We Came As Romans, Caskets, Headwreck @ The Gov, Adelaide 12/2/2026
Andy Glass furiously headbangs away as We Came As Romans drop another roaring burst of sonic power at The Gov last night. This time, he’s stood on top of the bar, Coyote Ugly style, tearing at the strings that are making the venue rumble.
The Americans are here as part of their All Is Beautiful…Cause We Are Doomed tour and after the electric energy from Headwreck and impassioned power of Caskets, WCAR had to find a way to top all before them.
Opening is Brisbane’s Headwreck who pop up like a kid with too much red cordial in their system. Musically a combination of metalcore and rap with slight industrial vibes, they lads bounce, dance and are full of laughs, engage with their fans and make sure that pit is getting warmed up nice and toasty.
Britian’s Caskets have landed with a hard and heavy set, working their dynamics with their emotionally maturity expertly. Opening with Make Me A Martyr from their current album The Only Heaven You’ll Know, Matthew Flood inspires his band into a sonic explosion too big for this venue.
James Lazenby’s drums are great, and the cleanliness of the guitars allows the melodies to stand out front. Flood for his part, is a rampant ball of energy and encourages the audience to emotionally unload during Lost In Echoes, Our Remedy and Glass Heart. The last time they played Adelaide, they named it one of their favourite shows ever (take that Melbourne) and judging by tonight, this may push that one over too.
So, with two supports who have turned up the temperature, how do We Came As Romans respond? Well, the only way they know how. Blasting the dandruff out of your hair with an excitable, addictive and inspiring performance.
Opening with All Is Beautiful… and ending with Because We’re Doomed before the encore, the band take us through a contextual journey of Dave Stephens thoughts performed by his closest friends with passion, subtlety and decisiveness.
Pulling mostly from the new album, Stephen’s constant movement fighting with the emotion of the lyrics makes for an intense vocal performance. Glass is a spinning top of a bassist and the group in general hit harder than Mike Tyson in his pomp.
Bad Luck, Lake Of Fire and No Rest For The Dreamer are delivered with pomp and grace, as the mosh pits grows, dragging passers by into its metal vortex.
The encore drops Where Did You Go? and Daggers and with that, Stephens and WCAR depart for pastures new. A little over an hour of some of the most pristine, emotionally aggressive music you’ll see this year from a band who know exactly what they are doing. The real question though is, did Andy Glass actually get a drink while he was at the bar?
Live Review By Iain McCallum