BABYMETAL WORD TOUR - HORDERN PAVILION, SYDNEY

‘Twas a kawaii Thursday night at The Hordern as thousands of metal heads come together for one of the most diverse lineups to date… and it was glorious!

With Magnolia Park, Bloodywood and BABYMETAL all on the same bill, it felt like three completely different corners of the scene colliding in real time. Let’s break my full experience down.

Magnolia Park

They have been building for a while, but this set felt like a “fuck yeah, I’m actually witnessing this” moment.

They opened with Animal and immediately came in strong.

The lighting looked insane and they genuinely looked like a band that has their aesthetic figured out. Everything felt intentional. The looked SO good.

Joshua Roberts’ vocals live? Yeah… top tier.

Both the cleans and screams were ridiculous and it never dipped once.

High, Cult, Omen all kept things moving, but Shallow was the moment for me.

The queen pit went off. Women only, everyone actually respecting it (love it) and just pure feminine energy radiating. One of the best moments of the night easily. Yay women!

Also seeing Tristan Torres out in the middle of the crowd while a circle pit formed around him was unreal. He walked passed me after the set and the smile on his face as his telling his mate how good that set was made me all giddy!

Tristan took a second  to say ‘I know we’re an American band but I have one thing to say’ “fuck Trump”’ and you bet I was screaming it back! This show was such a power move. It gets better!

I got into Magnolia Park last year, and now I’m fully locked in. This is the perfect mix of pop punk, metalcore and hip hop done properly.

I need to see them again.

Bloodywood

Bloodywood was next and honestly… this might’ve been the most fun set of the night for me.

They opened strong with Gaddaar and the insanity did not stop. I counted 5 ‘open the pit’ call outs.

Nu Delhi was obviously a favourite, everyone lost it, but the whole set hit just as hard.

What really got me though was how they took a moment between each song to say a few things and connect with the audience.

They were constantly talking to the crowd, but it never felt like filler. It actually made you care more.

They spoke about being from New Delhi, how metal isn’t always supported there and how special is it for them to have people on the other side of the world backing them.

You could feel how grateful they were.

And the crowd gave it straight back. Everyone was locked in, following every call, screaming every word they knew.

I’ve never seen a band talk that much and still hold attention like that.

I’m not even exaggerating when I say this:

You need to see Bloodywood.

You need to support them.

Go tell your friends.

Babymetal

BABYMETAL are one of those bands where even if you don’t fully get it, you get why they’re massive.

I’ll be honest, I don’t know the lore and I wish I did because it probably would’ve made parts of the show hit harder.

I’ll be honest, The intro dragged a little but once it kicked in, it made sense.

They looked incredible. The outfits matching their album visuals is such a nice touch and the screen behind them carried so much of the show. It was hard to look away.

The collabs were a big moment.

Songs tied to Poppy, Slaughter to Prevail and Electric Callboy all got the crowd going feral.

And then Gimme Chocolate!!…

That’s the one. The first song I ever heard from them and clearly the one everyone else knows too. The crowd reaction said everything.

You just had to look around.

Even if it’s not fully my thing, I respect it. They’ve built something massive and it works.

The Not So Great Parts

The 30 minute gaps between sets… yeah, not ideal. You could feel the energy drop every time. Tho it was nice to take a break outside in the fresh air and rest my back. Which brings me to the next thing.

Seating was the bigger issue.

I get not opening every section if it’s not packed but when the venue is still full and people are sitting on the floor because the back seating is packed, it’s frustrating.

As someone with an invisible disability, I had to step out multiple times during BABYMETAL just to find somewhere with proper back support.

That part sucked.

On the flip side though… $7 parking basically right outside?

Perfect. No complaints there.

Final Thoughts

This show pulled a huge crowd for a reason.

Magnolia Park are only getting bigger.

Bloodywood deserve every bit of attention they’re getting.

BABYMETAL are already on another level. They’re on the interview wish list. Cross your fingers!