Microwave & Free Throw - Gig Review 24th July @ The Princess Theatre, Bris QLD

Microwave & Free Throw
The Princess Theatre, Brisbane QLD
July 24th, 2025
Supports: Garage Sale and Talk Heavy

I think it is safe to say that losing a third of your instruments and equipment 24 hours before the start of an international tour is every musician’s worst nightmare. This was exactly the case for American emo powerhouses Microwave and Free Throw, as they landed in Brisbane and realised a large chunk of their setup was not placed on their flight. Despite this nightmare situation, the bands called on friends and fans to supply them with replacement equipment and watched as the community came together and helped them deliver a killer show – offering an optimistic start to the co-headlining tour. 

The first thing I noticed when entering The Princess Theatre on Thursday is how broadly the fanbases have expanded. I remember seeing both around 2-3 years ago and the crowd mainly consisted of people in their mid-late twenties. However, last night I was taken aback by the number of young men present. The floor was flooded with moustaches, mullets, cropped button-downs and carabiners. Of course, everyone is welcome at these gigs, but I can’t help but notice a slow migration of “male manipulators” into the emo genre. I have decided to call them “y2k hipster emos”. 

As the hipsters continued to fill out the theatre, Brisbane pop-punk quartet, Talk Heavy, took to the stage. I will always stand by Talk Heavy deserving more attention. The outfit consistently delivers live performances that are dripping with the rambunctious nostalgia of youth. A banger track like ‘I Wanna Skate Again’ lyrically appeals to the bittersweetness of adulthood, while their stage presence carries the energy of four teenagers jamming in a garage – hopeful, a little awkward and fun. The crowd fed off this vibe, bopping their heads and jumping to the springy rhythm. 

The pace was slowed down however when Garage Sale stepped into the stage lights. Australia has been slightly lacking on the shoegaze front, but this Melbourne outfit is determined to foster the sound on Aussie soil. Bassist, Caitlin Ellis, has this dreamlike and wispy vocal style – highly reminiscent of Bilinda Butcher of My Bloody Valentine. These hazy vocals are juxtaposed and complimented Dave Quested on drums, who accelerates their sound into alt rock territory with fresh tracks like ‘Punching Up’. While this song isn’t exactly moshable, it was still quietly appreciated by onlookers who nodded their heads in approval. 

The tone was flipped yet again as Teddy Pendergrass’s ‘Turn Off the Lights’ began to play over the speakers and Microwave wandered in to set up. The Atlanta quartet opened with ‘Stovall’ which had the crowd cheering at the first note. Things really kicked into gear however when ‘Lighterless’ began to play. Lead vocalist, Nathan Hardy, added a raspy scream in the first verse which sent the crowd barging into an emotional push pit. Seeing that guitar solo live was an other-worldly experience – each string cutting to the crowd’s core.  

Before playing ‘Circling the Drain’, the band took a moment to apologise for possible technical difficulties during their set. 

“We lost all our cool noise-making devices,” said guitarist, Wesley Swanson.

“And this is my first time playing with a Stratocaster,” said Nathan, who thanked a member of the crowd for lending it to him.

It was lovely honestly, to see the community working together for the benefit of a good show. While losing gear is always awful – it made the gig feel warmer, like it was a joint effort between the fans and artists. 

‘Vomit’ seemed to be the crowd favourite of the night with Timothy “Titto” Pittard’s aggressive drumming commanding the biggest push pit thus far. To close, the band performed ‘But Not Often’, which of course enacted a heartfelt sing-along with the audience. 

After another 30-minute wait Jimmy Buffet’s ‘It’s Five O’clock Somewhere’ began to play and the crowd screamed in alcohol-fuelled anticipation. Once the quartet had made their way onto the stage they broke into ‘Such Luck’. The song’s aching melody moved throughout the room and into our chests with lead vocalist, Cory Casto, delivering his excruciating screams. His pain is entirely palpable live – each song feels like a fresh wound, bleeding openly for all to see. 

‘The Corners Dilemma’ also carried this emotional rawness but was delivered it in such a way, the crowd welcomed the pain. Lawrence Warner’s twangy, upbeat riff in this track is far too merry for the contents of the song, but the contrast is always a pleasure to see live. Here you have a flurry of socially anxious young adults, screaming about how they fear interaction, but are concurrently slamming their bodies into one another. It’s a moment of true understanding, togetherness and growth. 

‘Tongue Tied’ of course caused a whirlwind of stirring commotion, with each member of the audience taking it upon themselves to live vicariously through Cory and Jake Hugh’s twisting shrieks. Zach Hall’s drumming counteracted their wails, opening the floor into a big, sad dance party. 

Free Throw finally closed with ‘Two Beers’, and to my dismay left without an encore, leaving me and many members of the crowd yearning for ‘Hey Ken, Someone Methodically Mushed the Donuts’. Nor was a shooey performed, which also stirred dissatisfaction with fans. It’s an ideal criticism to face really, the worst part of the show was that it simply did not go for long enough.

Despite a stressful 24 hours of chasing lost equipment, Microwave and Free Throw offered a memorable evening of beer-soaked, emo catharsis. Talk Heavy and Garage Sale similarly delivered a taste of Australian sad rock, leaving with a new following of eager fans. Overall, the co-headlining Australian tour began with a brilliant display of community and how our friends will always be there to have our backs in anxiety-inducing times.

Review By Grace Cameron @gracicxo

Setlist (Microwave)

Stovall 
Lighterless 
Float to the Top 
Drown
Something Right 
Keeping Up
LSD
Circling the Drain 
Bored of Being Sad
Whimper 
Leather Daddy 
Trash Stains 
Vomit
But Not Often

Setlist (Free Throw)

Such Luck
The Corner's Dilemma
Pallet Town
Spacer's Choice
Tongue Tied
How I Got My Shrunken Head
A Part is Better Than Zero
Andy And I, Uh...
Thanks For Asking
Kim Tastie
My High
So Yeah, So
Good Job, Champ
Randy, I Am the Liquor
Two Beers In

Tickets for remaining shows are here