Review: Northlane at Magnet House

Northlane at Magnet House
w/ Ocean Grove, Mirrors, Headwreck
Saturday, August 16, 2025

Murray Street shook to its core as Northlane’s All Over Australia regional tour thundered into Magnet House. Perth’s heavy crowd packed in tight for one last chance to see the band before they head to the USA and then bunker down to write new material. Headwreck set the tone with sharp intent, Mirrors added atmosphere and depth, while Ocean Grove brought their wild energy. The venue buzzed with sweat, noise, and anticipation, setting the stage for a night that would hit hard from the very start.

There was no easing into this one. From the moment Brisbane’s Headwreck hit the stage, Magnet House was pulled into a world of glitchy, sample-laden metalcore that felt both razor sharp and unhinged. Tracks from their new Filet-O-Fish EP, including Plan Z, showcased just how tight this band is. Jamo Benadie’s meaty riffs cut through the room, while Connor Hickman led the charge with an unrelenting vocal presence, thanking the Perth crowd for showing up early and making their first west coast appearance a memorable one.

Backing vocals from Dayne Paix added melody to the chaos, his freshly printed Headwreck merch flashing under the lights, while drummer Colby Horton worked a cut down kit with precision from his corner post. By the time Buzzsaw closed the set, the three-pronged vocal attack of Hickman, Paix and Benadie had left a permanent mark. No awkward silences, no filler. Just hard-hitting music and smart crowd work.

The room had thickened by the time Mirrors stepped up, and the Gippsland crew wasted no time getting involved with the audience. Frontman Patty Goodman’s gravel-edged roar was offset by moments of haunting clean vocals, a duality that sat beautifully on top of the progressive flourishes from guitarist Tyson Taifer and bassist Jake Mackin. Highlights came thick and fast, from the crushing weight of Purple Static to the eerie build and bouncing chorus of What We’ll Never See, a song boosted by an evocative light show.

Goodman took moments between songs to pay respect, reminding the crowd they had been listening to Northlane and Ocean Grove for over a decade. The band even split the floor in two for Beneath the Sand, with the track’s gentle intro giving way to Rob Brens’ blast beats and a pit that exploded in violent energy as Mackin’s dreadlocks finally flew free from beneath his bucket hat. Goodman’s clean and pitched screams in Cold Sanctuary recalled the likes of Sam Carter, soaring with intensity. By the end, Mirrors had delivered a set of metalcore grooves, progressive influence, and heavy catharsis that left the room primed.

Then came Ocean Grove, and all hell broke loose. In fairness, this was a double-headline show, and OG Forever set the tone from the outset. Bursting out with Cell Division, Dale Tanner was a man possessed, commanding the room with hip hop-infused swagger while Twiggy Hunter’s bass tone rumbled like a freight train. The pair’s harmonies were tight, and by Stratosphere Love the crowd was chanting “it’s so cold” as if the walls themselves had frozen.

Ocean Grove made chaos look effortless. Bassal’s drum work was absurd, every roll and snap driving the pit harder, while Guys From The Gord saw Hunter and Bassal break the stage wide open in a bass and drum jam with rapped vocals that felt like RATM reborn. Tanner shifted gears beautifully during Last Dance, taking a moment to tell fans to tell their loved ones how much they mean to them before sliding back into shimmering melodies and another eruption of movement from the crowd.

Raindrop saw Hunter step into the frontman role for a killer moment that had diehards roaring, while Sunny returned the lineup to full force, its singalong chorus sending energy sky high before Hunter raised his bass aloft from the drum riser like a champion. Perth was treated to the first local performance of Fly Away, its nu-metal-fueled hooks instantly catching, before the set tore to a close with JUNKIE$. Tanner split the floor in half, unleashing a circle pit that ripped through Magnet House in a storm of sweat, bodies and voices screaming every word. Ocean Grove did not just warm the stage for Northlane; they set it on fire.

By the time Northlane took the stage, Magnet House was already in chaos. The room buzzed with anticipation before detonating into the high-octane opener Carbonized, which flowed seamlessly into Mesmer’s Intuition. The latter’s inclusion was a treat for longtime fans who know its deep-cut status, setting the tone for a night where surprises were just as welcome as the band’s staples.

Miasma, from the Mirror’s Edge EP, erupted with Marcus Bridge’s growled vocals tearing through the room while the venue’s tessellating triangle lights descended almost to head level, symbolising the subterranean depths of the guitar tuning. Josh Smith’s savage backing vocal pushed the pit into overdrive.

If there was one moment where Magnet House collectively left its body, it was 4D. Bridge’s vocals climbed to haunting heights before he split the venue in two, commanding a wall of death so ferocious it instantly entered local lore as the sickest Magnet House has ever seen.

Talking Heads from 2022’s Obsidian and Kraft hit hard, while the video game soundtrack cut from Wrath of Riffson, Welcome to the Industry, gave a playful yet brutal twist. Chaos erupted as Bridge roared, “I own you,” and it was impossible to argue otherwise.

Then came Bloodline. Holy fuck. Bridge delivered it with raw catharsis, making sure every soul in the room felt the weight of the song’s heavy lyrics:

“We grew up scared,
Bruised and battered,
Youth torn and tattered,
As long as you were sky-high,
Nothing fucking mattered,
Hotel homes in the cross,
Under the bridge and lost,
With your heads in the clouds above,
You call this love.
I was raised in hell,
I made it out by myself,
I was raised to bleed,
Bad blood runs wild and free.”

Smith whipped the crowd into motion, reminding everyone why metalcore bands are masters of the pit.

Dante proved a showcase for the band’s range, Bridge weaving between punishing growls and ethereal cleans while guitarist Jon Deiley worked the high strings with finesse. Crowd surfers poured over the barrier while Nic Pettersen’s drumming drove the room forward. The comparison to Adrian Fitipaldes in the Discoveries and Singularity days is inevitable, but Bridge has carved his own path as frontman, embodying Northlane’s evolution into a blistering fusion of electro, prog and metalcore. His performance was incendiary. Utterly, jaw-droppingly incendiary.

The electronic pulse of Echo Chamber carried into the lush synth intro of Clarity, courtesy of John Deiley’s drum and synth pads. When Pettersen’s blast beats kicked in, the circle pit detonated again. The juxtaposition of delicate atmosphere with crushing heaviness was peak Northlane.

“Do you want to hear some old shit?” Bridge teased before the band tore through a medley of Ra, Worldeater, Dispossession and Jinn. The entire pit clapped along, Deiley’s synths threading through the chaos. The setlist was a careful balance of evolution and nostalgia. Afterimage followed, with Bridge taking on both his and Ian Kenny’s vocal parts to perfection as hands waved in time with the beat.

The band announced Clockwork as the night’s closer, its soaring chorus reverberating in the hearts of everyone packed into the venue. But of course, it wasn’t over. Returning for an encore, Northlane unleashed Citizen, with the crowd singing along to every word, especially the now eerily relevant chorus about being caught in the undertow of surveillance.

Northlane didn’t just headline Magnet House; they owned it. What a night. What a fucking band. From the first riff to the final note, they proved why they are arguably Australia’s greatest heavy export, leaving the crowd spent, exhilarated and demanding more. For a band that continues to grow and evolve, they’re well and truly operating at the top of their game.

ANDY JONES

Photos by Linda Dunjey