Artists: COG, …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Mushroom Giant, SEIMS, The Sea Shall Not Have Them
Venue: Max Watts, Melbourne, Australia (Woiwurrung country)
Date: 12th December 2025
Review by: Ben Eldström
Photos by: Mark Hoffmann
We’re back for the second of three Melbourne shows celebrating Bird’s Robe and Mike Solo, collectively a huge driving force in the Australian post- and prog- music scene. Over the years many of my personal favourite bands have been signed to Bird’s Robe, have released albums with Bird’s Robe, and an even greater number have toured with the help of Bird’s Robe. It’s blatantly evident how important Bird’s Robe is to Australian music, and how much they support new bands starting out, bigger bands hitting their next stride, and everything in between. Here at HR&B our goal is to support Australian live music, and the respect we have for Mike and the team is immense.
But enough glazing, there’s a huge gig to review, which wasn’t even the biggest this weekend!
Opening with a gentle “good afternoon, well it’s the afternoon where we’re from”, the Gold Coast’s The Sea Shall Not Have Them set a peaceful and meditative tone that slowly unfurled into a fat crescendo. Comprising only a guitarist and drummer, the duo constructed soundscapes that slowly shifted from calm and delicate to chunky and lush.
Punters steadily filtered into the venue on this dry and warm summer night, as The Sea Shall Not Have Them humbly thanked both Mike & Bird’s Robe as well as those who got out early. Their last track The Flare, inarguably their largest, took a different approach. Flying straight into a dense passage that skipped the expected slow-build, the track transitioned back to a more mellow and pensive state. Each of these MikeFest lineups were great examples of the breadth of the bands Bird’s Robe work with, and The Sea Shall Not Have Them were the perfect way to set the stage for the remaining acts.
Bassist and frontman Simeon wasted no time with a rapid “heywe’reseims” before the band’s bombastic high energy performance crash-landed at Max Watt’s. Best described as chaotic and cinematic, their flavour of math rock has an uplifting and triumphant nature to it that demands a similarly active stage presence, and is infectious when you’re in the crowd. However high octane isn’t their only setting, with Simeon dropping the bass to tickle the keys not long after their set started. Presenting a big change in pace since the night began, the performance from SEIMS jumped all about the place and so did they, having bounds of fun in the process. Not only did they provide a change in tone compared to the rest of the lineup, their music seemed determined to keep the crowd guessing too. They played a few tracks from their latest and fifth album V, notably Forever the Optimist, which all got heads bobbing in the audience. They made use of backing tracks to fill out the strings and horns, however it’d be amazing to see SEIMS play with a full compliment on stage – maybe this is something only Sydneysiders will be lucky enough to enjoy.
It’s been a hot minute since we’ve reviewed Mushroom Giant, and it was great to see them take the stage again. Just to be clear, this is one of the hardest gigging bands in the Australian post-rock community, so it’s by no fault of theirs that we haven’t seen them for a while.
Continuing the cinematic stylings to be expected of a post-rock gig, Mushroom Giant opened with Vestige before unveiling a few tracks from their forthcoming album – or their fifthcoming album – including Witch Hunt at Flinders. As the album hasn’t been released yet it’s difficult to know which Flinders they mean, but I’m going to assume the street in Melbourne and not the mountain range in South Australia. A bit different to what can be expected from Mushroom Giant, the new track incorporates some more proggy elements, giving it a sense of intrigue and leaving you wondering what said fifthcoming album will be like.
The overarching theme of fun throughout the evening’s music continued with Mushroom Giant, and was met with bass groove air solos in the crowd and a few headbangers on the barrier. Towards the end of their set one of their guitarists spun water around, with some landing on the cymbals. As songs progressed, the water jumping off the cymbals as they were hit and dancing in the stage lights made for some stunning visuals – a happy accident and perfect pairing with the energy of the soundtrack being played.
…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
Trailing out on stage to the thundering rhythm of Ode to Isis, Trail of Dead transitioned smoothly into Will You Smile Again for Me while the crowd at Max Watt’s roared. Instantly voices were ringing out from smiling faces in the pit, trying to harmonise with vocalist Conrad Keely’s distinct style. Despite a short dabble by SEIMS, this was the first bit of vocals at a gig that so-far was filled with post and math rock – what a rare delicacy! As Will You Smile Again for Me wrapped up, applause erupted almost feverishly from the packed room. Conrad then shared they were going to play the entire album Worlds Apart, with one omission being To Russia, My Homeland for obvious reasons. Cheers grew louder somehow, before Trail of Dead started playing the track by the same name.
Conrad’s vocals, whether pained or delicate, coupled with sombre keys were the first time in the night that felt cathartic instead of triumphant. Trail of Dead occupy a unique spot in the early-2000s-US-college-indie-alternative-rock genre, blending that amalgamation even further with some prog rock and early emo punk elements. That’s a horribly unclear description of a band so complicated, yet a band that somehow works. Whilst every band on the bill tonight was tied in some way to Bird’s Robe, Trail of Dead were yet another testament to the breadth of talent Mike and the team support.
There’s not much that can be said about the experience of Trail of Dead playing World’s Apart front to back (mostly), simply that it was a shared experience by all in the room. There were heavy undertones of nostalgia, countless sing-alongs, arms raised whilst letting stress melt away, even some friends hugging and crying.
After tying a bow on Worlds Apart, they had some time left in their set and treated the crowd to a few other songs from their catalogue, notably one where their drummer and one of their guitarists swapped instruments.
At the time of writing, many more Melburnians are making their way to Max Watt’s for the third and final night of the Bird’s Robe 15th birthday gigs which is also headlined by Trail of Dead playing Source Tags & Codes in full. However there’s one more Bird’s Robe birthday show in Sydney on Sunday 14th where Trail of Dead will play, so your last chance to see them for maybe another 10 years?
Finally, The Big Kit™ was uncovered. The trio from COG walked out to a room bespeckled in light, I can’t remember the last time I saw the disco ball used at Max Watts! What’s best was the synth disco backing track playing as they walked out, too.
They opened with The Doors (not the band, but their song with a the rest of the name in parentheses) to a very packed and sweaty room. Whilst there was some singing from the crowd, it felt like the entire room was taking over for their next track Are You Interested. The reflective ambience during Trail of Dead quickly switched to indignant angst for COG’s set, with all in the room enjoying the chance to release their frustrations. Vocalist and guitarist Flynn took a moment to express their dissatisfaction with the government still making lists and scanning databases for terrorists, which should be no surprise to anyone vaguely familiar with their lyrical themes.
They introduced their latest single Walk the Line by outlining the personal struggles they needed to overcome in order to record the single, such as fatherhood.
The energy in the room grew as they ripped through a few newer tracks in The Middle and Drawn Together, eventually leading to at least one crowd surfer that we could spot.
Returning back to the topic of fatherhood, Flynn introduced his daughter for the guitar swap before their final song of the night, noting how proud he was of her and her studies and that she was only 3 when Bird of Feather was written.
This lineup was such a fantastic showcase of Australian (and one band from the US) music that thinks outside the box and pushes boundaries. What’s more is that it wasn’t the first lineup like this from Bird’s Robe as they put one together the previous weekend, and it won’t be the last as they were topping it the following night! To witness such a landmark gig succeed by drawing in a sold-out crowd should surely fill anyone with hope and trust in the future of independent live music in Australia. Here’s hoping Bird’s Robe continue to go from strength to strength.
Gig Gallery:
