28 September 2025 – The Tivoli, Brisbane – words by Lucas Bell – pictures by Bec Harbour
In the year 2000, metal music in Australia was in a weird place. But with the overseas success of bands like Killswitch Engage, Atreyu, Trivium, and All That Remains, a new movement was starting. And in Australia, one band started a movement, a revolution. Hailing from Adelaide in South Australia, a band formed called I Killed the Prom Queen.
It wasn’t known at the time, but this band would become one of the most important bands in Australian metal history, opening the floodgates for metalcore in Australia, and the utter dominance the Australian metalcore sound has had across the world. On the eve of their 25th anniversary, and first shows since 2016, Jona Weinhofen, Kevin Cameron, JJ Peters, Jamie Hope, and a returning Michael Crafter have joined forces to bring the nostalgia back to Australian metalcore, and we were fortunate enough to be invited to the first of two Brisbane shows announced for this tour.
Out first were Melbourne hardcore band Threshold. Unfortunately, the crowd for these guys were a bit feral. A lot of over the line jokes and comments being made about this band, left me from the outset with a sour taste in my mouth for my local scene. Brisbane is better than this. Other than that, Threshold had a set that was short and sweet, only coming in around 15 minutes. But for those fifteen minutes, they absolutely slammed. I hope to see more from this crew in the future.
Threshold – The Tivoli – photos by Bec Harbour
Following on after Threshold, was To The Grave. I caught these guys on the Lorna Shore tour earlier this year. While I’m not 100% sure, I think most of the set they did was the same as the Lorna show. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t as good. With a sign behind them that said “Kill Your Local Animal Abuser”, lead singer Dane Evans once again came out in the hoodie, pigs mask, and butcher’s bib, holding a fake knife and giving Brisbane a solid 30 minutes of tunes. We got tracks like ‘Forced Diet Reassignment’ and ‘Sawed Off’, and they even ripped out a Suicide Silence cover; ‘Unanswered’. Another solid performance by these guys.
To The Grave – The Tivoli – photos by Bec Harbour
After another short break, the lights dimmed for New York’s metalcore bad boys, Emmure. After a dominating performance at Cvltfest 2024, it was no surprise they would be back quickly, as Cvltfest was their first shows back in Australia since 2018. Opening the show with ‘You Asked for It’, the crowd were going absolutely bonkers throughout the set. The show did have one noticeable absence, with guitarist Josh Travis missing from the lineup. I’m not sure who it was playing in his place, but the band did not miss a step with songs like ‘Smokey’ causing mass carnage, as is to be expected during an Emmure show. Unfortunately, the carnage was a bit too much, as about 15 minutes into the show, hands, phone lights, and yells from the middle of the pit rang out, as it appeared someone had suffered a pretty horrific injury.
Emmure – The Tivoli – photos by Bec Harbour
We’re still unsure what happened, but from where I was sitting, all I could see was someone on the ground, and didn’t get up for maybe 6 minutes. Emmure were asked to leave the stage, as security and venue staff were able to assist and escort the gentleman outside to a waiting ambulance, as it appeared the man had cracked the back of his head on the floor of the venue. I hope the guy is alright. But seeing the crowd rally around this guy to help out and everyone stopping to make sure he was okay, is the scene I know and love. Emmure walked back on about 15 minutes later, and played a reduced set of tracks. The adrenaline seemed to be gone from Emmure when they came back on, but they continued on, playing it pretty safe, but got their swagger back on the last two songs, ‘Solar Flare Homicide’ and ‘When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong’.
Just after 10pm, the lights dimmed as the stage lit up with red lights. On the stage, were two massive props that had been covered all night, revealed to be the famous snake heart logo for I Killed the Prom Queen. As ‘There Will Be No Violins When You Die’ played, the lads all walked out to thunderous applause, and started the night off with ‘When Goodbye Means Forever…’ The show was advertised as a tribute show to the 2000 – 2008 era of the band, and boy oh boy did it not disappoint in that regard. And while it was sad to not see the legend that is Sean Kennedy on stage, having Jamie Hope, the band’s former lead vocalist, on stage playing bass for Sean, and Michael Crafter back at the front, just felt right.
I Killed the Prom Queen – The Tivoli – photos by Bec Harbour
‘€666’ played next, and Crafter then teased some really old stuff, which we got in the form of ‘Never Never Land’, off the Your Past Comes Back to Haunt You EP. Which damn, what an absolute throwback. ‘Your Shirt Would Look Better With a Columbian Neck-tie’ drew an insane sing along on the choruses, as Jona was unable to be heard over the entire venue singing the “Your lifeless heart on a rope around my neck” line so loud every time. ‘Homicide Documentaries’ was wicked to hear live, because I don’t think I’ve heard it live ever. The song was dedicated to Parkway Drive, as Crafter mentioned going out and doing ‘Boneyards’ on the 2024 Australian tour with them, helped Prom Queen put the puzzle pieces back together for IKTPQ, and helped heal the band.
Unfortunately, there seemed to be more issues in the crowd during ‘Death Certificate for a Beauty Queen’, as security seemed to get involved with something, and Crafter had to quell the energy down. Crafter called to cut the song, as things settled down, made a joke about the Brisbane Lions winning the AFL Grand Final, and Broncos winning to go into the NRL Grand Final against the Storm. Then they moved on to ‘Bet It All on Black’, dedicating it to the gamblers. ‘Dreams as Hearts Bleed’ and ‘Choose to Love, Live, or Die’ played next, before we got the big, heartfelt moment of the night,
I Killed the Prom Queen – The Tivoli – photos by Bec Harbour
Crafter cut a very impassioned speech about the abysmal state of mental health care in Australia. This is a topic close to the band, as the bands bassist Sean Kennedy committed suicide in 2021. The phrase SK Forever was emblazoned on Crafter’s vest, as a reminder that Kennedy will never be forgotten. ‘Roses, Post Cards and Machine Gun Kisses’ was dedicated to a bunch of Australian musicians that have committed suicide , including Rowan Willoughby from Break Even, and Sean Kennedy “from this fucking band”, as Crafter said.
‘Pointed to My Heart’ was up next, and after ‘Sleepless Nights and City Lights’, Crafter spoke again how it’s been 18 years since he performed full time for I Killed the Prom Queen. And how these shows, and this tour are special to him, and just how important and massive metalcore in Australia is. ‘To Kill Tomorrow’ and ‘My Best Wishes’ ended the set, as Crafter left the stage to let Weinhofen, Peters, Cameron, and Hope play on stage instrumentally as a four piece to close the set. The venue stayed dark, only lit by the Monster Energy logos on stage, before Prom Queen walked back out to encore with two of my favorite songs in the band’s discography, ‘Sharks in Your Mouth’, and ‘Say Goodbye’.
I Killed the Prom Queen – The Tivoli – photos by Bec Harbour
I typically don’t do this, but this show had some very important take-aways that I would like to point out.
- The open misogyny and bigotry from the crowd during Thresholds set should not be tolerated. Hardcore and metalcore are a space for everyone to exist, and be safe. If you see this kind of shit happening, call it out. It cannot grow without daylight. So we need to stop it being so open.
- There is a golden rule for metal. If someone falls, you pick them back up. And if someone is hurt, you make sure you do what you can to make sure they are alright. People shouldn’t be suffering injuries at metal shows that could prevent them from going home. Please, look after each other.
- The mental health crisis in Australia, like Crafter mentioned, is no joke. If you need help, or someone to talk to, there are avenues to reach out and seek help. From doctors, to services like Lifeline Australia and Beyond Blue. It’s not weak to speak. Resources will be provided below.
As a final note, something I would like to say is that the nostalgia of seeing I Killed the Prom Queen again, has reinvigorated a love for this metalcore scene Australia has built over the last 25 years. Without Prom Queen, we wouldn’t have bands like Parkway Drive, The Amity Afflicition, Northlane, Alpha Wolf, Thornhill, and countless others that for years have been able to take over the world. That path was started by Prom Queen. And allowing fans to honor the decades of work IKTPQ has done in building the scene, by putting these shows on for us, means the world to someone who 20 years ago, was just a kid that loved going to shows.
A sincere and heartfelt thank you is deserved to you guys.
Thank you, I Killed the Prom Queen.
Lifeline Australia – 13 11 14
Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4636
Suicide Call Back Service – 1300 659 467
