Live Review: Michael Learns to Rock in Perth
11 February 2026 at Perth Riverside Theatre
Review by Sheldon Ang
Photography by Sheldon Ang Photography
“Love is the most powerful feeling in the world…love is the emotion behind everything, even the opposite, which is evil. Hate can happen if you don’t get love; we tend to get anxious and maybe do some bad stuff. So love is really the biggest emotion in the universe.” – Mikkel Lentz, during the interview with Sheldon Ang Media, which, by the way, was the very first interview Michael Learns to Rock gave to the Australian media.
The impact of this visceral sensation is not just an opinion; it is also a fact for many. Love is one big illusion. Thousands of songs have been written about love, but the inexorable connection between MLTR and their fans is undeniable.
There is a reason Michael Learns to Rock remains one of the most popular bands among the Asian demographic. Their first tours in America and the UK were sold out. Australia have embraced the Danish band with the same fervour on their inaugural tour Down Under…
So last night, Michael Learns to Rock delivered the concert of the year – for this writer/photographer anyway – and it is only February.
Here’s why…
At 8:00 pm, the lights went dim- just like any concert. But something different was brewing. Three decades of Michael Learns to Rock were projected onto the big screen: moving photographs stitched together like a drive through nostalgia, each image ushering us through time.
The three remaining members – Mikkel Lentz on lead guitar, Jascha Richter on vocals and keyboards, and Kåre Wanscher on drums took their positions, equidistant from each other to cheers, with the touring bassist lurking in the middle. As the opening notes of Someday rang out, deafening screams echoed across the Perth Riverside Theatre – the kind usually reserved for boy bands from Liverpool or Los Angeles performing in stadiums. And that’s no exaggeration. It was a capacity crowd, and they were transported back in time as the tingles of first love and nostalgia resurfaced.
For this photographer‑writer, emotions anchored in a 1996 music box de‑crystallised. The Best of Michael Learns to Rock CD bought from a night market in Melaka had manifested into reality. A thousand sensations from three decades ago erupted at once. Salt water welled up. Perhaps seeing one of my favourite bands live was overwhelming. The same could be said for the majority of the crowd. For the 2,500 or so in attendance, the voice of our generation came alive.
There was no time to settle. Sleeping Child was awakened by a rambunctious audience. If screams could manifest as physical waves, the roof would have been blown off. The person next to me, Fae – who I met barely thirty minutes earlier- embraced me. The emotion was overbearing for some, if not for most.
“I know for sure that Sleeping Child was actually a lullaby. Jascha was composing it on acoustic guitar and sang it to his daughter,” Mikkel said in the interview with Sheldon Ang Media.
Jascha’s conversational tone made their story deeply personal, laced with regret and longing. His diction was clear; the instrumentation never overpowered his voice. Together, the fusion of lyrics, melody, and delivery elevated this performance into one of the best live shows I have seen so far. It wasn’t all love and gloom as we travelled through the innocence of childhood as well.
“Perth is the first city we are performing in Australia,” Jascha said. We cheered. Perhaps that was why the emotions amplified. We were honoured.
The lead vocalist is known for his low‑to‑mid range tones that lift as the emotion builds, a key ingredient in ballads. But the sincerity in his voice seeps into the heart.
Couple that with a sentient like sound system rich in texture, we got an undeniably top‑class show. The instruments were impeccably balanced: guitar, keyboard, drums, and bass each had their own space, never overpowering one another. The bass was punchy. The guitar spoke like a rock ballad. The drums and kicks were addictive, while the piano anchored the melodic core of every ballad. Comparing the live performance to the CD version felt like FM versus AM. Kudos to the sound engineer as well.
The visuals were immersive; colour‑drenched and, at times, literal – which is fine by us. For example, Blue Night featured the moon, stars, and a deep indigo sky, adding another layer of calm. Stars, sparkles, cascading light, each visual triggered the senses in a way that felt perfectly aligned with the audio.
Jascha shared the story of how the band was once signed to an American record label that went bankrupt. Yet there was a sense of serendipity, not in those words but unmistakable in its implications.
“Now we get to play in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines -“
The roar was loudest for the final country, as the vast majority of fans tonight were from the Philippines.
“I think maybe there’s a connection to this karaoke thing, which is big in Asia. We heard that in the ’90s, we were very big in karaoke, in pubs,” Mikkel said to Sheldon Ang Media.
For I’m Gonna Be Around, Out of the Blue, and Nothing to Lose, the trio moved to the front of the stage, the “living room rehearsal set,” as they called it. Jascha then made his way down the aisle, bodies pressing just to be closer to the singer as screams erupted to a teenage dirtbag‑level of hysteria. The audience rose to their feet.
Something super nostalgic was brewing as the opening piano notes rang – sad, sparse, devastating. 25 Minutes. The biggest cheer of 2026 followed. This is the ballad of the broken soul. It was a song that once swarmed karaoke bars across Malaysia and much of Asia in the ’90s. It was fitting that the lyrics were projected onscreen, even though every syllable was already etched into our memories. After all, this is a song woven with some of the most heart‑wrenching lyrics of our uni years. We sang in the world’s biggest karaoke room.
I find her standing in front of the church
The only place in town where I didn’t search
She looks so happy in her wedding dress
But she’s crying while she’s saying this
Boy I missed your kisses all the time but this is
Twenty five minutes too late
Though you travelled so far boy I’m sorry you are
Twenty five minutes too late
It was delivered with utter sincerity, drenched in sorrow and regret- and that was just the fans singing. The melancholic, tender pacing captured the agony of arriving too late, that sudden gut‑wrenching realisation. The trio told the story like a medieval love tragedy. The beauty lay in restraint- the instruments never overwhelmed the vocals, exactly as required.
By the end, I rested my head in my hand, overwhelmed by disbelief and the surreal realisation that we had just sang the love anthem of our university years with Michael Learns to Rock.
The night rolled on with The Actor, Love Will Never Die, and Breaking My Heart. Wild Women got a taste of rock- yes, Michael Learns to Rock can actually rock. Mikkel Lentz’s guitar scintillated as he struck a rock‑star stance, adding wah‑wah flourishes while Kåre pummeled the drums. The shenanigans paused only at Paint My Love.
And as expected, this love story did not end happily. That’s Why (You Go Away) closed the night with one final, massive karaoke – lyrics blazing on screen, voices united. 1996 was reborn.
Tonight, the immigrants from Southeast Asia relived their sonic dreams. This was not a novelty, rather a five‑star, world‑class performance. The live experience outpaced even the beautifully recorded version.
Yet, we still can’t comprehend why Michael Learns to Rock remain less known amongst our Caucasian brothers and sisters – but for now…
“Only Asians can understand our music.”
– Jascha Richter
Sheldon Ang Media would like to thank Menard PR. TEG Live, Strictly Epic Studio and Michael Learns to Rock for the accreditation and the Meet and Greet opportunity!
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.
Setlist
Someday — Played on Pepper (1995)
Sleeping Child — Colours (1993)
Complicated Heart — Played on Pepper (1995)
I Still Carry On — Michael Learns to Rock (1991)
Relax, Don’t Do It — Cover of Frankie Goes to Hollywood (1983)
Blue Night — Blue Night (2000)
It’s Gonna Make Sense — Eternity (2008)
I’m Gonna Be Around — Nothing to Lose (1997)
Out of the Blue — Played on Pepper (1995)
Nothing to Lose — Nothing to Lose (1997)
25 Minutes — Colours (1993)
The Actor — Michael Learns to Rock (1991)
Love Will Never Lie — Played on Pepper (1995)
You Took My Heart Away — Blue Night (2000)
Wild Women — Michael Learns to Rock (1991)
Breaking My Heart — Colours (1993)
Paint My Love — Paint My Love: Greatest Hits (1996)
Take Me to Your Heart — Take Me to Your Heart (2004)
That’s Why (You Go Away) — Played on Pepper (1995)
