One Ok Rock | Margaret Court Arena | Melbourne | 12th March
Dropping the lights on a packed stadium, main support Stand Atlantic opened with a sharp, single-string guitar riff that immediately demanded full attention. David Potter helped lead the charge before Bonnie Fraser, looking effortlessly cool, tore across the stage and filled the arena with her huge energy and raw vocal power. Miki Rich’s charismatic presence on bass was refreshing to watch, lifting the fun in the crowd even higher as she somehow kept turning the energy up another notch. Jonno Panichi glued the whole set together with one of the cleanest and punchiest drum tones of the night. It was a locked-in, world-class performance that set the pace perfectly.
The sold out crowd carried an excited, chatty energy that made the intermission feel short. Before long, the world of One Ok Rock collided into Margaret Court Arena. An impressive animated display lit up behind the stage, highlighting the themes of their latest concept-driven album Detox. Immersive visuals and dancing lasers accompanied the band as they emerged, launching straight into three huge openers packed with energy and pop appeal. As they moved quickly through their catalogue, the audience bounced and sang along to each chorus almost involuntarily.
Then came a moment to collect ourselves. With the lights low across the stage, Toru Yamashita leaned into an extended soulful, bluesy riff to open Party’s Over, a track from their latest album. No spotlight was needed. The entire room was locked in as raw emotion rang through every note, showing the band’s continued drive to grow as musicians. They pushed against expected song structures, contrasting soulful depth with the raw, restless energy they are so well known for.
Performing flawlessly, Takahiro Moriuchi paused between songs to chat with the crowd, sharing his appreciation for fans who had taken the time to learn Japanese. From there, the band kicked the energy straight back up with more crowd favourites, the audience singing along line for line. Small moments from each member between songs kept the room engaged and added to the sense of connection throughout the night.
As the set went on, they eased into lighter pop ballads before baring their teeth again, reminding everyone they can still hit with real weight. Hard, chugging riffs tore through the arena and shifted the mood in an instant.
Tomoya Kanki had a real moment to shine, leading an instrumental section with a live drum and bass demonstration that turned the arena into a full-blown dance party. Before long, Yamashita linked that section into screaming 80s-style heavy metal. Ryota Kohama kept his cool, slick stage manner throughout, backing it all up with bass lines just as smooth. Through their playing, the band constantly switched polarity, moving from chaos to calm, filthy to clean, which felt like a perfect reflection of the Detox concept.
A dynamic outro and a fun stage camera segment pulled the crowd into what felt like a live music video, impossible to look away from. The encore closed the night on a high, with the energy in the room lingering as the band stayed on stage, still having fun and sharing mementos with fans long after the house lights came up.
It was a fun night with One Ok Rock, carrying the effortless comfort of catching up with an old friend. Always welcome, always great to hear from, and hopefully not too long before we share a room with them again.