There is an overwhelming feeling of camaraderie amongst crowd at Brisbane's The Tivoli as doors open.
Devoted fans have been at the venue since before 6 o'clock in anticipation to be a part of the 100 fans invited to Last Dinosaurs' meet and greet.
Dinomart is popping off with revamped 'Wellness' merchandise as fans take over The Tivoli in decade-old merch from Dinos' gigs in the mid 2010s.
No matter whether a fan is introducing themselves in the Last Dinos scene or grabbing a drink to see their old Brisbane mates play up onstage (27 June), the Wellness tour entices everyone.
It brings about change and familiarity – in February this year, the boys rerecorded their 2015 album 'Wellness' as 'Wellnxss' after their old label refused to repress the record.
'Wellnxss' stands as a symbol of Last Dinos commitment to their fans as well as honouring their own locally grown music. It features five vault-tracks (thank you Taylor Swift for popularising this), as well as a completely re-recorded record with all the original tracks.
So, this tour stands to commemorate the decade-long impact of 'Wellness' and 'Wxllness' alike, bringing in crowds old and new. The Brisbane home-grown audience is always favourable for Last Dinos, with the pit almost full at the commencement of the opening act Bad Suns.
The three-piece Californian indie-pop band arrive onstage to a cacophony of screams; their set is well anticipated and this crowd is ecstatic. Bad Suns are no amateurs to the scene; their history replicates Last Dinosaurs' by starting up in the late 2000s as a local indie garage band.
Even Finn Polbodetto (drummer from local Brissie band Selfish Sons, who also drummed with Last Dinos in 2022-23) is spotted in the crowd head-banging along to the beginning of Bad Suns' set. Christo Bowman (vocals and lead guitar) enthrals the crowd within the first song, 'Slow Karma', engaging the crowd to clap along to the beat.
Immediately I'm entranced by their performance; despite being a three piece (with only one guitar), they manage to keep the music stable throughout the whole set. When Christo fixates on his vocals and drops out the guitar, Gavin Bennet (bass) fills in the gap with melodic and rhythmic bass licks.
It's an incredibly professional and commendable set – as my best mate with me says: "They are more than just an opener." And she is so incredibly right.
As I stand upon the weird downstairs barricaded section of The Tivoli, I realise exactly why Bad Suns are the openers – they're the American version of Last Dinosaurs. Their funk-like guitar chords, ambient synths, electrifying bass licks and overall uplifting feel perfectly fit into the Last Dinosaurs mould.
Later into the set, Christo gets a bit more experimental: he (oddly, but respectfully) discards his shirt and starts experimenting with some AutoTune. It takes everyone by surprise; it was like some Julian Casablancas AutoTune overhaul, but with sarcastic remarks replacing Casablancas' political rants.
During the latter part of the set, Bennet and drummer Miles Morris fall into a casual jam as Christo awfully sings in AutoTune about the band's dreaded flight back to the US in the morning.
Even though the crowd is completely enthralled in the set regardless, this muck about provides a typical Australian feel to the night. I would absolutely see them again (as headliners, of course).
After Bad Suns, I am so transfixed that I barely realise The Tivoli is absolutely packed. The mezzanine is full to the brim with fans; more are spilling around the sides and to the downstairs bar area as even more are entering the venue.
I barely get a moment to recuperate before Last Dinosaurs enter the stage. Without having laid eyes on them, you can feel their presence enter the stage: ambient oscillating synths herald their presence, with the screams of fans confirming their entrance.
What I love about Last Dinos gigs is the room in the pit to dance – and you just have to at these sorts of gigs, especially for a set list that plays 'Wellnxss' in full. They open with 'Take Your Time' as their entrance synth leads into verse one.
Their stage design is so efficiently 'Last Dinosaurs': A white spotlight overhangs Sean Caskey (lead vocals, guitar) in centre stage, with a yellow-hazy spotlight overhanging Lachy Caskey (backup vocals, guitar) and Michael Sloane (bass).
Last Dinosaurs (amongst all the tours I have seen) always perfectly hide themselves in the shadow of their spotlight; it's the music that matters more to them than their presence on stage.
What upsets me though is their neglect of their LAST DINOS Elvis-style (or Strokes, if you're a real one) LED stage backdrop, which has featured in every other Australian tour location. Instead, the original 'Wellness' artwork stands strong behind the band, which arguably is a more symbolic design for the context of the tour.
The set continues with fan favourites 'Evie' and 'Karma' (which ironically are Sean's least and most favourite 'Wellness' tracks respectively). The debut performance of 'Pink Flags', one of 'Wellnxss' vault tracks is incredibly well received.
As Lachy absolutely takes over with his phaser/ reverb riffs within the chorus, the crowd knowledgeably sings backup for Sean as if this song has been around since 2015. The power of 'Wellness/Wellnxss' takes over the room against Sloane and the Caskey brothers hidden pink silhouettes, as the refracted pink hues wave against the the crowd like flags.
The performance of the title track 'Wellness' is perfectly sacred and showcased; Lachy introduces the song with his delay and reverb pedals seeping through the crowd, as Sean's vocals softly emerge.
The stage lights turn off for this song, with blue and white soft lights cascading against the stage and the crowd. It all feels very reminiscent of the original 'Wellness' era (which I inorganically experienced through the walls of my brother's bedroom in 2015), but nonetheless the scene was well received by all in the crowd.
As the set list leads into 'Stream', I'm eagerly awaiting a monologue from Sloane. 'Stream' is wholly owned by Sloane who wrote the lyrics and does the vocals for this track. The song is a true punch in the gut, with the lyrics reminiscing on a conversation between Michael and his partner (now wife, thankfully).
With lyrics like 'I know everything will end, I don't care 'cause I can't just pretend I'm not in love with you', how can you not want to sit with yourself in silence and contemplate all your past decisions?
At the end of 'Purist', Sean begins talking about how the next song was the first song he wrote with Michael – and here is where I presume the monologue begins, like it had in their 2022 tour.
With a bit of banter back and forth between Sean and Sloane, Sean chucks out a "it's a tumultuous love story, and if we tell you about it, you'll never get to hear about it again." The crowd erupts in cheers in response, picking up what Sean is putting down.
Sloane takes the lead, leaning into the microphone to say: "So yeah, anyway, what happened was..." Lachy cuts Michael off at the perfect time with the iconic guitar bend at the start of 'Stream', as the crowd is left absolutely hanging on Michael's words.
Despite the cop out, the crowd melts into the song, serenading Sloane with his own lyrics as The Tivoli is engulfed in a formidable sense of yearning. As 'Stream' morphs into 'Zero', someone new is seen onstage with the Dinos.
I think nothing of it (probably because I can barely see over the guy in front of me), but I soon come to realise that this figure is Christo from Bad Suns. As I realise, he dives into the crowd and rides the wave during the song. The Wellnxss set ends with 'Apollo'.
It's the perfect song to conclude the main set with easily danceable tempos and riffs. The crowd moves with Lachy's iconic 'Apollo' riff during the verses and choruses, with not one person around me failing to move. And as quickly as it begun, the set concludes.
It is bittersweet leaving The Tivoli – an inner mental turmoil arises after hearing the entirety of 'Wellnxss', and then consequentially realising that you probably won't experience that again.
The Wellnxss tour will be one for the books in Brisbane's local scene. Let's hope Last Dinos grace us fans with the re-recordings of 'In A Million Years' soon.