Good Things Festival 2026 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 Jack Rudder
Last year, The Note was lucky enough to cover Good Things Festival (read our review here), and we can collectively say it’s one of the best music festivals in the country.
TOOL, Garbage, Weezer, Refused, All Time Low, Goldfinger and James Reyne (?) were just some of the highlights of the annual festival that takes over Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in early December.
2026 marks the seventh edition of Good Things, and if you’ve been snooping around on the internet, you’ll know there are some pretty big rumours concerning who will be part of this year’s lineup.
Admittedly, we’ve got about as much of a clue as the next punter, but everyone in The Note office has put their heads together to come up with a list of artists we think could be making the trip down under for Good Things.
Take this with a grain of salt (and don’t get upset when we get things wrong), but here are our Good Things Festival 2026 lineup predictions.
My Chemical Romance
We conducted a deep dive on Reddit forums concerning the Good Things 2026 lineup and found dozens of users posting mock posters, with one common theme – emo icons My Chemical Romance as the headliner.
The Gerard Way-fronted punk meets emo outfit are currently touring North America, celebrating the 20th anniversary of their seminal album The Black Parade.
Last in the country in 2023, there is a lot of chatter online about My Chemical Romance making their return this year. Could Good Things be the ideal setting for the band?
The main issue we see with this one is whether Way and co are keen on headlining a festival when they could easily sell out arenas.
Let’s hope we get something similar to previous Good Things where My Chemical Romance are booked as the headliner while also locking in headline shows in Adelaide and Perth, meaning everyone’s a winner.
Nine Inch Nails
It’s been well over a decade since Nine Inch Nails last toured Australia, so we really hope this one comes true.
After receiving rave reviews for their performance at Coachella as Nine Inch Noize, a collaborative musical project between NIN and electronic music producer Boys Noize, we think it’s about time they visited our shores again.
Similar to My Chemical Romance, NIN would more than likely sell out their own tour, but jumping on the Good Things lineup fits in with Trent Reznor’s vibe.
The big question is whether Reznor, who recently said touring with NIN isn’t high on his list of things to do, feels like bringing the band all this way to down under for one final time.
Jimmy Eat World
Jimmy Eat World are another band celebrating an album anniversary in 2026. The punk rock quartet are touring the US from June in support of their fourth studio album, Bleed American, with the record turning 25 this year.
Arguably one of the greatest pop-punk albums ever to come out of the early ‘00s, Bleed American propelled Jimmy Eat World to global stardom and featured festival anthems ‘Bleed American’, ‘The Middle’ and ‘Sweetness’.
It’s been several years since Jimmy Eat World last toured Australia, so it makes perfect sense for them to combine their Bleed American 25th anniversary tour with an appearance at Good Things 2026.
Whitechapel
It’s been a minute (four years to be exact) since Whitechapel last made their presence felt in Australia.
The deathcore titans are currently travelling the globe in support of their ninth studio album, Hymns in Dissonance, so fans would much appreciate a stop in Australia.
The reason we think Whitechapel might get the call-up, besides touring their album, is the fact that they have a huge gap in their calendar around December. They have no gigs booked at the time of this article being published, so we think this one has a pretty good chance of coming true.
SPEED
We tipped SPEED to appear at Good Things 2025, and while we were a little off with that prediction, we think 2026 might be the year.
The Sydney hardcore outfit is at the top of their game. Not only did they perform at Coachella last year for the very first time, along with selling out multiple shows across Australia, but their most recent release, 2025’s EP All My Angels, is probably their best effort yet.
Currently ripping it up across Europe, SPEED returns for a tour of Asia in May and June, with no major shows booked for the rest of the year, so there is no reason why they can’t be part of the Good Things lineup.
Rob Zombie
Taking a break from making terrible movies, Rob Zombie has returned to his roots this year, releasing his eighth studio album, The Great Satan.
Zombie’s first LP in five years, The Great Satan has received fairly positive reviews, with the 15-track album harking back to his Hellbilly glory days.
With a new album out in the world, plus the fact that he hasn’t toured Australia in over a decade, there’s a decent shot of Zombie appearing on the Good Things lineup.
Spiritbox
Canadian metalcore outfit Spiritbox are still riding high after the release of their 2025 sophomore album, Tsunami Sea. The record was universally praised by music publications and even managed to top the UK Independent Albums Chart.
It’s also been three years since they last played our shores. In 2023, Spiritbox were part of the Knotsfest lineup, so it kinda makes sense for them to jump across to Good Things.
Spiritbox are also on the road for most of this year. They head to South America in May, then to the US before a run of shows across Europe that ends in October.
The AMity Affliciton
Good Things is known for showcasing awesome Aussie acts, and one such outfit that fits the bill is The Amity Affliction.
The metalcore heroes' popularity has never been bigger, with the band having just completed a run of shows across the country and released their ninth album, House of Cards, Amity’s first album to feature new clean vocalist and bassist Johnny Reeves, who joined permanently last year.
Touring across Europe and America until October, The Amity Affliction are free as a bird when December hits, and we think they would make a super addition to the lineup.
Simple Plan
Despite touring Australia last year in support of Offspring, we think a quick return is certainly a strong possibility.
Simple Plan are currently celebrating their 25th anniversary with a North American tour and have just announced they will be performing in Asia at the end of November.
With a clear schedule in December, making the quick trip down under for Good Things makes perfect sense and gives Aussie fans the chance to catch these Canadian rockers strut their stuff.
Daryl Braithwaite
Destroy All Lines, the good folks behind Good Things, have been locking in nostalgia-driven Aussie artists for recent editions of the festival.
Last year saw James Ryene hit the stage late arvo, with the mosh turning into a drunken sing-along. This year could see the great Daryl Braithwaite serenading the crowd with his signature hit ‘The Horses’.
It’s one of those iconic songs that’s become somewhat of an unofficial Australian anthem alongside Johnny Franham’s ‘The Voice’ and Cold Chisel’s ‘Khe Sahn’.
What’s even more remarkable is the fact that ‘The Horses’ is a cover, with Braithwaite having made the song his own. Please make this one happen.
Meshuggah
Good Things always features a couple of niche heavy metal acts, and while Meshuggah are pretty popular, their brand of technical extreme metal isn’t for everyone.
Meshuggah currenlty have no tour plans, and while a new record could be in the works, last year did see them release the remastered version of their 2022 album Immutable – The Indellible Edition.
What does all this mean? Well, Meshuggah seem to have nothing going on, so why not visit Australia for the first time in several years as part of Good Things 2026?
No DOubt
While they aren’t exactly back, No Doubt’s appearance at Coachella in 2024 sparked reunion rumours. That hasn’t proven to be the case just yet, but the four-piece have locked in a residency at Las Vegas’ The Sphere across May and June.
It’s more than likely a shot in the dark, but No Doubt fit the bill when it comes to Good Things love for ‘90s nostalgia. They tick all the boxes required for a headliner, and while diehard metal fans might be a little ticked off if No Doubt are this year’s big band after getting TOOL in 2025, the team at The Note would be super happy for Gwen and co to take the stage.
Keep up to date with Good Things Festival 2026 here.
