Alexisonfire – Gig Review & Photo Gallery 15th March @ Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane QLD

Alexisonfire & Underoath
Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane QLD
March 15, 2025
Support: GEL  

On a list of top-tier things/feelings, seeing one of my favourite bands live and singing (screaming) the lyrics to most songs is up there for me and that is exactly what I did on Saturday night here in Brisbane. Wait though, because not only did I get to see my second favourite band Alexisonfire, I also got to see Underoath play They’re Only Chasing Safety in full. An absolute dream gig for us elder emos! I am fairly sure this is my sixth time seeing Alexis and my second time reviewing a gig of theirs for Wall of Sound, so I won’t bore you with that lore again. I will, however, say that while I didn’t get into much other Underoath, except for a few of the hits from Define the Great Line, my friends and I listened to They’re Only Chasing Safety often and it was an album that was very instrumental in me getting into ‘heavy’ music.

First up for the night was New Jersey hardcore punkers GEL who I admit I’d not heard of before but were a great time to groove to. Hardcore isn’t something I listen to on the regular, but damn I enjoy it live. It was great to see a decent crowd gathered by the time GEL took to the stage and there wasn’t really anyone standing still during their set. The band mixed two-step-inducing instrumentals and aggressive vocals from Sami Kaiser with electronic elements between songs and it was a great way to start the night.

After a good dance, I was very ready for the next feature of the show. Underoath made their way out to the stage and started with a little twist- as mentioned, this show was them playing They’re Only Chasing Safety in full, but instead of the furious refrains of ‘Young and Aspiring’ starting the set as per the album, the band started with the last track on the album, the slower ‘Some Will Seek Forgiveness, Others Escape’. It was a cool way to commence, and the crowd were already singing along with the familiar words. Then of course ‘Young and Aspiring’ came straight after and that mayhem stuck around for the entire set as the crowd erupted. As you can imagine ‘A Boy Brushed Red Living In Black And White’, a very well-known, elder emo anthem, was a good time with everyone screaming along. From there it was ‘The Impact of Reason’ into ‘Reinventing Your Exit’ in a dream song run. I don’t know if you are like this, but I get very used to the flow of an album and when I hear a song from an album I am obsessed with, my brain immediately starts playing the next song preemptively. Album anniversary shows are so satisfying to me, the feeling of getting excited knowing your favourite song is coming up is so fun! Saying that I was excited for ‘I'm Content With Losing’ to finish out the album is a bit of an understatement. I am still getting goosebumps reliving the feeling of seeing this song played.

While the album was now done, the set wasn’t. The crowd were treated to a couple of classics, two songs from their forthcoming 10th album The Place After This One, a snippet of the opening cords to Limp Bizkit’s ‘Break Stuff’ and a huge finish with ‘Writing on the Walls’. Pivotal album for me aside, Underoath themselves hugely brought the vibe. They performed energetically the whole time, had fantastic banter with the crowd (and each other) between songs and played the crap out of their music for an audience that reflected their energy right back at them. This set was the best fun from start to finish and will be up there for me in music memories forever.

That set was over, but the night itself was far from it which was crazy to me. After having the best time dancing and singing my heart out to Underoath, one of my favourite bands ever was still to come. They made their way to the stage with George Pettit in a balaclava and Wade MacNeil in a scarf, a look affectionately known as Babushka Wade and opened a huge set with ‘Young Cardinals’. Now when I say huge set, I am not kidding- it went for almost TWO HOURS and included 16 songs- three more than when they played here last in 2023. They played tracks from every album with Watch Out and Crisis featuring the most at five songs each. Crisis is another important album to me, so once again this was an absolute treat. Honestly, at this point, I almost have a weird parasocial relationship with these guys and it felt like I was watching mates I have known for years play some of my favourite songs. I said in the review I wrote of their 2023 show that it is obvious how much this band enjoys playing together and being privy to that is such a joy. The set had many singalongs including ‘Happy Birthday’ to drummer Jordan Hastings, a "let's go c-bombs" encouragement from George and a little shot fired at Green Day. Of course, this show was supposed to happen last week, but a dude named Cyclone Alfred decided to show up instead, cancelling the original gig at Riverstage and the Green Day Gold Coast show and it was playfully pointed out that Green Day didn’t reschedule...

Both Underoath and Alexisonfire quipped about the fact there was no way they could miss bringing this show to us, with Underoath saying that even though they now only have two days between this and the next tour they embark on, instead of four- they just had to make it happen. Worth a huge mention is also the fact that this went from one show to two nights at Fortitude Music Hall. The work everyone would have had to put in would have been mammoth. I think I speak for everyone in the crowd when I express immense gratitude for the effort and delaying returning home just for us. I hope we as a crowd conveyed how much that meant to us and after dealing with the stress of a cyclone last week, how much we needed it!

At my big age (nearly 40), a show finishing just before midnight is wild and I am on day two of recovering (even after only consuming four drinks across the night) but I would do it again and again. I’ve said it before but years ago I went to Alexisonfire’s ‘farewell’ show in Melbourne, and I have since seen them three times. I will NEVER take that for granted and you will always find me losing my shit in the crowd.  

Setlist

Young Cardinals
Sweet Dreams of Otherness
Hey, It's Your Funeral Mama
Boiled Frogs
Sans Soleil
It Was Fear of Myself That Made Me Odd
We Are the Sound
Little Girls Pointing and Laughing
Born and Raised
Drunks, Lovers, Sinners and Saints
Blue Spade
This Could Be Anywhere in the World
Accidents

Encore

A Dagger Through the Heart of St. Angeles
Dog's Blood
Happiness by the Kilowatt

Review by Cait Macca @caitastrophe_x‍

Photo Gallery by Mitch Chamberlain. Insta: @chamberlainmedia. Please credit Wall of Sound and Mitch Chamberlain if you repost.

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