GALLERY & REVIEW | Slowly Slowly, Honey Revenge & Grayscale by Jaz Wilkins - Brisbane 2025

Melbourne rockers Slowly Slowly recently wrapped up the Australian leg of their Forgiving Spree tour, hitting stages around the country in support of their latest album, Forgiving Spree, which was released on January 25th of this year. Since the release of their breakout studio album in 2016 titled Chamomile, Slowly Slowly have been carving out their own path within the Australian music industry, leading to multiple other studio releases and hit singles, further cementing their name within Australia’s indie/alternative rock scene. Throughout their career, they’ve supported large performers from Amy Shark to Red Hot Chilli Peppers on their Australia wide tours, as well as performed a well received cover of Skinny Love by Bon Iver for Triple J’s Like A Version in May of 2019. Joining Slowly Slowly on the Forgiving Spree tour were special guests Grayscale and Honey Revenge, making for an unforgettably high energy and fast paced celebration of the band’s signature grit and infectious melodies, evident in their latest and past releases. 

April 10th made for a cool night in Fortitude Valley, the heart of Brisbane City. Fans lined up patiently, waiting for the doors of The Fortitude Music Hall to open at 7pm. When the time rolled around, the crowd carefully made their way inside and spread out, with groups going from the merchandise table, to the bar, to going straight to the barricade to secure a good spot for the entirety of the show. With the mezzanine upstairs shut off from visitors, it was of utmost importance for certain members of the audience to find the best spot for viewing within the venue. 

As the time drew closer for the opening performance, the crowd slowly moved in toward the stage. 8pm came around fast, and Phillelphian rock group Grayscale took to the stage as the house lights dimmed, resulting in an eruption of cheers from the audience. With no hesitation, they burst straight into their first track of the evening, Kept Me Alive. The energy was intense and spirits were high as the lead singer clung to the microphone, giving an electric opening to what would be an incredible setlist of their best tracks. Grayscale weaved through the songs over their half an hour set, keeping the energy high and alive whilst playing the tracks that appealed most to their fans. From Through The Landslide to transitioning effortlessly into Dirty Bombs, each song elicited mighty praise from the audience. Making their way through the second half of their set, bouncing around on stage with an intensity that reflected itself onto their audience, they played classic hits from In Violet to Fever Dream, before concluding their performance with a loud and brash execution of Not Afraid To Die. Grayscale performed their final song as if it were their last hurrah and the final song they’d ever perform before they each took a humble bow before exiting the stage. The audience was loud, with people shouting for an encore despite the two acts that were yet to come.

With the audience still riding the high from Grayscale’s raw and gritty performance, lead guitarist Donovan Lloyd from the second guest act Honey Revenge waltzed out onto the stage for a quick soundcheck before the next part of the night. In the midst of the check, Donovan stepped down to the front of the stage and sparked conversation with a few of the audience members standing at the barricade. Sporting a toothy grin and exuding a contagious confidence, it allowed for a small insight into the energetic world of act to come. 8:50pm rolled around shortly after, and the fiery, pink-haired lead singer, Devin Papadol ran out onto stage before grabbing the microphone and screaming a ‘What’s up Brisbane?!’, the words echoed off of the venue walls as the duo reared head first into the first song of their set, Seeing Negative. 

The pop-punk duo jumped around the stage with an infectious attitude that made you want to throw your head around and scream the lyrics at the top of your lungs. The performance felt like a musical hybrid of Paramore and Miley Cyrus, whilst shining through with their own artistic flare that made their sound unique to new listeners. As the musicians jumped from track to track, their lively energy and volatile attitude became the forefront of the performance. They weaved between hit tracks from Rerun to Worst Apology, with each song eliciting heavy acclaim from the audience. 

One of the most interactive moments from Honey Revenge’s set was around halfway through, when lead singer Devin made her way down to the pit in front of the barricade and got up front and personal with the audience members who clung onto the barricade, hoping to have the chance to be close to the singer. Devin got back onto the stage and the group shortly after began playing their song Habitual, to which Papadol taught the main chorus to the audience, citing the lyrics ‘So habitual, you’re a little b*tch you know?’, hoping for the audience to shout the latter as she held the microphone out to face them, and shout they did. As Papadol sang ‘so habitual…’, the audience quickly understood their role and screamed the lyrics from the bottom of their hearts, evoking a wide grin from both members. As Honey Revenge wrapped up the final song from their set, Airhead, Papadol picked up a setlist from the floor of the stage and scrunched it up before tossing it into the audience and running off the side stage and out of sight.

The house lights brightened as the concert goers’ spirits were at their peak, waiting ever so patiently for the main band of the night to grace the stage once and for all. Some attendee’s made their way back out to the lobby where Honey Revenge were taking photos with fans and listeners as well as promoting merchandise, their wide smiles never faltering once. The half an hour gap between sets passed quickly, and before we knew it, everyone was being shuffled back into the venue in anticipation for Slowly Slowly’s upcoming set. 9:50pm came from around the corner as the once lit up venue darkened, hiding the many faces in the crowd. The music blared over the speakers and the crowd cheered deafeningly as the band’s members made their way out onto the stage, each taking their set places behind their instruments. Suddenly, lead singer Ben Stewart ran out from the right side of the stage and grasped the microphone before jumping straight into the first track of the night, Blueprint. The audience cheered so loudly upon Ben’s arrival to the stage, it briefly became difficult to hear the music over the screaming fans who had waited the entire night for this moment.

Ben’s stage presence was equal parts fun and intense, wearing a cheeky smile on his face as he bolted from the left of the stage to the right, oftentimes taking the microphone stand with him and sporting it like a trophy. The other members soon followed suit with Ben’s brash stage activity, with bass player Alex Quayle leaning down into the pit and outstretching his hand to the crowd before pulling himself back to continue to hop around the stage. On the other side, lead guitarist Albert Doan opted for a more subtle approach, allowing for his technical ability to shine through which assisted him in delivering some of the most powerful musical moments the night had to hold. As the group darted from track to track, they treated their fans with a blend of tracks both old and new from their discography. Songs from their 2023 album Daisy Chain stirred up massive singalongs from their audience, with newer cuts from Forgiving Spree being woven throughout the set and quickly becoming instant classics within the fan community. The mixture of nostalgia and musical evolution was spot on, allowing fans the chance to sing along to tracks they've grown to love over multiple months, and even years, as well as the opportunity to hear newer favourites live and gaining a deeper understanding and appreciation for the music. 

All in all, Slowly Slowly and their special guests made the night of April 10th the valley one to remember. With each performance bringing out their own artistic flair, it made for an incredibly loud, brash, and energetic night full of laughter and conversation. As the final notes echoed through the venue and the lights slowly came back up, there was a lingering sense of something special in the air. One by one, attendees spilled back out into the Brisbane night, smiles on their faces, still buzzing from each performance that hit all the right notes.

GALLERY: Slowly Slowly Brisbane 2025

GALLERY: Honey Revenge Brisbane 2025

GALLERY: Grayscale Brisbane 2025

All photos: © Jaz Wilkins