Spiritbox to return to Australia for Good Things Festival

Canadian quartet Spiritbox will return to Australia in December for the Good Things Festival, performing in Melbourne on Friday, 4 December, Sydney on Saturday, 5 December, and Brisbane on Sunday, 6 December. The band’s upcoming appearances mark their first Australian dates since their 2023 tour with Knotfest, bringing them back to local stages as leaders of the new(est) wave of metal.

The group’s trajectory reflects a broader generational shift in metalcore. Formed in 2017 by husband-and-wife duo Mike Stringer and Courtney LaPlante following their time in iwrestledabearonce, Spiritbox spent its initial years operating primarily online. Pandemic lockdowns provided an unexpected operational pause. During isolation in June 2020, the band released the single “Holy Roller,” setting the stage for their 2021 debut album, Eternal Blue.

Frankfurt Arena Tour Reflections

Speaking from a hotel room in Frankfurt during an arena tour across Europe, Mike Stringer detailed the intense pressure that followed their breakthrough release. The prolonged downtime of the pandemic allowed the band to bank years of material, but the resulting online hype created heavy expectations for a group that had not yet toured the record extensively.

“When it came out, not only was there this online machine hyping the record so much when we didn’t even have the proper capacity to go and do it live, which then led to all this expectation and stress and pressure… I was obviously very fulfilled and relieved that the record went the way that it did, but I decided I wanted to then do the polar opposite,” Stringer said.

That deliberate pivot manifested in their 2025 follow-up album, Tsunami Sea. Designed to channel a darker, angrier energy akin to Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, and Bring Me The Horizon, the record tested the band’s willingness to embrace abrasive territory after a polished debut. Between major album cycles, the quartet maintained a steady output, releasing the Rotoscope EP in 2022, the The Fear of Fear EP in 2023, and a rock remix of Megan Thee Stallion’s “Cobra.”

Good Things Festival Logistics

For their December return to Australia, logistical hurdles have forced a streamlined stage setup. High freight costs prevent Stringer from traveling with his standard configuration of four guitar amplifier rigs, cabinets, and pedals.

“The only hard thing is freight costs; I would normally be showing up with a full set up of four guitar amp rigs and cabs and pedals… but I think we’re gonna do something a little more conservative, and I’m gonna tone-match everything that I have,” Stringer said. He confirmed he will use a digital Fractal unit and a smaller pedalboard, noting that specific hardware like the Earthquaker Devices Rainbow Machine pedal remains mandatory to perform tracks such as “Soft Spine.”

More on Australia: Australia and New Zealand face selection battles for World Cup opener