
Just a few nights after Memphis May Fire and Blessthefall wrapped up their long-awaited return to Perth, Of Mice & Men arrived at Magnet House to kick off their Australian tour. It’s been so long since they hit the West Coast: this wasn’t just another opening night, it was thirteen years of anticipation finally breaking. Thirteen years since their last Perth appearance at Soundwave Festival 2013, Western Australia has been repeatedly overlooked—skipped on tours in 2015 and 2018, and even missing out when they were slated to return in 2016 supporting A Day To Remember before pulling out. Seven albums have come and gone since then. So when they finally walked onto that stage again, you could feel the anticipation hanging in the air, it was thick with excitement ready to be released.
Support came in the form of Japan’s genre-defying force Crystal Lake, and from the outset it was clear Perth had shown up early for a reason. Making their long-overdue return to Australia for the first time in six years, and their first ever visit to Perth – they played like a band with everything to prove and absolutely nothing to lose. From the moment the drummer stepped out, raised his sticks, and pointed straight at the band’s logo, the tone was set. What followed was pure intensity -relentless, uncompromising, and completely commanding. It was an absolute joy to witness and in the crowded pit right up and close the photographers applauded every song.
There’s a precision to Crystal Lake that sets them apart. Every breakdown landed like a bomb, every atmospheric passage gave just enough breathing room before the next blast hit. Their songs felt enormous in the room – there was not a hint of filler, no let-up, nowhere to hide. It was the kind of set that demands your full attention, and the crowd had no choice but to give it. Bodies surged forward, and from barrier to back wall it was constant motion. For a band returning after years away, this was a masterclass – it was sonic domination and it was simply unmissable.
Opening the night, local outfit Patient Sixty-Seven held their own in serious company—they didn’t look out of their depth for a second, and with bands like this to learn from, their trajectory only looks steeper from here.

But as intense as the support was, the anticipation for Of Mice & Men had been building for over a decade. Thirteen years, seven albums, and countless missed opportunities—it’s the kind of absence that turns interest into hunger. Add in the timing, riding the wave of back-to-back heavy tours hitting Perth, and the atmosphere inside the venue felt primed for something very explosive and very, very special.
When the lights dropped and the intro track kicked in , that weight of pent-up expectation exploded.
From the opening punch of ‘Another Miracle,’ Of Mice & Men were nothing short of monstrous. ‘Feels Like Forever’ and ‘Would You Still Be There’ hit early and hard, each one met with a roar that felt like it had been building for thirteen years. Tight doesn’t even begin to cover it – this was a band operating at absolute peak efficiency. Riff after riff crashed through the room with surgical precision, backed by a rhythm section that hit like a freight train. It’s easy to throw around phrases like “well-oiled machine,” but tonight it felt like controlled chaos executed flawlessly and with a passion you could raise your first and touch.
Frontman Aaron Pauley was a force unto himself. Seamlessly shifting from guttural screams to soaring clean vocals, his performance anchored the entire set. Tracks like ‘You Make Me Sick,’ ‘Obsolete,’ and ‘Another You’ showcased that dynamic range he’s famous for; whilst ‘Back to Me’ and ‘Flowers’ added emotional weight without losing an ounce of intensity. Every line landed, every chorus soared, and the connection with the crowd was one you rarely see. When he spoke about Australia feeling like family, it didn’t feel rehearsed, you knew it was real, and Perth who had waited so long had more than earned that welcome.
The setlist pulled heavily from across their catalogue, giving Perth a long-overdue taste of everything they’ve built since that 2013 appearance. ‘Troubled Water’ swelled with atmosphere before giving way to the chaos of ‘O.G. Loko’ and ‘Bones Exposed,’ both of which sent the crowd into absolute overdrive. By the time they closed with ‘Second & Sebring,’ you knew it was more than a mere finale, more than a release, it was a night that will be burned into our collective memories. After thirteen years of waiting, we were finally here and it all detonated in one last massive singalong.
What’s most striking about Of Mice & Men in 2026 is how far they’ve evolved. Once seen as an underground force, they’ve transcended that label entirely. With a catalogue of arena-sized songs, a billion streams, and a live show that rivals the best in the genre, they now stand firmly among metalcore’s elite and nights like this prove it.
This wasn’t just the first night of another Australian tour: this was a reckoning, a return long overdue, delivered with power, precision, purpose and passion. After thirteen years away, Of Mice & Men didn’t just come back to Perth they made sure no one here forgets them and I can almost guarantee you that next time both they and Crystal lake won’t overlook the West. And now I’m looking at you Eastern States – if you thought you’d already seen the best heavy double bill of the year – think again and prepare to be blown away.

PHOTO GALLERY ON THE WAY TONIGHT

The post LIVE REVIEW: Of Mice and Men, Crystal Lake and Patient Sixty Seven at Magnet House Perth 6th May 2026 appeared first on The Rockpit.