Against the Grain: 10th Anniversary Lineup Revealed
GRAIN, in collaboration with The Tivoli Group and The Princess Theatre, are thrilled to announce the return of cult favourite festival Against The Grain, taking over multiple venues across the Clarence Corner Precinct in Woolloongabba on Saturday 20 June 2026.
Back after an eight-year hiatus as part of Open Season’s 2026 program, the long-awaited return celebrates the ten-year legacy of GRAIN, a promoter, online music zine and creative incubator that has played a defining role in shaping Magandjin/Brisbane’s music scene, honouring its lasting impact while ushering in a bold new chapter.
Against The Grain will transform this historic pocket of inner-city Brisbane into a multi-stage, one-day festival. GRAIN’s carefully curated collision of live music, art and culture will bring together some of the most vital artists from across Australia and around the world.
Leading the lineup is legendary Anglo-French avant-pop outfit Stereolab, performing their first Brisbane show in 17 years. With deep ties to Brisbane through former member Mary Hansen, the performance marks a significant and long-awaited return.
Against The Grain continues with a 2026 Australian exclusive from beloved psych rock band and electric live act Pond, showcasing tracks from their forthcoming 2026 album, alongside the return of Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever following their recent hiatus and indie rock outfit on the rise The Belair Lip Bombs.
International heavyweights, Detroit post-punk stalwarts Protomartyr return to Brisbane for the first time in nearly a decade, bringing their brooding intensity and razor-sharp lyricism back to local stages. They’re joined by the boundary-pushing Canadian outfit, Cola (acronym for Cost-Of-Living Adjustment), one of the most compelling voices in contemporary punk who arrive for their long-awaited Australian debut.
Reflecting on a decade of community-building, GRAIN also brings together key artists from across its history. Magandjin favourites Good Boy are set to reunite for a special one-off performance – their first since 2021 – alongside a full-band set from Pool Shop, who played GRAIN’s very first show. They are joined by fellow alumni Concrete Surfers and Slowrip.
Local representation runs deep, with Brisbane’s own Hatchie returning for her first performance on home soil since the release of her acclaimed third album Liquorice in 2025.
Continuing its commitment to emerging talent, Against The Grain will showcase the new wave of artists set to shape the future of independent music. The lineup includes global risers Way Dynamic, Acopia, Swapmeet, Naarm punks Public Figures, an exclusive dance set from Gut Health, noise outfit Twine, and local acts Selve, Tomorrow’s Forecast, 01 Thurman and PEACHY, among many more.
Beyond the live stages, the Echo & Bounce carpark will be reimagined as an open-air dancefloor, curated by Magandjin party-starters Natural Steps. Featuring DJs Sacha Alexiou, Squidgenini, Deejay Hotline, Karishma and Wil Knott, alongside immersive installations and Visual Curation by Madeline Holt, the space will expand the festival beyond sound, into a full sensory experience.
From 10pm–2am, Against The Grain will kick on at The Princess Theatre with an Official Afterparty curated by and featuring Naarm-based producer Milo Eastwood, bringing together boundary-pushing selector JNETT, known for her deep, rhythmic blends across house, techno and global club sounds, as well as Adriana, whose high-impact, percussive sets channel a raw, late-night intensity built for the dancefloor.
“With Against The Grain, we’ve wanted to build something that feels true to the community that surrounds it, something independent, intentional and a little bit unpredictable,” says Chris Langenberg. “To bring it back after eight years, and to do it at this scale with artists we’ve grown alongside as well as those shaping what comes next, feels like a real marker of where GRAIN has come from and where it’s heading.”
With one ticket granting access to 30+ performances across five stages – alongside installations, activations and surprises – Against The Grain signals a bold new chapter for GRAIN and a new take on what an urban city festival in Brisbane can be.
Open Season is The Tivoli Group’s annual winter program that transforms Brisbane into a city-wide celebration of live music, art and culture. Against The Grain sits within the broader Open Season program spanning venues including The Tivoli, The Princess Theatre and QPAC, with early highlights featuring Alison Wonderland, Kae Tempest, Matt Berninger (The National), Hiatus Kaiyote and Earl Sweatshirt.
STEREOLAB, POND, ROLLING BLACKOUTS COASTAL FEVER, THE BELAIR LIP BOMBS, PROTOMARTYR
+
A-Z: ACOPIA, COLA, CONCRETE SURFERS, GOOD BOY, GUT HEALTH, HATCHIE, MEDIA PUZZLE, PEACHY, POOL SHOP, PUBLIC FIGURES, SELVE, SLOWRIP, SPECIAL FEATURES, SWAPMEET, TOMORROW’S FORECAST, TWINE, WAY DYNAMIC, XIAO XIAO, 01 THURMAN
+
DJ’s CURATED BY NATURAL STEPS
A-Z: DEEJAY HOTLINE, KARISHMA, NATURAL STEPS, SACHA, ALEXIOU, SQUIDGENINI, WIL KNOT
+
OFFICIAL ATGAFTERPARTY CURATED BY MILO EASTWOOD
MILO EASTWOOD, ADRIANA, JNETT
+
More to be announced
AGAINST THE GRAIN
Clarence Corner Block Party, Woolloongabba
Magandjin/Brisbane
Saturday 20 June 2026
Tickets are on sale now!
ABOUT GRAIN:
GRAIN was born at the end of 2015 as an online music and art magazine by founder Chris Langenberg to promote artists that he believed weren’t getting enough attention from traditional press and music media. The online zine quickly grew from local roots to international collaborations and GRAIN became a respected avenue for music discovery and curation.
From 2016, GRAIN began producing live events in Brisbane, fostering a growing community of local music lovers via regular monthly club night events and one-off shows. GRAIN events were always produced with specialised curation and affordable accessibility in mind, in order to fully service the scene.
Since the first show, GRAIN has gone on to produce over 165 events around the country and a handful of parties in the United Kingdom working with hundreds of artists globally.
GRAIN has worked with and produced shows with some of the worlds’ biggest names: Fontaines DC, IDLES, Caribou, Alex G, Dry Cleaning, Baxter Dury, Spacey Jane, Soccer Mommy, Julia Jacklin, Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers, Sorry, Fat White Family, amongst many more.
AGAINST THE GRAIN VENUES / CLARENCE CORNER
The Princess Theatre
The Mater Hospital
Echo & Bounce
Season Three
Brisbane Brewhouse
C’est Bon
Woolloongabba Art Gallery
