The Spill Canvas & The Juliana Theory - Review & Gallery July 20th @ The Triffid, Bris QLD

The Spill Canvas & The Juliana Theory
The Triffid, Brisbane QLD
July 20th, 2025

Music today is deep in its “playlist era”. Songs are more skippable now, than ever before, and albums have been abandoned in suit of heavily curated, AI playlists. It is rare these days to sit back and intentionally listen to a project, to hear how each track melds and weaves into a listening experience.

Last night however, I had the pleasure of seeing one of my favourite albums played in full Emotion is Dead by The Juliana Theory, alongside the similarly influential One Fell Swoop by The Spill Canvas. 

The Triffid was not as busy as usual, it was about three quarters full, and there were a few tables and chairs scattered along the back. It was clear from the layout that the gig would be more intimate and respectful than others I had been to. The audience mirrored this assumption, chatting quietly amongst themselves before the set began. 

‍The Juliana Theory was up first, of course opening their set with ‘Into the Dark’. The Pennsylvania-made five-piece hit the stage wearing all-black, matching suits. Despite the dramatic costume choice, the track failed to muster much energy from the crowd, which was surprising being one of their more popular numbers. The energy was pulled from the crowd however when ‘To the Tune of 5000 Screaming Children’ began to play. Lead vocalist, Brett Detar, bounced around the stage and grooved to the catchy riff, it was clear he was excited to be performing in Australia – which checks out considering the last time they were here was 2003. Guitarist, Joshua Fielder, joined in on the excitement, bringing on his showmanship and playing behind his head. 

While the crowd was quiet, there seemed to be an odd few who truly worshiped this band. 

“We are not worthy!” Shouted one fan as Brett tossed his guitar pick into the crowd.

“I’ve waited 25 years for this!” Yelled another.

When the start of ‘If I Told You This Was Killing Me, Would You Stop?’ began to play I was prepared to scream the lyrics, but was disappointed to see no one was matching my excitement. Despite this, I was happy to see it live and enjoyed quietly mouthing the words to myself. After ‘You Always Say Goodnight, Goodnight’, the band left the stage for the encore. I cringed when no one cheered for them to re-enter, and they wandered back on stage after a painful minute-long silence.

Everyone of course went off for ‘We’re at the Top of the World’ holding onto one another and swaying as they sang. Brett directed his microphone to the crowd as the music cut out and the audience filled the silence with their own “sha la la la / sha la la la la la”. It was a sweet moment.

To close, the band offered ‘Constellation’ before bidding the crowd goodnight, while it is on Understand This is a Dream it still acted as a great closer.

The floor was slightly fuller for The Spill Canvas, with people singing along to the opening track ‘Lust a Prime Vista’. The energy was a lot more relaxed than the previous set – instead of dapper suits, the band wore extremely casual attire. It felt more intimate overall, like we all had our own private show. 

Lead vocalist, Nick Thomas, had many raw moments with the audience. 

He apologised for his “poor” vocals as they came straight from the airport and were lacking energy. However, I failed to pick up on any major issues with his voice and would not have noticed if it wasn’t pointed out. In fact, the whole band managed to hide their fatigue quite well. ‘Polygraph, Right Now!’ offered an upbeat change of pace that had the most people on their feet and singing along that night – the band grinned out at the crowd as if their energy had just been restored. 

Before ‘Natalie Marie and 1cc’, Nick gave an important speech regarding mental health. He described how the song was written after his own schizoaffective disorder, and that if anyone is struggling, they are not alone. The crowd cheered and applauded the vocalist’s bravery before he transitioned into the emotional track. After wrapping up the record with ‘Self Conclusion’ the band left and (thankfully) were cheered to return. As ‘All Over You’ began to play the audience went wild – grateful that the band offered it despite it not being on the record. 

The evening was closed with ‘All Hail the Heartbreaker’ which fostered an equal amount of appreciation and sent off the band in a gleeful chorus. 

‍The Juliana Theory and The Spill Canvas offered two phenomenal albums on Sunday night. It was an intimate evening of early emo angst and I’m grateful to have seen it live. It’s about time these bands hit Aussie shores again and I hope they can find their way back to us soon.

Review by Grace Cameron @gracicxo

Setlist (The Juliana Theory)

Into the Dark
Don't Push Love Away
To the Tune of 5,000 Screaming Children
Is Patience Still Waiting?
Emotion Is Dead Pt. I
If I Told You This Was Killing Me, Would You Stop?
We're Nothing Without You
Something Isn't Right Here
Understand the Dream Is Over
This Is Your Life
You Always Say Goodnight, Goodnight

Encore

Duane Joseph
Do You Believe Me?
We're at the Top of the World
Constellation

Setlist (The Spill Canvas)

Lust a Prima Vista
Staplegunned
Polygraph, Right Now
The Dutch Courage
Natalie Marie and 1cc
Teleport: A & B
This Is for Keeps
Himerus and Eros
Break a Leg
Secret Oath
Valiant
Bound to Happen
Self-Conclusion

Encore

All Over You
All Hail the Heartbreaker  

Photo Gallery by Charlyn Cameron. Insta: @chuck_stuff. Please Credit and tag Wall of Sound and Charlyn Cameron if you repost photos.