RED HILL ENTERTAINMENT are proud to announce the hugely successful UNIFY Gathering will return in January 2019, featuring headline performances from UNDERØATH, TAKING BACK SUNDAY, KARNIVOOL and I KILLED THE PROM QUEEN (2005 iconic lineup) as part of a 29-band lineup over two nights.
The fifth instalment of Australia’s only heavy music camping festival will take place over two nights from January 11 to 13 at a brand-new site at Tarwin Meadows, in the wonderfully green pastures of Tarwin Lower in South Gippsland, Victoria, where the festival has called home since the beginning.
Tickets on sale today August 9 at 12.00pm from store.unifygathering.com
A uniquely Australian event that takes pride in showcasing our natural beauty and the incredible heavy music scene our country is renowned for globally, UNIFY has been a smashing success since its inception in 2015 with the festival selling out year on year.
In 2019, the UNIFY lineup features 19 Australian acts, as well as a plethora of UNIFY exclusives and reunions, including Underøath playing an Australian exclusive, a legacy set from Taking Back Sunday playing their seminal 2002 debut, Tell All Your Friends, in full, and reformations from I Killed The Prom Queen (2005 line up) and Hand of Mercy both playing exclusive one off sets. There will also be UNIFY exclusive sets from Karnivool, Crossfaith (Japan), While She Sleeps (UK), Dream State (UK), State Champs (US) and The Plot In You (US). On top of that, performances from the best Australia has to offer including Trophy Eyes, In Hearts Wake, Ocean Grove, Dream on Dreamer, Endless Heights, WAAX, Clowns and stacks more.
With eight years passed since we last heard new music from Underøath, that near decade-length absence weighed heavily upon music lovers’ hearts. Leaving behind their gold certified records They Are Only Chasing Safety (2004) and Define The Great Line (2006), when you consider all of the bands that formed using their idiosyncratic power and texture as blueprints, you can clearly see the impact Underøath had. The band reunited in 2016 for a round of touring and in 2018 released their new album, Erase Me – adding another crucial chapter to their formidable legacy, and what will no doubt be an unmissable set at UNIFY 2019.
How have Taking Back Sunday managed to not only survive but thrive through their prolific career? The answer is simple: By constantly innovating. Through seven albums the band has consistently been able to write lyrics that connect with their audience through shared experiences, making celebrating their first album, Tell All Your Friends (2002), just as relevant as their latest. Taking Back Sunday will return to Australia to showcase their iconic debut album in full that launched their career and cemented their legacy 17 years on.
Karnivool are a curious beast. They have been a band for a long time, the twists and turns of their musical adventure get more interesting and more complicated as time goes on. Themata introduced them to Australia, Sound Awake introduced them to the world, and the ARIA winning #1 album Asymmetry solidified their reputation: the music mystery shrouded in a time-stretching conundrum. They ended the Asymmetry tour far from home at the Roundhouse in London and then, apart from a brief run to celebrate Themata and an even briefer run with friends Deftones, silence. New music already aired live, some hints of writing, recording but very little else – Karnivool had gone to ground. That had to change, change is the constant and Drew, Kenny, Steve, Hoss and Jon will be seen on stage together for the first time in 18 months in regional Victoria in January and no better place than the collective of like-minded souls that is UNIFY Gathering.
Australian heavy music legends I Killed The Prom Queen will reform with their classic 2005 line up exclusively for UNIFY 2019. For one night only, Michael Crafter, Jona Weinhofen, Kevin Cameron, Sean Kennedy and JJ Peters will get the band back together for the first time since 2008. As one of the original metalcore bands to emerge in Australia, their first and only album under this lineup was When Goodbye Meets Forever (2003). To celebrate 15 years since the album’s release, the band will dust off material from 2003-2005 for a night of nostalgia.
Rounding out the 2019 lineup is a veritable who’s who featuring Turnstile (US), Citizen (US), Harms Way, Stand Atlantic, Thornhill, Pagan, Drown This City, Gravemind, After Touch, Ocean Sleeper, Better Half and Yours Truly.
The fifth instalment of UNIFY will take place on the new site just five kilometres down the road from its birth place the Recreation Reserve and football field, in Tarwin Lower, South Gippsland, a cruisy two-hour drive from Melbourne.
The new home of UNIFY is set across sprawling farm land with bush on one side and stunning views of the hills on the other. Surrounded by lush greenery, the festival site is only a 15-minute drive from the pristine blue ocean in neighbouring Venus Bay.
There’s a lot of exciting additions to UNIFY 19, including a new early access option to beat the crowds by camping onsite a day earlier. This year will see the roll out of pre-pitched camping options which includes pre-set up scout tents, bell tents and even canvas lodges – more details to come on those! Kartent will be back with their 100 percent recyclable cardboard tents for two, for the eco conscious. For the first time ever, there will also be the option to bring a campervan on site.
With more room on the site, UNIFY will increase its onsite services. 2019 will see the roll out of an improved entry system and larger campsite, complete with Unisex, Male and Female toilet options… and lots of them. There will also be increased community resources across the campsite (security, The Lighthouse, UNITY Crew) and a Corner Store for you to stock up on items that may have been forgotten.
Most importantly – there will be more days, more people, more music, more food, more fun!
Banana Bus will be providing transport options for those trekking to Tarwin Lower. Buses will pick up and drop off from 16 suburban locations in Melbourne. For those travelling from interstate, there is a pick up and drop off option for passengers near Southern Cross Station as well as a service running from Sydney, NSW, more information and routing can be found at bananabusft.com.
In an effort to encourage bus travel and decrease traffic on the roads and the overall carbon footprint of the festival, those who wish to drive and park onsite will be required to purchase a car pass. Punters who arrive with two or more passengers in their vehicle, 100 percent of the car pass fee will be donated to a local environmental initiative. UNIFY encourages carpooling and the official UNIFY carpooling group will launch in September. More information on all of the above can be found at unifygathering.com.
UNIFY Gathering is a proud supporter of YOUR CHOICE – a music industry supported campaign initiated to address the growing cultural issues around behaviour and lack of personal accountability within Australian venues and event spaces. For more information, head to your-choice.net.au.
