23 May 2025 – Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane – words by Charlotte Poynton – pictures by Bec Harbour
Brisbane’s adoration for their very own Ball Park Music was on full display for their hometown show at the Fortitude Music Hall on Friday night, with a crowd lining up to fill the room for their favourite indie rock sensation. 2025 is a year of no rest for the beloved band, with the release of their eighth studio album Like Love, a massive tour with over 30 dates across Australia and New Zealand, upcoming support slot for Oasis, and a recently announced European tour to close off the year.
Platonic Sex
Opening up each show of the Queensland run is the absolutely iconic local band Platonic Sex. My completely unbiased opinion is that Platonic Sex can truly do no wrong, as they effortlessly tick dominating stages at major Australian festivals and turning all ages crowds into a teenager’s first mosh pit off the quintessential indie band bucket list. The lead singer, Brando, took a moment to commend the crowd on their silence and attentiveness through the first few tracks of their set, before playing the band’s vulnerable 2024 release, ‘Hanging Out The Window’.
Platonic Sex – FMH – photos by Bec Harbour
Platonic Sex cycled through some of their most iconic, empowered tracks with ‘Devils Advocate’ and ‘Bitch In The Heat’, generating a rather impressive crowd response. As someone who has seen this band perform in packed out venues and at morning sets on carpark stages, experiencing their pure and raw magic on stage at the Fortitude Music Hall was a very special moment.
A feature of their set on this tour is their latest single ‘Impress You’, which is one of many tracks that Ball Park Music’s own Sam Cromack has worked on from their upcoming debut album.
Bean Magazine
Up next are another band of Meanjin locals with the ever-energetic Bean Magazine. The job of warming the stage every night for a headline act as exciting as Ball Park Music is no easy task, but Bean Magazine make it look purely effortless as they cycle through their catalogue of indie rock hits.
Bean Magazine truly take the cake as my favourite indie band to not know the words to, as their chaotic stage presence and addictive sound immerses you into whichever whimsical world they choose at any moment. The atmosphere throughout the room was truly electric, with headbanging aplenty and thousands of dancing fans filled the crowd.
Bean Magazine – FMH – photos by Bec Harbour
The Bean Magazine setlist was packed with their most iconic songs, from ‘Don’t You Die’ to ‘3’ and ‘Fire’. A special shoutout is due to their drummer Gabi, who absolutely blows audiences minds by balancing a powerful girlboss aesthetic in a crisp white blazer set whilst providing one of the most energetic drum performances you’ll ever see in your life.
Bean Magazine got top marks for crowd engagement, with singalong moments in ‘Chicken’ that reached every corner of the room. They declared they were about to do something they’d “never done before” as they invited a special guest up to play guitar for ‘Free As Hell’, before finishing their set with the ever iconic ‘Nobody Wore Shoes’, which saw sneakers, boots, docs and more hoisted up in the air.
Ball Park Music
A spotlight shone on Sam Cromack and his acoustic guitar as he began to play ‘Like Love’, a track which was complimented by the crowd echoing every word he sung. It was so special to hear the whole room sing along to all their favourite tracks from the band’s introspective eighth album, almost like a transcendent choir of voices amplifying the poetic lyrics.
Ball Park Music performed a selection of Like Love tracks, including ‘Coast Is Clear’ and ‘Fast Forward’, whilst sprinkling in fan favourites and ultimate throwbacks from their discography. Sam dedicated tracks like ‘All I Want Is You’ to his wife, whilst ‘Please Don’t Move To Melbourne’ was dedicated to anyone who had ever been abandoned for the wonders of “discovering yourself” in the titular capital city. The loudest crowd singalong of the night came with ‘It’s Nice To Be Alive’, where one glimpse around the room demonstrated how truly cathartic this song is.
Ball Park Music – FMH – photos by Bec Harbour
Further introspective notions came with ‘Cherub’, shortly before we switched gears and dove into my favourite sequence of the night. Energy levels were raised by one hundred as the audience danced along to ‘Trippin’ the Light Fantastic’, ‘Spark Up!’, ‘Fence Sitter’ and ‘She Only Loves Me When I’m There’. This four-song run truly encapsulated the Ball Park Music live experience for me, complete with brightly coloured stage lights, throwback favourite tracks, a deafening cheering crowd, and all the charm from one of the strongest bands to ever come out of Brisbane.
The band “closed” their set with an overexaggerated wave goodbye and the ever-iconic ‘Struggle Street’, a true anthem for all of us in this current economic and political society of the world.
Ball Park Music – FMH – photos by Bec Harbour
Shortly after their stage exit, Ball Park Music returned for an encore with ‘Overwhelming Sound’, featuring all five band members singing at the front of the stage. After some bizarre yet evidently sarcastic musings on an American political leader, Sam dedicated the band’s most loved up song (‘Exactly How You Are’) to all who believe in love. As a gift to their beloved hometown, Ball Park Music performed ‘Great Display of Patience’ as a gift, before closing out the night with vivid rainbow lighting and the effortless charm of ‘Sad Rude Future Dude’.
During that final performance, there was such a pure energy throughout the room – I wish I could’ve bottled that feeling to revisit on a rainy day. In a surprise that should come to no one, Ball Park Music’s entire performance was something so special to experience, and I truly implore anyone and everyone to get out to a show of theirs, whether you’re a dedicated fan since Happiness and Surrounding Suburbs or you thought that Ball Park Music was a sports initiative.
Ball Park Music – FMH – photos by Bec Harbour
If you’re currently reading this piece and kicking yourself for missing out on tickets, you can catch Ball Park Music this June and July at their remaining Queensland tour dates, including stops at Rockhampton, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, and Gold Coast. Or, if you won the ticket wars and got yourself a ticket for Oasis, you can witness the glory of Like Love and friends at those stadium shows! Regardless, remember to always support the local bands in your scene, because you never know which band will be the next to follow in the footsteps of The Park.
