I See Stars ‘The Wheel’ Australian Tour @ Crowbar, Sydney 21/10/2025.

WARNING! This concert is not suitable for anyone with a pace-maker, serious heart condition or fragile disposition… Then again, I’m writing this after the show’s already happened, so let’s hope no one with aforementioned afflictions were in attendance.

Tonight, U.S Electronicore heavyweights I See Stars, make their long-awaited return to Sydney after 14 long years, this time for their ‘The Wheel’ album tour, bringing with them fellow U.S metalcore titan, Elijah and Sydney rising stars in the metal scene, Inertia.

The venue tonight, Crowbar, has always been a favourite of mine, with its raucous Sydney pub atmosphere and an abundance of rock and metal music, plus a kick-ass sound system! Apparently the venue have made some upgrades, the sound system being one of them, so I’m intrigued!

The first thing of note, is that typically for a concert in the band room, patrons would enter via the designated entry bypassing the pub proper, however, going via the pub, there’ve always been a small ramp leading into the band room, but now, the ramp is far better quality, it’s not steep like the original and has hand railings. Secondly, instead of the typical barrier in front of the standing area separating fans from the stage and giving space for security and photographers, now there’s no barrier, instead, there’s a horizontal, wide elevated runway separating fans from the stage, which the artists can walk along and get all up close and personal with fans at the front. And lastly, exiting the venue via the entry/exit bypassing the pub, it seems more well spaced out, with the bar and merchandise stands more out of the way of standing/walking space, via a carpeted elevated area. I’m liking these changes, it makes accessibility much better!

Now onto the music. Inertia start the night with their blend of metal, metal core and electronic elements that exceed my expectations despite hearing good things about them! The band make good use of the runway, projecting their energy into the venue. The lead vocalist’s vocal range is very impressive, transitioning from clean to screaming vocals brilliantly, a very suitable support for I See Stars! However, the sound mix is lacking a bit, with the vocals being crushed by the immense weight of bass and drums at times, with softer vocals sadly. 

Now for Elijah. These guys are again, a very suitable support to raise the energy level in the venue ready for the rulers of tonight’s show! Elijah seems to feature more screaming vocals and less electronic elements to Inertia, and Elijah and his bassist own the runway like it’s their own kingdom, with the bassist I swear, nearly hitting me in the head with his bass as he rocks out fiercely, and I have to be careful with my head-banging, as I might end up head butting him in a very delicate spot. The sound mix for Elijah is much more even, although the mix definitely favours the bass that I can feel in every fibre of my being. I swear, the sheer volume these speakers can handle without distorting keeping everything clear, is enough to wake the dead, and the bass is enough to animate said dead!

Now for the moment we’ve all been waiting for, Taylor Swift!… Just kidding of course, with the dedicated energised audience here tonight, pretty sure I’d be thrown out of the venue if I said that allowed!

I See Stars start the set big, and keep it blazing throughout! With Elijah beforehand owning the runway, I See Stars crank that up a notch I feel, it’s honestly quite amazing that lead singer Devin and guitarist Brent or it might be bassist Jeff, don’t keep running into each other as they continuously race around the runway! For me especially who’s quite tactile for obvious reasons, the band racing along the runway get up so close, that I can feel their body heat seeping off them and as gross as it might sound, their sweat lands on me. On top of that, I really need to be careful of my fingers, as a shoe has bumped my hands a few times.

The sound mix again definitely favours the bass, and it does seem a bit dirty and uneven at times, but you can still hear everything going on, it would just be nice if the keyboard/programming were a tad louder, as well as the guitar and vocals at times. 

During the set, when the band connect with the audience and hype them up, in the following song, a crowd surfer lands on the runway, then proceeds to jump back into the crowd, kicking a girl in the head knocking her unconscious. The band stop the show for at least five minutes while the girls carried out and they check on her, making sure she’s alright. The band then bring her back in to watch the rest of the set side of stage. This is so admirable by the band, I’ve witnessed bands pause the show when someone’s injured, waiting until they get the all-clear from security, but never a band actually personally check on the patron and give such personal focus to them and their safety! This should not have happened in the first place, I really hate crowd-surfers! Even if your not disabled, and just don’t see them coming, it can result in serious injury from having someone kick you or land on your neck! I really hope that crowd-surfer at least got thrown out of the venue!

Still, despite the pause in the show from the injury, the crowd seem generally respectful of one another and in high spirits, typically found at a heavy-metal concert! After all, metal music is an outlet and generally unites fans with everyone looking out for each other.

The band keep the intense energy flowing from start to finish, filling the night with all the I See Stars hits fans have been waiting 14 years to immerse themselves in, delivers brutally, but in a blaze of glory!

With the band thanking us, they promise we’ll never have to wait 14 years to see them again, I truly hope not indeed, as this night has been a classic case of the essence of heavy-metal music and what it embodies at a live show, a sense of camaraderie, and belonging even in the darkest times!