Bloom, Inertia @ Ed Castle, Adelaide 4/9/2025

In a night of firsts, Sydney’s Bloom headline in Adelaide for the first time, and at the newly reopened and revamped Ed Castle, the audience shows how starved they have been for them.

Bloom have dabbled in Adelaide over the last twelve months or so on support slots, and the Ed Castle had just reopened on the ashes of the fabled Crown & Anchor for my first visit in years. Throw in a big AFL match in town and the bands challenge is complete with sold out signs, a packed sweaty room and dynamic songs showing this is truly the place to be in Adelaide tonight.

I miss Post Heaven unfortunately however I’m there to catch the last sounds of Inertia. The bands last two visits to Adelaide have included a missing singer and a punter breaking a leg in the crowd, how would tonight go?

Squeezed in like sardines, the crowd enjoy the bands groove and ability to start serenely yet then frantically and emotionally burst out like a Alien from said movie. They are a roller coaster of feels. Crushing yet soft, loud yet gentle as vocalist Julian Latouche warms up the crowd to boiling point.

However, tonight is Bloom’s night. From the hotbed of a Sydney scene that challenges each other to expand their musical horizons, Bloom have steadily crafted their sonic identity.

We get to see that in full flow tonight, as with having more than an allotted support slot time they can dig into deeper cuts such as Cold and June which displays the bands metalcore roots with a crowd that bounces and a singer that leaves nothing inside.

Contrast that with newbie Withered, which is underpinned with blast beats, time changes and a smorgasbord of breakdowns to choose from, shows the bands dexterity and growth.

Daylight reminds me of peak Counterparts with an epic breakdown to match the vibe, and vocalist Jono Hawkey lets us know what those vibes are, to have a sold out show at the first time of asking and in a particular sports mad city on a particular big sports night.

For the Ed Castle, while squeezed in, the sounds is top notch, the lightning impressive and with what seems a wider dance floor, lends itself to moshing activities that don’t stop all set.

Siren Song and The Service round out a set of fast and furious ripping beats. There’s enough to head-bang to or get messy in the pit. Hawkey is engaging all night and by the smiles of the band as they head backstage, it was a rip-roaring success.

Bloom may be Sydney, but Hawkey is in Melbourne these days and he may not have been the only Melbourne native to destroy Adelaide last night, but he, and they, sure were the best.

Live Review By Iain McCallum