BABYMETAL - Live In Brisbane!
The Sky Is Falling!
Sunday 22nd March 2026
Written by Tom Wilson
After a day of sporadic rain, I nervously pat my new poncho sitting folded in my pocket as I line up for an outdoor amphitheatre famous for the weather interrupting shows in good and bad ways (a show in 2019 saw a torrential downpour line up perfectly with SLAYER’s last ever Brisbane performance of Raining Blood, and I will never stop talking about it).
The line stretches up the hill, and as we enter at the top and trickle down the other side into the venue, MAGNOLIA PARK are playing their third song, and one of their guitarists is already crowdsurfing (which is a risky move for an opening band – people’s shoulders haven’t had a chance to warm up, which can lead to non-load-bearing audiences!). Fortunately ass doesn’t hit grass, and he is returned to the stage. Given that it’s just gone 6PM, I have to split my attention between MAGNOLIA PARK’s state-of-the-art modern rock and the sheer deliciousness of a food truck Kransky, and I can confirm that both were satisfying, and left me wanting more (MAGNOLIA were a lot louder, though).
Indian folk metallers BLOODYWOOD first popped up on my radar when the video for Gaddaar went viral in 2021, and I fell in love with their sound, loudly declaring in my review of 2022’s Rakshak that it was the best collision of culture and metal since SEPULTURA’s Roots. It’s this track that BLOODYWOOD choose to open their Brisbane debut with, and the dhol clatters under weighty power chords as they split the crowd for a wall of death. Rapper Raoul Kerr takes to the mic. “We had to put it all on the line, because metal is not big in our country. Our only hope was support from around the world, and Australia has always been a big part of that!” The crowd roars, and it only gets louder when vocalist Jayant Bhadula takes to the mic and declares, “YOUR DREAMS ARE WORTH CHASING!” They launch into the epic Aaj, with huge power metal guitars and an absolutely fuck-off flute solo, and the pit swirls and crashes as I look at kids on their parents’ shoulders and realise that, for some lucky buggers, this is their first show!
In introducing Dana-Dan, things get serious. “Sexual assault has no place in global society,” Raoul snarls, “Either they’re going to hear our words, or they’re going to taste our boots!” Riverstage lets out a roar they could probably hear in Ipswitch, and the crowd goes berserk to a fun little ditty about beating up rapists on camera. Considering that BLOODYWOOD and BABYMETAL guested on each other’s albums, no one is surprised when BABYMETAL come out for their track Bekhauf, and they wrap things up with a mighty rendition of Machi Bhasad (Expect a Riot). Hopefully we can get BLOODYWOOD back for a full headline tour soon!
The first time I saw BABYMETAL live was at the Fortitude Music Hall in 2023 with RELIQA, and found myself having the time of my life. It is a surreal experience to be in a mosh pit worthy of SLIPKNOT while three Japanese women smile and dance mere metres away. The shows have only got bigger, with their return in 2025 bagging them a prominent slot on KNOTFEST, and now their 2026 headline tour has seen them move up a notch, upgrading from the Fortitude Music Hall to Riverstage. The lights go down, and the moody intro begins, as a booming voice fills us in on the lore behind BABYMETAL, the Fox God, and how it all ties into new album Metal Forth. Then, the masked backing band – known as the Kami Band – take up their instruments and plunge into traditional opener BABYMETAL DEATH, and when the thundering double-kick turns into a high-speed riff, all hell breaks loose. POPPY collab from me to u goes down a storm, with POPPY’s vocals coming through the screen, and their SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL track Song 3 is absolutely crushing. There are a lot of collaborative tracks on Metal Forth, and obviously not all of the guests could be here tonight, but fortunately BLOODYWOOD’s Raoul and Jayant are on hand to belt out Kon! Kon!
Each member of the supremely talented Kami Band take a moment in the spotlight to solo, each one looking a little bit like SLIPKNOT’s Mick Thompson with their matching masks, before they launch into Tom Morello collaboration METALI!!, and the man himself appears on the video screen behind the stage riffing up a storm. The first BABYMETAL track that most people ever heard, Gimme Chocolate goes down a storm tonight, and my neck is still sore. They head off for the encore, and now is a perfect time to remind you of the start of the review, where I said that the weather likes to show up at Riverstage in interesting ways. We don’t get wet tonight, but the clear skies give us a perfect view as Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!! is punctuated by a meteor streaking across the sky above the stage. Was the Fox God responsible? We’re not sure, but one thing is clear – next time BABYMETAL come to town, the show is going to be even bigger!
