Badflower: Live at The Brightside - Brisbane

Californian band ‘Badflower’, consisting of members Josh Katz (guitar and vocals), Joey Morrow (lead guitar), Anthony Sonetti (drums), and Alex Espiritu (bass), recently brought their electrifying show to Australia and New Zealand for the very first time! Badflower are a band who isn’t afraid to make anyone uncomfortable. Since the release of their 2016 EP ‘Temper’, the band have been known to bend the rules and write lyrics that are confronting, and sometimes frightening to hear as a first time listener. With a following of 118K people on Instagram and 874K monthly Spotify listeners, Badflower have managed to create a space where they can write incredible music with many important messages portrayed through their lyrics.

Personally, I’ve been a fan of Badflower since 2019, just before the release of their debut album, which I believe to be one of the best alternative rock albums of all time, titled ‘OK, IM SICK’. I was lucky enough to be granted a photo and media pass to cover their August 11th show in Brisbane, which was the last stop on the Australian leg of the tour. So, how was the show? Did it live up to my expectations? Would I see them again? The answer being, yes, yes, and YES!!

I’ve been to dozens of live shows over the course of my life, but Badflower definitely takes the cake as one of, if not THE best show I’ve ever had the pleasure of attending, let alone being able to photograph.

After a meet and greet with Badflower earlier in the night (one where I tried to stop myself from fangirling), they took to the stage at 9:10pm, opening with a fan favourite song known as ‘Drop Dead’. The song opened the show with a bang, with the members thrashing around the stage as if it would be the last show they’d ever perform. After getting the crowd hyped up and ready for more, they then followed up with their two latest singles ‘Detroit’ and ‘Teacher Has A Gun’.

As they continued through the set list, getting sweatier by the minute inside the hot venue, they continued with the bold energy that fans have come to expect. Josh had commented on stage that after performing for three nights in a row his voice was starting to give out. But, in typical Badflower fashion, they refused to cancel the show and give the fans their all.

My favourite song of the night had to be ‘The Jester’ as it’s one of my favourite all time songs by them. Hearing it live left me absolutely awestruck, and you best believe I sang those lyrics as hard as I could, especially with it being one of the last songs of the show. ‘Stalker’ was definitely a close second and a great choice of song for an encore. During Stalker, Josh jumped down into the crowd, microphone and guitar in hand, and begun climbing the railings, which signalled that he was preparing for a crowd surf back to the stage. ‘This is some American shi*t, are ya’ll ready?’ He quoted before falling backwards onto the crowd and being carried back to the front.

All in all, Badflower’s show was an experience like no other. The amount of blood, sweat and tears these guys put into a show is truly unmatched and unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. It was a true 10/10 experience and I would happily go again and recommend it to anyone who is into the rock and music culture.

Pictured: Josh Katz, lead singer of Badflower. Photographed by Jazmin Wilkins

Pictured: Joey Morrow, lead guitarist. Photographed by Jazmin Wilkins

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