s liking, your attention is unlikely to drift when they’re in the zone. The stunning visuals certainly help, with throwbacks to some of their more disturbing music videos, like “Stinkfist” and “Prison Sex”, filling the video screens, and so does the eye-watering musicianship – drummer Danny Carey seems to have at least three more limbs than the average human.
With a rapturous finale of “Vicarious”, during which the more mathematical metalheads in attendance figure out how to mosh in 5/4 time, Good Things comes to an end. Thanks in no small part to an excellent change of venue, ditching the exhausting and isolated Centennial Park, as well as uniformly great performances from all acts on the lineup, Sydney’s Good Things can be chalked up as a win.
It’s too soon to say if music festivals in Australia are back back, but we’re certainly on our way.
Good Things took place at Sydney Showground, on the land of the Wangal people, on Saturday 6 December.
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