The BRKN RD Tour sees some of the East Coast’s finest rising heavy bands joining forces to celebrate new releases and upcoming Aussie metalcore. Co-headlined by Broken Earth and NTH RD, both acts have promised to bring a powerful combination of crushing riffs and soaring melodies to their run across all three East-Coast Capitals. With a shared passion for high-energy live shows, a deep respect for each other’s craft, and a DIY ethos that fuels everything they do, this collaborative run has been months in the making.
We sat down with vocalists Raphael Smith of Broken Earth and Dan Charlton of NTH RD to chat about how the tour came together, what fans can expect from the shows, and what happens when two genre-pushing forces collide. Spoiler: bromance, riffs, and maybe even a future collab track are all on the table.
How did the co-headline tour come together? What brought both Broken Earth and NTH RD together?
BE: We were part of a lineup that was basically one big group chat with a bunch of band mates including Revoid where we had been planning shows out for a while last year – which all came to a head at the Burdekin in Sydney at the end of 2024. Flash forward to the start of this year and we start talking and realise we just want to tour and play sick shows and see how far we can push DIY attitudes by collaborating with a band that was just as hungry as we were
NR: We first played together last year supporting Revoid in Sydney – there was a strong mutual respect between our bands, and we clicked straight away. Earlier this year, we were chatting and both bands had a massive year of releases planned, and were all super excited to tour – both bands had a bunch of great songs planned to release over the year, so it was a natural fit. We all wanted to organise an event to celebrate the releases, and as a band, we really wanted to push ourselves to top our last headline show from last year, which will be an exciting challenge.
Have you played shows together before? Do you have any fun memories together?
BE: We’ve played with NTH RD once before but we’ve also seen them play a few shows as well – most of the time its been Raph and Dan trying their hardest not to flirt with each other (failing miserably), but honestly as soon as we played that Revoid show together it was an immediate vibe click and we all agreed internally that we wanted to get them on a lineup again as soon as possible
NR: Yeah, that Revoid show in Sydney was our first time playing together. The vibes were great, and we were super eager to get a show happening with them again.
What are you most looking forward to about touring together on this run?
BE: We’re most excited to see how we go on an east coast co-headliner – we’ve hit the east coast states a bunch now since building up from 2022 onwards and we’ve been wanting to do this for a long time. A lot of people have been asking us to finally pull the trigger and so we wanted to plan something special for the audience by bringing along NTH RD – we feel they’ve got something really cool going on and can’t wait for everyone to find out just what they can do
NR: We’re pumped to finally play in Brisbane – it’s been a long time coming! But the Melbourne headliner is what we’re most excited for. It’s our home crowd, and we’ve built our best setlist yet for the occasion.
What’s your favourite and least favourite part of touring/playing shows?
BE: Obviously getting up on that stage after all the planning and organising is a huge reward, but even more importantly we love the post show half asleep delirious banter that brings us all together and makes us laugh like idiots. Least favourite is the early mornings
NR: We love the adrenaline and the rush! It’s an amazing experience bringing songs that we wrote onto a stage and watching an audience sing back your lyrics and feed off your energy. I definitely dislike the traffic getting into shows though, especially in the cities.
Do you each have a favourite song by the other’s band? Why?
BE: We absolutely love “Remember” – so bouncy and also perfectly balanced and realised with what they’re going for – also we’re a sucker for clean vocals over breakdowns! Gonna be singing it at them every night
NR: When Broken Earth dropped ‘The Distance’, we were floored. It was exactly the type of song we wanted to hear them release – tight, catchy and emotional. We are super excited to watch it live on this run!
Which song of yours are you most looking forward to playing live?
BE: We’ve just put out our new song RAINMAKER – which is probably one of our hardest songs to play live – and we just can’t wait for everyone who’s listened to it to come witness the absolute carnage that will ensue at the end of that song (IYKYK)
NR: Definitely our newest single, ‘Feel’. This will be the first time we play it live since its release a few weeks ago. We’re keen to see the crowd reaction now that people have had time to listen to the track.
If you’re collaborating on a tour, what’s the likelihood of a feature song in the future?
BE: *frantically scribbles that down to put in the dm list* Yeah man we’d be open to it
NR: We’re definitely open to it! It would be cool to see our styles merge. We both have unique takes on the genre. It would be a really fun experience.
If all members of both bands wrote one song together, what would it sound like?
BE: I feel like it’d go on the next Batman movie while Robert Pattison broods staring out a window
NR: Super heavy with big riffs and a huge vibey chorus!
If this tour had a movie title, what would it be?
BE: Life is a Highway, Soundtracked by Yuno Miles
NR: Bless the BRKN RD. Soundtracked by Rascal Flatts
Finish the sentence: ‘Fans who miss this tour will…’
BE: wish they came later on when NTH RD is selling out the country
NR: …miss out on the tour of the century, so get around those tickets asap!
