Good Things Festival 2024 Lineup Predictions
We take a stab in the dark and predict who might be playing this year’s Good Things Festival.
Image via @Sum41 (Facebook)
In just six short years Destroy All Lines’ Good Things Festival has become one of Australia’s premier live music events. Debuting in 2018 with a lineup headlined by The Offspring and Stonesour, the festival was a smash hit with local audiences, filling the Soundwave-sized hole in the yearly music festival calendar.
Since then there have been three more iterations of the festival headlined by some of the biggest acts from the metal, punk and alternative world, including Limp Bizkit, Fall Out Boy, Deftones, Bring Me the Horizon and more. The good news for fans is organisers have confirmed the 2024 edition is locked in for later this year. While no dates or lineup has been revealed for this year’s festival, that hasn’t stopped us from speculating on who might be performing at Good Things Festival 2024.
Putting our heads together, we’ve come up with a list of bands we think have a fair chance of turning up on this year’s bill. And just to reiterate, this is all speculation. We have no idea who will be performing, but the bands below all fit the criteria and have no tour dates during early December when the festival is most likely to occur. Fingers crossed we get a few of these right so we don’t look like absolute fools.
Judas Priest
Let’s stick our necks out with a bold prediction straight off the bat: Judas Priest. The iconic heavy metal group last toured Australia in 2019 as part of the Download Festival, and before that, they were on the Soundwave bill in 2015. So it’s clear they like a festival.
The band is also in album promotion mode, having recently dropped their 19th album, Invincible Shield, and is currently touring the globe in support of the release.
Interestingly they have dates booked in Japan from December 5 to December 12 with nothing scheduled before, so it makes sense for them to make a detour to Australia while they’re on this side of the world.
Sum 41
There are a plethora of reasons why Canadian pop-punk act Sum 41 could be part of this year’s Good Things Festival.
Having just released their eighth studio album, Heaven :x: Hell, Deryck Whibley and co are also calling it quits and gearing up for one last world tour. What better way to say goodbye to their Aussie fans than by playing Good Things Festival?
The band’s website lists all their confirmed tour dates from now right up until January 2025. While their schedule is packed, they have no dates confirmed in December, which just so happens to be when Good Things Festival is usually held. Interesting…
A Day To Remember
Although they headlined the inaugural 2019 festival, A Day To Remember hasn’t been back to Australia since. This year also marks the 15th anniversary of their acclaimed third album, Homesick.
Not only would being part of this year’s lineup allow fans to see the band live after a five-year absence, but it would be a great way for A Day To Remember to celebrate Homesick, possibly playing the album in its entirety. Who wouldn’t want to see that?
Coheed & Cambria
It’s been eight years since Coheed & Cambria last graced our shores, so they are due for a tour. The modern prog rockers are still playing the States in support of 2022s Vaxis – Act II: A Window of the Waking Mind, their 10th studio and album and second in the concept album series known as the Amory Wars.
The last show they have booked for the year is When We Were Young 2024 in Las Vegas in October, meaning they have plenty of time to duck Down Under for a few festival slots.
Avril Lavigne
If Good Things is looking for a nostalgia act everyone can get around, Avril Lavigne fits the bill.
The ‘Sk8er Boi’ has been touring more than usual of late, playing several American festivals. Lavigne has also announced the release of a greatest hits album which is set to drop in June.
It’s been almost two decades since she last toured Australia, so her appearance at the festival would attract a wide audience and certainly get people talking.
The Gaslight Anthem
This one is a bit left field but makes sense. Having reformed in 2022 after a seven-year hiatus, The Gaslight Anthem went back into the studio and recorded their sixth album History Books. Released last year, the band has been on the road ever since, playing shows around the world.
Their current touring schedule includes dates across Europe and America later this year, with The Gaslight Anthem having a clear schedule throughout November and December.
Throw in the fact they haven’t toured Australia since 2015 and The Gaslight Anthem playing Good Things Festival 2024 makes perfect sense.
Polaris
Yeah, we know they recently announced a huge regional tour, but Polaris is leading the Australian metalcore charge and would be a great addition to this year’s Good Things bill.
Their most recent album, 2023s Fatalism, has been nominated for Best Heavy Album at the 2024 AIR awards, so taking the stage at Good Things Festival would be the ultimate way for local fans to pay tribute to their achievements.
Green Day
Green Day is arguably still one of the biggest bands in the world. They continue to sell out stadiums around the world and are set to embark on a monster world tour this June, playing venues across Europe and North America. So why not headline Good Things Festival 2024?
Similar to Sum 41, they have no dates booked in December, but when the band appeared on Sunrise in 2023, they hinted that 2025 is the most likely time they will tour. It seems more likely Green Day will announce their own stadium shows, but there’s still a glimmer of hope they might join the festival lineup.
Placebo
Having pulled out of Pandemonium Festival, you can understand if Placebo wants to stay as far away from the Australian festival scene as possible.
But if the British alternative rockers behind ‘Pure Morning’, ‘The Bitter End’ and ‘Special K’ are looking to return at some stage this year, Good Things Festival is the band’s most likely destination.
They fit comfortably into the alt-rock/emo category and bring a touch of nostalgia in the same vein as Limp Bizkit and Devo from last year’s festival.
No Doubt
This one is a real Hail Mary. Having surprisingly reformed for two shows at this year’s Coachella and showing they’ve lost none of their spunk since going on hiatus in 2015, No Doubt ticks all the boxes when it comes to a name-grabbing headliner. Huge fan base. Check. Ticket seller. Check. Incredible live. Check. Nostalgia. Check.
While there are no plans for No Doubt to tour again, something Gwen Stefani confirmed in a chat with Nylon, they would be an awesome get and guarantee Good Things Festival sells out in record time.
Keep up to date with Good Things Festival 2024 here.
