LIVE: Lorna Shore – Perth | Boorloo, 19 Oct 2026

LIVE: Lorna Shore – Perth | Boorloo, 19 Oct 2026
Metro City Perth, Western Australia
Reviewed by Ayla Simpson
Photography by Kevin Widyanto

There’s something about a sold-out Perth show that hits differently, particularly when it’s a Monday night and the anticipation has been building long before the first note rings out. With Lorna Shore back on Australian shores alongside Whitechapel and The Acacia Strain, the lineup was nothing short of monstrous, with three bands bringing their own take on Heavy before Lorna Shore closed out the night. Add a production that had people talking throughout the evening, and Perth was in for something special.

But heavy music has always been about more than how hard it hits. Beneath the crushing riffs, relentless percussion and confronting themes lies an intricacy that can be easy to overlook until you experience it live. At first, there’s so much happening that it can feel almost overwhelming, but as the layers come together, the chaos starts to make sense. It’s music that builds and intensifies, pulling you in before reaching those crescendos where everything finally spills over. Perth was ready to meet that intensity head-on, reminding these touring bands exactly why this city deserves a place on the map.

THE ACACIA STRAIN

If anyone thought a Monday night might mean a slow start, The Acacia Strain quickly put that theory to bed. The floor erupted almost immediately, with bodies flying, heads bouncing and a circle pit forming by the second song. There was no time to get comfortable; Perth came ready to throw down from the get-go.

The guitars were filthy, the bass had a seriously meaty punch to it, and Vincent Bennett’s vocals were every bit as punishing as the music behind him. His guttural growls and venomous barks cut through the downtuned assault, adding another layer of menace to an already crushing sound.

Vincent thanked everyone for coming early to see them, explaining that all they really cared about was having fun before inviting people to climb onto the barricade, an offer that was met with plenty of enthusiasm. The floor quickly became a churning mass of bodies, surging and colliding in time with the music. Amongst the chaos, I’m fairly certain I witnessed a cartwheel. Whether that was an actual cartwheel or someone attempting to defy gravity in the middle of a pit, I’ll leave that up to interpretation.

Amid all the brutality came a moment that caught me off guard. Vincent spoke about getting older and finding it increasingly difficult to ignore the reality that the people we love won’t be here forever. Rather than dwelling on those we’ve lost, he spoke about holding onto the people we still have, appreciating them while we can and making the most of the time we get together. As his words settled over the crowd, I looked around to see mates pulling each other into hugs, arms slung over shoulders as people took a moment to appreciate the ones beside them. For all the chaos unfolding around us, it was a reminder of just how much those connections matter.

The opening guitar of ‘Beast’ reverberated through the venue as the set continued, with a special guest joining the band for the track before The Acacia Strain launched into ‘A CALL BEYOND’, keeping the madness going. Moshers were perched on shoulders, bodies were flying, and security were beginning to look a little lost, with a few breaking into smiles as it seemed to dawn on them that tonight, they weren’t stopping anyone.

The final song saw the floor split open, bodies slamming into one another as the crowd unleashed one last burst of energy. For an opening band, The Acacia Strain had set one hell of a precedent, leaving the room buzzing and the pit in no mood to settle down.

WHITECHAPEL

The floor filled quickly as people claimed their spots for Whitechapel, with anticipation building well before the band hit the stage. For a Monday night, the place was absolutely buzzing. Either nobody had work tomorrow, or nobody cared.

As the lights dropped, the crowd erupted. Red and blue flashed across the band’s banner as drummer Brandon Zackey appeared beneath a spotlight pulsing with every hit. Then Phil Bozeman unleashed ‘Prisoner 666’, and Whitechapel sounded absolutely massive. Dissonant riffs, guttural growls and those filthy guitar squeals tore through the room as smoke hung across the stage. The production added to the atmosphere without ever overshadowing the sheer force of the performance.

At one point, the band disappeared briefly, leaving only a pulsing bassline and flickering green lights. The anticipation built before ‘Hate Cult Ritual’ kicked in, sending the floor into motion again.

The set moved between crushing breakdowns and older material that had people visibly excited. When they launched into old favourites such as ‘The Somatic Defilement’, the response said plenty. Familiar voices sang along, horns and fists filled the air. It was a reminder of the connection these songs still have with longtime fans, even as the band continues to push into heavier territory.

I’ve enjoyed Whitechapel before, but tonight was something else. Their latest album, Hymns in Dissonance, leans into the band’s more punishing side, favouring an almost relentless barrage of aggression over the cleaner vocal passages heard in some of their earlier material. Live, that approach hit hard, with Phil’s guttural delivery and the sheer force of the band making for one hell of a performance.

After Whitechapel had closed out their set, the room was packed, with people squeezed into every available space. As the final cheers began to die down, someone in the middle of the mosh held up a phone, calling out to see who had lost it. A small moment, perhaps, but a reminder that even amid all the chaos, people were looking out for one another.

LORNA SHORE

By the time the changeover was underway, the excitement in the room was palpable. People were checking the time, watching the stage and reacting to every movement behind the curtain. Even the slightest silhouette sent a ripple of anticipation through the crowd.

Blue light washed across the white banner emblazoned with Lorna Shore’s logo as fog began seeping out from behind it, an eerie introduction slowly building. Phone lights appeared throughout the crowd, and as the anticipation reached breaking point, a silhouette emerged behind the banner. Will Ramos’s vocals cut through the darkness before the banner finally dropped and ‘Oblivion’ kicked in, sending a huge reaction through the room.

The orchestral arrangements, guitars, drums and sheer weight of everything happening at once created a wall of sound that felt completely enveloping. It wasn’t simply loud; there were layers to it, with the orchestral elements adding an almost cinematic quality and building tension before the band unleashed another punishing wave. Can we please take a moment to appreciate those sub-bass drops? They might otherwise go unnoticed through headphones, but live, you could feel them right through your chest.

The production was something else, too. Blue flashes cut through the darkness, spotlights swept across the stage and smoke rolled through the beams of light, while the visuals shifted between eerie landscapes and imagery that mirrored the music’s intensity. It all worked together to draw you further into the world Lorna Shore had created, adding to the scale of the performance without losing the detail beneath it.

And Will Ramos? What the actual hell. The range of sounds coming out of that man’s throat is ridiculous. The guttural lows, the higher screams, the rapid-fire vocal passages and the shifts in intensity were impressive enough on record, but seeing it unfold in person was something else entirely. At times, the vocals seemed almost unreal, particularly when the orchestral elements swelled behind him and the band drove into another punishing section.

The crowd was completely caught up in it. Bodies surged from one side of the room to the other, moving together like one enormous mass before breaking apart into the next circle pit. Crowd surfers sailed overhead, people screamed along, and there was barely a moment to catch your breath before another wave of sound hit. A brief moment when the microphone appeared to cut out didn’t seem to faze Will; the performance carried on, and the crowd barely missed a beat.

In one of the night’s standout moments, a wheelchair user was lifted above the crowd during ‘Into the Earth’, joining the sea of bodies moving to the music. Amid the chaos, it was a lovely reminder of what makes the metal community so special. For all the aggression and intensity, there’s a genuine sense of connection amongst the crowd, with everyone there for the same reason: the music. It’s a community that makes room for people to experience that connection in their own way, and moments like this show just how much that can mean.

Then came ‘Glenwood’, bringing a different kind of intensity as its emotional weight cut through the sheer heaviness surrounding it. Will paused to speak about the song’s importance to him and to anyone who had left home looking for peace, giving the performance a more personal dimension before the music carried us back into the darkness.

Of course, Lorna Shore wasn’t about to leave everyone standing around feeling emotional for too long. Announcing that it was time for an ass-beater, Will urged the crowd to get into their worst behaviour before launching into ‘Prison of Flesh’. As Austin Archey’s drums hit, the pit opened up, and whatever calm had settled over the room was quickly obliterated.

Will paused again to thank Perth for the energy the crowd brings every time they’re here, before introducing the song that inspired so many people to listen to Lorna Shore in the first place. It was our last chance to give it everything, and he wanted to see the biggest mosh pit of the night.

The lights shifted to pulsing red, with imagery of fire illuminating the stage before the band launched into ‘To the Hellfire’. The production was on another level here, with the lighting, smoke and visuals working alongside the sheer weight of the sound to create a spectacle that was just as intense to watch as it was to hear. The final circle pit was enormous, but even with the night drawing to a close, the crowd showed absolutely no sign of slowing down.

When it finally came to an end, I found myself needing a moment to take it all in. That was one hell of a way to finish a Monday night!

All three bands delivered, each bringing something different to a night that was already shaping up to be memorable before the first note was played. The Acacia Strain had the room moving from the outset, Whitechapel delivered a crushing performance that showed just how hard their newer material hits alongside the older favourites, and Lorna Shore took things to another level with a headline set that I honestly still don’t know how to describe, including a guest appearance by Sean Harmanis from Make Them Suffer.

There’s a reason we make the effort to get out of the house, buy the tickets and turn up to gigs. You can crank these bands through your car stereo or headphones, but nothing compares to feeling the sound hit your chest, watching the production unfold around you and being swept up in the energy of a crowd moving as one. Live, every layer feels bigger, the crescendos hit harder, and the release is something you have to experience for yourself.

Perth brought it on a Monday night. Every band delivered, the production took the experience to another level, and Lorna Shore gave a sold-out crowd a headline performance worthy of the anticipation. If this tour is heading to your city, make the effort and get yourself there. Because some shows are great nights out, but others leave you looking at your mates afterwards, exchanging that look of pure awe as you try to process what you’ve just witnessed. This was one of those nights!

Next up:
Wednesday 21 Oct – Sydney Hordern Pavilion (AA)
Friday 23 Oct – Brisbane Riverstage (AA)
Monday 26 Oct – Wellington Shed6
Wednesday 28 Oct – Auckland Powerstation SOLD OUT
Thursday 29 Oct – Auckland Powerstation (new show)

 

Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries