Windwaker – Gig Review & Photo Gallery 1st February @ Manning Bar, Sydney NSW

Windwaker
Manning Bar, Sydney, NSW
February 1st, 2025
Supports: Thousand Below, Diamond Construct and Headwreck

2025 is the year many are deeming to be the year of Australian music, and what better way to commemorate and celebrate this notion than a four-act lineup made up of three homegrown hitters, led by one of our most dynamic bands to date, Windwaker! Celebrating the cycle of Hyperviolence, Sydney’s Manning Bar was ignited in a flurry of densely strobing lights and doused in liters of sweat, all falling between bodies suffocating in the sheer inescapability of this band’s punchy tracks. However, this showcase began far earlier in the evening with the hefty Headwreck, dazzling Diamond Construct, and thunderous Thousand Below all taking to the stage for one of the mightiest shows within our gig calendar!

Opening the night was Brisbane-based, Headwreck. Even before they took to the stage, there was much to say about their merch; the jersey especially capturing many a keen eye, and it was clearly one of the standout pieces across all the merch tables! It may be silly to say that this is where I saw their confidence already melt into the room, but I think the correlation between pride in one’s presentation to pride in performance cannot be discounted.

The Manning Bar is one of those venues where you really feel a lack of capacity when it is not completely, nor even halfway packed- and this was a challenge I expected the bright band to face. Yet, from the moment they began, every inch of unoccupied space was instead infiltrated by their thumping and electrifying bass. Headwreck has put a lot of work into their sound and style over the past year, adopting this nu-fusion blend that personifies the play PlayStation Two and baggy pants auditorily, and it is an element that makes them unique, exciting, and extremely entertaining live. I think this best came to fruition when the band played their newer catalog like ‘Buzzsaw’ and ‘Plan Z’, a feat that saw the pit conjure its first movement of the night. Within the crowd that was there early, Headwreck boasted a dedicated onslaught of fans witnessed by the loud cheers for each new song, to the incredibly well-illustrated Filet ‘o’ Fish sign, which was truly an artistic masterpiece. I could go on about their impassioned performance and the band’s striking ability to light up a room with not only their persona, but vibrant discography… but I think the band’s sticker does it better.

“I saw Headwreck live and they were good”!

Next up were no strangers to a current touring regime, Diamond Construct. Fresh off their release of Angel Killer Zero, the DC boys have been putting their most self-backed, assured, and confident foot forward. I last caught them in a swelteringly small Oxford Arts Factory, so it was nice to have a little room to breathe within the walls of this venue tonight. In saying that, it was as if the crowd doubled as the lights dimmed to a darker hue and the room filled with fog. Despite the cloud coverage, there was one thing you could not miss- Kynan Groundwater’s bedazzled two-piece tracksuit set that took his friend more than eight hours to perfect. Like a human disco ball, he shimmered as he pranced onto the stage for this evening’s set. Even his signature fingerless gloves now donned a more reflective and sparkling persona.

Diamond Construct’s journey has been an interesting one to watch flourish, and it is within this past year that I think Kynan has come into confidence with his clean live vocals. There were a few moments of the night in which he seemed a little out of breath, but this is an allowance to be made when the setlist is dominated by tracks from the new album- all of which are incredibly dynamic, testing of highly versatile notes, and I suppose, are a completely different ball game for the band in which they are still diving headfirst into.

There is always something for the older fans in their set, and tonight it presented itself in the form of ‘Psychosis’. This track brought people from the wings out to the main floor, and conjured voices to sing at a volume they had not yet been at before. If there is one thing to say about the Taree boys, it’s that they are a band of the people! Whether it be for an opening slot, or at their own headliner, Diamond Construct has a flair that cannot be replicated. Fresh off the drop of their ‘Clickbait’ music video, the band’s confidence in their presentation is a testament to their unwavering pilgrimage to create unique music that is a direct reflection of their identity and wants as their own creative directors.

Breaking up the homegrown talent was America’s very own, Thousand Below. These boys are no strangers to our shores, last here in 2023 for a tour alongside Thornhill. Their presence each time is met with adornment and a chorus of fans reciting their work word for word. But it was also at this point of the night, that I felt an emptiness of sorts in the room. Maybe it was the circle behind me that had grown and grown, but only ever eventuated into a feat of men pretending to dig, making the air pour against my back. There was just something that did not allow for this set to feel as electric as it could have, although I don’t subscribe to it being an issue that spilled from the stage. If you only faced forward, what blossomed in your vision was a man almost yearning over his own lyrics whilst shrouded in a golden hue enveloping his overbearing presence on the small stage. The setlist was highly favouring their 2022 album, Hell Finds You Everywhere, which seemed to receive a blisteringly hot reception from those plastered on the barricade, with points and dedications certainly not sparse.

The incredible show playlist got everyone moving again- hosting a slurry of 80s hits, from Dragon to A Flock Of Seagulls. To me, it was perfect!

Now, if I were any pettier of a woman, the Windwaker section of my review could start and end here. Back during our Hyperviolence chat, I expressed to the boys that the next time they were in Sydney, they positively had to play ‘Lucy’, to which they agreed.

On this fateful Saturday night… Windwaker from Melbourne, Australia did not play track 2, ‘Lucy’, from their 2022 album, Love Language, as requested by reviewer Georgia Haskins.

Enough said.

I suppose I am obligated to really review the night. And what a night it was. Of course, the tour was a celebration of the album cycle that has been, and is still in the midst of being celebrated. This, of course, meant for the live debuts of a handful of tracks, allowing fans to finally relish in the technicolour daydream that is Hyperviolence. Immediately, the band juxtaposed the blaring lights and screeching sounds of the venue, casually assuming their positions on stage- of which most would find themselves situated within for the duration of the night. All except the energizer bunny, Liam Guinane. From the first song, ‘Infinity’ to the final siren sounding, he pranced, flung, stomped, and twirled, causing the small perimeter to widen to the best of its abilities.

I do think a special shoutout needs to be given to Connor Robins. Rolling out in moon boot and pretty serious-looking leg apparatus, he never failed to command energy and expel a passionate performance. He makes the broken leg look like a walk in the park… or perhaps a less tender analogy is needed.

As Windwaker worked through their setlist, it seemed as though the room was getting more and more crammed- maybe more people had arrived, or maybe it was the release of so much energy, depth, and passion that made the room tighten up. I found myself in the second row for quite a few songs, with the main pit leaking all the way up to this area. I was worried prior to their arrival that their fate would be coming out to another lackluster Sydney crowd, but it was well certified by ‘Dopamine Freestyle’ that this was not a stand-and-sing-a-long moment. From wall of deaths that saw bodies piling over one another until they hit the external boundaries, to swarms of people flying over the barricade, much to the minimal security’s demise, this night was about connection through movement. All of which radiated through Liam’s assertion as a frontman. Without a need for any bells or whistles, a single lift of the hand, or a breakthrough to a fast rap verse, moments of respect radiated through the crowd. His journey to the front pillar has been a long one, but one that is incredibly deserved, and evidently reflects through the chaos and calamity inflicted on the monsoon of a crowd below him.

My personal standout of the night found itself within ‘Superstitious Fantasy’, with perhaps a more personal bias to this album (which also happens to have ‘Lucy’ on it) but more so, due to the conglomerate nature of the crowd when this throwback was played. There was a volume that arose from old fans and new alike, a celebration of where the band came from and their development to now, and a similar chaos was found within the depths of the pit, now swirling with flailing arms. No matter the direness down there, it became a habit of mine to continue watching bassist Indey Salvestro, who held such a swagger and air of confidence the entire night, that for a moment catching him within your gaze, made the hellfire of the pit feel not so bad.

It was not all just lights and action from the Windy boys, however, but a chance to showcase their duality and skillful ability. Of particular note, was the performance of ‘Haunting Me’, which saw the band grow gruellingly solemn, and Liam’s vocals crash through the ceiling.

Now, I know it’s only February, but I can safely say that the last three songs from Windwaker may be the most brutal encore run I have seen all year. The trifecta of ‘Break The Rules’, ‘The Wall’, and of course, ‘SIRENS’ saw the Manning Bar’s floor become a game of tag on steroids, that also then transitioned into a wave pool of killer proportions, before finally settling to a casual tornado within the middle of the venue. There was not a second to breathe. This energy was replicated right back by the boys on stage, the magnetic tension causing Liam to jump onto the barricade and become one with the crowd, now indivisible by a front row, but as a clump of mass. Not before decapitating the head of a Tellytubby did he serenade one last time with that beautiful proclamation of “girls on white horses”, which left every one in that room beyond satisfied.

As the air remained thick, the boys soaked in what they could through the fog radiating from the audience; it was clear to see this one meant something.

If there is one word to describe Windwaker, it would be energetic. Bountiful and bouncing, the band ceased to perform at a level that ever once wavered in its strength, but came out all guns blazing, continuing to charge through for the full sixteen-song setlist. I believe this tour was very much a test for the band. Hyperviolence redefined what they were capable of in the studio, intertwining more technological and advanced methods in their recording process. Could they deliver this live, however?

The Hyperviolence tour is an assertion of Windwaker’s duality and a reflection of their creative prowess that translates beyond your earphones, but in a live setting. All bite, the Windwaker crew is creating milestones with this run of shows, and is leaving audience members, like myself, convinced of their status as one of Australia’s most unique, eclectic, engaging, and spectacular bands.

Review by Georgia Haskins @ghaskins2002

Photo Gallery by Jackson Saunders @jsaundersfilm
Please credit Wall Of Sound and Jackson Saunders if you repost photos.