LIVE REVIEW: Karnivool + Tesseract + Car Bomb at Hordern Pavilion, Sydney. July 23, 2026
I’M OLD enough to remember the disdain and ridicule Karnivool once received at the hands of WA internet denizens back at the end of last century. It was so long ago that the large, bear-like man behind me protecting his child from crowdsurfers may well have still been in high school, and certainly before some of those passing over us into the arms of security even existed.
Few if any of the thousands here would believe that anyone could level derision at the band on stage in front of them tonight, just as probably no one from back then could have expected Karnivool to become this massive.
I’ve been to many, many gigs at the Hordern Pavilion, but I don’t recall ever seeing it this packed. There’s no seating left whatsoever and barely a place to stand. The age disparity is welcoming, from old dudes like me to very young children with parents who were probably just teens when Asymmetry came out, a real celebration of one of the country’s best musical acts of the past 25 years.
Shaking up the early arrivals, Long Island visitors Car Bomb erupted onto the stage like their namesake, a ferocious and aggressive explosion of mathcore violence. Making up for the disappointment of their previous tour getting canned earlier this year, the four-piece generated instant washing-machine pit action with excessively down-tuned grooves and chaotic, Dillinger-esque unpredictability. It was a judderingly wild beginning to an evening exploring different sides of the vaguely-defined ‘progressive’ school of heavy music.
Following them is the UK’s remarkable TesseracT, whose last couple of albums have evolved their sound into accessible and melodious musical sophistication. Replacing Car Bomb’s sparse, bar-room vibe set up, TesseracT’s full theatrics enveloped the stage, blazing visuals draped behind drummer Jay Postones and the Choir Noir of Kat Marsh and Rio Heyer who bracketed him.
TesseracT’s musical vision is stunning and their range of talent is breathtaking, yet some of their earlier work felt too clever for their own good. It’s perhaps unsurprising that, now at least, they present a set built almost entirely from Sonder and War of Being. Still, “Of Mind: Nocturne” gets a run and the crowd loves it, surging again.
The guitar work is stellar and the complexity enviable but amongst the precision and trade-offs between Acle Kahenley and Metal Montieth, the djenty grooves and polyrhythms provide warmth and feel. The live backing singers add further depth to Daniel Tompkins’ wide range and when they occasionally move to the front they allow the cinematic nature of TesseracT in concert even more scope. Giant epic “War of Being” towers over the Hordern as it brings together every aspect of TesseracT’s elaborate muse.
In a night of contrasts, Karnivool made the Hordern feel intimate and casual, content to ease the crowd into things with the slow-build of “Ghost” allowing for a relaxed beginning that would not last. “Simple Boy”’s thunderous churn turned the standing crowd back into a seething mass.
Where Tesseract was a spectacle, Karnivool is almost low-key. Mark Hosking makes the occasional prowl to the elevated rear stage. Jon Stockman sways to the pulsing current of his instrument. Ian Kenny adopts an aspect that combines quite confidence with coyness.
Yet they are completely at ease as they move through a set heavy with In Verses. Both Kenny and Hosking take a moment now and then to check on the crowd as the entire room becomes one during “All it Takes”. “Animation” features the addition of Michelle Smith on harp, adding a further rich layer to the band’s already full live sound. It’s a rich and commanding performance, but Karnivool make no pretences. Their songs ebb and flow with emotion and depth. “We Are” stands out as the only moment from 2013’s bewildering Asymmetry as the likes of “Goliath” and “Drone” pulse and surge.
Kenny thanks the crowd again before leading them into their stone cold classic “Roquefort”, uniting the audience into a room-wide singalong that carries into “New Day” with the addition of Smith once again bringing the main set to a climactic end. Smith is there again as the encore opens on the transcendental note of “Opal” and the new album’s sweeping “Salva” wraps the night with the added bonus of bagpipes to send everyone home with even more to remember from a show that was as close to perfect as a thing can be.
