GalleryDitch This MagazineDecember 07, 2025gallery, live, melbourne, Louie Mosscrop, Destroy All Lines, Enter Shikari, Good Things Festival, The Living End, Mastodon, Electric Callboy, Aviva, Loathe, Imminence, Sleeping With Sirens, Korn

Good Things Festival 2025

photos: Louie Mosscrop @louiemosscropphotography

Despite it feeling like a never ending winter, Melbourne finally turned off the rain and delivered an absolute banger day for Good Things 2025, as the usual sea of black flocked to Flemington you could feel the energy in the air, the buzz that only Good Things delivers.

Friday marked the first stop for Australia’s yearly metal, punk, emo and everything in between festival, this year included heavy weights Tool as the headliner with other icons like Garbage, Machine Head, All Time Low, and the brutal force of Lorna Shore.

Yours Truly opened up the main stage, it was great to see a crowd forming early in support of the first lot of acts. Yours Truly have earned their spot on the main stage and it showed through a tight and dominating set, it would have been nice to see them performing later in the day.

Scene Queen followed suit on stage 2 while the new kids on the block, UK’s South Arcade got things going on stage 3 their high energy, fresh sound and all round solid vibes had the crowd singing along to favourites like “Nepo Baby”, How 2 Get Away With Murder” and “Drive Myself Home”.

Back on the main stage New Found Glory gathered the elder emos and pop punk kids (now in well into their 30s) side by side for a set list that really hit the nostalgia feels with a setlist made from hit from all across their discography. The set included "All Downhill From Here", “Kiss Me”, “Something I Call Personality” and closed out their iconic “My Friends Over You”. This was despite Chad Gilbert staying home in the US as he recovers from cancer.

Refused.

What to say about Refused, the absolute legends of hardcore punk, I remember coming across them while listening to Punk-O-Rama, Vol 4 and they’ve been on repeat ever since.

This is their final trip down under before putting Refused to rest and for me was a must see.

Dennis Lyxzén’s stage presence is nothing short of demanding, a pure artist, a self-described happy man who plays angry music. Refused have always been politically outspoken so it was no surprise to see a Palestinian flag draped over speakers and Dennis to call out the genocide and the current world political environments.

The set was based heavily around their album The Shape of Punk to Come (1998) including the title track, “The Shape of Punk to Come”, “The Refused Party Program”, “Summerholidays vs. Punkroutine” and of course “New Noise” was the final track.

In short, Refused didn't just play a festival set; they delivered a cathartic final chapter for their Melbourne fans, blending their revolutionary hardcore sound with their uncompromising political message. The energy was raw, the performance was explosive, and the atmosphere was charged with the significance of it being their last time on that stage.

Refused are Fuckng Dead.

Stand Atlantic jumped on the line up at the 11th hour as a replacement for All American Rejects after they had to pull out at the last moment due to a family emergency.

Unfortunately we will need to wait a little bit longer to see them return to our shores.

Stand Atlantic delivered a set full of fan favourites that kept the crowd going, including “Kissin’ Killer Cobras”, “Hate Me (Sometimes)”, and giving ode to the All American Rejects with a cover of “Gives You Hell”.

On the other side of the grounds, Gwar were busy spewing blood, puss, semen, and every other bodily fluid you can think of all over everyone to be (un)lucky enough to be close enough to the stage. This including photographers and security who donned ponchos, only to come out dripping in fake blood and spending the rest of the day a lovely shade of red and pink.

Down on stage 5, Fever 333 were back for the first time since their last festival run in Australia back in 2019. This time with their new line up which welcomed Brandon Davis (guitar), April Kae (bass), and Thomas Pridgen (drums). Personally, I would have loved to see them on a larger stage, however the smaller more intimate setting of stage 5 created an intimate feeling for a very powerful set. With Jason Aalon Butler doing what he does, moving fold back speakers and using them as launch pads, climbing stages and biting open cans.

Another pop punk addition to the lineup was All Time Low who hit the stage with colour coordinated clothes and platforms. They delivered a set of old and new tracks, from “Lost in Stereo”, “Something’s Gotta Give”, newer tracks like “Little Bit”, “The Weather” and “Monsters”, finishing their set with none other than “Dear Maria, Count Me In”.

Garbage, the set was packed with their most famous tracks such as “Stupid Girl”, “Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!)”, and “Only Happy When It Rains”. The set was soured with frontwoman Shirley Manson stopping mid set with an outburst of anger, frustration and abuse bordering on physical threat levels at a male patron with a beach ball in the crowd.

Feel good masters Weezer managed turn things around with a all hits, no filler set. 17 tracks from across their impressive career. “My Name Is Jonas”, “Beverly Hills”, “Say It Isn’t So” and “Buddy Holy”.

Tool, the progressive metal titans are Good Things main headliner for 2025, they are no doubt the reason for the reported quickest Good Things ticket sales ever.

However you feel about Tool you must respect the musicianship, skill, pure visionary and influence they have had across the metal genre(s).

The set started as the sun was setting, which in itself felt a little strange, Tool in the day light?

Regardless of the light they created a hypnotic experience that was a full visual spectacle, from the massive LED screen covering the entirety of the back of the stage to the lasers, which you could see from all corners of Flemington, and possibly Melbourne.

Maynard maintained his traditional setting, rear of stage, unlit and unassuming, except for maybe the megaphone hanging by his waist. Kneeling down to gaze out at the masses. Ensuring the focus was for the band as a whole, a collective musicianship of genre defying vision. Everyone on stage, flawless with their execution.

With a set list featuring tracks new and old, if you were a fan, it was impossible to not be mesmerized. “Stinkfist”, “H.”, “Pneuma”, “Jambi” and “Fear Inoculum” all made appearances with the set finishing with “Vicarious”.

Lorna Shore, the deathcore powerhouse rounded off stage 3 for the night. Will Ramos’ vocal range is by far best in class when it comes to screams, guttural lows, high pitched squeals, he does it all.

With the sun set , the stage lit up with Pyro and apocalyptic chaos as Lorna Shore went full send with “Oblivion”, “Unbreakable” and “Sun//Eater” just to start.

This of course meant it didn't matter how tired security was, they had to step up and catch bodies flying over the barrier from the warzone of a moshpit.

Rounding the set off with “To The Hellfire”, Good Things came to a close.

What a day.