25 April 2025 – The Brightside, Brisbane – words by Lucas Bell – pictures by Martin Schmidt
It’s finally time. After an incredible 21 year career, one of the four pillars of Australian metalcore Behind Crimson Eyes have played their final show in Brisbane. I was incredibly lucky to be invited to revel in this night of nostalgia, and experience one of the best bands Australia has ever offered, for the last time in Brisbane. And boy, this show did not disappoint. Booking the support on this tour also was strong, with Perth’s Patient Sixty Seven, and Melbourne’s The Last Martyr also joining the tour, to help celebrate this iconic band on their last hurrah.
Opening the show were Brissy locals, Nervous Light. I don’t throw this out lightly, but holy shit this is a must watch band for the future. They were so good, I had someone run the stage to try get a set list because I needed to know every song they played, just so I could listen to them again on Spotify. The tone was immediately set with ‘A Lotus in the Mud’, before they carved tier way through an impressive set, including tracks like ‘Bury What’s Left of My Heart In Your Backyard’, ‘danger.’, and ‘Coffee Stains & Picture Frames’. They talked about their love for sad songs, and fast heavy songs, and the set was a perfect meld of the two styles. They joked about uploading their new single, bitemytongue onto Limewire after the show, and even had a heckler yell out for them to play ‘Rope’, which got an emphatic NO from the lead vocalist. After a thanks to Behind Crimson Eyes, they closed on ‘Haunts’, which is another blinder. This was a solid opening to a sick show. Check these lads out ASAP.
Nervous Light – Brightside – photos by Martin Schmidt
Second cab off the rank was Melbourne metallers The Last Martyr. Caught this band opening for Sunk Loto on their reunion shows a few years ago, and they were cool. They opened with ‘Xenos’, and ‘Antidote’, and both of these tracks slap live. Lead vocalist Monica Strut welcomed the crowd to the show, and acknowledged how monumental these last few shows are for Behind Crimson Eyes, which was a lovely acknowledgement. Strut then led a sing along for the bop, ‘Comedy/Tragedy’, and ‘Sugar’ went off crazy, as to be expected. Strut then asked the crowd if they wanted to go down memory lane a bit, as they played an absolutely insane cover of ‘Freestyler’ by Bomfunk MC’s, which I can honestly tell you, I never would have expected to hear out of any metal band. Tom from Patient Sixty Seven came out to sing ‘Nihilist’, before The Last Martyr closed off the set with ‘Critical Mass’, ‘Burn It Down’, and ‘Requiem’. Shout out to whoever was also rocking out in the dinosaur inflatable outfit during the sets. That shit had to have been hot.
The Last Martyr – Brightside – photos by Martin Schmidt
Patient Sixty Seven were out next, and I’m so happy I’ve seen them now, because I can make the joke of “They’re more than just a meme page on Facebook??”. These lads were legitimately awesome. I intentionally did not listen to them before the show, because I love the feeling of the live experience for the first time, and these guys were heavy, fun, and loud as shit. The crowd were going ballistic, and there seemed to also be a tonne of people that were in for them specifically, as I saw a tonne of merch on fans. Just as much as Behind Crimson Eyes, which is sick. Some songs I did manage to pick out were ‘No Place, Nothing Inspires’, and ‘Scattered’. But the entire set was super fun. Monica from The Last Martyr also came out and did a song with Patient Sixty Seven, but I don’t know what it was called. It actually might have been ‘Nothing Inspires’. Lead vocalist Tom Kiely cut a very impassioned speech before the end of the set, about seeing the love for live music thriving again, and how much it means for bands to see people singing along. A beautiful sentiment, for what was about to come.
Patient Sixty-Seven- Brightside – photos by Martin Schmidt
From the opening seconds of the backing track hitting the speakers, for the final time in Brisbane, I could already tell the main event would be some of the messiest chaos I’ve ever seen. As Behind Crimson Eyes streamed out onto stage for the last time in Brisbane, overwhelming love poured from the crowd, as they opened with a nostalgic, 18 song set that had some deep cuts, some deep loves, and everyone losing their minds. Opening with ‘Sometimes Forever Means Never’, was probably the deepest cut in the entire discography. ‘Sometimes Forever Means Never’ streamed brilliantly into ‘Bullets for Blood’, as Josh told us to help sing along to ‘Sorry Doesn’t Cut It’. It would be revealed later in the night, but lead vocalist Josh Stuart was struggling pretty hard with an illness that had him struggling through the set. And if the quality that was coming out was him struggling, his full power must be that of a god, because he sounded just as good, if not better, than I have ever seen him before.
Stuart spoke about how sad it was for the band for this to be their last ever show in Brisbane, and they appreciated people taking the time to see them one last time. So tonight was a time for celebration, singing and dancing, as they play to us one last time. More deep cuts came, as ‘Nightmare of Apparition’, ‘Part 6, Game of Life’, and ‘Empty Promises’ all lit the crowd up, with a massive singalong on ‘Empty Promises’ making my dead, still heart, grow a little from just hearing it again. Stuart had a laugh after ‘Empty Promises’ finished, about how those songs are all 20 years old, and he’s surprised everyone remembered the words. Now, it was time for newer songs, as their final EP, An Exodus From Eden, had just dropped a few weeks ago. They played ‘Wake Up’, and ‘Burn It Down’, which are much heavier tracks compared to the older stuff, but man, they go so good live. Outside of ‘DEAD.DROP.DEAD.’, these are the only times any other songs from the final EP will be played live. So to take in these songs for the first time, knowing they only have two more times to perform them, is something I will hold with me forever.
Behind Crimson Eyes – Brightside – photos by Martin Schmidt
We then got more stuff from 2005, with ‘The Art of War’ and ‘Revenge I – Of The Cradle’, which have been set staples for years, ringing through The Brightside one final time. Stuart then asked if they could play some stuff off their most well known work, ‘A Revelation For Despair’ (which, looking at the set, was 11 songs into the set, which is nuts). Drummer Dan Kerby crushed the opening drum beat for ‘Sex, Lies and Homicide’, before we also got ‘Children of the Broken Hearted’. Four songs left in the set list, and we got two more new ones, with ‘A Place In Hell’ and ‘DEAD.DROP.DEAD.’ going absolutely apeshit, before ‘You’ve Had Your Change’ and ‘The Bonesmen’ closed out the set. The boys then played adult peek-a-boo, before coming back for the encore to close down with ‘The Black Veil’. Josh walked off and returned on stage with the infamous black tape around the arm, as a final tribute to the aesthetic that he had in the mid 2000s, as the bands final song, ‘Shakedown’, shook down the entire venue. Stuart was really struggling on Shakedown, so the added weight of the crowd singing loudly to help him one more time really belted home just how beloved this band truly is.
Behind Crimson Eyes – Brightside – photos by Martin Schmidt
Sometimes it’s hard to see a band you adore say goodbye on their own terms. It’s harder to not be able to say goodbye at all. This show was a love letter for fans that have stuck with these lads for the past 21 years. Hopefully, the bands opening song ‘Sometimes Forever Means Never’, is that one day. As happy as I am they are going out on their own terms, I never want them to leave. And if they decide to come back, I’ll be front and centre, screaming every word. But if they don’t, as a fan, I’m okay with it. They’ve left behind an incredible legacy and a body of art they should be incredibly proud of, and I hope they know they left every part of themselves on that stage for us, the fans, to remember forever.
