Suicidal Tendencies - Lights, Camera, Side Shows
The Roundhouse Sydney delivered a high energy double bill Friday, 14th November, playing host to two very different forces in heavy music: the rising, genre bending intensity of Big Noter and the long-standing crossover thrash legacy of Suicidal Tendencies.
From the moment Big Noter hit the stage, the energy was thick and immediate. Fronted by Briggs, the band wielded heavy riffs, hip-hop cadence and full-on punk attitude. Big Noter are acclaimed as a new heavy project for Briggs, aligning a full live band with punk-metal roots.
On Friday, Big Noter’s set boiled over: fast, raw, and unrelenting. Briggs owned the stage with a swagger that balanced aggression and charisma—he moved from MC-style to hardcore front-man without missing a beat. The crowd, many of whom had come for Suicidal, nonetheless responded with genuine excitement; by the time Big Noter left the stage it felt like they’d earned their place. Their newer track Talk Straight came through live with force—its message and the delivery both landed hard. It felt like a statement rather than a warm-up, laying down a modern, hard edged foundation before Suicidal Tendencies took the stage.
Suicidal Tendencies made their entrance with a ferocity that has shaped a reputation for more than four decades. Frontman Mike Muir’s commanding presence to the razor-sharp musicianship of the current lineup, the band proved that their legacy is alive and kicking. Flanked by what could be coined a supergroup, shredding guitarists Ben Weinman (Dillinger Escape Plan) and Dean Pleasants, ex-Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg, banging it out on the kit and Tye Trujillo thunder clapping on bass.
Opening with You Can’t Bring Me Down immediately funnelled the energy into a visceral wave. The setlist drew on the classics such as Institutionalized, Join the Army, War Inside My Head, and Pledge Your Allegiance while also reminding everyone they still have something to say.
Cyco Miko worked the crowd like a revival preacher, running all lengths of the stage with an experienced energy decades in the making, pausing between songs to drop bombs about resilience, about standing strong in the face of pressure — brought a human edge and a dynamic unlike any other. With carving solos from Weinman and a thunderous bass solo from Tye Trujillo that made the crowd weak at the knees, Suicidal Tendencies have proved why they have outlasted trends and how sticking the middle finger to the system has remained relevant.
A night at the Roundhouse delivered a compelling arc for fans of high octane rock and punk inflected metal, bridging contemporary groove, high tempo kicks and shredding guitar riffs. Big Noter offered a vigorous, bold opening statement, and Suicidal Tendencies brought a veteran band still burning with conviction.
If thrash is dead, someone forgot to tell Sydney about it.
Gallery https://musicfestivalsaustralia.com/event-photos/suicidaltendencies-sydney
Thanks to Suicidal Tendencies, Big Noter, Cycostralia, Maric Media and the Roundhouse for having us along.
Review by Pieta Clarke for Music Kingdom Australia
