POPPY - Live In Brisbane
Written by Tom Wilson, Photography by: Adamross Williams
Negative Spaces, Positive Music
Tuesday 20th January 2026
Tonight is special. Not only do we have metalcore queen POPPY in the country, but her new album Empty Hands will be dropping while she is touring Australia. Somewhat unusually, there are no photographers allowed in tonight (we have only just received approved imagery to use with this review, which unfortunately did not include the supports) so words will have to suffice. I can only speculate as to why, but if I was a betting man, I’d say that this is an effort to have more control of her image (but I’m not a betting man, so who cares what I think?). Opening tonight is Sydney metalcore crew INERTIA, who Sense have covered before in their shows with OCEAN GROVE and ALPHA WOLF. There will come a day when I can review this incredibly tight band without mentioning singer Julian Latouche’s facial hair … but it is not this day. Both Julian’s voice and his beard are in fine form tonight, and whoever is working the sound desk deserves a medal, because the mix in the Fortitude Valley Music Hall tonight is immaculate. Julian thanks the crowd for coming down early (which is always weird for us, because the supports are a huge part of any show), and they close off with a ballad that has every phone raised up in the air, buzzing like a swarm of fireflies. It would have made for a great photo. The vibe is set!
Up next are a band that has quickly become one of my favourite Aussie acts, OCEAN GROVE. Having started as a metalcore band, their 2020 album Flip Phone Fantasy saw them pivot to nu metal, and for a guy who was 16 in 2001, the results are amazing. Tracks like Superstar make the crowd look like they’re on a thousand pogo sticks, and singer Dale Tanner cannot wipe the smile off his face. Then, just when you think you’ve got them figured out, Dale and bassist Twiggy switch roles, and Dale hits the thick strings while Twiggy becomes the frontman. They close out with the massive JUNKIE$, and leave the stage with a few hundred new fans.
It’s time for the main event, and the lights go down and an otherworldly voice comes over the P.A., before three masked musicians take the stage. The drum riser is huge tonight, so hopefully their drummer isn’t afraid of heights, but if he is, he’s wearing a mask so we can’t tell. POPPY slinks onstage in silhouette, and the first night of the Constantly Nowhere tour begins with Bruised Sky, a track from her new album. Tonight does feel slightly impersonal. Other than the occasional crowd instruction, she doesn’t speak a word between tracks, but the music does the talking, and it talks loud. The Cost Of Giving Up is a set highlight, and her massive voice unfurls up towards the chandeliers. BABYMETAL collaboration From Me To U goes down a storm, and she does a great job of handling both sides of the vocals (plus it helps that her outfit tonight already makes her look like she’s just stepped out of an anime!) Never Find My Place turns the centre of the crowd into a giant circle pit, and she appears to jump into the throng and run with the fans before appearing back onstage. The opening riff of New Way Out makes the crowd roar, and the energy doesn’t dip throughout the whole track. Then, something weird happens. She gives the crowd a two-handed wave, walks offstage, and that’s it. The house lights come up, and the band steps forward to hand out setlists and other souvenirs. It’s a slightly jarring end to an otherwise awesome show. Still, it was a great night, and we hope that the rest of the tour goes smoothly. Big shout out to the woman in the bar working the best shift of her life!
