BETTER LOVERS - Live In Brisbane
Written by Tom Wilson, Photography by: JD Punisher Photography
Love Stinks!
Friday 23rd January 2026
A gig review isn’t a gig review unless you’ve seen all the supports. They’re part of the show, and every note they play goes towards building the vibe throughout the night. This is something I feel very strongly about, so I have to open this review with an apology to the first band, GLITTER STRIP, who we missed because we were conducting our first ever in-person interview backstage with SPLIT CHAIN, which will hopefully be ready by the time you read this.
A five-piece playing blistering hardcore, the band shared some footage of their set on their socials that have filled me with FOMO. Killer riffs, furious blast-beats and vocals that could strip the lining from your throat, they looked incredible, and I’m keen to witness them in person soon.
Pictured: GLITTER STRIP
Once we loaded out our interview gear, we returned up the famous concrete steps of Crowbar to the furious sounds of Gold Coast screamo legends BLIND GIRLS, playing on the very stage where I first witnessed them open for FRONTIERER. My mind is still racing from the buzz of doing the interview, so I find it hard to focus on the performance, until they break into Closer to Hell, my favourite track off last year’s An Exit Exists, and the battering assault quietens, the guitar morphing into a slow, emotionally shattering squeal that wouldn’t have been out of place on CONVERGE’s Jane Doe, as vocalist Sharni screams into the abyss. Time seems to stand still, and for me, the night has finally begun. This is my first time seeing them without original bassist Mark Grant, and it just doesn’t seem the same without a guy in slacks and a buttoned-up polo almost concussing people with his instrument, but the strength of their material endures. I just hope that after summoning whatever demons Sharni requires for her performance, she feels better afterwards.
Pictured: BLIND GIRLS
Up next is Bristol noisemakers SPLIT CHAIN, who have a very clear idea of what they want from the crowd, and by God, they’re going to get it! “Pack this shit in!” commands vocalist Bert Martinez-Cowles, lamenting the fact that there are no stage divers, a problem he wants rectified sharpish. During our earlier interview, I made the boys laugh when I told them that I saw the name SPLIT CHAIN and assumed they were a hardcore band, and was very surprised when I chucked on their latest album and heard songs that could have been B-sides from DEFTONES’ Around The Fur. Blending the dreamy reverb of post-rock and shoegaze with the furious crunch of original recipe nu metal, there is a lot to like about these lads, who are constantly amazed at the fact that they are 10,000 miles from home, playing their first ever show in Australia. There is no barrier to contend with at Crowbar, and it’s not long before the first punters climb onto the stage, though some second-guess the dive and let themselves back down the slow way. Others are not so shy, and some loose unit does a full-blown Sonic the Hedgehog-style tuck-and-roll somersault into the pit … and no one catches him. Ouch. Others have better luck, and one particularly lucky punter is surfed all the way back to the sound desk. The lads finish their set with enormous gratitude, and invite us to come hang at the merch desk. SPLIT CHAIN have done their job. The crowd has gone from reserved to almost non-stop stage-diving in less than forty minutes.
We. Are. Ready.
Pictured: SPLIT CHAIN
Pictured: SPLIT CHAIN setting the vibe!
The lights go down, and the PA starts playing a medley of all things love that sounds like it’s being played through a car radio. An unseen hand twists the tuning knob, and we switch stations back and forth between classic rock ballads, reminding this reviewer of QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE’s classic album Songs For The Deaf. THE BEATLES’ All You Need Is Love segues into Love Train by THE O’JAYS, and the frequency squeaks and buzzes as we cut back and forth between tracks like HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS’ The Power of Love and HEART’s What About Love? Every track gets whoops and cheers from the audience (particularly when we hear Adam Sandler doing Love Stinks from The Wedding Singer), and our eyes are fixed on the stage as bursts of Greg Puciato’s screaming break through the ballads. Finally, BETTER LOVERS walk onstage to the final notes of QUEEN’s Somebody To Love, and the crowd goes apeshit as the snare starts hammering the intro to A White Horse Covered In Blood. I never got to see THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN until last year with original vocalist Dimitri, which means that tonight is my first time ever bearing witness to the uncaged animal that is Greg Puciato, and dear god, he doesn’t disappoint. Neither do the other four men onstage, who are thrashing about so hard you’d swear they are trying to detach from reality itself. Greg reaches up and tries to touch the rafters from the stage, but can’t quite touch it, and gives the crowd the “that much” sign with his fingers. Don’t worry, a solution will be found before the show is over. Don’t Forget To Say Please is utterly ferocious, and as the temperature rises, Greg strips off to reveal those famous arms that look as shredded as his vocals. With no photo pit or barrier at Crowbar, every photo that you see here was captured from the mosh by the mighty JD Punisher, who has been in the mix all night, and at one point he walks past us absolutely dripping with sweat, looking like he’s been in a warzone. What a legend!
Pictured: BETTER LOVERS
Remember that solution I talked about earlier? Someone has brought out a small step ladder or something onto the stage, and guitarist Jordan Buckley perches himself on top, head almost hitting the ceiling. Someone picks up the mic stand and holds it in the air so he can use the mic without getting down, and Greg tells us that Jordan has something to say to the crowd. There is a pause, before he throws his whole body into screaming “CIRCLE PIT! CIRCLE PIT! CIRCLE … PIT!!!!” He gets his wish, and there is only chaos as BETTER LOVERS tear into 30 Under 13, and Greg uses that ladder to grab a hold of the ceiling rafters and swing himself out into the open air, dangle himself above the crowd, who thrust their hands up willingly. He finally drops, and is carried around the venue before being deposited back onstage. As the song comes to a close, Greg points to someone in the audience. “I remember you! I remember a lot of you. Fucking good to see you! My heart is full.” It’s a beautiful end to a beautiful night.
Pictured: BETTER LOVERS’ Greg Puciato.