The weather gods were well and truly shining down on the Perth Rocks Festival on Sunday, 15 September 2024, in Port Beach Brewery, Fremantle. The sun was out, a smooth, cool breeze was blowing, and everyone had smiles on their faces, eagerly anticipating the day to come in good spirits. Port Beach Brewery has a fantastic layout for a festival like Perth Rocks, which featured 2 stages and 10 hours of back to back live music from 18 of Perth’s best rock bands and an interstate rockstar headliner. The main outside stage had enough sunshine and enough shade that everyone was happy no matter where you were standing. The inside stage had plenty of room that meant everyone was comfortable and could easily see the stage from all positions. It was the perfect location for a rock festival, meticulously planned and organised by Legacy Alive frontman, Jacob Kenny.
Now for the festival itself!
Spinning Jacks were up first, opening the entire festival from the indoor stage. This was no mean feat – a lot of pressure is on the opener to set the tone for the day to come. But if you ever wanted to know what a baby would sound like if Amy Winehouse and Led Zeppelin ever procreated, Spinning Jacks is it! This is a band that works together seamlessly to bring you a sound that sounds so much bigger than just four musicians on stage. Singer Amy Thompson has a vocal range that is so beautiful and so powerful, reminiscent of Amy Winehouse. She is able to hit those low notes with ease while soaring back into the high notes without a care in the world.
Chris Summerfield on guitar absolutely shreds with plenty of wah and distortion pedals thrown in and a special nod to a riff as good as Brain Stew by Green Day. Liam Kinsella keeps the beat going with the bouncing deep bass notes. Supported by Stewart Bowley on drums and backing vocals, who I spoke with recently. Stewart kept everyone on time and hitting them harder than I thought was possible. From the faster songs to the slower ballads, nothing is going to stop these guys! Everything comes together beautifully and effortlessly to produce a powerful sound for the Spinning Jacks, and they were a powerful choice for a festival opener, setting the tone perfectly for a day of rock!
Read my interview with Spinning Jacks here.
Follow Spinning Jacks on Instagram: @SpinningJacks | YouTube | Facebook | Website
Nylon Stroke were up next, opening the outdoor stage of the festival. I have seen Nylon Stroke a few times and enjoyed them every time. They are ever the nice guys having a good fun time on stage with big smiles and just absolutely grooving away with a classic Motley Crue style of rock. Adam Healy on vocals, Gregor MacDonald on guitar and Nate Lee on drums, this trio of hard rockers delivered a punch to the growing crowd. Their set started with a bang, utilising the cold spark boxes and giving fans in the audience a taste of what’s to come. They dedicated a song to those who feel like life isn’t going well called Nothing is Easy. Things warmed up both on stage and off, as the sun was shining and their shirts came off. Nylon Stroke are a very tight band, musically. They layer their vocals to create a complex sound lyrically – Adam on lead vocals, Gregor and Nate on backing vocals.
The drumming was fast, furious as the bass delivered alongside. The guitar playing was slick and precise – delivering a much bigger sound than you would expect from a three-piece. Special mention to songs, Get Your Nylons On, Pennywise, Tipsy Talk and Vigilante, with a song written by drummer Nate also thrown into the mix. I asked a punter what they thought, and they said ‘these guys are brilliant! Who is the guitarist, he is f*cking fantastic!’ That is guitar slinger, Gregor. Shout out to the person who live streamed their entire set, allowing friends far away to be a part of the day and connect when they can’t be physically present. A really great start to the festival from the outdoor stage!
Read my interview with Nylon Stroke here.
Follow Nylon Stroke: @nylonstrokeband | Spotify | Facebook
JamArt followed on the indoor stage next, a progressive metal three piece who are also a tight knit band making a much bigger sound than just three people. I was very impressed with their set and didn’t take many notes because I was too busy enjoying it! Their set was great – fast paced and hard hitting, with riffs that got into the groove that you could listen to for hours. Ersh On, on vocals and guitar, has an incredible and powerful vocal range, and is an insanely talented guitarist. He was supported by Nathan Catlin hitting intensely on drums and Dutchie Holland on bass, keeping the rhythm nice and steady throughout the set. Their sound is heavy and melodic, a soul meets groove meets metal kind of sound that you can listen to for hours on end. For the third band to play, all three had set the stage well for the day to come!
Read my interview with JamArt here.
Follow JamArt: @JamArt.Band | Spotify | YouTube | Facebook
Darkyra were up next on the outdoor stage, with the Freo weather in fine form. Musically speaking, this is an incredibly talented bunch of musicians coming together who were bringing their A game, who have already cut their teeth in other bands over the years. Singer Gina Bafile’s vocals soared across the crowd gathering on the grass in front of the stage, powerful and rich. Nikki Dagostino absolutely slayed on the synth and keys.
Nikki’s keys were beautiful openers to some songs and picked up melodies in other songs, creating a dreamy soundscape backdrop for Gina’s vocal melodies to float over. Dan Grainger absolutely smashed the drums hard and looked like he was just having the best time playing on stage. Maaz worked tirelessly dropping these big bass riffs and Krissy shredded hard on guitar, with the symphonic metal riffs aiding to create the symphonic metal sound. Krissy and Maaz fed off each other and flowed between songs effortlessly. A wicked guitar solo by Krissy was a highlight! It all tied in nicely to bring the symphonic opera style of metal that Darkyra brought to Perth Rocks.
Read my interview with Darkyra here.
Follow Darkyra on Instagram: @DarkyraMusic| Website | Facebook | Spotify
heaven // alone played next on the indoor stage and they looked absolutely wicked in their matching hockey jerseys. When talking with the band beforehand, they said this was a last minute addition to the Perth Rocks day, but they pulled them off well! heaven // alone are heavy gaze geezers who are all about their vibe, bringing the energy and having a good time, and that was absolutely the case for their set at Perth Rocks. There were plenty of alternative rock and metal elements combined with shoegaze stylings musically to blend together and create their sound. Heavy bass notes were dropping all over the place courtesy of Callen Vandenhelm, hard smashing drums by Nathan Wolfenden and layered riff ripping guitars from Jayden King, John Flynn and Eric Stewart! Their set started out as softer rock, then they went straight into the heavy. It took you on a journey from light gentle vocals by singer Jayden King, before he ripped your face off with powerful screaming lyrics as the band punched you in the musical guts. You know when you listen to a band on Spotify and its good, but then you see them live and they are just phenomenal? That energy and vibe just works, and it earnt them an energetic mosh pit in the band room as everyone was enjoying their powerful sound. Special mention to the song Full Circle. This is a band that works well together and are tight knit, building each other up and feeding off each other on stage throughout the set. Their whole set was a vibe, their energy was awesome, and everyone had a great time as these guys rocked out and rocked hard!
Read my interview with heaven // alone here.
Follow heaven // alone on Instagram: @heavenaloneau | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube
Troll followed next, having reunited after ten years, in stoner rock glory on the outdoor stage! This was a four piece of shredding grungy rock, made up of two guitarists Russ and Marshall Cooper, Blake Long on bass and drummer Adam Scuillo. There was a lot of love for the wah and distortion pedals to produce a big sludgy sound with lots of reverb. The best part was seeing these guys loving what they were doing on stage.
You could easily put these heavy riffs on repeat and listen to Troll for hours. They slowed down their fast paced riff slaying and made it sound fuzzy and sleazy, with wicked fat bass guitar intros, while the guitars reverberated around the stage and the drums kicked it up a notch taking the pace from race to speed demon again. A very enjoyable set!
Follow Troll: @Troll.Australia | Facebook | Bandcamp
Violet End were up next on the indoor stage, capturing the crowd that had gathered in the indoor band room with their fun, pop-punk rock sound. This is a band that knows how to bring the energy and keep everyone engaged. They are made up of five members, a singer who also slays on the keys, two guitarists, a bass player and a drummer, bringing their elements together to create a sound as fun as Captain Planet from my childhood, meeting rock and roll.
It was an enjoyable and engaging set for these musos who have shared the stage with some of Perth’s greats, including Ragdoll, High Altitude Heretics and Nylon Stroke. If you like to enjoy yourself and have fun while watching a band on stage enjoy themselves and have fun, definitely check out Violet End!
Follow Violet End: @VioletEndBand | Facebook
Code Red took it up a notch on the main stage, with singer John Tinline’s powerful vocals soaring over the crowd. This group of Freo-based rockers like to play rock fast and loud! Andy McKee is one of the fastest drummers I have ever heard, and Maciek Mastalarczuk delivers heavy notes on the bass. New guitarist Keno Herrero absolutely shredded on guitar! When I say these guys rock hard, I mean it! They are also all round lovely humans.
The punters at Perth Rocks were in for a treat as Code Red debuted a new song, the first time playing it in front of anyone. It was well received with whoops, cheers and raucous applause. Special mention for song Drift Away. Keno ripped a wicked guitar solo surrounded by the blazing spark boxes, to cheers of the crowd around. It was a great set, timed perfectly with the cool breeze of the Freo Doctor sweeping in and well received by all. Code Red showed us they are still able to deliver the hard rock we know and love them for!
Follow Code Red: @CodeRedBandOfficial | Facebook | Spotify
Belgravia headed to the indoor stage to start their killer set for the crowd waiting inside. This hard hitting front piece hail from the Perth suburb of Midland and are Jordy Paul on vocals, Brody Walsh and Ryan Ebbs on guitar, Brendan Stainsby on the bass and Brock Jeffries on drums. Singer Jordy is one of the most enthusiastic frontmen and vocalists of a band I have ever come across. Belgravia launched into their set with so much energy that they could have lit up the room, dedicating it to Jordy’s late father in a special touching moment.
Belgravia are hot off the release of their latest EP, Evergreen, and when I say they brought the energy, I mean it! They put the pop in pop punk! The drums were hard hitting, the guitar riffs were shredding and slaying and the vocals were soaring melodies into the crowd that had gathered. If you haven’t seen Belgravia before, do yourself a favour and get on down to one of their shows. Belgravia always have a good time on and off stage, and you will too!
Read my interview with Belgravia here or read about their debut EP here.
Follow Belgravia: @BelgraviaPerth | YouTube | Facebook | Spotify
Legacy Alive lit up the main stage outside with sparkler boxes and singer/guitarist Jacob Kenny’s incredibly powerful vocals, laid over shredding layered guitars from Curtis Sucksmith and Owen Fisher and dynamic drums by Frank Lupino. Legacy Alive’s set at Perth Rocks was an electrifying experience and allowed them to really showcase their signature blend of energetic rock. This is a band that has a massive sound – much bigger than a four piece. Someone in the crowd near me said ‘these guys should be playing arenas!’ and I couldn’t agree more. Legacy Alive layer their vocals to create this really complex sound, floating on melodies with Van Halen or Journey style riffs that absolutely shred, backed by wicked drum rolls and fills from Frank!
A few of the crowd asked me ‘who is this band? They are awesome!’ and added them to Spotify playlists right then and there. Legacy Alive is made up of seasoned musicians who have been friends for years and honed their skills well to get to this level. They debuted their new track, Messenger, as the closing song of their set, well and truly saving the best for last. This was probably their most ambitious track yet, and really highlights what they can achieve. Their hard work paid off with their stage show and phenomenal performance surrounded by sparklers as solos were played and riffs shredded. They looked like they were having so much fun on stage and everyone in the crowd was loving their set. Legacy Alive were definitely a memorable highlight of the Perth Rocks Festival!
Read my interview with Legacy Alive here.
You can follow Legacy Alive on Instagram: @LegacyAliveOfficial Facebook | Spotify | YouTube
Band of Missfits played an unforgettable set on the inside stage, debuting new songs Disguise and Skin Deep along with a new shred lord guitarist (of Powerslave fame), Harrison Mills. Their high energy performance was a nice blend of heavy metal and rock. In an interview with singer Kym Redmond, she told me that they were going to be playing more harder and heavier rock than what they have previously played, and they definitely delivered on that promise!
Each song rocked harder than the last while Harrison’s riffs shredded hard alongside Mat Kenworthy’s own heavy rock riffs. This was layered against thundering drums from Paul Smith and deep heavy bass notes from Stuart Betts in a tight rhythm section, as Kym’s vocals soared over the crowd. Band of Missfits showed us that they rock, and rock hard!
Read my interview with Band of Missfits here.
You can follow Band of Missfits: @BandOfMissfitsPerth | Spotify | Website | Facebook
Amberdown took to the main outdoor stage with confidence as the sun set and the air cooled at Port Beach Brewery. These guys are no strangers to the Perth Rocks stage, Dan Connell has previously played at Perth Rocks six times with Amberdown and his other side bands. The trio of vocalist/guitarist Dan Connell, bass player Jeremy Young and drummer Marc Lennon are now a quartet as they recently welcomed back long -term shred lord guitarist and founding member Jason Glatzer after a few years away.
Their set was their classic hard rock style and energetic, as this is a band that never stops moving. Which probably explains why they were the sweatiest people in Port Beach after their set! Frank Lupino of Legacy Alive joked that he and Dan have a competition of who can get sweatier during their set, and I think Dan won. They put on an effortless show of their best tracks including Hole In The Flaw, Spare Me The Lies and Say You Will. They also included a cheeky cover of Minerva by Deftones.
Dan’s powerful gravelly vocals were carried by Jeremy’s deep bass notes and Marc’s fast and furious drumming style while Jason and Dan absolutely shredded their guitars among the spark boxes. Amberdown are tight as a band and have all been close friends for a long time and it shows in their tight performance. Everyone at Perth Rocks enjoyed the killer set as they ended to raucous cheers and applause.
Follow Amberdown: @AmberdownMusic | Facebook | Spotify
Ojay took their pop punk rock energy and shredded the inside stage with it! They shredded so hard that guitarist Marshall Hender broke a string. They go hard at every show, with Marshall breaking a string – it wouldn’t be an Ojay show without it happening! Vocalist/guitarist Jack Condon’s gritty gravelly vocals soon rang out, washing over the crowd with punchy riffs and a heavy bass line courtesy of James Sullivan on bass and thundering drums by Zack Scilio. Their style blends elements of pop punk with the punchiness of punk rock, fast and furious while having an electrifying bop to it that you just can’t resist dancing along to. Special mention to their song, Takotsubo, which is probably one of their best tracks to date. It definitely has the most fun punchy melody and catchy hook! When the crowd in the band room heard it, everyone was bopping along. It is easy to see how Ojay have gone from strength to strength since 2023, with their dynamic energy to just keep pushing forward and better themselves with every show. Plus one secret ingredient that Ojay have mastered is having fun on stage, and being lovely humans. I can’t talk these guys up enough! If you haven’t seen Ojay play yet, get along to one of their shows and see the high energy, fun and dynamic band that don’t know how to sit still. There will be lots of jumps and split leg kicks in the air. They absolutely blew the roof off the indoor stage at Perth Rocks and they have a very bright future ahead!
Follow Ojay: @Ojay_Official_ | Spotify | Facebook | Website
The Silent Deeds played next on the main outdoor stage, bringing their classic rock energy and style to Perth Rocks Festival. They have grown so much as a band since their early days, with Corey Ranger on vocals and guitar, Matt De Barro on bass and vocals, Jake Bignell shredding on guitar and Andrew Karalis smashing the drums. It had been a while between drinks for the band to play an original set, but oh boy, did they deliver – hard!
This is another band that doesn’t stop moving as they rocked out on the main stage and I swear Jake has the fastest shredding hands I have ever seen as he moved seamlessly through a wicked solo. They played hits including Ghosts and The Race, their newly released track Lady, as well as debuting new songs, Cross The Line and Bird In The Sky. These songs are angrier, heavier and harder hitting rock and roll songs that get your blood pumping and your body moving!
The Silent Deeds aced their set and included a cover of I Believe In A Thing Called Love –people in the crowd were already grooving and dancing to Silent Deeds rock, even more so when they heard them play this song! The Silent Deeds were delightful and delivered an exceptional performance that wowed the crowd and showed us all why they were still Perth’s rock sweethearts.
Read my interview with The Silent Deeds here.
Follow The Silent Deeds: @TheSilentDeedsMusic | Facebook | Spotify
Reefeater played on the indoor stage and are a fun rock / surf rock band from Freo, made up of Patrick Nielsen, Pierre Gildenhuys, and Rowan Hindry. They themed their set with good beachy vibes, no shirts and they brought the heat. There were arm floaties, board shorts and sunnies with beach balls thrown around the crowd. Everyone watching them had such a great fun time, me included, while enjoying great fun rock! These guys know how to jump around and make use of the stage, making their presence felt with a lot of movement. Their heavy sound goes into overdrive with thrashy punk guitar and fast paced drums while still maintaining that fun surf rock / punk energy. Riffs for days, fun rock, Reefeater are a band that you could listen to for any occasion, who sound much bigger than a three piece!
Follow Reefeater: @Reefeaterband | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify
WARBIRDS were the interstate guest headliner of this years’ Perth Rocks Festival and they are some of the most lovely humans I have ever met. They warmed up by playing at intimate Perth venue, The Bird, the night before, treating crowds there to songs including My Symphony and Prison Cell. WARBIRDS are Anth Nekich on vocals and guitar, Danny Slaviero filling in on bass and Luciano Alvaro hitting hard on drums (and he never stops smiling the entire time). There were big groovy, funky basslines, Anth had more shred on his guitar than a bag of shredded cheese and solid hard hitting rock and roll drums from Looch.
You would not believe there are only 3 people on stage because they create this massive, complex sound and are pure musical wizards. Every beat was punchy and hard hitting, while simultaneously drawing you closer and wrapping you in a warm embrace. Anth absolutely slayed on guitar, joined by Danny on the platform stage, surrounded by sparks shooting up out of the cold spark boxes. The guitar solos came from the soul, it was pure passion written on their faces the entire set. WARBIRDS have excellent showmanship too, drawing the crowd in and encouraging them with clap alongs and sing alongs galore.
They never stood still, running around the stage the entire time and really working the crowd well. WARBIRDS are a tight knit band who have perfected their craft to a mastery. When I was doing interviews with the bands in the leadup to Perth Rocks, all of them said they were really excited about seeing WARBIRDS play, and looking around it was lovely to see most of the bands still there at the end of the night watching the headliner from the crowd. When I say that WARBIRDS are hard rock, that is an understatement! Song highlights include Collider, Take My Hand which was written during Lockdown, Slave and Control. Perth’s best showed WARBIRDS how to rock, and WARBIRDS in return put their heart and soul and passion into every song they played at Perth Rocks. They rocked – hard!
Setlist: Reality Check, Slave, Handgrenade, Sunshine Of Your Love, Contain The Rage, Collider, Take My Hand, Collider.
Read my interview with WARBIRDS here.
Follow WARBIRDS: @WARBIRDSRock_ | YouTube | Facebook | Spotify | Website
Illyria played on the inside stage. I spoke to vocalist and guitarist Ilija prior to playing their set, who told me this is their first Perth Rocks festival. Ilija was joined on stage by Harry Prosser, Jeffrey Anderson and Andre Avila, on guitars and bass, along with drummer Cam Stone-Griffin. They also told me that Illyria were nervous about being a different genre to the classic rock genres that have been playing on the line up. Illyria are a post death metal band that feature screaming drowning vocals, soaring guitar riffs and bass lines that want to drown you, backed by thundering drums. They didn’t have anything to worry about though, as their set was so well received by the crowd who couldn’t get enough of this heavier progressive death metal act!
Follow Illyria: @Illyria_Au | Facebook | Website | Spotify
Ragdoll closed the Festival out on the main stage. Fondly considered Perth Rock Royalty, Ragdoll is comprised of Leon Todd slaying on guitar, Ryan Rafferty on vocals and bass and Cam Barrett on drums. This is another band that has a much, much bigger sound than you would expect to come from just 3 people! By the time that Ragdoll’s set came around, everyone had had such an amazing day of incredible music from the other bands on the Perth Rocks lineup. Ryan’s voice was smooth and cool, yet a gravelly and powerful roar at times, he is an incredible singer with an impressive vocal range. It pulled the crowd inwards, making them become invested in the lyrics, and captured by the heavy rock melodies.
The crowd were floating along on these big bouncing bass notes while Cam was smashing the drums hard and fast, a perfectly timed rhythm section. If you want to see a wicked solo with some of the fastest fingers in the guitar world, just watch Leon Todd on stage and you will not be disappointed! Ragdoll had some of the most phenomenal stage presence I have seen, which being a trio means they have a little bit more room to move around the stage and exert some of that energy that they bring to every show. Special song mention to Rewind Your Mind, an insanely groovy track full of these soaring lyrics, driving guitars that just takes you on a journey and gives you hope.
The end of Ragdoll’s set saw them bring all of the musicians who had played Perth Rocks that day up on stage while they played Rust and everyone sang along with them on stage. They ended the night with a bang surrounded by friends and playing a cover of AC/DC Highway To Hell. If you want to get Perth musicians rocking out to any song, AC/DC’s Highway To Hell is a great way to do it – not that they needed any excuse to rock! If you haven’t seen Ragdoll play before, you should definitely take any opportunity to see these hard rock legends! They were a perfect ending to the Perth Rocks Festival.
Read my interview with Ragdoll here.
Follow Ragdoll: @RagdollRock | YouTube | Facebook | Spotify
My final thoughts on Perth Rocks Festival is that Jacob Kenny knows how to put together a lineup! All of the bands that played throughout the day, whether early or late or any time in between, brought their best and showed Perth why they rock. I was so impressed by the quality of the music that was on display, and really proud of everyone that played. The crowds were well behaved, and the weather continued to be perfect. Jacob Kenny may be just one person, but he knows how to bring people together and put a festival on to rival all other local festivals. All while still working full time in a very demanding day job with long hours plus being the frontman of Legacy Alive and doing so much to actively support the live music scene. You can read about what it takes to put together a festival like Perth Rocks in my interview with Jacob on The Rockpit, including the highs, lows and the challenges. It is so important to support the people that organise and run festivals so that they can keep happening, especially when it’s just one person. The amount of effort that went into the planning and organising is mammoth. This is definitely a highlight in the Perth music calendar and well worth investing your support into, to help showcase local Perth bands and to get more interstate bands to play in Perth. Get along to the next one and keep supporting live music (and support those who put on shows like this!) I wish to extend my sincerest gratitude to The Rockpit, Jacob Kenny and Perth Rocks Festival. Rock on Perth!
All photos by Hunter Brothers Media unless otherwise stated.
