Stray From The Path - Gig Review & Photo Gallery 15th August @ The Tivoli, Bris QLD

Stray From The Path
The Tivoli, Brisbane QLD
August 15, 2025
Supports: Orthodox, Diamond Construct and Zuko

Ever had something break your heart whilst still make you smile? May 30th 2025, the day Stray From The Path surprise dropped their latest album Clockworked and in the same paragraph, announced that by the end of 2025 the band would be no more. For the better part of a decade, these Long Island hardcore misfits have been the proverbial lighthouse that has guided many home. 

My uncertainty was calmed as the band less than 3 weeks later had put together one final lap of Australia to say goodbye, bringing with them Orthodox from Nashville, Tennessee and recruiting Taree Metalcore hype kings Diamond Construct to bring the heat one final time. So on a cold winters night in Brisbane, we gather to celebrate two decades of the most anti fascist, anti racist, anti authoritarianism hardcore the world has ever seen and quite frankly; has under-appreciated. 

Zuko have found themselves in a prime position here. As so far the only local act to find themselves on the stage of a lifetime, the task at hand was simple. Wake this crowd up.

“You’ve got about 30 seconds til this shit kicks off” Kicking off was an understatement. The sheer rush of the floor filling, voices screaming and unwavering intensity; you’d be mistaken for believing this was a headline show for the Brisbane natives.  Traversing through ‘Kamikaze’ and their latest track ‘Stand For Nothing’ Zuko delivered an introduction worthy of staking their claim, not just being another “local act”.

Moments of hostility were balanced out with an outpouring of love, courtesy and outright acceptance for everyone from Zuko, reminding us we are worth more than we think. But if emotions weren’t being felt, I was for sure feeling the hands of punters pushing off my shoulder to get as close as they could to vocalist Jesse Hudson’s microphone, which was somehow stolen by the crowd during the set closer ‘Stand For Nothing’. I’d always heard Zuko described as a hybrid of Alpha Wolf & Knocked Loose. I’m here to quash that comparison. Zuko are their own tour de force. There is no one quite like them, nor are they like anyone else.

If I need to introduce Diamond Construct to you, I first need to ask where the hell you’ve been in this local scene? The staple of modern Metalcore in Australia, the band are no strangers to sharing stages with the best in the country and across the globe. The trancing trap metal vibes have infected Australian Metal loves for many years now, and off the release of their 2024 record Angel Killer Zero it was only a matter of time before the band ended back up on a large scale presence like tonight.

When Metalcore started to enter phase of feeling stale, Diamond Construct stepped up to reinvent, redesign and reclaim the throne for the future of the Australian Heavy scene. Reflected in the live performances of ‘Hit it Back’ or bouncing back to their 2019 self titled record for ‘Animus’ (and literally reflecting from Kynan Groundwater’s rhinestone tracksuit) if the pit wasn’t moshing, kicking or screaming, the dancing and vibing was equally intense. The biggest take away from tonight’s set was the sheer crowd control DC held over Brisbane. These are not the same boys I used to share stages with in years past. These are the men taking Australian Metalcore into a whole new world. 

I’m having trouble truly putting into words, what I have witnessed here tonight. Orthodox who hail from Tennessee, U.S.A have flown under the radar of Hardcore (well at least mine anyway) for a little while now are playing their first ever show outside of their home country tonight, and my only question is; how has it taken this long?

I shouldn’t have let the classical soundtrack fool me during the introduction, because a short few seconds later I am met with noises and tones of pure filth I never thought could be achieved. The crashing in of ‘Sacred Place’ turns the Tivoli into a spectacle that can only be believed if seen. Bodies fly over the barricade, plethora of souls push over the top of me to get into the faces of the Tennessee titans, I feel the barricade start bend back and forth under the weight of intensity, I am terrified at the sheer ferocity  of stage energy as daggers are stared through me by vocalist Adam Easterling as they penetrate rows back. It’s only been 30 seconds.  

As the band ventures through tracks from their 2025 album A Door Left Open, I am having trouble picking my jaw off the floor. For 30 minutes there was very little chance to breathe and that was more so from choking out of sheer disbelief. Just when you think it couldn’t get heavier, Orthodox make a fool out of you. The eerie lead lines that start the set finale ‘Cave In’ shoot a sense of panic through my soul as I feel the dancefloor behind me part like the sea. I don’t think this venue has ever seen or heard anything like it.

The wheel of Hardcore isn’t necessarily simple yet there is always a desire to make it more violent, more compelling, more universal. What Orthodox have curated with their unique nature of Hardcore is some of the most unruly, disturbing, down right horrifying performances I’ve ever seen. And I mean that with all due respect. 

I’ve seen my fair share of Hardcore, from the local scenes to the biggest festival stages this country has to offer. What Orthodox brought to Brisbane tonight was nothing short of the most tight-knit form of controlled chaos I’ve ever bear witness to. If you miss these shows, I don’t know what else to tell you. 

Here we are. Words I never thought I’d write (let alone ever want to) it is time for the final ever Stray From the Path show in Brisbane's history. The band have played across a variety of venues since their first visit with Northlane in 2013. Having seen them for the first time in 2016 to barely 100 people, or co-headline shows where crowds slowly dwindled away before their set, you could forgive the band for potentially skipping out on the country before saying farewell. But as The Tivoli reaches near capacity for their biggest headline show in Australian history, there is an overwhelming sense of pride for this set.

As ‘Kubrick Stare’ invites the chaos, the first show hiccups occur as the band falls out of time for a moment, but as seasoned veterans the band get back under way without a further slip. And as Stray taps in their Euthanasia record with ‘Needful Things’ & ‘May You Live Forever’, it is evident that there isn’t a hint of complacency in the bands energetic approaches to performing, it’s as if their very lives depend on it. I’ve seen Stray multiple times past but Drew Dijorio is out the very top of his game this time around, belting screams so fierce it works right to your core.

In brief interludes; Drew holds the crowd in his palm, almost metaphorically like the bands signature lighthouse logo, reminding us all that we are welcome in this community always with or without the existence of Stray From The Path. Guitarist Tom Williams reaches out leading us in singalong for the introduction of III before telling us to “get the fuck up” not missing his cue to hone in and deliver signatures tones that drive home the political force of this anti-cop anthem. In a country that is not their own, the sense of community that hardcore holds isn’t lost on a band stepping away from it in the very near future. 

Tearing through their last album Clockworked which stands as one of their most aggressive, I do find myself a little worn down that older material is being skipped. Where 'Shot Caller' and the title track deliver bodies over the barricade in droves and tight knit performances, I do wish for a sneaky appearance from ‘Badge and a Bullet’, ‘Damien’, or ‘Outbreak’ to sneak its way in as a celebration of the bands stellar career. But so is the way of an album tour. A man can dream can’t he? 

The delivery that Stray From the Path have given to Brisbane is nothing short of a band genuinely at the top of their game, not just in terms of performance but in crowd appeal. As demonstrated by the deafening “Shut the fuck up” in response to the ever classic “Every rich white kid has got something to say”. Where no feature came in to take on Sam Carters (Architects) words, the audience gave every ounce of energy right back to the band, leaving what I don’t doubt is an everlasting memory in the minds of all. 

You still have to wonder why a band at the very best they’ve ever been could choose now to be the time to call it quits especially when the world needs their message the most. But what is no longer a wonder, is that Stray From The Path have changed the lives of many and the world has been better off for their existence. I know that I am.

Stray From the Path; May You Live Forever. 

Review by Cody James Henderson @cody_j_henderson

Setlist

Kubrick Stare
Needful Things
May You Live Forever
Chest Candy
Can’t Help Myself 
III
Goodnight Alt-Right
Shot Caller
Fortune Teller
Clockworked 
Guillotine 
First World Problem Child

Photos JD Punisher @jdpunisherphotography. Please credit Wall Of Sound and JD Punisher Photography if reposting photos.