Review: KEYAN - Live in Brisbane
Fire At The Disco
Friday 13th June 2025
Written by Tom Wilson
Photographed by: Rashid AlKamraikhi
First opener SEBASTISIDE is what happens when you’re at the Character Creator screen and you max out the “Guitar Talent” slider. Like the headliner, he has also built a substantial audience with guitar videos on YouTube, and tonight is one of his first ever live shows
Aside from what looks like a nervous smile, you’d never tell he’s inexperienced, because the show he puts on is incredible. He shows off a chord so complex it requires several people to play it, and when he walks offstage, you know that he’s signed up for a long night of talking gear with guitarist nerds at the merch desk. Stunning stuff!
Image: SEBASTISIDE
Image: SEBASTISIDE
Image: SEBASTISIDE
Image: SEBASTISIDE
In a recent interview with Sense, Misha of Brisbane rockers TORIZON name-dropped AURATEQUE frontwoman Lauren Coleman as one of her favourite women in the industry, and it takes about thirty seconds of watching their set to see why. But the explosive charisma of their singer is only part of their appeal, and SENSE watches the band’s performance with a dropped jaw, particularly the percussive monster they’ve got behind the kit. With a sound bringing to mind everything from nu metal to punk, their stage presence is on point, and Lauren gets cool points for walking to the bar for a drink while singing and not missing a single note. They bring their set to a close with a massive rendition of Renegade, and we feel slightly sorry for the headliner for having to follow that.
Image: AURATEQUE
Image: AURATEQUE
Image: AURATEQUE
Image: AURATEQUE
For me, prog gigs are like watching a David Lynch movie. Do I understand what’s going on? Absolutely not. Am I loving it anyway? Of course! Meeting him before his set, I warned KEYAN that I don’t have any technical or music theory knowledge, so I’ll be using a lot of creative writing to cover up the fact that I can’t pick time signatures by ear. Keyan has hit CTRL+I on his “Djent Neo” long black coat from 2023, opting instead for an all-white outfit that, when combined with his looks and facial hair, means he’s one gold chain away from looking like a rapper. But there is no mistaking his signature blend of dizzying leads and stuttering chugs, and both KEYAN and his band are in stunning form tonight as they hammer out polyrhythms in the electric blue glow of their backdrop.
Image: KEYAN
Image: KEYAN
It’s fitting that the best song of the night shares a name with the venue. His opening salvo to the music world back in 2022, Black was the first piece of original music that KEYAN released after establishing himself as a guitar YouTuber, and it remains a towering piece of work, opening with three pounding notes that bring a cheer from the audience. As the climax nears, he thrusts a hand into the air and counts down on his fingers before dropping the hammer, and the crescendo is as subtle as a collapsing skyscraper.
Image: KEYAN
Image: KEYAN
Image: KEYAN
Image: KEYAN
IThis is the second time I’ve watched it all go wrong for KEYAN HOUSHMAND onstage, and bless him, he’s unflappable. Instead of the gear trouble that plagued his set opening for ANIMALS AS LEADERS in Brisbane, tonight, it’s the shrill ringing of a fire alarm that pierces through the djent and eventually stops the set dead. Fortunately, it’s a false alarm, and after a few minutes, Keyan excitedly shares that the set will be allowed to continue. Are we going to make a joke about his playing being so fire that it set off the alarm? Wouldn’t dream of it. Am I insinuating that this incident is karmic payback for dropping his djent cover of Michael Jackson’s Beat It? Absolutely. The set comes to a stunning close, and we make our nightly sacrifice to the merch gods before heading off into the noise of the Fortitude Valley. An awesome way to spend a Friday.
Image: KEYAN
Photos by: Rashid AlKamraikhi
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