Good Things Festival returned to Flemington Racecourse with a stacked lineup and perfect weather.
Friday’s Melbourne edition of Good Things saw thousands descend on the racecourse under brilliant sunshine, the kind of December day that makes outdoor festivals feel like a gift. Across six stages, the bill ran the gamut from nu-metal legends to pop-punk nostalgia acts to whatever genre Gwar occupies – theatrical shock rock, perhaps, or simply organised chaos.
The headliner question at Good Things has always been interesting. Tool closed out the main stage despite Weezer boasting significantly more streams and radio hits. It speaks to the different currencies bands trade in. Weezer are beloved; Tool are revered. One fills arenas with singalongs, the other demands cathedral silence and complete surrender.
Good Things 2025
- Where: Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne
- When: Friday, December 5
Check out our gig guide here.
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Tool’s set was a masterclass in spectacle regardless of conditions. The full laser display fired up despite the sun still hanging in the sky, beams cutting through the golden hour haze in ways that shouldn’t have worked but absolutely did. Opening with Stinkfist, they moved through a setlist heavy on 10,000 Days and Fear Inoculum material, with The Grudge and H. offering nods to their back catalogue.
Weezer, by contrast, offered something gentler. Their hour-long set leaned heavily on the Blue Album and Pinkerton, the two records that cemented their place in 90s alternative history. Rivers Cuomo and company were understated, almost casual, letting the songs do the work. My Name Is Jonas opened proceedings, Buddy Holly closed them, and everything in between felt like a warm reunion. With Josh Freese on drums – the man plays for seemingly every band in existence – the rhythm section was tighter than it needed to be for songs this well-worn.
Garbage delivered one of the day’s most commanding performances, Shirley Manson’s voice still possessing that smoky edge that defined 90s alternative radio. The setlist drew heavily from Version 2.0, with I Think I’m Paranoid and Push It landing as hard as they did 25 years ago. A Depeche Mode cover of Personal Jesus fit seamlessly alongside their own material. The only hiccup came when Manson spotted someone in the crowd playing with a beach ball and unleashed a full tirade about disrespect – a moment that was either thrillingly punk rock or slightly terrifying depending on your perspective.
Elsewhere on the bill, Gwar delivered exactly what Gwar always delivers: fake blood, rubber monsters and satirical carnage. This year’s theatrical highlights included injecting baby dinosaurs with crack cocaine and the ritual evisceration of Donald Trump. It’s the kind of performance that defies critical analysis – you either understand why watching costumed musicians spray bodily fluids into a crowd is entertaining or you don’t.
Swedish hardcore legends Refused delivered one of the day’s most vital sets. Frontman Dennis Lyxzén, 53, bounded across the stage in a purple dress shirt and black slacks, his boyish hair flying as he hurled himself through the band’s catalogue with the energy of someone half his age.
That he suffered a massive heart attack just 18 months ago makes his physicality even more remarkable – this is part of the band’s farewell tour, and Lyxzén clearly intends to leave nothing in the tank. Between songs, he took aim at the current state of punk and hardcore, lamenting the lack of political messaging in a genre built on dissent. It was a pointed reminder that Refused emerged from a tradition where bands said something, and The Shape of Punk to Come wasn’t just a clever title. New Noise hit as hard as it did in 1998, and watching a crowd of mostly younger fans scream along to lyrics about capitalism and conformity suggested Lyxzén’s message might be landing after all.
Good Things has carved out a reliable niche: heavy music, nostalgic bookings and the occasional wildcard. Friday’s Melbourne edition delivered on all fronts.
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