Outloved
Opening the night were Melbourne's Outloved, who wasted no time setting the tone for what was to come. Their set packed plenty of punch, combining chunky guitars, soaring vocals and an infectious energy that quickly had the Adelaide crowd moving.
With tracks including ‘Die For Nothing’, ‘ILOVEME’, ‘Blind & Falling’, ‘Run’ and ‘Never Enough’, Outloved delivered a tight set that showed exactly why they've been building a name for themselves within Australia's heavy music scene. There was no easing the crowd into the night — the circle pits and headbanging started early, giving the room its first taste of the chaos to come.
Vana
Next up was New Zealand powerhouse Vana, led by the magnetic Yvonne Winckel.
Vana's set was a complete shift in atmosphere, blending industrial metal, electronic textures and moments of dark pop with an incredible vocal range. From the opening notes of ‘Pray’ through to ‘In Your Name’, ‘Serpentine’, ‘Bite Back’, ‘Beg!’ and ‘Clandestine’, Winckel commanded the stage with an energy that was impossible to ignore.
Moving effortlessly between soaring clean vocals and brutal screams, she had the crowd in the palm of her hand — directing the movement of the pit, encouraging the energy and making the relatively short set feel much bigger than it was.
Vana brought something completely different to the lineup, and it worked brilliantly.
Nevertel
Florida's Nevertel were up next, making their Australian debut and bringing a sound that sits somewhere between metalcore, nu-metal, hip-hop and electronic music.
Their set moved effortlessly between melodic hooks and crushing breakdowns, with ‘OTHERSIDE’, ‘Sacrifice’, ‘Losing Faith’, ‘Back On Me’, ‘Last Breath’, ‘Break The Silence’ and ‘Criminal’ all making appearances.
There was a real sense that the Adelaide crowd had been waiting for them. The soaring melodies had the room singing along, while the heavier sections brought the headbanging and pits straight back into action.
For a band playing Australia for the first time, Nevertel certainly didn't feel like strangers on the stage. They arrived with a sound that translates incredibly well to a live setting — polished, heavy and incredibly catchy.
Together, Outloved, Vana and Nevertel created a support lineup that felt like far more than three bands simply warming up the crowd. Each brought something completely different to the night, building the atmosphere and energy until Ocean Sleeper finally took the stage.
Ocean Sleeper
There is something pretty special about watching a band evolve in real time.
When Ocean Sleeper walked onto the stage at Adelaide’s Hindley Street Music Hall on Friday night, September 11, they weren’t simply touring another collection of songs. They were showcasing just how far they have come.
After years of building their reputation through relentless touring, emotional songwriting and a strong DIY mentality, the Gippsland four-piece have entered a new chapter with their latest album, Peace When I’m Dead. And judging by their Adelaide performance, they are more than ready for it.
The Peace When I’m Dead tour feels like a significant step up for Ocean Sleeper. Their sound has continued to grow with them, becoming heavier, darker and more expansive while still holding onto the huge melodies and emotional songwriting that have always been at the heart of the band.
Opening with ‘Every Part of Me’ before launching into ‘Break the Cycle’, the band immediately established the tone for the night: heavier, sharper and bigger than what we have heard from them previously.
A night of controlled chaos
Ocean Sleeper didn't just bring the music to Adelaide — they brought the chaos.
At one point, inflatable fireball bottles were launched into the crowd, bouncing their way across a sea of raised hands as the energy in the room reached another level. It was ridiculously fun, and completely fitting for the atmosphere of the night.
Between the huge guitars, pounding drums, screaming vocals and a crowd that seemed determined to throw itself into every possible pit, there was a genuine sense of fun running through the show.
It was the kind of live moment that photographs almost can't fully capture — hundreds of people reacting at once as inflatable fireballs flew overhead and the band continued to tear through the set.
A moment of light in the darkness
Amongst all the crushing guitars, pounding drums and intensity of the set, one of the most memorable moments came when the band stripped everything back for ‘Light in My Dark’.
The shift in atmosphere was immediate.
After spending much of the night surrounded by huge walls of sound, the stripped-back performance created an intimacy that made the song feel even more vulnerable. With the intensity stripped away, the focus fell entirely on the emotion within the song and the connection between Ionei and the crowd.
It was a reminder that Ocean Sleeper don't need distortion and volume to make an impact.
Sometimes, taking everything away makes the words hit even harder.
But rather than silence, the stripped-back moment became a massive singalong. The Adelaide crowd sang every word alongside Ionei, filling the room with their voices and creating one of the most genuine moments of connection between the band and their audience throughout the night.
For a moment, it wasn't about the lights, the production or the sheer volume of the performance. It was Ionei and the crowd sharing the song together — a room full of people who clearly knew exactly what those words meant to them.
That connection is something Ocean Sleeper have built over years of writing songs that people don't just simply listen to — they feel them.
That contrast is exactly what makes the band's evolution so interesting.
Another standout moment came when Vana vocalist Yvonne Winckel returned to the stage during Ocean Sleeper's set.
Having already delivered one of the night's most explosive support performances with Vana, Winckel's return brought another surge of energy to the stage. The guest appearance felt like a natural extension of the night's atmosphere — two very different styles of heavy music coming together for a moment that the Adelaide crowd clearly embraced.
It was another reminder that live music is about more than simply playing through a setlist. It's about those unexpected moments that can only happen when artists, audiences and energy collide in the same room.
From then to now
The band's progression becomes particularly obvious when you hear the older material alongside the new songs.
Ocean Sleeper's earlier releases established their melodic foundation, while Is It Better Feeling Nothing and Maybe Death Is All I Need saw the band becoming increasingly confident in blending melody, aggression and darker emotional themes.
But Peace When I'm Dead feels different.
The newer material is heavier, darker and more expansive, while still retaining the massive choruses that have always made Ocean Sleeper so accessible.
Rather than abandoning the sound that built their following, they've evolved it.
And that may be the most impressive part of their progression.
The new Ocean Sleeper feels like the result of everything they have built over the years — the songs, the shows, the touring, the community and the connection with the people who have followed them along the way. You can hear those years of growth woven through the new material, while the older songs remind you just how long this journey has been going.
By the time the final songs rolled around, the Adelaide crowd had been taken through every side of Ocean Sleeper — the heavy, the emotional, the chaotic and the nostalgic.
From ‘Lonely Love’, ‘Never The One’ and ‘King of Nothing’ through to the new material, the set felt almost like a timeline of the band's journey.
Ocean Sleeper have clearly grown beyond the band they were when they first started.
They haven't left their past behind.
They've taken everything they've built with them and turned it into something bigger.
And if the Adelaide show was anything to go by, this new era of Ocean Sleeper is going to be one hell of a ride.
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