Live Review: Good Charlotte Ignite Motel Du Cap Tour in Perth
17 February 2026 at RAC Arena Perth
Review by Sheldon Ang
“Good evening mother f*cking Perth – those first three songs were the best three songs we’ve played in years…”
And they weren’t wrong.
Indeed, Good Charlotte – formed by twin brothers Joel and Benji Madden out of Maryland – stormed the stage, igniting the night with some of the biggest punk‑rock smash hits of the 2000s. The River, I Don’t Wanna Be in Love (Dance Floor Anthem) and Last Night came out swinging, back‑to‑back-to back, with zero easing in and absolutely no handbrake applied.
It was beautiful chaos. Full‑throttle dance‑floor rock anthems, driven by a pounding beat and hook-heavy choruses, launched the crowd straight into near‑encore euphoria before anyone had time to settle. It was surprising to see the band inject NOS into the fuel so early into the set, unloading the anthems of our twenties right out of the gate. Most fans were caught off guard, especially given how previous shows on the tour had these songs towards the end of thr setlist. By the second beat, bodies were already bouncing. Some were on shoulders, others screaming every word.
The rock guitars and pop‑punk gloss landed hard at Perth RAC Arena. The crowd chanted the chorus of I Don’t Wanna Be in Love at full volume, singing directly back to Joel Madden. The lyrics might be about breakup coping mechanisms, but there was nothing broken about the vibe – it was pure honeymoon rock, loud, sweaty and euphoric.
Last Night – as in the track – further amplified the shenanigans on stage, pushing the party‑anthem energy into overdrive. Fun-filled and carefree, it was the epitome of Good Charlotte. And it’s never just about the voice (no pun intended). Benji Madden and Billy Martin’s pop‑punk guitars cut clean and loud, Paul Thomas’ bass was tight and punchy, and the snares and kicks from the touring musicians drove everything forward. Shirtless drummer Ian Longwell, alongside Matthew Koma, brought a level of rebellious chaos that felt raw rather than rehearsed.
“Welcome back… we’re gonna tell you that it feels so good to be back in Australia… thank you for giving us the reason to come back to Australia…”
This was the first night of their world tour. Motel Du Cap tour, named after their eighth album which was released last year and their first in seven years. There was a sense that the band had something to prove, and they were proving it early from the music to the visuals.
The backlighting was chaotically beautiful, bursting with polychromatic colour on the screen. By the time Like It’s Her Birthday rolled into the set, geometric square formations dominated the backdrop, captivating the audience with trance-like visuals that felt hypnotic. Digital skulls loomed across the big screens, aligning with themes of decay, rebellion and non-conformity, leaning hard into a darker, post-apocalyptic aesthetic.
The six band members were well spread across the stage, with Longwell positioned high in the top‑right corner, creating a sense of scale that filled the stage and arena. Joel worked the crowd relentlessly, firing off the same question again, “Is this your first Good Charlotte show? Put your hands up if this is your first Good Charlotte show…”
Regardless, the response was always the same: f*ck yeah
The crowd skewed mainly late‑20s, 30s and early‑40s – unsurprising given the themes and era of the songs, though Joel’s stint on The Voice a few years back clearly helped extend their reach to younger fans.
If that wasn’t enough, Fireballs flared throughout the night, both real and digital, their intensity felt even from the tiers. Orange-washed lighting moments lifted the room whenever the energy threatened to dip, pulling the crowd straight back in.
But it wasn’t all bang and slam. Phone lights rose in quiet unity during We Believe, creating a rare moment of stillness and balance. The track, about a mother grieving her son’s death, landed with genuine poignancy – a call‑out against apathy and societal numbness that cut through the noise without killing the mood.
Despite the tour being named after Motel Du Cap, only three songs from the album made the setlist – Bodies, Mean and Reject. Instead, the band leaned hard into nostalgia, and the crowd followed without hesitation – and frankly, the fans are OK with that.
Energy spiked again towards the end at I Just Wanna Live and Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, with hands waving side to side across the arena. Joel played with the crowd in his conversational style, teasing the wealthy over their complaints before closing the main set with Rich and Famous – another sharp critique of fame, celebrity culture, and the disconnect between stardom and real-world problems. By this point, the digital skulls and skeletons had become fully immersive, wrapping the stage in controlled chaos.
We hadn’t seen the crowd that wild since the opening three songs, and the increased chaos returned for the encore with The Anthem. For many in the room – it was the anthem.
What a way to kick off the Motel Du Cap tour
Good Charlotte are continuing their tour across Australia. Tickets are available from Untitled Group
Sheldon Ang Media would like to thank Throughline, Untitled Group and Good Charlotte for the Media tickets
The River — Good Morning Revival (2007)
Dance Floor Anthem — Good Morning Revival (2007)
Last Night — Cardiology (2010)
Girls & Boys — The Young and the Hopeless (2002)
The Chronicles of Life and Death — The Chronicles of Life and Death (2004)
The Motivation Proclamation — Good Charlotte (2000)
Like It’s Her Birthday — Cardiology (2010)
Wondering — Good Charlotte (2000)
Bodies — Motel du Cap (2025)
Mean — Motel du Cap (2025)
Actual Pain — Generation Rx (2018)
We Are Done (The Madden Brothers cover) — Greetings from California (2014)
Misery — Good Morning Revival (2007)
Keep Your Hands Off My Girl — Good Morning Revival (2007)
Predictable — The Chronicles of Life and Death (2004)
We Believe — The Chronicles of Life and Death (2004)
Hold On — The Young and the Hopeless (2002)
Rejects — Motel du Cap (2025)
The Young and the Hopeless — The Young and the Hopeless (2002)
Little Things — Good Charlotte (2000)
I Just Wanna Live — The Chronicles of Life and Death (2004)
Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous — The Young and the Hopeless (2002)
Encore
The Anthem — The Young and the Hopeless (2002)
About the writer/photographer: The founder of Perth-based Sheldon Ang Media (est. May 2022) has been accredited to more than 200 of the hottest acts including Taylor Swift (ERAS Tour in Sydney), Coldplay (Perth), AD/DC, Metallica, KISS, RHCP, P!NK and Suzi Quatro with reviews shared by the likes of Belinda Carlisle, Roxette, Tina Arena, UB40, Delta Goodrem, and Tina Arena on social media. He has interviewed rockers Mikkel Lentz, Suzi Quatro, Ace Frehley (KISS), John Steel (The Animals), Frank Ferrer (Guns N Roses), Phil X (Bon Jovi), Andrew Farris (INXS) plus over 100 artists. He’s also a contributor on Triple M Radio as a music journalist.
