Review: Escape the Fate at Magnet House
Escape the Fate at Magnet House
w/ The Word Alive, Patient Sixty-Seven
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
A wave of skinny jeans, smudged eyeliner and side fringes snaked from the front doors of Magnet House and flowed down past Shafto Lane on Tuesday night as Perth’s elder emos braved the cold for Escape the Fate.
By 8pm both levels of Magnet House were packed with people who probably would have featured in your MySpace top friends list and younger fans helping to keep the scene alive.
Perth metalcore outfit Patient Sixty-Seven opened the night with a mix of melodic choruses, crushing breakdowns and heavy vocals, shared by bassist Lachlan Walters and vocalist Tom Kiely.
Kiely effortlessly bounced between harsh screams and clean choruses as the band tore through their set. What started as a crowd cautiously nodding along quickly became far less civilised, with the pit erupting during Shed My Skin, one of the heaviest tracks of the night.
Unreleased track Catch 22 saw guitarist Declan Le Tessier launch into a rap verse midway through the track, which felt a little out of place at first, but judging by the crowd’s reaction, it quickly earned its place amongst the breakdowns.
By the time Patient Sixty-Seven had left the stage, the crowd had well and truly defrosted.
US metalcore titans The Word Alive burst onto the stage with 2012, featuring a surprise appearance from Patient Sixty-Seven vocalist Tom Kiely.
Vocalist Telle Smith immediately had the crowd in the palm of his hand, effortlessly switching between soaring cleans and screams while commanding every corner of the packed venue. Somehow his voice seems to get better as the years go by, and this set proved why he remains one of metalcore’s most impressive frontmen.
As impressive as Smith was, drummer Devin Attard threatened to steal the show. For somebody confined to a drum set, Attard had more energy than everyone in the room combined, throwing himself into every song with relentless intensity and screaming at the crowd to do the same.
One of the biggest moments of the set came with the band’s cover of Kanye West’s Heartless. Smith’s incredible vocal range was on full display throughout, while the crushing guitars transformed the hip hop classic into one of the standout moments of the night.
It also served as a reminder of just how important the ‘Punk Goes Pop’ era was to an entire generation of alternative music fans.
Escape the Fate vocalist Craig Mabbitt could be seen side-stage singing along and enjoying every second of The Word Alive’s set before eventually joining Telle Smith on stage for Casanova Rodeo.
The crowd erupted. Given Mabbitt originally wrote the track during his time with The Word Alive, the guest appearance carried an extra layer of nostalgia.
Next up, the main event.
As the lights lowered, Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody began playing, which prompted a venue-wide singalong from a crowd that knew exactly what was coming next.
Once the song ended, the band’s intro rang out, and Magnet House erupted as Escape the Fate emerged onto stage before launching into Ungrateful.
The entire venue was moving at this point, and the band made the whole thing look effortless. The set flowed between newer material and fan favourites. Every song landed, every chorus was met with a singalong and the momentum never dipped.
The Flood and 10 Miles Wide were met with some of the biggest reactions of the night, and by the time Ashley had rolled around the crowd had all but taken over vocal duties.
The newer material held its own amongst the classics. Deja Vu, Last Goodbye and Paranoia offered a glimpse into the band’s next chapter while proving Escape the Fate have no interest in becoming a nostalgia act.
A pause came in the set as a birthday cake was brought on stage. Mabbitt announced it was drummer Robert Ortiz’ birthday, prompting a singalong from the crowd. Ortiz looked more confused than appreciative and shouted, “It was two weeks ago?’ drawing laughs from across the venue.
After the celebrations had wrapped up, all eyes turned to guitarist Matti Hoffman.
He stood under a spotlight as he stepped forward for a dedicated guitar solo, drawing cheers from a crowd that had spent much of the night in disbelief of his blistering fretwork.
When his solo ended, the crowd was sent into a frenzy as the Halo theme rung out across Magnet House, signalling the start to This War is Ours (The Guillotine II), a clear crowd favourite with fans belting out every word and the mosh pit in full effect.
The Aftermath and One for the Money rounded out the sixteen-song set which left the crowd sweaty, screaming and smiling from ear to ear.
Escape the Fate and The Word Alive showed exactly why fans are still turning out for them nearly two decades later, while Patient Sixty-Seven proved they are more than capable of holding their own alongside international heavyweights.
TAHNEE GRAHAM
Photos by Mikaela James
