BIRDMAN - Live In Brisbane

19 Oct

Kick, Push, Coast

Friday 16th October 2026

Written by: Rashid AlKamraikhi
Photographed by: Rashid AlKamraikhi

Even if nobody ever recognises Tony Hawk himself, everybody knows the songs from the legendary soundtracks from the Pro Skater games, and this time BIRDMAN was out celebrating 25 Years of THPS3.

BON POUR BRULER opened the night, and the first thing I noticed was the drummer’s Final Fantasy VIII shirt, being my personal favourite entry of the series. The second thing I noticed was the extreme push and pull he gave to the staggered beats he played over the bass-heavy-psyche-grunge-laced tunes of the band. The third thing I noticed was that it was legendary Brisbane drummer, Benjamin Shannon (KODIAK EMPIRE etc), on the kit. Well, that explains a lot! Translating to something along the lines of ‘good for burning’, BON POUR BRULER did indeed torch the sugar on top of their musical creme brulee.

In the lead up to the show, BIRDMAN mastermind, Sim, hit me up for recommendations on who to play with, and my firm and instantaneous answer was REGULAR GONZALES. There’s no one I know who froths the THPS games more than Jesse (Vox/Guitar), maybe even more than Danny (bass) froths XXXX. To further justify their necessity on the bill, Jesse pulled off a kickflip on The Brightside’s restrictive outside stage, causing the crowd to go wild. Baller move as it was, the neck-wrecking groove of tracks like the new Shutup And Take My Money and RG classics Conflict and Last Human Alive were more than enough to earn them a high score in the crowd’s eyes, ears, and hearts.

Launching straight into THPS classic, GOLDFINGERS Superman, BIRDMAN let us know the Skate sesh was on! With the addition of a second vocalist (third, if you count Officer Dicks mic grabs) since they were last in Brisbane, adding even more variety to a set that was already pretty damn diverse to begin with, as they traded songs between them. Along with other BIRDMAN set classics like Primus’ Jerry Was A Racecar Driver, and POWERMAN 5000’s When Worlds Collide, extra emphasis was placed on THPS3 bangers such as CKY’s 96 Quite Bitter Beings and MOTORHEADS Ace Of Spades, getting the audience singing along. My favourite track from the night, though, was an amped up version of LUPE FIASCO’s Kick Push, which is featured on the THPS3+4 soundtrack. BIRDMAN’s more rocked-up rendition played into the melody, while still hitting hard with the horns. But, just like the games themselves, no matter which tracks or genres you preferred, you were still guaranteed a great fucking time!