Windwaker, Thousand Below, Diamond Construct, Head Wreck @ UniBar, Adelaide 6/2/2025
They blew the PA! Let’s start with Windwaker blew the PA. It’s no surprise really, their whole set, until that point, ran at a million miles an hour creating enough electricity to raise Frankenstein. The venue was as steamy as a sauna with the stench of many a sweaty body filling the air and the band hadn’t even attempted an encore. It was inevitable that a power as irresistible as Windwaker tonight would overload the circuit board.
To be fair the whole night had been building towards it. Openers Head Wreck combined their aggressive metalcore with the natural bounce of hip hop and had the room, already filling, turn their heads from the bar to the stage. Mixing old school like Freefall with a newbie in Fillet-O-Fish and these guys already started to create this perfect storm.
Diamond Construct are known in these parts due to their stellar back catalogue and willingness to show up in Adelaide. Boy do they show up. The band themselves lock in, steadfast and mix hardcore gruff with melodic vocals. Vocalist Kynan, in a swishy bedazzled jacket, commands the stage and audience alike. He immerses himself in every lyric, straining every sinew to complete his story. A story that whips the nights first circle pits into a rotation that doesn’t stop.
Hailing from San Diego, California, Thousand Below bring a certain sharpness that comes with being an international act. A precision of razor sharp quality that rips straight to the point of your musical desires.
There are scream, growls, parts you can sing and enough breakdowns your psychiatrist is going to need a holiday. Vocalist James Deberg vocal range is extensive, mixing all those styles and delivering on a platter like a five star Michelin chef.
Silent Season is beautifully catchy, and The Love You Let Too Close is perfect. The stage backlit in pink and blue hues for Hell Finds You Everywhere is equally emotive visually and sonically that the show could finish now and everyone would leave content.
However, Windwaker have other ideas. Opening with Infinity, the sparks are already flying. Liam Guinane- looking leaner than ever – is a tornado of sonic magnetism as the band literally zip through their set list. Each song a sugar rush of musical joy.
The band are not letting up, bassist Indey Salvestro wipes sweat from his guitar while percussionist Connor Robins is literally jumping around the stage on one leg such is the infectious energy tonight.
The set list is heavily weighted off the new album Hyperviolence, the mosh pit hasn’t stopped and the gold songs keep coming. Beautiful, Arcane and Break The Rules to name a few that the room already drenched in sweat, somehow finds more.
To be fair, the band have not stopped too, everything a stunning blur of sounds, high kicks and breakdowns. Windwaker step off for an encore and then… nothing. No sound through the speakers. Windwaker had blew the PA.
We are told there two more songs – The Wall and Sirens – however that PA knackered, worn out from the bands power. Liam gets everyone to clap We Will Rock You and then a version of Sirens that despite no music creates a circle pit.
That is really the cherry on top of the show’s cake. That a band slays an audience so much that even when the set is cut short, they can still generate a mosh pit with some words. I’ll say it again, Windwaker destroyed the PA. Literally. That is rock n roll!
Live Review By Iain McCallum