LIVE REVIEW: Gaerea + Ironstone + The Matador at Crowbar, Brisbane. July 11, 2026
by DAN SOUTHALL
SOME of us have waited a long time to finally catch the headliner tonight, having followed their rise from atmospheric black metal to a band now managing to jam most modern metal tropes into their newest album, and still make it feel remarkably fresh and honest.
Opening tonight is the Gold Coast’s own The Matador, dealing in a similar kind of atmospheric metal that Gaerea built their early releases on.
Launching their aural assault with immediacy and drawing the punters amassed around the bar in to soak in all they have to offer, they manage to warm up the pit despite the windows of the venue opening up onto the street, letting the cool winter air in.
Local bands don’t always get the attention they deserve, but tonight it feels as if The Matador were welcomed as headliners by some of the pit, and it was excellent to see.
Next up were Ironstone, a band that has managed to stay off my radar to this point. A quick bit of ‘pit research’ before the band get on stage fills me in. Hailing from Bendigo and playing progressive deathcore, they’re right up my musical alley.
The band take command of the stage and thrash out some heavy hitting modern deathcore including a couple of as yet unreleased tracks, letting us know that at least one of them is an upcoming single. Keep your ears out, because they did not disappoint on the stage, despite how deep the vocals were buried in the mix sometimes to the point of not being able to hear them. Hopefully that will be fixed before the headliners.
For a younger band, the level of professionalism and showmanship on display it is no wonder they are main support for the majority of the tour.
As the lights dim and the opening of “LBRNTH” comes in, only guitarist Delta and drummer Xi take the stage. The guitarist’s ethereal vocals float over us while the rest of the band hit the stage hard, launching into “Nomad” as masked vocalist Alpha comes out, gyrating and dancing like a man possessed by the music.
Gaerea hammer through a set that leans heavily on their newest release and its predecessor Coma, with barely a mention of what came before with the exception of “Salve” off Mirage. It is obvious why when I look over my shoulder into the pit behind me and see the energy these more focused emotional tracks permeate.
Things are brought to a height as Gaerea finish on the emotional weight of album closer “Stardust”. Alpha quickly explains that it’s something they need to get out every night on stage, and this is the perfect time for them to do it.
Hearing it live is almost transformative, turning a live show into something more connected, more, dare I say, communal. We soak in the atmospheric black one last time before the band make their way to the front of the stage, bow and walk off into the darkness they came from.
I have been lucky enough to see a lot of shows big and small in my life, but something about seeing this band playing this powerful material this close felt transformative as I left the venue on a high I am still riding.
