Northlane - Australia 2026 - Gosford

I’ve seen Northlane a few times now, and I swear every time I’m thinking to myself, “That was the best they’ve sounded yet,” and they somehow manage to top that the next time around.

Last night at Drifters Wharf was a different story though. Smaller room, closer crowd, louder in a way that actually impacts you. 

Reliqa was first on the stage, and they didn’t waste any time at all. People were still walking in, grabbing a drink, whatever, but they quickly had the attention of the whole room. Monique’s voice is insane. One minute it’s clean, almost calm, the next minute it’s heavy, almost chaotic. It didn’t feel like a support act; they felt like they came to make a point. 

Then Inertia went on, and the whole room changed. Darker, heavier, a bit more intense. You could almost feel the crowd starting to get into the zone at this point. Not as much talking, a bit more moving around, a bit more pushing forward. 

By the time Northlane were about to come on, the room was packed and buzzing.

Then the lights dropped and everyone just lost it.

They walked out, no big intro, no messing around straight into it. And it just hit. That sound they have live… it’s hard to explain unless you’ve been there. It’s heavy, but it’s also really clean and tight at the same time.

Marcus sounded unreal. Not just “good live” actually better than you expect. You can tell he means it when he’s up there. Nothing feels forced.

The crowd was a big part of it too. No one standing around filming the whole time people were actually in it. Singing, pushing, jumping, just fully there. It felt like everyone in the room had been waiting for that exact moment.

There was a point halfway through where I just kind of stopped and looked around for a second and it was one of those moments where you realise why you keep coming back to this band.

They’ve changed a lot over the years, but somehow it still feels the same where it matters.

And in a venue like that, with that kind of crowd, it just hits different.

Walking out, ears ringing, still feeling it the only thought stuck in my head was how far they’ve come… and how they’re probably not even close to done yet.

Honestly, I can’t wait to hear what Northlane do next!

Thank you to Northlane, Destroy All Lines, Bigmouth PR and the Drifters Wharf for having us along.

Review & Photos by Megan Kilpatrick for Music Kingdom Australia