5 Local Acts On The UNIFY Gathering 2019 Lineup Who Are About To Take Over The World

UNIFY Gathering is much more than just an amazing excuse for the heavy community to come together for a kickass annual riff party, it’s also a launch pad for Australia’s next big musical exports.

This year’s lineup contains some absolutely monster acts, including Underoath, Karnivool, Taking Back Sunday, Every Time I Die and loads more. But true to form, the fest will also be showcasing an incredible array of local bands who — if they’re not already on your radar — will be very soon, because they’re about to kick some serious dicks both at home and abroad in 2019.

So, in honour of the fifth instalment of your favourite fest going down this weekend (in a whole new location, no less!) here’s five homegrown heroes whose sets you should definitely not miss (peep the official set times here) because they’re about to take over the goddamn world!

P.S. If you haven’t got your UNIFY tickets sorted yet you should probably get your sh*t together because there’s less than 100 remaining!

1. Stand Atlantic

After signing to Hopeless Records, touring Europe with State Champs, the US with Neck Deep, and releasing their triple j-featured debut album Skinny Dipping all in 2018, Bonnie Fraser-fronted pop-punks Stand Atlantic will make their UNIFY Gathering festival debut this weekend to kick off what is bound to be an even more blockbuster year ahead. You can catch them hitting the main stage at 2.40pm on Saturday or tuning up for an acoustic session at 11.30am on Sunday before setting off on their own national headlining tour.

2. Yours Truly

After the music video for their 2018 single ‘High Hopes’ went all kinds of viral on YouTube and exploded them onto the international radar, Sydney pop rockers Yours Truly have signed on with UK-based Capital Artist Management, not to mention inked booking deals across the globe — and word on the street is they have some VERY exciting record label news to be announced very soon!!

The Mikaila Delgado-fronted foursome will be making their UNIFY gathering debut this weekend, before hitting the road on a national tour alongside The Faim and then jetting OS to play one of the biggest rock festivals in the entire world, Download UK!!!! Before these guys well and truly blow up, you can catch them performing on the UNIFY main stage at 10.40am on Saturday, and gifting us with an acoustic sesh at 10am on Sunday.

3. Pagan

After taking out triple J Unearthed‘s UNIFY Gathering competition for the 2017 festival, Melbourne’s blackened rock n’ rollers Pagan return this year as conquerors! 2018 saw them release their br00tal debut album Black Wash and bring their renowned death disco to the UK for the very first time. They capped it all off by inking a slew of international agency deals, which means we can expect more globetrotting from these formidable riff-flayers in the year to come! But first, you can catch their insane live show IRL this weekend when they hit the UNIFY main stage at 1.20pm on Saturday!

4. Drown This City

Also returning triumphant to the UNIFY Gathering stage this year is Melbourne post-hardcore crew Drown This City. After touring Australia with the likes of Falling In Reverse and taking out the triple J Unearthed UNIFY comp back in 2016, the Alex Reade-fronted collective have gone from strength-to-strength, dropping monster new single ‘THIRD LAW’ last year and announcing a national run with In Hearts Wake post-UNIFY. Catch them ripping up the festival stage — and road-testing some of their brand new material — at 2.50pm on Friday.

5. Trophy Eyes

Trophy Eyes have carved out a rep as one of the country’s finest punk rock acts, but the release of their triple j-featured 2018 sophomore album The American Dream saw them break down major sound barriers. Their second release on the Hopeless Records label, The American Dream was cinematic in both sound and scale (it even debuted in the cinema with album-length visuals) and delivered Trophy Eyes to a whole new legion of fans outside of simply ‘the scene’. 2018 saw the John Floreani-fronted group tour the world, and they’re already ramping up to head OS again this year to play the UK’s Slam Dunk festival, after ripping it up at UNIFY and heading out on a regional Australian tour of course.

We can’t wait to see what else these trailblaizing tunesmiths have up their sleeves for 2019, but for now you can catch them rocking the festival stage at 10.50pm Saturday, before Floreani treats us to the acoustic stylings of his solo project Little Brother at 1pm on Sunday.

UNIFY Gathering 2019 Lineup

Friday, 11th January

UNDEROATH [Exclusive Australian Performance]
KARNIVOOL [First East Coast Show since 2016]
IN HEARTS WAKE
HELLIONS
OCEAN GROVE
WHILE SHE SLEEPS [Exclusive Australian Performance]
CROSSFAITH [Exclusive Australian Performance]
DREAM ON DREAMER
THE PLOT IN YOU [Exclusive Australian Performance]
HAND OF MERCY [Exclusive Reunion Show]
DREAM STATE [Exclusive Australian Performance]
OCEAN SLEEPER
BETTER HALF

Saturday, 12th January

TAKING BACK SUNDAY [Playing ‘Tell All Your Friends’ in full]
~~I KILLED THE PROM QUEEN [2005 Lineup Reunion]~~ (Removed from lineup)
EVERY TIME I DIE [Exclusive Australian Performance]
TROPHY EYES
STATE CHAMPS [Exclusive Australian Performance]
TURNSTILE
CITIZEN
WAAX
CLOWNS
ENDLESS HEIGHTS
HARMS WAY
SAVIOUR
STAND ATLANTIC
THORNHILL
PAGAN
GRAVEMIND
AFTER TOUCH
FALCIFER
YOURS TRULY
PRIDELANDS