Review: Gather Sounds Night One @ Cloisters UniBar ADelaide 10/04/26
Bad//Dreems farewelled Adelaide with a night that all those in attendance will never forget.
Words and Images Michael Lockheart
Gather Sounds Night One @ Cloisters UniBar Adelaide 10/04/26
Under the sandstone arches of Adelaide Uni’s Cloisters stage, Friday night felt almost ceremonial. A light drizzle drifted in and out as winter announced itself, the open-air venue taking on a cathedral-like stillness between sets. It was an atmosphere that suited the bill perfectly, with three Adelaide bands each reflecting a different shade of the city’s musical identity.
The Empty Threats opened with a set that leaned heavily into newer material from happy birthday, punctuated by the likes of classics ‘ATACB’ and ‘Evil Eye’. Stirring, hypnotic and at times ethereal, their performance felt like a band in the midst of transformation. Band leader Stu Patterson cut an enigmatic figure, their presence shifting between operatic command and detached cool. Where their earlier work flirted with chaos, this iteration feels more deliberate. A controlled, simmering intensity held the crowd in a trance-like grip.
If The Empty Threats were about tension, West Thebarton delivered pure release. Reliably one of the most consistent live acts in SA, if not Australia, this set felt like one of their strongest yet, despite the constraints of the Cloisters stage. From the outset, they were locked in. Ray Dalfsen was, as ever, effervescent, bounding across the stage and delivering their distinctly Adelaide tales with the urgency of a band still fresh out of the jam room.
New material hinted at an exciting shift. ‘Blood’, making its debut, is a savage and cohesive riff machine, built on gang chants and a punishing outro that gives every member a moment to shine. ‘Old Boy Thunder’, led by Brian Bolado on guitar, channels the hulking ferocity of early era The Bronx. It is quick, direct, and unrelenting. Meanwhile, ‘Tapes’ has only grown more feral with age, now teetering on the edge of something genuinely unhinged.
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There was also a sense of reflection, via Ray’s brief recollection of early shows at the Exeter Hotel, where Bad//Dreems once opened as an upstart rock band, which carried a note of poignancy given their place in the annals of SA rock greatness in 2026. This was heightened by the Bad//Dreems’ looming hiatus, arriving on the back of what may be their strongest full-length to date, Ultra Dundee.
By the time Bad//Dreems took the stage, the crowd, many already clad in freshly purchased merch, was primed. There is still no shortage of appetite for what they offer. Beneath the gruff exterior lies a finely tuned machine, and frontman Ben Marwe remains a consummate performer. His delivery carries a quiet catharsis, grounding the band’s anthems in something deeply human.
The set walked a careful line. It threatened to tip into full-throttle chaos but instead often pulled back, at least in the beginning, making space for introspection and even grief. “How did that feel?” Marwe asked at one point, acknowledging the weight of the moment before the band surged into ‘Gutful’, shifting the night into a higher gear. ‘Jack’ followed, as indelible as ever.
As the final notes rang out beneath the arches, it felt less like a routine hometown show and more like a sendoff. It was a moment of collective recognition for one of Adelaide’s finest rock and roll exports, and the end of a significant chapter, with Saturday nights set to follow, potentially being their last.
Want more pics of the gig? Check out our full photo gallery here.
