Review: Karnivool @ Hindley Street Music Hall 21/07/26

Review: Karnivool w/Tesseract & Car Bomb @ Hindley Street Music Hall 21/07/26

For around 20 years, Karnivool have been a part of the Australian metal scene, steadily growing a vast fanbase on the back of some fantastic live performances.

On a chilly July night, patrons for Karnivool's Adelaide concert ambled their way into the AEC Theatre, ready to celebrate the band's brand new album In Verses, their first record in thirteen years.

It was my first time venturing into "The Cube". The stark grey interior was complemented by a sea of dark t-shirts, with quite a few younger metalheads in the crowd, possibly here for their first concert experience.

"You are not ready for this," a friend of mine informed me before the first of the supports arrived. New York mathcore outfit Car Bomb were ready for us, though.

From the first moments, Car Bomb showed how they are a definitive example of what mathcore encapsulates. Irregular time signatures, tempo changes and creative outbursts amidst the extreme nature of metalcore.

Vocalist Michael Dafferner embodied the souls of two different vocalists, able to transition from screaming to melodic tones effortlessly. In addition, each band member was brilliant at their craft, creating a relentless thirty-minute set – granted, Dafferner added a bit of banter about Yello's 'Oh Yeah', which made an appearance during their last song. A huge wake-up for the night ahead.

As a companion dish to Car Bomb, British band Tesseract were ready to add another layer to the night. With light towers and more visuals on the backstage screen, the band jolted everyone’s attention back to the stage.

A glitchy crimson forest greeted us for the opener 'Natural Disaster'. As Dafferner did before, vocalist Daniel Tompkins flowed between his vocal techniques but with more of a focus on the singing rather than the screaming. Alongside Tompkins’ vocals, two female singers added an ethereal element amongst the chaotic nature of Tesseract's fierce catalogue. The cinematic experience of their set was exemplified by the visuals, primarily highlighted by 'War Of Being' – an epic track that had everyone locked into the stage.

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The Cube filled up even more; people jostling for the right position to see the show. Once the stage was renewed for the major event, a red haze covered the multi-levelled platform. Karnivool started proceedings with the In Verses opener 'Ghost'. From these initial moments, you could sense vocalist Ian Kenny would be the main focus. I had seen him previously in his other band Birds Of Tokyo many years ago, so I had some sense of what his performance would be like. "Welcome to the fucking show!" Kenny exclaimed as the band continued with 'Simple Boy'.

Even though the primary songs of the night would be taken from In Verses, the choice of other tracks flowed effortlessly into the setlist. 'Goliath', which alongside 'Simple Boy' came from 2009’s Sound Awake, fit the tone and atmosphere surrounding the newer material. The assault of light and colour from the stage also worked incredibly well.

The first big audience response for the night was for 'Drone' – stark green lights cut through the gleeful dancing of Kenny and the incredible guitar work from Mark Hosking and Drew Goddard. On Kenny’s dancing, his use of silhouettes during 'We Are' was a sight to behold; this is a performer who knows how to work the stage. A voice that is unmatched in the Australian rock scene, and a stage presence that is totally his own.

As 'Conversations' varied the tempo slightly, it was not long until the frontal assault on all senses came back with 'All It Take'. This drew attention to the dirges Karnivool can create – stank faces from all in attendance. "Thank you for supporting this band," Hosking complimented us with genuine appreciation in his tone.

A harp was added to the stage for 'Animation', a song that showcased the almost world-building ability Karnivool has in their songwriting. Harpist Michelle Smith would join the band a couple more times throughout the night.

If 'Drone' was the crowd's new favourite, it was the old tracks that the crowd really took to. 'Themata' had us in full voice, but it was 'Roquefort' that caused a shift in the crowd. The glitchy static on the screen and the intense red and white lighting infused with the song in a truly memorable live moment. The impact that Themata had on this crowd was evident from these two songs. In addition, 'New Day' had the loudest singalong of the night and had Hosking and Goddard guitar noodling in pure joy.

The shouts for the inevitable encore carried on until Smith returned with the harp to start 'Opal'. Kenny joined her in a superb moment of contrast to the rest of the night. As other band members slowly returned, the song kicked into full gear. The closer 'Salva' may not have been the epic of past singles, but it was cleverly crafted to leave the audience on a high, especially with a surprise appearance from someone playing the bagpipes in the midst of the metal madness.

From how this night ended, it is hard to believe that Karnivool have only released four albums in their existence. The mainstay of early singles and discoveries on the latest effort had the audience in utter admiration for the Perth rockers.

Hopefully it does not take another decade to get new music and a new tour for this must-see live act.

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