Following the success of the Polaris-curated Life’s a Beach festival earlier this year, Destroy All Lines has announced a second edition of the heavy music event, this time headlined and curated by Thornhill.

Surf’s Up! Festival will take over St Kilda’s Riviera Beach Club on Saturday, February 20th, 2027, Thornhill leading programming duties, including personally selecting the acts joining them on the bill.

“We’re bringing Surf’s Up! Festival to life. Personally curated by the 4 of us, we are stoked to be joined by some of the best names in Australian heavy music. Expect big riffs, good times and a whole lot of energy. Melbourne, we’ll see you in February!” Thornhill said on Monday.

Joining Thornhill are Sydney outfit Stand Atlantic, who released their fifth studio album, Godbreath, earlier this year, and Melbourne metalcore band Alpha Wolf, whose latest album, Half Living Things, reached No. 2 on the ARIA Australian Albums Chart in 2024. The lineup also features two international acts, American duo Sace6 and Philadelphia metalcore outfit Varials. Sace6 released their debut album, brutalist, earlier this year and will also return to Australia in 2027 supporting Dayseeker, while Varials recently released their fourth studio album, Where the Light Leaves.

Sydney’s Justice for the Damned will also perform, following the release of their third album, Stay Relentless, in 2025. Rounding out the bill are Brisbane’s Headwreck, Sydney melodic hardcore outfit Bloom, and Adelaide alternative rock band Blinder.

Tickets will go on sale at 11am on Friday, November 6th following a presale from 10am on Thursday, November 5th. All times are AEDT. Sign up for presale here.

Surf’s Up! comes after a significant year for Thornhill, who embarked on their biggest Australian headline tour to date in 2026, selling out every show. Their third studio album, BODIES, debuted at No. 4 on the ARIA Albums Chart following its release in 2025 and went on to win Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album at the ARIA Awards and Best Independent Heavy Album or EP at the AIR Awards.

The festival follows the inaugural Life’s a Beach event in February, which saw Polaris curate a heavy music lineup featuring We Came As Romans, Thy Art Is Murder, Ocean Sleeper, Caskets and more at Riviera Beach Club. Speaking to Tone Deaf ahead of the event, Polaris guitarist Jake Steinhauser said the beachside setting offered something different from the band’s usual live performances.

“You do spend a lot of time in venues,” he said. “Some of them are spectacular, but sometimes they can just start to feel quite the same. Outdoor fests are great, but outdoor fest by the beach? Rarer even still.”

Steinhauser also discussed the band’s approach to curating the lineup, emphasising the importance of showcasing emerging artists alongside established names. “We try to have our ears to the ground,” he said. “Not just bands doing well online, but bands where you’re hearing their shows are going well. There’s an energy.”

For complete festival and ticket information, see here. 

SURF’S UP! FESTIVAL 2027

Saturday, February 20th
Riviera Beach Club, St Kilda, Melbourne VIC

Lineup:
Thornhill, Stand Atlantic, Alpha Wolf, Sace6 (USA), Justice for the Damned, Varials (USA), Headwreck, Bloom and Blinder