Froth & Fury Fest @ Perth HPC, Mount Claremont, WA 24/1/2026

A vocalist, face bloodied after being hit by his bassist mid song, continues to slay the stage, a bassist runs offstage mid show to vomit then comes back like nothing has happened, a wall of death based on being circumcised, a Eurovision contestant and I’m five beers deep and it’s not even 2pm. This can only be Perth’s inaugural version of Froth & Fury.

Ask any heavy music fan in Perth of festivals they can go to and you’ll be greeted with a sardonic laugh that belies the frustration of being on the other side of country.

So, the inaugural Perth edition of South Australia’s successful Froth & Fury Festival is one that brings excitement, glee and a touch of apprehension. I mean, what if it’s actually better than Adelaide’s version? It couldn’t be could it?

Held at Perth’s HPC, with three stages – one beautifully indoors – employing many local people and businesses boosting the Perth economy, this is set up to be its own unique version of its older SA sibling.

Cracking the first cymbal at 11am are Crosscheck in the scenic grassy amphitheatre setting of the Fury stage. The bands breakdowns already shaking the dust of the venue. Indoors Zuko are similarly two stepping through a brutal set on the Froth stage, looking right at home.

There is a superbly named compound stage that is a concrete and metal box, drizzled in mist where the Rat King vocalist Josh Reeves is hit by friendly fire mid song, however bloodied and frenzied, powers through.

Voyager, of Eurovision fame, are a sequinned visual and sonic delight. Great to see vocalist Danny Estrin back again, sounding as angelic as ever.

Getting from stage to stage is fairly easy, the scenic walk around the venue goes past food trucks ranging from chicken, Asian and Italian. A lengthy merch desk, and Michael Crafter’s, from I Killed The Prom Queen, tattoo shop Against The Grain is doing flash tattoos.

However, hell hath no fury like a parched Scotsman in the summer heat. So, what about the froth? With Emu Beer starting from $9 a can, it’s exceptionally priced for a festival setting. If you want something a little fancier, pay a little more. Like, Shiraz in a can.

Download the app, it tells you where, when and whether bands clash and it super easy to use as I admire Bodysnatcher’s ability to win over half a room who admit to never seeing them before. The pit was humongous and the sound equally so. In fact, all three stages, the sound was impeccable all day. A rare feat indeed.

Archspire are dressed for the beach. But perform like possessed musical comedians to an audience that has been in fantastic spirits all day. How else do you get people to do a wall of death based on whether they have a forsksin or not?

The crowd all day are in fantastic spirits. Milling around, laughing, all decked in the uniform of all black, the spirit of camaraderie between fans is a joy to behold.

Jesus stands in the middle of a huge circle pit for Fit For An Autopsy, while Abbath leads a sermon after luring the hordes who pilgrimage from stage to stage to worship at his feet.

Over at the compound, Nicholas Cage Fighter’s Tom Bardwell runs off stage to vomit such is the bands ferocity in the evening’s powerful sunshine.

Ocean Sleeper always give a scalpel precision sharp performance. So much that Jesus is resurrected from the earlier circle pit and stands in the middle of the bands own wall of death. End times no, more like fun times.

It’s at this point we hear the Froth merch sold out. Completely. So, if going to Adelaide, get in early.

It’s Nailbomb first ever show in Australia, and brings quite the crowd. Max Cavalera gets the crowd going but this is a mutual project and his son Igor makes this his own. All tracks are from the bands Point Blank album and industrial thrash sound is as fresh as the day it was released. Those guitars sounded so good, I nearly wept.

As nighttime falls, the set times have meant that you can check out everyone, and we head over to In Hearts Wake. Coming out to Worldwide Suicide, they burst out the gates with the heavy and stay that course including bringing up guest Karl Spiessl from Ocean Sleeper.

Soulfly, yes Max Cavalera is pulling double duties and looking the leanest in years, bring the tribal grooves. Seek And Strike has Max whipping the crowd into a frenzy that doesn’t stop. Meanwhile, Private Function are fist pumping goofy, manic, mental and riveting chaos. They love a beach ball, so Shirley Manson they are not.

Headliners Polaris bring the fire. Literally. Opening with Nightmare and Landmine, there is fire, lots of hair swinging and a pit circling resembling a gateway to hell as birthday boy Jamie Hails leads the night home through a setlist that is heavyweight knock out.

Talking with various punters, everyone had an awesome time. Multiple people had come to see different bands showing the line ups versatility. The spirit all round was high and the liquid spirits equally so. Sonically fantastic, easy to get around. The big question remains, is it better than Adelaide? We will see next week however Perth can be extremely proud tonight. Great event.

Live Review By Iain McCallum