Cobra Starship @ Northcote Theatre, Melbourne Gallery

Cobra Starship’s Good Things sideshow in Melbourne was a triumphant return to Aussie soil for long-time fans and new listeners alike.

Cobra Starship often invoke memories of angsty teens on Myspace, but there was no angst in the Northcote Theatre crowd last Tuesday when they returned for their Melbourne Good Things Festival sideshow. The excitement was palpable from entering the venue.

After a lengthy break followed by a joyous return to stage during When We Were Young Festival in 2024 (and a smattering of tour dates plus a Warped Tour appearance since), Cobra Starship returning to Aussie shores has been hotly anticipated by local fans who’ve had to wait it out – or travel to the US to catch them live.

The anticipation and excitement wasn’t lost on the group, though – between great stage banter, absolute bangers, and a whole lot of dancing, the band expressed how thankful they were that fans were still keen to see them after such a long absence.

While capturing the dance-heavy joy of the early 2000s – when many fans were still in their teens and probably not fretting about rising rents, cost of living, or just about anything else in the world – seems a difficult task, Cobra Starship managed it with complete ease. It was the perfect warmup ahead of their Good Things Festival run that kicked off on Friday in Melbourne, and plenty of fans are going to be singing ‘Good Girls Go Bad’ to themselves as they go about their days for some time to come.

Check out the full gallery from the band’s performance at Northcote Theatre below, shot for Blunt Mag by Philippa Grosse.

Cobra Starship @ Northcote Theatre, Melbourne Gallery