Stray From The Path – The Tivoli
Stray From The Path – The Tivoli
Support from Orthodox
Photos by Vincent Shaw
Written by Bella Cockle
Tonight was the start of Australia’s fond goodbye to Stray From The Path on their final world tour, with night one kicking off in Brisbane’s The Tivoli. It was a truly bittersweet evening, and an unmissable adieu for fans. Brisbane locals ZUKØ brought the heaviness to the early comers, jumpstarting an adrenaline-filled night. There was no energy to be preserved from this crowd, the moshes broke out as soon as the band took to the stage with the title track of their 2024 EP ‘Hatred’. They introduced us to their latest single ‘Stand For Nothing’ in this set, which grabbed the attentions of even the people just coming through the Tivoli’s doors, with its defiant vocals and intense riffs.
Diamond Construct followed suit and produced an equally heavy supporting set, covering fan-favourite tracks from both albums and their popular 2020 EP ‘DCX2’. Between their cascading percussion and harsh electronic breakdowns, Diamond Construct knew exactly what it took to get the Brisbane crowd moving. They played 2019 throwback ‘Animus’, the original sound that solidified the band as a staple in the Australian heavy music scene.
Where there’s an end, there’s always a beginning. Brisbane was lucky enough to host Nashville hardcore band Orthodox on their very first show outside North America. I can say confidently that they will have relentless requests to return as their energy was unmatched. The group effortlessly performed several songs from their latest album, ‘A Door Left Open’, only released in June of this year; as well as taking us back to 2017 with track ‘Waiting’. With wild guitar solos creating a two-step battleground on the floor, and the unearthly growls of frontman Adam Easterling sending streams of crowd surfers through the air – The Tivoli was practically trembling at its foundations.
After seven tours of Australia, Stray are no strangers to the high expectations of our crowds. From supporting Northlane on their Singularity tour in 2013, to multiple headline tours across our cities, this band have always come out guns blazing. Tonight was no exception, riding off the buzz in the room they kicked their set off with ‘Kubrick Stare’ from their latest and final album ‘Clockworked’. Frontman Drew Dijorio asked the crowd to “bring the chaos Aussie-style” … and Brisbane delivered. There was wall to wall movement in the crowd propagated by the insanely heavy breakdowns in tracks like ‘III’ and ‘Fortune Teller’. My only piece of advice: leave your treasured possessions at home – we had hats, shoes, phones, AND shirts flung through the air into the void below.
Without showing my age, it was incredibly heartwarming to see the obvious lack of phone screens during this set – I could see every person soaking up these last moments, and I’m sure the band saw and felt the same. In case you needed reminding, Dijorio let us know that they’ve loved coming to Australia, and reminded us of their ethos that “every single person will be welcome in this community, this culture, and at a Stray From The Path show”.
Stray delivered an incredibly refined set, but no less full of passion, intensity, and life. A set that stayed true to their socio-political foundations and flaunted the incredible heights they’ve reached as a band. It took me back to the previous times I’ve had the pleasure of watching them perform, and it was such a wholesome send off for a band that have had a huge impact across Australia and the world. This is not one to miss.
