Face to the Flywire: Platonic Sex Concert Review

I love Platonic Sex! I’ve seen them a few times as a support act for some of my favourite bands and artists, so finally making it to their headline show feels like a long time coming. The popular alt-rock band is another gem of the Brisbane music scene and they’ve curated a local lover’s mini-fest tonight featuring FOUR more Brisbane/Meanjin support acts. This is the perfect end of the year occasion to let loose and party on, so join along as we dance the night away with Platonic Sex and their special guests!

This is what happened at Platonic Sex’s Face To The Flywire show at the Crowbar on December 13th, 2025.

ZEN SIN

Zen Sin is an emerging Brisbane rock band featuring Faith (vocals, guitar), Hayden (drums), Harrison (vocals, guitar), and Ainslie (guitar). The group balance ambient, soft rock with explosive choruses and heavy instrumentals, creating tension in the build up in an addictive way. Their music is cathartic and powerful, relatable in its ability to manoeuvre between hard and soft, the same way that our emotions can sometimes be tricky to navigate as they ebb and flow in difficult moments. They’re a band I’m keen to see more already!

Fave song: Temper

SERENDIPITI

I’m starting a petition for Serendipiti to join Florence + The Machine on their (hopeful) Australia tour. Her vibe is nature spirit singing in the forest, with ethereal vocals and an enchanting stage presence. Serendipiti’s music weaves heartfelt stories with its building instrumentation exciting listeners as we follow along. Between songs, Serendipiti is charming, with a great sense of humour and penchant for storytelling that extends beyond her music and lyrics. I’m eager for her next release and to see some more of her sets and sounds, and will keenly be following along!

Fave song: Ajar

TOMORROW’S FORECAST

I’m always excited to see Tomorrow’s Forecast. Tonight featured the whole band: Olive McCagh, Bonnie Kruger, Isaac Whittle, and Rohan Frawley. This show saw them with a grungier presence with their indie-rock, reflecting the show’s recurring theme of breakups and heartbreak that peppered many of their songs (or wove into the ones you mightn’t think it would). Isaac and Rohan maintain a strong beat and confidence in the band’s set, while Olive and Bonnie’s powerful voices carry beautifully in the crowd, whether they sing together or apart. The band’s poetic lyrics and uninhibited rock make them come across to the crowd as cool and intelligent, yet relatable and honest. They’re another band I’ve been keen on for awhile and I was so excited to see them play from their biggest stage yet to a crowd of eager listeners!

Fave song: Pathetic

SPECIAL FEATURES

Kicking it into a higher gear was punk rock band Special Features. The four piece consists of Zac (vocals, guitar), Jeremy (vocals, bass), Charlie (guitar), and Alex drums, who are each a master of their instrument. The band was.  everything punk should be, with a uniquely Australian twist: loud, heavy, thrilling, and political. Their show was exciting from the get go, with thrashing drums and exciting guitar riffs. It was great to see Jeremy take the lead and showcase his raw, impassioned singing, contrasting with Zac who maintained that same frenetic energy, but also showcased the band’s softer side and range at points. The crowd was as relentless as the band, cheering them on after each aggressive and unabashed punk song! This is a genre I want to explore more and a band who encapsulates all the best of it!

Fave song: Alone Again

PLATONIC SEX

Our fifth and final act of the night were our headline group Platonic Sex, celebrating their debut album, Face To The Flywire. The band opened with melodic rock songs Easy and the lighter Fever Dream, giving a sampler of their album’s hits to the audience. The songs are brimming with their usual introspective and poetic lyrics, exploring the anxiety of committing to a relationship that may feel uneven but knowing you’re too far gone. They’re relatable and tender expressions from the heart.

The band has been together since 2018, formed after singer-guitarist Bridget Brandolini and drummer Ryan Hammermeister met at uni. Their music in the early days was energetic and wry, mocking social constructs with a keen sense of humour. They’ve balanced this out since, especially in their album, reaching out in vulnerability to an audience who has always had their backs. With guitarist (and shared vocalist) Jane Millroy and beloved bassist Jess Cameron in the band, a powerful group with an incredible sense for songwriting comes together. Hoping against hope for a different ending, Catch continues the heart wrenching narrative, with title track Face To The Flywire letting it be felt most deeply in the music.

Shark Teeth kicks things up a notch with a rock track, feeling empowering and confident over the crowd. A grungy follow up in Impress You shows the turn of the band’s story as they turn the disappointment and heartbreak into an epic diss track. It invites the audience to turn out their own negative relationships, through a cathartic head-banging rock song. Bridget’s an incredibly talented vocalist and uses this as an opportunity to showcase their steely punk talents, setting up a beautiful contrast with their powerful and lilting voice in one of the band’s most adored songs, Hanging Out The Window. Whenever I think of Platonic Sex, this is the song I think of. It’s never failed to pull me entirely into the world it creates, whether I’m singing until my lungs bust in the car or screaming, “How can I give you the whole world/When the feeling isn’t full enough?” in unison with the hundreds of other fans at the gig. It’s a brilliant example of continuously building to a thrilling emotional climax, something I’m a sucker for in a song.

We transitioned into some of the band’s older tracks then, starting with Devil’s Advocate and its chest pumping beat, hilarious wit, and gripping vocals. Following up was a likeminded by lighter feeling Bitch In The Heat, another example of powerful lyricism from the band. Another new track, Step Back, took us back to the darker undercurrents of the album without compromising on the liberating indie rock energy we know and love from Platonic Sex.

The denouement began with Undoes, a return to the earlier heartbreaking story of Face To The Flywire. But with a cruel twist, we end with Sun Goes Down, the song thrusting us deep back into the desperate desires of a relationship, of wanting and yearning to be with your person. The repeated refrains of “Can we stay just a little longer? Sun goes down, can we hold each other?” highlights the overwhelming craving to be together, as if we’ve journeyed back to the start of the relationship we’ve spent the night pulling ourselves out of, in a cruel Groundhogian twist. Or maybe Platonic Sex just wants to stay out longer and keep dancing and singing with us, the adoring fans! Could be either!

Our encore featured a couple of the older faves, such as the melancholic Teeth. Of course, we ended on a high and amped the energy right up in the classically indie rock Grip. This led to an explosive finale with the fast and fun Melon, making for a memorable ending for a memorable night. The evening was incredible, with many local artists showing up and showing out as if we were at an end of year house party instead of a concert at a beloved Valley venue. During the night, Bridget explained how they had progressed from a support slot to a main act, referencing the old Five Bands for Five Dollars events. Well, adjusting for inflation, we received that tonight with four phenomenal support acts leading the way for Platonic Sex, a truly special gemstone in the local music scene. If this blog hasn’t convinced you yet, you’re more than welcome to buy the album to hear more from this talented and cohesive group and watch out for their next stop at one of our many local venues. I can’t wait to see where they head next and am eagerly following them there!

Fave song: Sun Goes Down

SOUNDS GOOD?

If you love Platonic Sex’s enthusiastic indie rock and insightfully honest lyrics, make sure to give one of their support acts a deeper listen. You can also check out these bands to find a similar vibe too:

Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers - This Canberra rock band have an edgier vibe in a lot of their songs. They perform empowering and introspective music, diving headfirst into topics of gender, love and self-doubt. They’re heating up for tour, so check them out now!

Bean Magazine - Absolute fire on stage, Bean Magazine can take you to an energy high with their fierce indie rock or serenade you sweetly. Although vocally distinct to Platonic Sex, they share the same passion and phenomenal stage work.

The Buoys - This four piece from Cronulla are incredible fun to see live! They’re energetic and enthusiastic, with some great songs to move to and the ability to make it tender when needed. They’re hosting some end-of-year shows to promote their new single, so if you missed out on tonight make sure to see The Buoys to make up for it!