Photos and Words by Rhys Bennett
It’s not often you can say you’ve been to a festival every year since it’s inception; Good Things is that festival for me. It’s an eclectic mix of the weird, the heavy and the downright nostalgic. I adore this festival and it’s always an incredible way to wrap up the year as a photographer. Walking into the grounds of Centennial Park, there was a swirling mix of emotions. I’m preparing to capture some of my favourite bands in what was arguably the most humid, disgusting day of the year. I was conscious that my gear could be ruined by the pea-souper of a day, that people moshing for 12 hours in the dank heat can’t be good for anyone and that we’re all gonna have to call in sick on Monday. That said, it’s a rite of passage when attending any festival that you leave a little broken and battered at the exchange of seeing multiple world class acts.
I have been predicting year after year that Korn would headline Good Things and 2024 is the year this finally came to fruition. A band that combines everything I mentioned this festival captures so beautifully. They are definitely weird, certainly heavy and for me, one of the most nostalgic bands of the 90s.
I grew up watching Rage late on Friday night and early on Saturday morning and there are 3 music videos that live rent free in my brain from that era for life; Breathe by The Prodigy, Come To Daddy by Aphex Twin and Freak on a Leash by Korn.
Korn are THE gateway band for me; opening my eyes and ears to obscure heavy music. They’re melodic, brutal, iconic. Today I get to see them live for the first time and have the pleasure of capturing what will arguably be one of the best performances Good Things has curated to date.
I arrived early for one reason; and no it wasn’t to beat the crowds. It was to see Liverpool’s finest band on the rise, Loathe. Their 2020 album I Let It In and It Took Everything was my introduction to this band and I was instantly hooked. As a long time fan of Deftones, you can’t ignore the influence they’ve had on Loathe and despite that, they sound wholly original.
Two songs into this set I felt like jumping the gun and declaring this will be one of the best sets of the day. Their live sound was impeccable. Vocalist Kadeem France is a sensational frontman, gliding around the stage without missing a beat, the crowd was instantly won over. Opening a festival is no easy feat, comparable to stand up comedy. Often it’s a matter of winning over a crowd that doesn’t want to keep an open mind. For Loathe, it was instant and the crowd only became more and more susceptible.
Arguably their biggest hit ‘Screaming’ sounded better than the record. Often this lane of music can be disappointing in a live setting, particularly at a festival due to the impossible feat of mirroring layered guitars and vocals that are piled on in recording. Whilst it was evident they were playing to tracks, they didn’t rely on them the way bands before them have. Guitarist Erik Bickerstaffe’s tone was perfectly balanced with shimmery brightness and sludgy heaviness. If you are yet to see this band live, don’t sleep on it. 5 stars, no notes.
Now referring to my comments above about bands that use tracks in a live setting to enrich their sound, some bands abstain from making it too obvious (ie LOATHE). This next set I can’t say the same.
Pennsylvania’s From Ashes to New felt almost entirely pre recorded. Their set was dialled in and was almost choreographed to comedic degree. This too was my first time seeing this band, having never heard their music before. Now whilst their music isn’t really my thing, I can appreciate what they’re doing and there’s a market for it. I just couldn’t find anything to enjoy about it.
They were kind’ve dressed up like Time Crisis characters (not a compliment) and guitarist Lance Dowdle for some reason put on a mask half way through their set. It’s just my opinion but if you’re going to go down the lane of rocking a mask during your set, it’s gotta stay on from the start. It adds mystery and a sense of unease to the set, demonstrated perfectly by the likes of Slipknot of Limp Bizkit’s Wes Borland. Am I itching to see this band in a live setting again, no. Did the crowd lap it up like a dog eating hot chips? Yes?
The year is 1997, it’s Friday night and you’re plating up Pizza Hut deciding which Blockbuster rental you’re going to watch first. This sums up life in the 90’s as a kid… and so does listening to Beautiful Disaster by 311. It’s almost blasphemy that this band never featured on the first Tony Hawk Pro Skater game. I was shocked to see this band on the bill for this year’s festival. Mainly because I thought we’d come full circle and a new band unfamiliar to me, must’ve shared the same name. But no, it was the real deal and they did not disappoint.
For a man in his mid 50’s, Nick Hexum can still get away with rocking a singlet on stage. Full head of hair, 6% body fat, it’s just showing off. Whilst their sound hasn’t changed since the late 80’s/ early 90’s it doesn’t need to. Stoned out white guy reggae reminiscent of Sublime and the like has its place and whilst that place is on the burnt out coffee table of a bong head in his 40’s, it still slaps. Sue me, I loved this set, now let's play some Tony Hawk.
It was 1998 and I was in the third grade when my best friend at the time introduced me to Prisoner of Society by The Living End. They fast became my favourite band and by the time Roll On was release in 2000 I was obsessed.
This band was technically the first band I ever saw live; supporting The Rolling Stones in 2006. I remember seeing Chris Cheney using a VB as a slide to finish a guitar solo and whilst my eyes should have been glued to him, I couldn’t help but notice the photographers attempting to capture that moment. Honestly it made me wonder what those photos looked like and ultimately how cool it would be photograph something like that. Fast forward 2 years and they were the second band I ever got the privilege to photograph.
Were the photos good? No. Were The Living End? Abso-fucking-lutely. They are to me what Midnight Oil or AC/DC are to my Parents. The mainstays of Australian pub rock royalty. There’s not much to say about their set at Good Things other than they’re the perfect festival act. Their musicianship is flawless. A band that has toured relentlessly for decades and have the chops to show for it. Did Scott Owen climb up on his double bass? Of course he did. Did Chris Cheney make a single mistake? Definitely not. Book ending the set with Second Solution and Prisoner of Society brought me back to primary school and I’ll pay top dollar for that hit of dopamine. A perfect set.
I say this about a lot of bands (shuddup I love live music) but Mastodon are my all time favourite band. From the cinderblock of brutality that is 2002’s Remission, the sludgefest of 2004’s Leviathan, all the way up to 2021’s brilliant Hushed and Grim; this is a band that has crafted a sound that I genuinely cannot compare to any other band. The guitar pairing of Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher have shaped some of the finest riffs in the world of heavy music. It’s been 20 years since the release of their Moby Dick inspired Leviathan so it’s no surprise that this record was gonna get the spotlight for this set and I’m not complaining.
Humidity by this point in the day had reached an all time high and had fogged up most of my camera lenses so if you think my edits look a little too ‘day time soap’, that’s why. It’s been over a decade since I last got to photograph Mastodon, when they toured with Gojira and Kvelertak (what a lineup). Now I could blame the lighting guy on the night or the venue or my camera for the lousy photos I got on that night, but truth be told I was just not very good at taking a decent photo. Fast forward to now and my gear is giving out on me like my back is as a mid 30’s pit gremlin.
I was a mix of emotions at this point as I was capturing my favourite band and having flashbacks of the last time I butchered the shoot. Alas it was fine. I didn’t wanna beat myself up over getting to capture my favourite band. Crystal Skull, Black Tongue and Seabeast were the ultimate opening three songs to capture this set. I have seen Mastodon many times over the years and they sound better each time I see them. Bill was in his absolute element and was arguably the most energetic I’ve ever seen him on stage. Drummer Brann Dailor’s ability to sing over some of his fills is baffling. His cleaner melodic singing is perfectly complimented by Bassist Troy Sanders growlier styling and Brent Hinds nasally/bluesier sound.
Blood and Thunder was the perfect closer to this set. It’s a crowd favourite and I can’t help but think it’s thanks to Drummer Brann Dailor (who wrote the main riff… yes the drummer). It’s bold, it’s got groove and witnessing the crowd chant “White Whale, Holy Grail” while being engulfed in flames from the stage was the standout moment of the day thus far for me. Flawless.
What can I say about the modern day Springsteen. The Gaslight Anthem are uplifting, euphoric blue collar rock and I’m all for it. I remember buying arguably their breakthrough record, Handwritten on a whim from Red Eye Records as it sat on a display of new releases in 2012. I wore this record out and for some reason I never made the time to listen to their other records, nor had I made the time to see them live so I was stoked to see they were on the bill for this years festival.
Their opener American Slang kicked off the set strong. It was reminiscent of that album I’d blazed through cover to cover all those years ago. A little bit Against Me! And a lot of The Boss. Brian Fallon is one of those fortunate singers that sounds identical live to what was recorded. Clad in a 49ers jersey and all smileys, he makes it look easy. A true performer that clearly loves playing live.
They stuck to the hits and I back that. When you’re playing a festival, stick to the classics. Standout tracks for me were the closers ’45’ and ‘the ’59 sound’. I will definitely be diving into their back catalogue after this set and I’ll be sure to catch them next time they’re in town.
Now I’d be lying if I said I could name 3 Violent Femmes songs. Blister In The Sun is it for me. My apologies to any diehard, but if that track did anything for me maybe I’d have perused their other work. Maybe its because I’m removed from the influence this band had on people but I was surprised to see them playing mainstage so late in the day. It felt like a lull in the atmosphere the other bands before them had built. Perhaps it was the breather everyone needed, I just didn’t enjoy the set. The songs are great, they’re great, I just found it out of place even for a festival that is applauded for mix of genre. If they were playing Stage 4 at 1pm, I might have thought differently. I’m glad I got to see them live but I can’t say I’m dying to see it again.
Back to regular programming. Now when you’ve spent nearly 40 years on the road with one of the most recognisable bands in metal, it’s safe to say its no easy feat to go out on a solo endeavour and expect it to hit the same way. If you’re gonna do it, do it with the right people. Thankfully for King, he’s joined by Death Angel’s Mark Osegueda on vocals and Machine Heads Phil Demmel on guitar.
I gave this debut record a red hot go and sadly it didn’t land for me. The riffs felt a bit too garage band jam with your mates and the lyrics felt somewhat derivative. That said, seeing it live is a different story. I had seen Death Angel a few times over the years so knew what to expect from Osegueda fronting the band. He is phenomenal as a frontman, razor sharp vocals and spewing out stage presence.
I can’t look past the fact that the band is called Kerry King, when it feels like Mark is doing all the heavy lifting live. Kerry took somewhat of a backseat during the set with Demmel and Hellyeah’s Kyle sanders weaving back and forth on stage. It pains me to say I was slightly disappointed in this set, I wanted to like it but it’s hard when you’ve witnessed what Slayer brought to the table. Kerry is a phenomenal guitarist and he is amongst phenomenal musicians; it’s just not doing it for me. Sorry Kez.
With the late announcement that Sum 41 will no longer be playing the festival due to Singer Deryck Whibley coming down with pneumonia, Electric Callboy was now being billed to cover their slot. I was disappointed to say the least; having no idea who Electric Callboy was (again, sorry) I was really looking forward to finally seeing Sum 41, particularly as it is their final ever tour.
I’m happy to admit I’m wrong here. I had my doubts about whether this band, unknown to me, could hold their own on the Mainstage at sundown and the crowd absolutely ate this set up. They were heaving to every song. Fire confetti, you name it this set pulled every gimmick out including having Sum 41’s Frank Zummo drum for the entire set. I might not have gotten to see Sum 41, however seeing Zummo play is a joy. He’s a beast and it was cool to see him step in for another band that’s clearly on the rise.
The moment has arrived. The photo pit is gridlocked with every photographer from the day crammed in their pen to hopefully get THE SHOT. The crowd is like a tin of dehydrated sardines. Getting my settings dialled in on my camera, I notice Jonathan Davis’ mic stand on the stage. The siren like, bare-breasted metallic maiden createdby Swiss artist H.R. Giger titled ‘The Bitch’ (oh dear) is something like a cross between something you’d see mantled on the bow of a ship or if you were asked to draw Ridley Scott’s Alien from memory. Whatever you wanna say about it, it’s fucking mad.
Lights out, cue roar from crowd as the dreadlocked trio make their way to the stage along with drummer Ray Luzier and bassist Arvizu. Davis is decked out in his iconic red Adidas track suit with Brian ‘Head’ Welch sporting the iconic stripes on his sleeves. I feel like John could comfortably wear a tracksuit with extra juicy rhinestoned on the ass and it’d be perfectly acceptable. He owns it.
From the static noise intro of opener ‘Here to stay’ it was an onslaught of crowd surfers cascading over the barrier as security were spinning plates. There’s a reason Korn has maintained it’s status as a headlining band. These songs are huuuuuuuge live. Brian and Munkey bounce off each other perfectly and the crowd were ferocious.
The were given 30 seconds or reprieve as they lead into ‘Dead Bodies Everywhere.’ Shit was really starting to get real as we were getting pushed closer and closer to the stage as security struggled with the crowd. I had mapped out how I wanted to capture Korn all day. I wanted a spotlight behind Brian, dreads flying everywhere (dream big right?) And just a clean shot of Jonathan Davis screaming with his microphone (the nice lady). I wanted quality over quantity for this set so took my time to get those shots. A few wide shots would have been nice however, we were forced to leave the photo pit two songs in due to the crowd becoming too wild.
I was disappointed however it did give me an excuse to take a break as they launched into ‘Got The Life.’ Standing back and watching that crowd go nuts for an anthem thats almost 30 years old is what I love about going to a festival. It’s an absolute circus and yet everyone chanting along in unison always brings a smile to my face. It was definitely worth the wait. Say what you want about the Nu-Metal label, Korn are the undefeated champs of not giving a fuck. They capped off a day that I’ll physically be agonising over for days after but I’ll do it over and over again. Until next year.
