Kim Dracula - Gig Review & Photo Gallery 21st November @ Princess Theatre, Bris QLD

Kim Dracula
The Princess Theatre, Brisbane QLD
November 21, 2025
Support: Wednesday 13

Tonight’s Horror Down Under show brings together an international heavyweight and a national rising star. One returns to Brisbane for the third time in as many years, the other plays their first ever Australian show. Any guesses as to who is who?

If you said the international star is playing their first Australian show…. SURVEY SAYS NO. 

Five years after finding stardom on social media for a dark Lady Gaga cover, Tasmanian born Kim Dracula brings our favourite Gothic triumphant frontman Wednesday 13 back for double dose of Horror infused goodness to celebrate their first ever lap of their native homeland! But when the pressure and nerves are at their highest, would the support of one of Americas finest be enough to bring the crowds together for an outstanding debut? 

Sweet soothing sounds of The Ramones ‘Sheena is a Punk Rocker’ fade to black as Australia’s favourite adopted Gothic King Wednesday 13 makes a triumphant return having only been off our shores for just over 18 months removed from his previous Performing Murderdolls tour. 

This packed out Princess Theatre would make it feel as if it’d had been a decade as ‘Look What The Bat Dragged In’ sees the unnerving titan of shock horror open the evening full of unrelenting charisma oozing like the corpse paint across the audience’s faces. Equipped with a brand new album Mid Death Crisis released earlier this year, a track like 'Rotting Away sits amongst fans as a new classic but it’s the ovation for the 2005 classics ‘I Want You Dead’ & ‘The Ghost of Vincent Price’ that turns Brisbane into an early night frenzy. Cue the epic guitar solo and a whole lotta tongue action that would make Gene Simmons jealous, its rockstar shenanigans without the BS for Wednesday. 

If Wednesday's last appearance wasn’t enough of a Murderdolls fix for your soul then you’re in luck my friends. ‘Summertime Suicide’ immediately followed by ‘197666’ and ‘Nowhere’ catch unwavering audience off guard but ever so pleasantly. The ever commanding presence that Wednesday and his band grab from the audience and runs with would continue to make fellow Murderdolls bandmate Joey Jordison incredibly proud from the afterlife. May he rest in peace. In the words of Wednesday himself “Long live the Murderdolls”.

If you’re hesitant on this tour thinking that it’s just a typical opening set and you won’t get the most out of seeing Wednesday I beg you reconsider. For 60 minutes Wednesday 13 was the main attraction, condensing decades of material into a spectacular. From the new, to the classics to fistfuls of candy thrown into the crowd complete with an endearing performance of ‘I Love to say Fuck’, don’t take for granted seeing one of the undisputed horror icons that the music scene has ever offered. 

WEDNESDAY 13 Setlist

Look What the Bats Dragged In
A Good Day to be a Bad Guy
Rotting Away
I Want You Dead
The Ghost of Vincent Price
Devil Commands
Summertime Suicide (Murderdolls Cover)
197666 (Murderdolls Cover)
In Misery
Haunt Me
Nowhere (Murderdolls Cover) 
I Walked With a Zombie
Bad Things
I Like to Say Fuck (Frankenstein Drag Queens from Planet 13 Cover)

The first night of tour is always a tricky, nerve wrecking one. But for it to be the first night of your first ever tour of your home country? The pressure was on before the lights went out for this Tasmanian Devil known as Kim Dracula. Within seconds of the lights dimming and the cheers going up, an introductory skit commands the audience to split down the middle as ‘Dr Acula’ enters to tremendous fanfare.

“Brisbane. Let’s not waste anymore time.”

Within a mere blink, ‘Land of the Sun’ explodes complete with Co2 cannons as avant-garage warfare commences. Any potential nerves are gone in an instant and instead are replaced with a room full of eyes watching every single step Dracula takes. And it’s not just for the spectacle of the show commencing, it’s because Dracula and crew are commanding the attention even when the room goes black. It quickly gets drawn back as the musicianship of ‘Superhero’ garners just a loud reaction from the faithful in attendance. I mean come on, how many genre bending metal acts have a live saxophonist on stage at all times? 

It’s not all just steps into Dracula's 2023 debut album A Gradual Decline in Moral filling the evening. The 2020 Covid-era material that launched the astounding career of Dracula makes itself known with ‘1800-Close-Your-Eyes’ breaking the scheduled programming of album material (as well as a live performance of the Goldeneye theme? Is there anything that won’t be covered tonight?) But the falsetto hitting, guttural smashing, genre bending soon hits back even harder with the likes of ‘Drown’ and ‘Undercover’. As the audience fails to skip a beat in time with orchestrated car crash happening on the stage you can see the question on many punters faces including yours truly that says “why has this taken so long for us to receive?” 

Hey remember how I said a couple sentences ago “is there anything that won’t be covered tonight?” I wasn’t expecting that to be literal when the band goes into a partial cover of ‘Even Flow’ by Pearl Jam before crushing into the Deathcore influenced introductions of ‘Reunion and Reintegration’ completely with a commanded circle pit. Seriously, what else could there be? There hasn’t been a single moment for Brisbane to catch their breath but we are loving the suffocation.  

The beauty of writing a review in real time is you get to witness the shock of what I hear in order that I do, so when I hear Dracula breakdown into 'I Want You' by Brisbane's own Savage Garden in the midst of ‘Divine Intervention’ you best believe my jaw dropped.  But the cover you all came to expect (and potentially discovered Dracula from) ‘Paparazzi’ gathers the loudest singalong of the night so far. And not wanting to taint the guest feature of a lifetime, the voice of Jonathon Davis (KoRn) echoes over the speakers for ‘70 Thorns’ that is further enhanced by the crowd.

From video game themes to Deathcore into underground Rap to slow Jazz, there is literally nothing untouched at a Kim Dracula concert. And it doesn’t take any fancy showcase to display this amalgamation of transcendent genre catharsis. A well rehearsed backline line, a stellar in house lights show, a little bit of smoke and a chaotic defiance to challenge the norms of heavy music is the key to curating a memorable set long overdue.

An abridgment of Rosé in between ‘Careless Whisper’ (George Michael) and ‘Smooth’ (Rob Thomas and Santana) take us to the breakout hit ‘Make Me Famous’ leaving no stone unturned and no one safe from the unrelenting pit that unfolds. But there is no sending the audience home just yet for they are not completely satisfied. 

The horror misfits latest track 'In Threes' delivers showmanship and reiteration of the superstars first ever show in their home country. But the crowd hijacks the finale with chants of ‘Killdozer’. 

“I’m hearing a mix of one more song and Killdozer. Seems like simple maths to me”

Chaos. Unfolds. The character of Dracula partially slips as a smile sneaks its way out. This couldn’t have panned out any better than they had clearly planned. And of if you thought another cover would sneak in, a partial acknowledgment of ‘Anthem For the Year 2000’ (Silverchair) closes out the catharsis that is the Horror Down Under evening.  

There is no single way to describe Kim Dracula as an entity. The chaotic conception that is the listening experience of their music is only further multiplied in insanity as a live spectacle. At moments indescribable, their fast rising takeover? Undeniable.

Review by Cody-James Henderson @cody_j_henderson

KIM DRACULA Setlist

Land of the Sun
My Confession
Romance
Bards Last Note
Superhero (Played, Not Written)
1800-Close Your Eyes 
Golden Eye (Interlude)
Drown
Undercover
Kitty Kitty 
Undercover
Even Flow (Pearl Jam Cover - Partial)
Reunion and Reintegration (I Want You - Savage Garden Cover was covered in second verse)
Are You?
Divine
Paparazzi (Lady Gaga Cover - Partial)
70 Thorns
Luck is a Fine Thing/Say Please
Careless Whisper (George Michael Cover - Partial)
Rosé (Partial)
Smooth (Rob Thomas & Santana Cover - Partial)
Make Me Famous
In Threes 
Killdozer (Anthem for the Year 2000 - Silverchair sung as outro)

Photo Gallery by Isis Amber @isisxamber.photo. Please Credit Wall Of Sound and Isis Amber if reposting photos.

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