LIVE: Electric Callboy, Ice Nine Kills, Coldrain – Perth | Boorloo, 4 Sep 2026

LIVE: Electric Callboy, Ice Nine Kills, Coldrain – Perth | Boorloo, 4 Sep 2026
RAC Arena, Perth, Western Australia
Reviewed by Melanie Scrafton
Photography by Luke Baker

I didn’t make it in time for Japanese post hardcore/metalcore outfit coldrain, but I arrived in time to experience the entire Ice Nine Kills set, and to be clear, this wasn’t just a gig. It was theatre.

coldrain

From the moment Ice Nine Kills entered the stage, the sound was absolutely thunderous, reverberating through the entire arena. But it wasn’t just the music that demanded attention. Their brass section played throughout the show, adding another dimension to the already enormous sound.

The stage became a horror movie unfolding in real time. Several movie clips were used throughout the performance, connecting the scenes and music and helping to move the story from one part of the show to the next. Throughout the performance, a revolving cast of extras appeared, including ghoulish figures, a psychopath, security guards and other characters, all contributing to a production that was as theatrical as it was brutal.

Adding to the spectacle, local act Make Them Suffer’s keyboard player & co-vocalist Alex Reade appeared on stage to collaborate with the band for two songs, becoming an additional murdered victim as a part of the constantly changing performance.

The stage effects were equally spectacular. Huge graphics and visuals transformed the screens behind the band, while dramatic lighting, cannons and pyrotechnics intensified the action. Explosions and bursts of fire punctuated the music, perfectly timed with the performances unfolding on stage.

Chainsaws appeared. Fight scenes erupted. There were carefully choreographed attacks, more than one on stage murder and, at one point, a full on beheading. Every scene seemed to lead straight into the next, with barely a moment to catch your breath.

Ice Nine Kills photos supplied by the band

And while all of this was unfolding on stage, the chaos was mirrored in the crowd. In the middle of the standing area, a huge circle pit opened up, with fans throwing themselves into the mayhem.
The action simply never stopped.

Ice Nine Kills have taken the concept of a live metal show and turned it into something far more ambitious: part concert, part horror movie, part theatrical production. Every song became another scene, every character another piece of the story, while the movie clips, lighting, graphics, pyrotechnics and stage effects created a constantly changing visual spectacle.

This wasn’t a band simply performing songs on a stage. This was a full blown horror production with a soundtrack, and it was absolutely relentless.

I wasn’t expecting the show to get any better, but then Electric Callboy exploded onto the stage, and suddenly the entire night was elevated to another level.

And I mean that literally. The show started with a huge explosion, immediately setting the tone for what was about to unfold. For the next 90 minutes, it was a fun filled phenomenon. This is their first Australian arena tour following the release of TANZNEID in August 2026, and rather than relying heavily on the older TEKKNO material, the set showcased just how far this band has evolved.

TEKKNO gave us some of their biggest crowd favourites, including “Hypa Hypa”, “We Got the Moves” and “Pump It”, but TANZNEID takes their deliberately eclectic approach even further. The album features collaborations with BABYMETAL, The Offspring, Frank Zummo and Brawl Stars, which gives you a pretty good indication of just how deliberately unpredictable Electric Callboy have become.

“RATATATA”, their collaboration with BABYMETAL, had the crowd going wild, with BABYMETAL appearing on the huge screen during the performance. The encore brought “Let the Good Times Roll”, their collaboration with The Offspring, while “Hypercharged” and “Still Waiting” added even more diversity to an already eclectic set.

And then there was the arena production.

Electric Callboy clearly understand that this is not simply a concert. It is an entire experience. Confetti cannons, enormous lighting displays, screen graphics, visual effects and constant interaction transformed the arena into a giant playground. The screens became part of the performance rather than simply providing close ups of the band, creating another dimension to the chaos happening on stage.
There were almost too many standout moments to keep track of.

The audience had completely embraced the Electric Callboy aesthetic too. Fans were dressed in costumes, fluorescent tracksuits were everywhere and watching a blonde mullet wig being thrown around over the heads of the crowd was genuinely hilarious. The audience was just as much a part of the spectacle as the band.

Then came the costume changes. Almost every song seemed to bring a completely different look, adding another layer of absurdity and theatricality to the performance. You genuinely had no idea what was coming next.

Even the musicianship became part of the entertainment. One of the standout moments was a drum battle featuring Frank Zummo, accompanied by a huge Transformer type robot appearing across the big screen. Zummo played his part flawlessly, turning what could have simply been an impressive musical interlude into another theatrical spectacle. It was ridiculously over the top and completely brilliant.
Then came the unexpected moment when the band announced their formula for the night, suggesting that the energy would become less frantic as the show progressed, while covering the boy band classic “I Want It That Way”.

Except it didn’t.

Not even remotely.

The arena took over, singing along at full volume, and it was wonderful. Rather than the energy dissipating, the audience seemed to become another instrument in the performance. The room was completely engaged.

And that became one of the defining characteristics of the night. Every time you thought you had seen the standout moment, something else happened.

A new costume. Another ridiculous visual. A perfectly timed lighting sequence. A huge screen graphic. Confetti exploding across the arena. Another interaction with the crowd. Another joke. Another musical surprise.

The show simply kept giving.

That is largely because these guys are not simply musicians. They are musicians, actors and dancers, and exceptionally engaging performers. Every song was connected by continuous dialogue from the vocalist, with stories, jokes, audience interaction and seemingly endless comedy. They know exactly how to engage a room and, more importantly, they know how to make people feel involved in what is happening on stage.

They have somehow mastered the art of making heavy music funny, theatrical and completely accessible without compromising the musicianship. One minute you are watching a metalcore and electronicore band absolutely destroy an arena, and the next you are laughing at whatever ridiculous scenario has unfolded in front of you.

And surprisingly, this really is family fun, provided you do not mind a bit of swearing. There were plenty of families out last night, and the atmosphere was overwhelmingly inclusive, energetic and joyful. Whether you are already an Electric Callboy fan or have never listened to them before, there is something incredibly entertaining about watching a band that commits so completely to what they do.

Their ability to engage people is remarkable. They are performers in the truest sense of the word. They understand the relationship between music, theatre, comedy and audience participation, and they use all of it without ever making the production feel disconnected from the music.

Electric Callboy do not just play a set. They create an experience.

The music, comedy, costumes, choreography, special effects, visuals, audience participation and sheer personality of the performers all collide into one enormous, fluorescent, confetti filled celebration.
And just as it began, it finished with another huge explosion, bringing the entire spectacle to a spectacular close.

It was loud, ridiculous, clever, theatrical, completely engaging and enormous amounts of fun.
There were simply too many standout moments to choose one.

And honestly, I still wasn’t ready for it to end.

Electric Callboy Set List:

TANZNEID
Still Waiting (Sum 41 cover)
Tekkno Train
Hypa Hypa
MC Thunder
Pump It
Hurrikan / Overkill / All the Small Things / Bodies
Revery
Hypercharged
Mindreader
The Savior
Drum Solo
I Want It That Way (Backstreet Boys cover)
The Way You Are
Heartclub
Everytime We Touch (Maggie Reilly cover)
Let the Good Times Roll
Elevator Operator

RATATATA
Spaceman
We Got the Moves

Remaining Australian dates:
Sun 6 Sep, Adelaide, Adelaide Entertainment Centre
Tue 8 Sep, Melbourne, Rod Laver Arena
Thu 10 Sep, Sydney, Qudos Bank Arena / Afterpay Arena
Sat 12 Sep, Brisbane, Riverstage
Sun 13 Sep, Brisbane, Riverstage

 

 

Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries