Gallery: Bilmuri At The Forum, Melbourne - 1 June 2025

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Published June 4, 2025 by Emily Spindler

Bilmuri took the Forum by storm in Melbourne on Sunday night, electrifying the sold-out (and frankly, evangelised) crowd.

Bilmuri’s performance at The Forum on Sunday was nothing short of exhilarating, with the rumbling of perhaps one of the most amped up crowds the venue has ever seen echoing through Melbourne CBD long after the final song.

Kicking things off was UK act South Arcade, who recently joined Bilmuri on the European leg of the tour. With all the swagger and energy befitting of a headline act, they made it clear they’re ones to watch – and the crowd seemed to think so too, packing out the floor well before the main act was even close to hitting the stage.

When a musician starts a show with three of their biggest songs you can be forgiven for thinking it’s a risky move. In the case of Bilmuri, it was exhilarating and the perfect choice to ring in their first Melbourne show.

From the moment Johnny Franck ran on stage the room was electric, there was no choice to move your body and jump, he (and his talented lineup of live members) took control and we were in their world.

Between the smooth vocals, electric riffs, and what could only be described as an intro into a jazz obsession (thanks to the talents of Gabi Rose on sax), if you weren’t a Bilmuri fan – you are now.

Whirling through new cuts from the wildly-successful AMERICAN MOTOR SPORTS and deeper cuts from EGGY POCKET (and a well-chosen encore performance of ‘CORN-FED YETIS’), the show had everyone on their feet, screaming at the top of their lungs. The crowd response to ‘BETTER HELL (Thicc boi)’ shook the whole venue and may well still be reverberating through the hallowed halls of the Forum still.

While the show was punctuated by moments of hog-cranking jokes, references to piss, and a whole lot of on-stage banter, it was also deeply sincere well beyond the song’s lyrics. Johnny delivered a heartfelt speech thanking everyone for their support – something that, through his Bilmuri project, brought him out of a dark place in his life. It’s moments like these that show Bilmuri is more than a hit machine or an internet sensation (thanks in part to the incredible meme game).

This debut Aussie run of shows surely won’t be Bilmuri’s last – and we’re waiting with bated breath for more to come.

Check out the full gallery below, with photos by Philippa Grosse.