Good Things Festival 2025 Lineup Predictions
The crew at The Note have consulted the crystal ball and come up with a list of bands we think might perform at this year’s Good Things festival.
Image Andy Ford
Good Things festival just keeps on getting bigger and better every year. Since debuting in 2018 with a solid bill headlined by the Offspring and Stone Sour, the festival has gone from strength to strength.
Last year’s edition, the fifth in the festival’s history, was another belter, with Korn, Electric Callboy and Violent Femmes headlining. The festival also saw Killing Heidi perform their debut album, Reflector, in full, 311 play their first Aussie shows in almost three decades, and From Ashes to New and Iminence tour the country for the first time.
After organisers confirmed the Good Things would return in December, with the festival taking place in Melbourne on Friday, December 5, Sydney on Saturday, December 6, and Brisbane on Sunday, December 7, speculation has begun to ramp up regarding the lineup.
While we have absolutely no clue who will be playing, that hasn’t stopped the crew at The Note from speculating on who we think might be performing.
Below are a slew of acts we think fit the Good Things vibe and would love to see live at this year’s festival.
Sleep Token
Depending on where you sit on the modern heavy metal fence, Sleep Token are either a refreshing burst of metal goodness or everything that’s wrong with modern heavy music. No matter what camp you pitch your tent in, there is no doubt that Sleep Token are one of the biggest bands in the world.
Their latest album, Even in Arcadia, may have received mixed reviews, with Pitchfork awarding it 2.3/ten while Kerrang! gave it 4/5, but it topped the US Billboard 200, which is an impressive feat for a heavy act. Our own Will Oakeshott called it “a dream you will want to revisit, over and over again” in his glowing review.
The bottom line is Sleep Token headlining Good Things guarantees ticket sales. Even those not keen on the band’s prog metal pop will be intrigued to see what the masked outfit delivers on the live stage, making them an ideal headliner for this year’s fest.
Machine Head
Hit up internet message boards or Reddit and you’ll find Machine Head’s name cropping up quite a bit when it comes to Good Things 2025 lineup rumours.
For more than three decades, the heavy metal kings have been consistently releasing aggressive rock music, with this year’s Unatoned, the band’s eleventh record, receiving solid reviews.
Although they were just here last year, Machine Head are a certified crowd pleaser and a great fit for Good Things, appealing to both hardcore metalheads and casual fans of the heavy stuff.
Their schedule is clear throughout December, and with a new album out in the world, their appearance at the festival makes perfect sense.
Killswitch Engage
Whenever a band has a new album out, an Australian tour is inevitable, so Killswitch Engage forming part of this year’s lineup is another slam dunk for promoters Destroy All Lines.
While they were here in 2024 supporting Iron Maiden, giving Killswitch the chance to perform on one of the mid-stages would be welcomed by most heavy music fanatics.
Not only can they play tracks from This Consequence, their first album in six years, but Killswitch can treat punters to classic anthems from their stacked catalogue. Everybody wins.
Wolfmother
Good Things loves a nostalgia act, and if there’s one band that fits that bill this year, it’s riff monsters Wolfmother.
The Andrew Stockdale-led rock act are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the band’s self-titled debut, lining up a special one-off concert performing Wolfmother in its entirety before heading to Europe for festival season.
Filling a similar role to Killing Heidi, Jet and The Living End, who all played last year’s festival, Wolfmother allows older punters a chance to relive their youth and reminisce about the good times while younger fans can discover one of Australia’s great modern rock bands.
If Wolfmother do get an invite to play Good Things, fingers crossed Stockdale is keen on playing the band’s debut album in full, as he’s sure to draw a huge crowd amped to hear Wolfmother anthems such as ‘Joker & the Thief’, ‘Woman’ and ‘White Unicorn’.
SPEED
It’s been a monster 2025 for hardcore favs SPEED. The Sydney five-piece have been on an absolute tear since dropping their 2024 debut Only One Mode, which peaked at #10 on the ARIA Album Chart last year.
Currently ripping it up across the States, SPEED are back on home soil this July and August for a run of gigs with Thai hardcore act Whispers and Newcastle beatdown gurus Feel the Pain.
Rocking up at Good Things makes total sense and is a great fit, and we’re pretty sure there’s nobody who would be disappointed by them taking a spot on this year’s lineup.
Creed
Remember Creed? Post-grunge act that appeared in the late ‘90s. Released two #1 Billboard 200 albums (1999's Human Clay and 2021’s Weathered). Had a couple of monster hits before in-band turmoil saw them breakup.
Well, they’re back and touring North America, playing shows with the likes of Three Doors Down and Finger Eleven. Not only that, but Creed have found a second wind on TikTok, where their song “One Last Breath’ has become a cult hit among the youth.
It’s true Creed copped a lot of flak during their heyday for being more rock than metal, but anyone who grew up during their hold on the charts in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s would agree seeing the band and their sometimes troubled frontman Scott Stapp belting out hits ‘Higher’ and ‘Arms Wide Open’ would bring a tear to the eye.
Avril Lavigne
We picked Avril Lavigne to appear at last year’s Good Things and got it totally wrong, but we are doubling down on the Canadian superstar to make her triumphant return to Australian shores this year.
The ‘Sk8er Boi’ has been touring more regularly than normal and recently released new music in the form of ‘Young & Dumb’, a collaboration with pop punkers Simple Plan, and ‘77’, a duet with Billy Idol, taken from this ninth studio album, Dream Into It.
Lavigne has been tipped to tour this year as part of her Greatest Hits Tour, but we think taking to the Good Things stage is more likely.
Motionless in White
Metalcore beasts Motionless in White are all the rage these days thanks to their hit ‘Demon in Your Dreams’, which also happens to be the theme song for Aussie WWE superstar Rhea Ripley.
Currently in the studio working on material for their much hyped sixth studio album, Good Things is a solid fit for the band, especially if their new record drops this year.
Even if it’s more likely for an early 2026 release, a run of Aussie shows is a great way to roadtest the new songs. Plus, it’s been several years since they last performed in Oz, so it’s about time they took to the stage Down Under.
Rose TAttoo
Rose Tattoo’s pint-sized vocalist, Angry Anderson, took to the airwaves of 3AW Melbourne to confirm the band were calling time on their 50 year career.
"We wrap it up at the end of next year,” Anderson said on the radio. “We will be 50 years old in ‘26 on New Year’s Eve. I am proud to say – because I have survived all the original members, and a few along the way – we have achieved what we set out to achieve. At the end of the day if you can say that you are a lucky man.
“We're working on a new set of songs because we want to mark our 50th anniversary bow-out with an album. But I think we're still going to keep writing and recording even after that, because this particular lineup is on fire.”
What better way to say goodbye than a run of shows as part of Good Things 2025, where fans can rock out to classic hits including ‘We Can’t Be Beaten’, ‘Bad Boy for Love’ and ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Outlaw’ one last time.
Alien Weaponary
Alien Weaponry just dropped their new album Te Rā in March, and with no mention of an Australian tour as of yet, getting them on the Good Things bill would be a great get.
The fierce Auckland trio have built a strong fanbase over the past 15 years with their stylish take on groove metal. Te Rā features singing in both English and Māori and combines traditional Kiwi music with heavy metal, making for a unique listen.
They might not be as big of a name as some of the other suggestions on this list, but we are pretty confident Alien Weaponry will make their presence felt at this year’s fest.
Linkin Park
When we predicted the lineup for Good Things 2024, the office threw out a bunch of wishlist bands and settled on No Doubt. Sadly, that didn’t come to fruition, but it hasn’t stopped us from coming up with another Hail Mary. This year, we are taking a gamble on the new iteration of Linkin Park.
It’s been a wild 12 months for the band. Personal changes have seen Dead Sara’s Emily Armstrong announced as the new lead vocalist, lead guitarist Brad Delson stepping away from touring, and longtime drummer Rob Bourdon calling it quits.
In that time, Linkin Park also released a new album, From Zero, which topped the ARIA Album Chart, and embarked on a series of stadium shows across the globe.
It’s been over a decade since they were last here, performing as part of Soundwave 2013, so they are due for a visit. While a headline tour is more likely, the lure of a closing festival slot might be enough to sway Linkin Park to top this year’s Good Things Festival and help us get a least one prediction correct!
Keep up to date with Good Things Festival 2025 here.
