Soundwave Festival 2014, Perth

Your Handy Guide To All The Rock & Metal Festivals Happening Across Australia This Year

Cancel your next haircut, because after a two-year live music drought, heavy music festivals are popping up all over the summer calendar like flies at a backyard barbie.

And assuming this Omicron fuckwit doesn’t rain on our marinade, there’ll be plenty of rock, punk & metal-themed events for mosh-fiends of all ages to get pumped for as we fire into 2022.

Sadly, we haven’t received any word on whether the ill-fated Download festival might get a resurrection post-COVID, but there’s still plenty of festival action to fill the Download-shaped hole in your hearts.

So without further ado, please enjoy this handy guide to all the headbanging, circle pitting, wall-of-deathing days out happening this summer and beyond (in chorological order).

Full Tilt

When:

Saturday, 8th January (Brisbane)

Saturday, 26th February (Sydney)

Saturday, 23rd March (Melbourne)

Where:

Eatons Hill Outdoor & Ballroom, Brisbane

Bella Vista Farm, Sydney

Reunion Park, Melbourne

Who:

Northlane, Thy Art Is Murder, Frenzal Rhomb, Luca Brasi, Slowly Slowly & more

The Lowdown:

The many time covid-postponed festival is finally getting its debut in Sydney & Melbourne this year! With a stellar lineup of some of the biggest & brightest rock, punk & metal acts in the country, this new fest on the block is set to fire the alternative music scene back up in a big way!

Tickets:

Destroy All Lines

UNIFY Forever

When:

Thursday, 20th to Sunday 23rd January

Where:

Tarwin Lower

Who:

The Amity Affliction, Violent Soho, Ocean Grove, WAAX, Yours Truly & more

The Lowdown:

UNIFY returns with a comeback event celebrating the Australian heavy music community in all its glory. Serving up an All-Aussie lineup for the first time since its 2015 debut, including a one-off reunion set from Sydney post-hardcore outfit Stories, the regional Victorian event is worth road-tripping for.

Tickets:

Official Website

Wallapalooza

When:

Saturday, 26th February

Where:

Mudgeeraba Showgrounds, Gold Coast

Who:

Grinspoon, The Butterfly Effect, Dead Letter Circus & more

The Lowdown:

The Gold Coast’s longest independent festival, lining up a bunch of Aussie rock & metal veterans along with some local up & comers

Tickets:

Oztix

Monolith Festival

When:

March – April

Where:

Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne & Perth

Who:

Karnivool, cog, Ocean Grove, Plini & more

The Lowdown:

A brand new festival for prog fans! Making its debut around the country this autumn.

Tickets:

Destroy All Lines

Uncaged Festival

When:

March – April

Where:

Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney

Who:

Wolfmother, Twelve Foot Ninja, The Superjesus, Bodyjar, End Of Fashion, Kingswood & more

The Lowdown:

Another brand new festival on the Aussie calendar! Uncaged is hitting three dates on the East Coast with a lineup stacked with veteran rockers and new up & comers in the alternative scene.

Tickets:

Official Website

Halloween Hysteria III

When:

Saturday, 2nd April

Where:

Mansfield Tavern, Brisbane

Who:

Spiderbait, Mammal, Clowns, King Parrot & more!

The Lowdown:

Brisbane spooktacular Halloween Hysteria may have been rescheduled from its original October 31st date, but the lineup for the one-day Aprilween rager is no less terrifyingly good!

Tickets:

Oztix

Good Things

When/Where:

Friday, 2nd December

Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne

Saturday, 3rd December

Centennial Park, Sydney

Sunday, 4th December

Brisbane Showgrounds, Brisbane

Who:

TBA

The Lowdown:

The punk rock festie fave announcing the official dates and venues announced for its 2022 comeback, teasing its “biggest lineup yet”.

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