Knotfest Brisbane got a lesson in controlled chaos, courtesy of BABYMETAL. The Japanese metal phenomenon stormed through an hour of precision-choreographed mayhem, blending sugary-sweet hooks with pummelling riffs.
If there was any doubt about their place in the festival’s heavier lineup, it was crushed the second ‘BABYMETAL DEATH’ hit.
Su-metal, Moametal, and Momometal took the stage flanked by the unrelenting force of the KAMI Band, kicking things off with a dramatic intro before launching into ‘Distortion.’ From there, the energy never dipped. ‘PA PA YA!!’ saw the crowd erupt into a sea of raised fists, while ‘BxMxC’ locked into a brutal groove, proving BABYMETAL’s hip-hop-infused breakdowns hit just as hard as their blast beats.
The set’s midway point gave the KAMI Band a moment to flex, delivering a solo section that felt less like filler and more like an actual statement. Their lead-in to ‘METALI!!’ set the tone for one of the night’s biggest singalongs, with fans belting the song’s call-and-response chorus like a battle cry.
‘Megitsune’ and ‘KARATE’ kept the momentum surging, but the real chaos arrived with ‘RATATATA’—their collaborative cover with Electric Callboy. If there was ever a track built for festival mayhem, this was it. The pit exploded, bodies bounced, and for three minutes, Brisbane felt like the centre of the metal universe.
Then came the final stretch. ‘Gimme Chocolate!!’ proved that a song about sugar cravings can still be absolute carnage live, before ‘Road of Resistance’ closed the set in typically anthemic fashion. BABYMETAL bowed out in a haze of strobes, sweat, and confetti, leaving Knotfest Brisbane in no doubt—kawaii metal is not just a gimmick, it’s actually a movement.
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