Live Review: Parkway Drive @ Hindley Street Music Hall 04/08/26

Parkway Drive w/Blush & Life Pilot @ Hindley Street Music Hall 04/08/26

"Reminisce to the beginning of everything." – Winston McCall, Parkway Drive, 'Pandora', Killing With A Smile (2005).

The humble beginnings of what would become the behemoth of Australian surf metalcore, known as Parkway Drive, is a rather fascinating tale. Embracing the DIY approach, a vital component of the hardcore music universe, PWD were spawned from the demise of other outfits including Blueprint For A Nightmare, Think Straight and Shoot To Kill. The Byron Bay Hardcore movement was building quickly, with a lot of thanks to the Parkway members themselves, including drummer Ben Gordon, who was constantly working within the scene helping run events at The Youth Activity Centre ("The Youthy") and his own parents' home, the infamous "Parkway House".
Parkway Drive's first official show was to take place at The Youthy on the 21^st of March 2003 for $6 alongside Brisbane's From These Wounds and more. I Killed The Prom Queen's Michael Crafter was in attendance and witnessed the potential these five surf-rats had, even in their most primitive and raw form.

The renowned IKPTQ/PWD Split CD was essentially conceived from this event (check online to observe how sought-after this piece of heavy music memorabilia is), and the touring adventure began vigorously. The mini-album Don’t Close Your Eyes (released in 2004) escalated the quintet’s prominence, with international supports being undertaken throughout Australia and into the following year alongside Every Time I Die, Evergreen Terrace, Shadows Fall, Bleeding Through and Australian trailblazers such as Day Of Contempt, plus many more.

2005 saw Parkway Drive's elevation reach echelons unseen for a Byron Bay-based metalcore band as a result of their debut full-length Killing With A Smile. Recorded over a matter of weeks in the US with Killswitch Engage's guitarist/producer Adam Dutkiewicz, the LP would transform the five-piece into a prolific headliner. The Australian shows grew in crowd and venue size astronomically. European and US audiences were later crushed with pummeling breakdowns courtesy of the mischievous surfers in support of the album, and Epitaph Records came knocking to sign PWD in a historic acquisition that most alternative musicians could only dream of.

Fast forward two decades, vocalist Winston McCall, bassist Jia O'Connor, drummer Ben Gordon, as well as guitarists Luke Kilpatrick and Jeff Ling were here in Adelaide to relive and remarkably ruin their second hometown (of sorts), revisiting this seminal LP and performing it in full.

So, let's "reminisce to the beginning of everything" and undertake Parkway Drive's Killing With A Smile live.

Only a matter of days ago, Adelaide's Life Pilot were ravaging the Lion Arts Factory stage in a whirlwind of noisecore wildness supporting another luminary of Australian metalcore, Day Of Contempt. An additional dream of LP was being realised on this night when the quintet was called upon to be the opening act for this Parkway Drive journey of reminiscence, and for both nights.

"Enjoy yourself mother fuckers!" vocalist Angus Young commanded in gleeful exuberance. The hundreds of South Australian concertgoers needed no instruction.

'Raw Hide' was a DEMONstration of delightful derangement recalling the earlier days of Greyhaven. Bassist Nick Evans, as well as guitarists Jake Lawrence and Will Everlyn, became lunatic lumberjacks, swinging their instruments, better yet, axes with murderous rage. 'Dark Dark Goose' magically melded melody with malevolence, as Mr Lawrence strutted the stage's elevated platform with the confidence of a honey badger, before an eruption of a southern groove beatdowns became an assault on all of the audience's senses.

"Holly hell!" Young stated in happy disbelief. Mr Long went on to describe how important Parkway Drive were to him and Life Pilot, expressing that Killing With A Smile "changed my whole world". Truthfully, it changed universes worldwide.

The nu-metalcore bounce of 'Feeding An Illness' was beyond infectious, and Will's funk dance flawlessly captured the ecstatic energy that LP were radiating maniacally.

"Adelaide, show me what the fuck you are made of!" Gus then implored.

LIVE REVIEW: Day of Contempt @ Lion Arts Factory 31/07/26

They did. At this point, the mosh-pit enthusiasts were properly inspired. Drummer Eli Green even departed from his drum kit to join his bandmates in the mayhem. 'Ambulance' bordered on insanity, with members even kicking each other in exhilaration; in all honesty, frontman Long shone with his vocal variance and rampant onstage recklessness. This writer has lost count of how many times he has witnessed Life Pilot, but this exhibition was exceptional.

Closer 'By The Book' amplified everything to another level, a noisecore ruination which Norma Jean would be impressed by, and would hopefully inspire them to return to Australia to outdo this hysteria in the very near future.

Part two of Adelaide’s historic PWD voyage is gratefully taking place Wednesday 5 August 5 at the same venue. If this is on the calendar for heavy music enthusiasts, be sure to arrive early for the Life Pilot lunacy.

"In this life, learn to identify the noisemakers and the ones who will uplift you. There's a difference."

This quotation from Award-winning Barbadian-born author and poet Charmaine J. Forde is undeniably open to interpretation. In its brilliance, it is rather befitting of Perth's distorted grunge pop-punk rockers Blush, but with a different impression than what Ms Forde may have originally conveyed in these two sentences.

If one is to analyse the statement in two parts, but reverse them to an extent, the representation becomes wonderfully more connected. "There's a difference" – that is what the quartet demonstrated proudly at this event. Their enticing art unquestionably upheld heavier musical movements, but they did not really subscribe to either "metal" or "hardcore". They were different, and it was entrancing.

"…learn to identify the noisemakers and the ones who will uplift you."

These 12 words embody the Perthian outfit unconditionally. Through their striking noisemaking, they compellingly uplifted Adelaide. The former aggression in the entire building was transported to a fascination – this was the four-piece's charm; they moved our very essence bewitchingly.

'My Mind', 'Watch You Bleed' and 'EMBARASSED 4 U' elegantly moved between graceful grunge, idyllic progressive shoegaze pop, dissonant alt-punk and punchy brazen noise-rock. Comparisons to Nirvana, Hole, Silverchair, The Vines and Letters To Cleo are more-than-valid, but Blush are certainly creating their own impressive identity.

The chemistry between vocalist/guitarist Syke Sam, bassist Holly Martin and guitarist Austin Bloomfield sincerely glows, and that uplifts their spectators resplendently – they become entirely fixated by the group’s enamouring aura.

Look out and listen intently for Blush; their warming artistic orchestration is one with luminous finesse, and a bright future.

LIVE REVIEW: Deafheaven @ The Gov 08/07/26

When the punk anthem 'Bro Hymn' by California's Pennywise blasted out of Hindley Street Music Hall's sound system, an intoxicating vivacity influenced everyone in the venue. From the darkness, five very recognisable men marched onto the stage to deafening cheers. This loud celebratory welcome was soon silenced by: "YOU COULD NEVER BE MY ENVY!"

Winston McCall had roared all within into instantaneous frenzy. The song? 'GIMME A D'. The band? Parkway Drive. The album? Killing With A Smile. The energy? Immensely disordered in the best way possible.

Guitarists Jeff Ling and Luke Kilpatrick were riffing rampantly into metalcore oblivion, bassist Jia O’Connor stomped and jolted in joyous ferocity, percussionist Ben Gordon was creating his own earth tremors with his pulverising drumming, and Mr McCall was conducting a metallic choir with his own growls and screams of magnificent animalistic monstrosity.

"KILLING WITH A SMILE!" the capacity crowd bellowed in rapture. What a faultless combination of four words to describe this scintillating spectacle.

'Anasasis (Xenophontis)' hauntingly magnified into madness with its horRIF(F)ic introduction. The spectators even began a "wo-oh, wo-oh" chant to the eerie guitar thrumming, before the bombardment of bodacious breakdowns walloped the entirety of the building. Jazz fingers, crowd surfers and oceanic tidal movements of bodies were the new exhilarating existence; it truly felt like we had returned to 2005.

"FUCK YES! Thank you. Perth was fucking skitz, the bar has been set, so exceed it!" Winnie challenged Adelaide in merriment.

Challenge accepted.

'Pandora' (the theme to this article and showcase) was "So beautiful, before now, before us", obviously taken out of context with the theme of the composition, but it was brutally beautiful at this moment. Undoubtedly, "we smiled" as Mr McCall screamed these very words in elated enrapturement.

"You ready?" the front-man enquired.

'Romance Is Dead' - colossal.

Remember in Die Hard when Bruce Willis' character John McClane charismatically exclaimed that magical statement: "Yippee Ki‐Yay, Motherfucker"?

Imagine that yelled at the top of 1800 metal devotees' voices – that is Parkway's 'Guns For Show, Knives For A Pro'.

"Welcome to the party, pal."

The rarity 'Blackout' was executed gloriously in a nuclear magnitude; 'Picture Perfect, Pathetic' escalated everything immeasurably. Thankfully, specific audience members and the Byron surf rats themselves recognised a fallen attendee and ensured their protection by having them moved to a safer position.

'It’s Hard To Speak Without A Tongue' offered momentary relief and a clap-along before the metalcore onslaught progressed further into psychosis. 'Mutiny' impossibly elevated this further, but frankly this presentation felt like an appetiser to the main course…

'Smoke 'Em If Ya Got 'Em'.

Whether from The Untouchables, Spaceballs, Men In Black II or even the Australian short feature film from 1988 – the message is known in Australian metal and hardcore circles, because this was the first official single by Parkway Drive.

"Such blinding visions of destruction…" Winnie bellowed – an accurate and poetic representation of the chaos, yet this was above mesmerising.

'A Cold Day In Hell' closed out the first chapter of the reminiscence, the finale of the "mosh anthems" as the vocalist precisely characterised. It was frankly overwhelming, but mystifying in retrospect – rather incredible considering metalcore is far from the "pop music" realm.

A "noncore" was to follow, thankfully. Winston recalled memories of the importance of Adelaide to PWD, how they toured with I Killed The Prom Queen, and how the city had always been "so great" to the Byronites.

'Prey' brought upon a stadium rock atmosphere; Hindley Street Music Hall practically became Adelaide Oval due to the single’s imposing sonic landscape. Guitarist Jeff Ling was in his element, jogging around in circles and hopping on one leg, while McCall undertook the role of the grand composer.

'Sleepwalker’ was an indisputable highlight and practically teRIFFying with its veracious velocity. This led into 'Vice Grip' superbly, not only for the much-needed rest from the intensity of the showcase, but to allow a very important message to be expressed by McCall.

"Before we play this one, which means a lot, it is important to understand that while we might all be smiling right now, with positive mental attitudes, we can’t be happy all the time. Every person has gone through a dark time; it’s ok, we are all in this shit together. We wanted to create a song that shows there is hope in the world. There are hard times; there isn’t a rainbow without rain. Just know, we are in this together."

The narrative song was beyond inspiring. A wall of death transpired, but in this circumstance, perhaps it was a "wall of life" or "livelihood".

'Dedicated' was heartfelt and euphoric on so many rapturous levels. 'Carrion' was an utter explosion and illustrious. Then an actual encore was delivered: 'Bottom Feeder' and the predictable 'Home Is For The Heartless' closed out this historic odyssey.

"Wo-oh, Wo-oh…"

This resounding crowd soccer chant to a metalcore riff was so infectious and practically unbelievable, but it happens every time. At one point, the band stood in silence as the Adelaide vocal orchestra executed the melody in breathtaking unified croons. Warmth, love and gratitude encompassed the entirety of the building.

"Fucking memorable," McCall immaculately articulated.

"Reminisce to the beginning of everything."

Parkway Drive transported Adelaide to the beginning, magnificently. They achieved this with outbursts of roaring vocals, two-stepping, hardcore dancing, majestic riffage, thunderous drumming, a rampage of youthful exuberance and most importantly, an appreciation of the memories they have made, and knowing the mistakes that they had to face along their journey.

There is only one Parkway Drive, and the world waits for what is on their upcoming tremendous Horizons.

Want more pics of the gig? Check out our full photo gallery here.