LIVE: Ocean Grove – Perth | Boorloo, 13 August 2026

LIVE: Ocean Grove – Perth | Boorloo, 13 August 2026
OCEAN GROVE Oddworld Underground Tour with Cane Hill & Indigo Blaze
Amplifier Bar, Perth, Western Australia
Reviewed by Melanie Scrafton
Photography by Linda Dunjey

There are bands you go to see, and then there are bands you go to experience. Ocean Grove firmly belong in the latter category.

Bringing their Oddworld Underground tour to Perth on 13 August, the Melbourne alternative metal innovators delivered a set that felt far too big for the room. In fact, judging by the atmosphere inside Amplifier, Ocean Grove could have comfortably sold out a venue twice the size. The demand, energy and sheer volume of crowd participation made it clear that their Perth following is not only loyal, it is growing.

The lineup was exceptionally well curated. Perth’s own Indigo Blaze set the scene with a brooding, atmospheric heaviness, while American heavyweights Cane Hill brought a darker, riff-driven intensity that had the room primed for what was to come. The tour’s official billing paired Ocean Grove with Cane Hill, with Indigo Blaze joining the Perth date specifically.

Indigo Blaze

Then came Ocean Grove, and from the opening moments, the energy was massive. The crowd wasn’t simply watching; it was participating. Movement, voices and constant interaction rolled through the room, creating the kind of feedback loop between band and audience that can turn a good gig into a memorable one.

Frontman Dale Tanner was a confident and engaging presence throughout, working the crowd and communicating naturally with them. His connection with the room helped drive an atmosphere that became increasingly electric as the set progressed.

The setlist itself was a genuine crowd-pleaser, balancing the band’s heavier material with the hooks, grooves and genre-bending moments that have made Ocean Grove so difficult to categorise. That’s ultimately the appeal of the band: you never quite know what Ocean Grove are going to do next.

Since forming in Melbourne in 2010, the band have continually evolved their sound, pulling together nu metal, alternative rock, hardcore, grunge, hip-hop, electronic elements and pop into what they call “Oddworld Music.” Their latest era has only reinforced that willingness to experiment, while their recent touring history alongside artists including Poppy and Thornhill has positioned them as one of Australia’s most adventurous heavy acts.

Live, that unpredictability works.

Ocean Grove can move from crushing heaviness to groove-driven sections and melodic hooks without losing the identity that makes them recognisable, and the Perth crowd responded accordingly.

The enthusiastic crowd reaction at Amplifier suggested a fanbase that is not only firmly established but ready to go where the band led. There was a sense that Ocean Grove have outgrown the intimate-room mentality — and perhaps the venue’s capacity was the only thing keeping the scale of the night contained.
If this performance was any indication, Ocean Grove have a very bright future ahead of them. They have the songs, the personality, the live presence and, increasingly, the audience to take the Oddworld somewhere much bigger.

Ocean Grove didn’t just bring the Oddworld to Perth. They made a very convincing argument that Perth is ready for a much bigger dose of it.

Set list –
JUNKIE$
SUPERSTAR
NO OFFENCE DETECTED
MY DISASTER
MR CENTIPEDE
INTIMATE ALIEN
OG FOREVER
CELL DIVISION
ASK FOR THE ANTHEM
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT A NATURAL WOMAN
BEERS
SUNNY
LIGHTS ON KIND OF LOVER
RAINDROP
LAST DANCE
STRATOSPHERE LOVE
FLY AWAY

Remaining Dates: –
Sat 15 Aug 2026, Melbourne, VIC, 170 Russell
Thu 20 Aug 2026, Sydney, NSW, Factory Theatre
Fri 21 Aug 2026, Newcastle, NSW, Hamilton Station Hotel
Sat 22 Aug 2026, Brisbane, QLD, Princess Theatre

 

Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries