Get ready to unleash the fury as Dark Down South III returns to Kirup this November 21 and 22, bringing two days of relentless metal mayhem to Western Australia’s South West. From Friday through Saturday, Jim McDonald Oval will once again transform into a haven for metalheads, showcasing a lineup that cuts across the full spectrum of heavy music. Headlining this year’s festival is a crushing lineup of extreme acts, featuring Mexico City’s unrelenting force Demente, the blistering grind chaos of Melbourne’s Nembutolik, the oppressive weight of Iniquitous Monolith, scene veterans Infected, and the raw, unfiltered energy of Melbourne’s Kunt Squad.
Backing them is a stacked undercard of Western Australia’s underground, including Psychonaut, DeadCode, Vanadium B.C., Oceans & Omens, Enforce, and Psytopia, alongside interstate chaos merchants like Adelaide’s Greedy Bunch of Parasites. Rounding out the lineup is a wave of emerging acts in Terror Adaptors, FistDead, Undeniable, Prophetic Execution, Deathcap Dinner Party, and Fuxion, each bringing their own flavour of noise, grit, and violence to the stage. Dark Down South III isn’t just about the music; it’s an immersive experience. With free camping, a BYO policy (no glass), and on-site food vendors, the festival delivers a full weekend escape built around community, volume, and connection. Designed as a family-friendly, all-ages event, it remains a rare space where generations of heavy music fans collide under one roof—or sky.
HEAVY sent out a list of questions to each band so we know what to expect before they set the stage on fire (not literally!), with OCEANS & OMENS taking the bait today. But first, get to know the band a bit better…
If you haven’t put your earholes near Perth’s absolute heavy-hitters Oceans & Omens yet, what the bloody hell are you waiting for? These local legends aren’t just playing metalcore; they are dragging old-school, neck-snapping breakdowns from the deepest abyss and throwing them right in your face.
Born from the ashes of To The Depths, this five-piece powerhouse—fronted by the absolute machine Sean O’Brien—is tearing up the Aussie scene with a conceptual narrative that makes most bands look lazy. We’re talking an entire metalcore rock-opera following The Survivor through a desolate, hellish landscape across their massive releases I: Descent and the stunning album II: Aether.
If you need proof they are the real deal, they recently opened up for none other than Parkway Drive at Metro City, completely warming up the pit and getting punters to sit on the floor before absolutely exploding. Rowan Leah and Aaron Ganley trade riffs like loaded weapons, while Nathan Menage and Kieran Wallace lay down a rhythm section thick enough to cause structural damage. Oceans & Omens are a certified must-see act. Do yourself a massive favour, take the plunge, and get around them!
OCEANS & OMENS Q&A
HEAVY: DARK DOWN SOUTH OPEN AIR celebrates its third year as the only open air metal festival in WA this November. How excited were you to get the call up?
OCEANS & OMENS: Pretty stoked. Given that, once you have played the venues in and around Perth, there aren’t many more places to go to (especially for heavier genres). It will be nice to take the music a little further afield and spread the love a little.
HEAVY: How important are festivals like this to the Australian music scene?
OCEANS & OMENS: Incredibly. Again, given how difficult things are to make a show worth it’s while in WA it is imperative that people support and drive to make these things happen. We lost Sound Wave, Froth and Fury have declared that they can’t make the trip West viable……Before too long any form of live scene will have just dried up.
HEAVY: Have you ever been to DDS as a punter or playing?
OCEANS & OMENS: No. This is our first time for both.
HEAVY: If so, best memories of the day, or if not, what are you most excited for? .
OCEANS & OMENS: It will be pretty nice to play an outside show…….as long as the weather holds up. Don’t get me wrong, I love the atmosphere of a tightly packed, dingy venue, but there has to be something said for playing on a stage open to the elements and under the sun. Plus, we can crank it all the louder!
HEAVY: It’s a long day of music. What will you be doing to make sure you will still be standing come your set time?
OCEANS & OMENS: Keeping the ear plugs in all day! Hours of sonic abuse can really take it out of you! Nipping to the coast for a sneaky surf session before doors might also be in order to keep the Zen tank topped up.
HEAVY: Give me your Top 3 Festival survival tips.
OCEANS & OMENS: Drink lots of water, wear comfortable footwear and think twice, then think again, before throwing yourself into the mosh too early in the day….unless it’s for us of course!
HEAVY: Which band – other than yourself – do you think will get up to the most mischief on the day?
OCEANS & OMENS: We are really excited to see what Demente bring to the party. Having come all the way across the pond we are hoping to have some of that Mexican vibrancy injected into the shenanigans of the day.
HEAVY: Run us through your typical live show and what punters can expect.
OCEANS & OMENS: From the word ‘’Go’’ we hit you hard and heavy. Get everyone nice and warmed up. We’ll get the pits in full swing, maybe throw in a wall of death or two. Sean, our frontman, will probably spend more time in the mosh with the punters than he will on stage. As the set progresses the songs will increase in scope and epicness, finally culminating with the fan favourite where we see how many people we can get to sit their arses in the rowboat.
HEAVY: If you could get one band on the line-up to cover one of your songs who would it be and what song would they cover?
OCEANS & OMENS: Probably Psychonaut. Being a concept band, our songs are pretty thematic. Having them put a horror thrash twist on it would be interesting to say the least.
HEAVY: How can fans find your music to get amped up for Dark Down South?
OCEANS & OMENS: All the usual suspects. Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music, Youtube. If you head to our Instagram there should be a link there that will take you to a page with all the avenues to get stuck into the world of Oceans & Omens. Welcome to The Abyss!
Tickets HERE
