Make Them Suffer – Gig Review & Photo Gallery 22nd June @ Beer Deluxe, Albury NSW

Make Them Suffer
Beer Deluxe, Albury NSW
June 22nd, 2025
Supports: Justice For The Damned, The Gloom In The Corner, and Harroway.

One of my favourite things about the music scene, is seeing the constant growth of Australian live acts. I’ve seen Make Them Suffer headline The Forum, support Bring Me The Horizon in arenas and dominate the international touring circuit. When a band like Make Them Suffer decides to reflect on their journey with a mammoth 18 date tour of regional Australia, it feels so special. After catching the Canberra and Albury dates in the middle of this run, I’m here to tell you that these shows are not to be missed. The Albury date is the focus of this review, so let me paint you a picture.

It was already down to 6 degrees Celsius, as patrons entered the outdoor main stage of Beer Deluxe on a cold Sunday night. While the particularly keen punters made their way to the barrier, the focus for many was to warm up with a drink in their bellies or a sick looking piece of merch. Harroway opened this leg of tour memorably, marking their first run of shows as a five piece. Chris ‘CJ’ Webb shredded and sang on stage with confidence and style. He understood the assignment, and Harroway kicked ass. They paced their set to ensure we got some heavier metalcore sounds throughout and spoiled us with unreleased banger ‘Run It’. Screamer Matt Banks made sure to get right up on the barrier, harnessing an energy that hooked the band’s sound right into your face. The small number of attendees who made it to see the opener were in for a treat. Even though no one knew of Harroway prior to this tour – Matt confirmed as much on stage – they roused some moshers and left a lasting impression.

At this point I started getting concerned. The crowd was quite static, and the audio didn’t sound great particularly further back. I can’t comment on the challenges of mixing audio in such a dynamic outdoor setup, and it’s hard to say if the weather had an effect on crowd participation. After having my expectations blown away by the Albury audience at a gig a few weeks prior, the reception to this show started to feel like a letdown. I caught up with my friends who attended, who also mentioned that the audio mix felt off as has been the case with this stage in the past. No matter, because the show goes on and I was hyped with anticipation to see The Gloom In The Corner again.

The storytelling and intricacies of the lore of the Gloom In The Corner cinematic universe is lost on newcomers to the band, which is an issue easily forgotten when you’re enveloped in The Gloom In The Corner soundscape. Dressed for the weather and rocking a cowboy hat, vocalist Mikey Arthur sang and screamed through tales of the Gloom universe and called for a celebration of metalcore. A sprinkling of Flesh & Bones, a healthy helping of Trinity, and a downright treat in ‘The Jericho Protocol’ were dealt to the crowd with pure power. Melodic and haunting synths/tracks overlaid Jesse Abdurazak’s riffs, and Nick Davies grooved through the set on bass duties. You have got to hand it to Joshua Clinch, who is an absolute beast on the kit. The Gloom In The Corner unleashed unreleased track ‘Assassination Run’ upon us, and it fucks so hard. I had high expectations, as I hadn’t seen them since 2022. Despite the audio mix still not hitting just right, the band tore up the venue and you can guarantee punters are on-board for whatever The Gloom In The Corner are cooking next.

Speaking of cooking, Justice For The Damned turned things up a notch. When these guys start playing, I feel like I’ve been dosed with too much pre-workout and I’m looking to fuck this place up. Many felt the same, and Justice For The Damned turned Beer Deluxe into their violent playground. After reintroducing themselves to the world earlier this year, they have made an iconic return to stages across the country. Bobak Rafiee is one of the happiest looking lead singers I’ve ever seen, a stark contrast to the punishing sounds the band inflicts. The “metalcore-mosh” sound feels so right as we dig our teeth into ‘The Current’, and we’re taken back to covid era loungeroom moshing with bangers from Pain Is Power. Things went nuts though during some unreleased songs and the title track of upcoming EP ‘Stay Relentless’. Justice For The Damned is one of the best live Australian bands, and after 10 years of work they’re as tough as ever.

I’ve commented on the audio mix situation, and I’m stoked to say that the mix and crowd picked the fuck up for Justice For The Damned, so we felt appropriately warmed up for the headliners.

The intro of ‘Epitaph’ teases the eager audience and Make Them Suffer take their positions on stage in the darkness. On their command, it was chaos. It’s hard to imagine any attendee unfamiliar with their sound, but you know exactly what to expect from this first track. The soundscape of Make Them Suffer surrounds you, and Sean Harmanis wastes no time taking us into ‘Bones’. The chorus’ in this album make me feel so warm in my chest, and the melodies release a different kind of catharsis live. Alex Reade nailed the keys throughout ‘Uncharted’ and showed the haunting beauty of her clean singing. ‘Ether’ felt like a thematically aligned follow up, that still brought the heat. Taking us into some bangers from their 2024 self-titled album, Make Them Suffer would’ve brought the roof down if there was one. I felt pure fucking joy as I came out of moshpit retirement for the first time since the pre-covid days to ‘Mana God’. The rapid-fire power from Jordan ‘Jman’ Mather was matched by his technical prowess during ‘Ghost Of Me’, and the ever energetic Nick McLernon’s bouncy riffs breathed a frantic live energy into ‘Oscillator’. Rhythmically, Jaya Jeffery was locked in on the bass for ‘Weaponized’, and the crowd surfers started pouring in. By the time the metalcore masterpiece ‘Hollowed Heart’ was in our ears, I’d secured a position close to the front. I was in awe at the command Sean had on the crowd; the circle pits were ferocious and the callout “fucking coward, that’s somebody’s daughter” is so emotionally charged. My highlights of the night were singing and screaming along to performances of long time favourites ‘Soul Decay’ and ‘Erase Me’. During choruses and the final chants of ‘Erase Me’, I was tearing up and felt so at home. The hopelessness in the lyrics, and the will to look forward resonated emotionally while I was carrying crowd surfing body after body. The debut track of the current era ‘Doomswitch’ never gets old, especially when Alex enters keytar god mode and all the standing members of Make Them Suffer lineup on the front of the stage for an instrumental culmination that left us asking for one more song. I’ve got to say I’m a little over the fake encores that we get from bands, but it’s so worth it because ending the set with ‘Widower’ was fucking insane. I remember thinking how great this performance was during the 10 Years of Neverbloom Tour, and how I thought seeing this at the Forum during the Suffer Forever Tour would be the last time I got to see it. Having an opportunity to get throttled in a regional mosh and scream along the iconic lines “Will you remember…” and “I’ll always remember…” was a climactic way to another memorable headline set.

I walked away from the stage with a half torn setlist and another guitar pick for the collection, and I reflectively debriefed. I learned about the poor pit etiquette, the rise and fall of crowd enthusiasm throughout the night, and the less than favourable opinions on the audio mix particularly further back in the outdoor venue. Despite the local adverse conditions, Make Them Suffer have delivered a masterclass performance with a top lineup to back them up. As they reach the halfway point of their tour, I find myself feeling grateful for the show opportunities we’re seeing in regional areas. I think of how Sean mentioned his excitement for “hanging out together on a bus, playing local pubs”. I truly hope that bands enjoy themselves and keep coming to regional areas, and that regional crowds continue to show up to make it worthwhile. At this point I’ve seen at least one performance of each Australian tour that Make Them Suffer have played since Alex joined. They are in the best place they’ve ever been in their career, and their trajectory will only continue to rise from here.

Setlist

Epitaph
Bones
Uncharted
Ether
Mana God
Ghost Of Me
Oscillator
Weaponized
Hollowed Heart
Soul Decay
Erase Me
Doomswitch
Widower

Gig Review and Photo Gallery by Tyler Lubke.
Please credit Wall of Sound and Tyler Lubke if you repost photos.