Like Love: Concert Review

It’s always Ball Park season in Brisbane, but no night in a year goes harder than a hometown show. For over a decade, Ball Park Music has continued to push the boundaries of their sound to all of its extremes – their eclectic suave in the rock genre is distinct and exciting, the soft rock love songs are sentimental fan favourites, and then there’s those cinematic gems in their collection that are treasured by those most familiar with the band’s catalogue. And then there’s Like Love, which feels like a love letter to Ball Park Music’s journey, referencing so much of the band’s history and introducing the album as a stripped-back devotion to the people who make Ball Park possible – the members, their families and closest friends, the crew the show wouldn’t be possible without, the fans who show up and sing every word back to the stage.

This is what happened at Ball Park Music’s Like Love show at The Fortitude Music Hall on May 23rd, 2025.

PLATONIC SEX

The first band to play the stellar, all-Brisbane line-up of tonight’s show was Platonic Sex featuring Bridget Brandolini, Jane Millroy and Ryan Hammermeister. The band has that teen-movie indie rock feeling that would convince you to pull out your phone in the cinema so you can Shazam that poignant lyrics and cathartic rock of the music playing over the end credits. It’s actually easier to just look them up on YouTube right now though, and I suggest you do! If you like spoken-word elements highlighting insightful commentary about the complexities of personal identity and the nuance of relationships, balanced with powerful instrumentals and gorgeous vocals, this is the band for you! This is a band that brings you fully into the feeling of the music and convinces you to stay.

Fave song: Hanging Out The Window

BEAN MAGAZINE

Ball Park Music has been championing this three-piece for years, and for good reason. Drummer Gabby, bassist Seb and singer-guitarist Henry are a formidable act, with a raw rock sound formed by the perfect unison of their instrumental talents. Henry’s vocals give The-Beatles-are-doing-punk-now energy and it’s such a fun sound. A few of the seemingly-softer tracks showcase Bean Magazine’s emotional side. I particularly enjoyed their chiller version of Free As Hell and absolutely adored Old or Young live. Bean Magazine’s confidence and ability to share their energy easily across a crowd mean they are definitely worth keeping an eye on and getting into if you’re a fan of rock or pop!

Fave song: Old or Young

BALL PARK MUSIC

The lights in the house went down for the final time this evening, illuminating the stage’s backdrop – a cliff at the edge of a sea, a reference to the namesake song of the album and tour. Scott McKenzie’s San Francisco flooded the room. The stage seemed bigger than usual, with Paul’s keyboards and Dan’s drums elevated at the back of the stage behind the mics for Jen and Dean at either side of the stage. A lone musician took his place at the centre-front of the stage, guitar in hand.

I’ve tried oysters, I’ve tried cocaine…

This song has been played before, usually in the middle of a set with the band departing to let lead singer Sam take it on his own. This departure from routine, starting from where we would expect the show to build to, took the crowd into a different place than the band’s last few touring shows have. Remember those soft rock love songs and cinematic gems? This was their night to shine and Like Love led us right to the emotional crux that helps us enjoy monuments in the band’s lyrical history like Coming Down and Bad Taste Blues (Part III) the most.  

There’s been some acknowledgement that this album is something of a different direction than a lot of the band’s arguably most notable works. Exciting dance tracks like Trippin the Light Fantastic and Fence Sitter still had their place in the show, just saved towards the end of the set when they would usually pull focus at the front. The first Ball Park Music song I ever listened to was She Only Loves Me When I’m There, so there’s an element of credibility that those neon-sign songs have, a reason they’re always included in the set.

And yet tonight, we have softer-spoken and emotionally complex pieces like All I Want Is You and Stars In My Eyes in the spotlight. And not only is this greater attention overdue, it’s also crucial to understanding where songs like Coast Is Clear and Fast Forward fit in. Framed by the beloved classics in the discography, the album’s feature songs find a place to call home and the tone of the album makes complete sense again. The departure from routine may only be in place for the Like Love era, but it had me crying by Bad Taste Blues (Part III) because these are the songs which hit hardest where it matters to the sensitive types, like me.

Please Don’t Move To Melbourne marked the change-in-pace, as we transitioned back towards the upbeat, sing-alongs and the rock-out classics again. It was fantastic to see Manny and Struggle Street included amongst Spark Up! and Trippin (which always gets the BEST lighting sequence in the show!). You can’t have Ball Park without It’s Nice To Be Alive, but there was a notable (for obvious reasons) absence of a few iconic songs that rarely ever stay off a set list. On a personal note, because Weirder and Weirder holds a special place in my heart, I was a little confused why some of its romantic tracks (e.g., Caramel, Beautiful Blueberries) were absent from the first half of the set… but this is The LayMusic because I have no clue how the industry works or how to run a show and I’m ultimately just happy to get a ticket!

We were treated to a special FOUR-song encore, starting with the band’s five members gathering at the front of the stage to sing Overwhelming Sound. Those missing songs, Exactly How You Are and Sad Rude Future Dude, formed an exciting conclusion to the show, with Great Display of Patience sneaking in as well! There are still more Australian dates before the band heads overseas for a UK and Europe tour in the latter half of this year, so even if they’ve passed through your city do check Ball Park Music’s regional dates to see them somewhere close to you!

There may not be anything else in the world like love, but Ball Park Music comes pretty close to it!

Fave song: Fast Forward

SOUNDS GOOD?

Ball Park Music has such a variety that it’s super easy to find similar bands… it just depends which songs of the Park you like the vibe of most! Before any other recommendations though, please make sure to give Platonic Sex and Bean Magazine a listen if you haven’t already!

The Rubens – If you like the indie-rock sound most, The Rubens have a solid few albums (The Rubens, Hoops) you’ll enjoy, as well as the bubblier and more sentimental tracks making more frequent appearances in their later work.

Hockey Dad – Another band with great variety, Hockey Dad’s latest album, Rebuild Repeat, plays into a more romantic style of surf rock. It’s not as eclectic as Ball Park Music, but still emotional and powerful for singing along to.

Holy Holy – For lovers of the REALLY emotional Ball Park Music songs (think Bad Taste Blues (Part III) and Fast Forward) Holy Holy’s music will resonate really well, especially My Own Pool of Light and Hello My Beautiful World.