Brisbane has  been waiting a long time for this festival for what seems forever, the last few years a blur of empty stages. It’s the first major of its kind festival since COVID and it feels like a relief to finally be here.

Driving into the scene there were lines of people waiting at  RNA showgrounds festival, going back as far as the eye could see, eagerly awaiting the day to start.

Finding out the layout and getting your bearings proved to be a challenge  as the layout was quite different to any RNA festival and it was easy enough to find the  first wall of death for the day, with To The Grave kicking the day off heavy.

Next up was the the energetic two-piece, Those Who Dream, putting on an impressive set the duo had the crowd completely enraptured and was an exceptionally good start to the afternoon.

Melbourne boys KissChasy were next on the bill, playing their music for old and new fans alike, and giving it their all.

Over on the the main stage  Ukrainian metal sensations Jinjer were giving the crowd a memorable set. Lead singer  Tatiana’s  vocals are equally as impressive in person as on the recordings.

Thornhill played next and unsurprisingly the Melbournites put on an impressive set with lead singer Jacob Charlton mesmerising to watch.

Millencolin were the old school band of the day and it was incredibly fun to watch the Swedish band bring back a few nostalgic moments for all watching.

Cosmic Psychos have been around the block a few times. Possibly a bit before a lot of the youngsters time, the older crowd have generally heard of The Cosmic Psychos. Unlike a lot of bands that were inspired by the ‘Seattle grunge sound’, these guys helped inspire that whole sound. The Cosmic Psychos treated the audience to a handful of singalong favorites such as “Nice day to go to the pub” and “David Lee Roth”.

Sabaton had one of the best backdrops of the day. A massive Sabaton banner, with an army of angry emus on it. They were the first band of the day with the full pyro setup cranking.

Electric Callboys seemed to be the most under rated band of the day, however they proved they have immense  pulling power. These guys should have been higher up the bill and on the main stages. The place packed in, keen to see these guys on their first visit to our shores, others to see what all the hype was about. Coming out on stage in their Pump It outfits, they didn’t mess around in getting the party started. Going from sing-alongs, to heavy riffs and breakdowns, before finding yourself in the middle of a rave, Electric Callboy didn’t disappoint.

Lacuna Coil vocalist Cristina Scabbia proved to the crowd during their set exactly why the Italian gothic metal band have been popular since their formation in the mid-1990s. A real stand out performance made them one of the highlights of the festival.

The Amity Affliction are no stranger to heavy metal festival line ups, and are always welcomed by the crowd each time they perform. Good Things festival was no exception with the band having put Gympie on the map

Floridians Sleeping with Sirens were up next with front man Kellin Quinn showing how Americans play heavy metal. With a reasonably good sized fan base, they were another international act fans were eager to welcome back to Australian shores.

Gojira was undisputedly the best heavy band of the day. The crowd packed in for the French heavyweights, the anticipation hanging in the air,  their  sound is not one to be missed. Pleasing the crowd by playing “ Flying Whales”  complete with the intro was a huge highlight of the day.. it’s just not the same without it. Playing a great mix of old and new, the crowd couldn’t get enough.

Soulfly had recently welcomed Dino Cazares (of Fear Factory) to the lineup on guitar. Opening with primitive, before breaking into old track no hope, no fear, Soulfly brought their style of heavy to Good Things. Later on doing a cover of Fear Factory’s ‘Replica’, as a 90’s kid, it was everything I had hoped for and more seeing Max and Dino together.

Enter TISM, who had to climb on stage via the front as their gigantic dildo? As their shiny silver  outfits were too tall to go on stage the conventional ways.  Having not played for what feels like a lifetime fans were generously treated to all the hits. One of the members giant dildo outfits came undone and floated to the stage roof, before taking to the skys and flying away. Treated to some slam poetry about ‘Why I became a Tradie’, complete with cement mixer and tradies on stage before breaking into “Everyone else has had more sex than me”, TISM proved what a fun band they are to witness and with any luck they won’t leave it so long before they perform again.

NOFX was another chance to trip down memory lane with the old school rockers playing hits that were the soundtrack to a generation.

The Story So Far were up next as the evening began to cool a little and the sun sunk below the horizon, things showed no signs of slowing down, thanks to the Californians putting on an impressive set.

Deftones were one of the main drawcards for the day. With most of the crowd eagerly anticipating their performance there is an indescribable feeling one gets  when experiencing their low bass tones rumble throughout your body, and this time was no different. That bass was low.

One of the great things about these festivals are that artists often have the opportunity to invite other artists on stage for a collaboration. This time Deftones fans were treated to the rare performance of “Head Up” featuring the one and only Max Cavalera from Soulfly.

Regurgitator didn’t disappoint with front man Quan bringing his frenzied energy to the stage. The ‘ Black Bugs’ singers always manage to make audiences smile with their unique brand of quirkiness and their ability to just have fun.

Bring me the Horizon entered the stage, backlit and silhouetted by very cool LED-lit stage platforms. After a small intro, the confetti cannons went off
and the band kicked into “Can You Feel My Heart” and didn’t stop to catch a breath.

The thing that makes Good Things festival so successful is that it really has managed to fill a gap on the festival circuit that was needing to be filled by heavy metal bands. Whether you enjoy old school grunge  or heavy metal there are always new acts to discover and old favourites to make you feel good. The return of the festival really can only be described as a festival that Brisbane has been needing for a long time, and as the sun set on the day and memories were made,