Australian metalcore band Thornhill will headline and curate Surf’s Up! Festival, a one-day heavy music event at Melbourne’s Riviera Beach Club on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2027, promoter Destroy All Lines announced Monday (Nov. 2).
The bill, selected by the band, features Stand Atlantic, Alpha Wolf, US duo SACE6, Justice for the Damned, Philadelphia’s Varials, Headwreck, Bloom and Blinder. Presale tickets go on sale Thursday (Nov. 5) at 10 a.m. AEDT, with general tickets following Friday (Nov. 6) at 11 a.m. The event is 18+.
“Personally curated by the four of us, we are stoked to be joined by some of the best names in Australian heavy music,” Thornhill said in a statement. “Expect big riffs, good times and a whole lot of energy.”
It’s the second artist-curated heavy bill at the St Kilda venue, following a Polaris-programmed edition staged there in February as part of the Life’s A Beach series.
Thornhill arrive off the strongest run of their career. Their third album, Bodies, debuted at No. 4 on the ARIA albums chart in 2025 and won the ARIA Award for best hard rock or heavy metal album, plus best independent heavy album or EP at the AIR Awards. It was also nominated for Australian album of the year at the J Awards. The band’s 2022 album Heroine reached No. 3 on the ARIA chart and No. 1 on the Australian albums chart, earning an ARIA nomination, while 2019 debut The Dark Pool hit No. 20 on the Australian albums chart. They have toured with Sleep Token, Bring Me the Horizon, Architects and Avenged Sevenfold, and played Download, Welcome to Rockville, Hellfest and Graspop Metal Meeting.
Stand Atlantic released their fifth album, Godbreath, on Oct. 23 through Virgin Music Group, and it debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA albums chart last week — the Sydney band’s first chart-topper, eclipsing the No. 3 peak of 2024’s Was Here. They have toured with Sum 41, A Day to Remember and ONE OK ROCK, with a 2026 Warped Tour run and a UK support slot with Simple Plan.
Alpha Wolf earned an ARIA nomination for best hard rock or heavy metal album with 2020’s A Quiet Place to Die and a Grammy nomination for best boxed or special limited edition package for 2024’s Half Living Things. SACE6 released debut album Brutalist this year and have toured with Dayseeker, Don Broco and Northlane. Varials released their fourth album, Where the Light Leaves, in 2026 and are currently on a North American run supporting Wage War.
