Perth Remains Australia's Loosest Capital as 300 Kids Bust Into Listen Out

For the third year in a row, fence jumpers stormed the Perth leg of Listen Out.

Six police cars, a number of mounted police and a canine unit were dispatched to the Joondalup festival site: cops quite literally had to release the hounds in order to keep the peace.

Police headed to the site after catching reports that as many as 300 kids were trying to push over the festival's multiple boundary fences to storm in. A police spokesman described Listen Out's own security guards as "overrun."

For context, Listen Out has historically deployed around 200 security guards to each leg of their festival, in addition to a number of police stationed around their sites. In this most recent case, seccies would've been quite significantly outnumbered by gatecrashers.

When police arrived, they managed to successfully move on the 300-strong group, but they didn't want to go quietly. Many would-be jumpers began to throw objects at police and pitch rocks at punters already inside the festival.

Three police officers were assaulted, and one was even bitten. Would you be willing to chew your way into a Travis Scott concert? Would you?

Four people—two men and two women—were charged with assault and disorderly conduct over the matter. The officers sustained minor injuries, but they're okay now.

Literally nobody's idea of fun. Via Facebook.

A kid called Ty Airey posted a video of the scene to Facebook. In a word? It's grim. A few of them succeed in getting over the fence, but a bunch failed. Even more just waited outside, presumably too nervous to face the guards patrolling the boundary.

There were no reports of mass fence-jumping at the Melbourne show the day prior, although there were reports that a fucklot of completely gacked kiddos disappointed their parents.

This is the third year an incident like this has occurred in Joondalup. In 2014, a video of Perth teenagers pulling down the fence while a single security guard looked on, bemused, went global. That same year, a crowd of Sydney fence-jumpers trampled a 29-year-old security guard, sending him to hospital with a ruptured spleen. In 2015, the Perth leg of Listen Out was again plagued by a large group of jumpers.

Hate to bang on about this, but again, earlier this year around 100 Perth kids were filmed storming the sold-out Good Life Festival. That same day, an 18-year-old festival goer was charged with assault after a video him appearing to kick a security guard in the head went viral.

Perth, mate, what's going on?

But let's step back. Considering the city's isolation, the virtual absence of all-ages shows in the area, and the fact that a number of touring festivals and artists never even make it to Perth, it's not hard to imagine how we got here. This is an imperfect storm: desperate under 18s have come to see Listen Out as their one chance for a loose day out.

Unfortunately, the four people who assaulted cops are now facing a loose day out in Joondalup Magistrates Court.