Live Review: REVIEW: All The Action From Unify Forever 2022

ALL photos by Kill Your Stereo primary photographer, Christopher Roese

THURSDAY

We started off with a BANG inside the circus tent. The line-up for the AM/PM pre-party was psycho good & if you didn’t come, YA CRAZY! Grenade Jumper opened up the festival. The female-fronted group were as notably stoked to be there as everyone else & a great start to the night.

Rumours, HOLY FUCK Rumours!!! If you don’t already listen to this band, you’re crazy. The set was full of life and they showed us well and truly that it was PARTY TIME. Every single member performs with a huge smile & the talent of these guys needs to be witnessed.

Drown This City followed & the band could have played this monstrous set on the main stage. Alex’s angelic vocals mixed with Toby’s brutal screams were the first heavy of the weekend. They played to a PACKED tent & no one left disappointed.

Dregg was absolutely nuts. If you were there, you know. This was straight-up hardcore and the tent was so full people were out of the cover. It genuinely felt like a headline set.

alt. finished the live part of the pre-party with their biggest show to date, showing everyone there just what Adelaide has to offer. Lead singer Dan absolutely BELTED his vocals over 40 minutes & didn’t miss a note. The chorus of the crowd singing along to every song was electric & this band is destined for excellence.

The AM/PM DJ’s were bloody brilliant, playing for an hour longer than they were meant to, and kept the vibe going. When the sun sets in Tarwin Lower, it’s absolutely freezing. The beach adjacent town reminds us of that every year. However, under that tent was HOT from everyone’s energy, dancing & all-round happiness to be there.

Night one = GREAT success.

FRIDAY

After a 2 minute light shower that had everyone braced for the cursed ‘Unify rain’…South Gippy TURNED ON THE WEATHER! It might have been the best Unify weather we have ever seen. After opening the arena with a pre-recorded ‘welcome to country’, Wildheart started us off as the first band on the main stage. These guys will be MUCH higher on their next Unify appearance. The campsite was empty & people were ready to go so the band got a huge turnout & it was a mammoth start to the day.

To Octavia followed & vocalist Merry Kirk-Holmes was utterly CAPTIVATING & could be heard from the very back of the campsite. This band are going places & truly it was a pleasure to watch this set.

Banks Arcade made their Unify debut by completely owning that stage. It felt like they were playing as the second last band of the day, not the third. I watched people picking their jaws up off the floor & if you weren’t a fan of them before this set, you are now.

Bloom were next with the meme-iest set of the weekend. Visualisers blasted ‘BLOOMIFY’ across the back of the stage & disclaimers that they were better than Thornhill, who would re-imburse you for your time from their merch sales if you weren’t happy with the set. HILARIOUS. Meme’s aside, the set slapped, unsurprisingly. This is another band I am sure will return MUCH higher up the bill next time they play Unify.

Dream On Dreamer were up next with the Friday special 4:20 set. The band announced they were ending their time as a group back in 2020 but haven’t been able to properly go out with a band since then. It was a perfect set of old & new tracks & the veteran performers had a mammoth crown sing-a-long for their first show since 2019.

Teen Jesus & The Jean Teasers were a delicious change of pace for the Friday afternoon. Also making their Unify debut, the girls played with high energy & I am sure made a whole bunch of new fans that day. The Avril Lavigne - 'Girlfriend' cover was dynamite. Yeah the girls!

Plini changed the pace yet again & holy MOLY, I don’t think anyone was prepared for what was witnessed here. The day was just starting to cool down and a lot of people were sitting down as the melodic prog riffs of this music only act sent everyone into a frenzy. 

Gravemind were next, unveiling their brand-new vocalist, Bailey. After a number of technical challenges & a late start., the band reminded everyone why you need to be on board the Gravy Train. Expect big things from Gravemind in 2022.

As the sun set, WAAX made their return to the Unify stage with a monstrous performance. Maz performs in a completely unique and electric way I have never seen from any other front-woman, ever. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. You could slot this band onto nearly any festival and they will own it. A wonderful moment from start to finish.

Ocean Grove FINALLY got to play after over 2 years off the stage. This band has been absolutely slaughtered by COVID & there was a collective heart skip from the entire festival when they walked out to play. This set was without a doubt my highlight of the weekend. Pyro, confetti & bangers galore. There aren’t enough positive words that can be said about this trio. With a feature from ex-vocalist, Luke Holmes & the unveiling of live/touring new member Andy Zetho (ex- Storm The Sky), the guys smashed out a festival set that had to be seen to be believed. Honestly Ocean grove, thank you for this moment.

Trophy Eyes were up next, the second last act of the day played their 2016 album ‘Chemical Miracle’ in full. This album sits close to many fans hearts, the air had a very large emotional feel, felt by fans & the band members. Ex guitarist, Kevin Cross, joined the band for a one off performance. There were not many dry eyes from punters as they passionately screamed the words with a candid John Floreani, who talked openly to everyone about his mental health struggles & what this album meant to him.

The Amity Affliction finished the night with a MAMMOTH 1 hour 20 minute set. Amity fans were treated to an incredibly diverse setlist with songs stretching from Youngbloods all the way to Like Love. No strangers to playing and headlining, Unify Gathering, The Amity Affliction proved why they have earned your respect. They have perfected their live show & on a personal level, I think it was the best clean vocalist, Ahren Stringer, has ever sounded! 

Finishing up at 12:20AM, everyone walking back to their camp after that set was exhausted but stoked on a successful Unify Friday.

SATURDAY

Waking up on Saturday was wild. It had already been two mammoth days & I think everyone can agree we have all aged since 2020 & were not prepared for how physically tiring Unify is. My shitty age aside, LETS FKN GOOOO!

Future Static was the last addition to the line-up, playing the festival in the Triple J Unearthed timeslot. 10:30 in the morning felt like 10 PM at night. SO MANY people came down to check them out & honestly, it was EPIC. This band will be headlining festivals one day, mark my words.

The Last Martyr, our second act of the day have such a wonderfully unique sound & playing style. Monica Strut is just the ultimate front woman. Her voice carried across the whole festival, campsite included & again, they had a massive turn out & played the place down.

Starve delivered, without a doubt, the heaviest set of the whole weekend. Vocalist Jordan Dunbar cultivated the best crowd participation of the entire weekend. By this point in the day, it was starting to get really hot under the Tarwin sun, but you would never have known with how much that crowd was moving. Well done, Starve. Well done!

Pridelands were up next. Their album ‘The Light Bends’ was such a huge release & hearing this live was a huge win for punters. The way both vocalists, Mason Bunt & Joshua Cory, work together is incredibly unique, delightful & amazing when performed live.

Holy cow, Redhook. This set was INSANE. Three words I never thought I would hear: ‘Saxophone Circle Pit’. That’s just ONE of the highlights Redhook delivered, along with a cover of ‘Milkshake’. Yepp, ‘my milkshake brings all the boys to the yard’. Emmy Mack bought EVERYONE to the yard. She must have burned 1000 calories from the sheer output she gave on that stage. Very, very good for a band with 6 songs.

Stepson, oh how everyone loves this band. When they played, it was HOT HOT HOT. Whilst that may be normal for the Brisbane locals, the sunburnt, sweaty crowd down at Tarwin were treated to high energy & commands to move. How can you watch this band & not move though? It was great seeing them play this big stage, it's where Stepson belongs.

Gippsland locals Mirrors, were up next. Another band that well and truly belongs on the big stage. After coming off the back of a massive tour with Polaris, the band that replace Alpha Wolf on the line-up, owned the stage like they were booked from the start. Perhaps its because they were close to home? Nope, its just because they fuckin rule.

Short Stack started next with the Saturday 4:20 set. Honestly, THIS PERFORMANCE SLAPPED. Despite comments across campsites all weekend questioning why they were on the lineup, this band converted every damn punter into a Short Stack fan. The best part was that Shaun, Bradie & Andy just looked SO happy to be there. No strangers to large crowds, they were phenomenal after 7 years away from the stage. It was AWESOME.

BUGS followed, mellowing things out a little. This was another later afternoon change of pace & it was quite refreshing. Similar to Plini the day before, this was like everyone’s slightly more chill break in the day. Less mosh, more enjoying the moment. The band were upbeat & the set was like sunshine in live music form.

Teenage Joans, the female duo, were the perfect follow up to BUGS. These queens should be headlining their own shows, and no doubt after this performance, they will have turned some heads & will be. The amount of people in the crowd singing along actually took me by surprise! Tahlia & Cahli are phenomenal performers.

Stories, the moment 99% of the festival, and the Australian heavy music world overall was waiting for. The one-off reunion set had one of the biggest crowds all weekend. This was the most talked-about band pre-and-post Unify & I am sure I am not the only person hoping its not the last we see of Stories. Please, guys, catch the performing bug and come back to us!

Yours Truly, our last gal pal of the weekend. Oh man, Mikaila Delgado, you owned our hearts on that stage. The Sydney four-piece have only played Unify once before and it was early in the day on a Friday. To come back & smash out a Saturday night sunset spot was unbelievable. The band had their first confetti moment in the last song, ‘Heartsleeve’, where they literally made it rain hearts. When the band walked off stage, they premiered a brand new song and film clip. What a flex! Also peep that skirt?

Thornhill played the biggest show to date & it was LARGE! Fire large, holy pyro! The production was off the hook & they proved why there is so much hype behind them. Thornhill’s live performance has evolved so far in their career. The most notable change this night was how much they performed as a group. Having been fortunate enough to play quite a bit over the last few years of no shows, they were like a well-oiled machine. Also, haters ate their words when they played new track ‘Casanova’. It was heavy AF. Everyone is still Horny for Thorny!

Slowly Slowly made their Unify debut as the second last act of the festival, what!!?? I don’t know about you but I can’t believe they have never played Unify before, they were right at home and it was UNREAL. Ben Stewart is an unmatched performer. There is no one like him. Despite touring challenges causing them to cancel most of the Race Car Blues tour, they looked like they hadn’t missed a beat. The best part was all the Unify fans who love metalcore watching this punchy pop punk band & loving every minute. I think Slowly Slowly made quite a few new fans this night!

Last but not absolutely not least, Violent Soho returned to headline after their last appearance in 2017. Closing out the festival doing what they do best, performing to mammoth crowds. Despite missing two members, vocalist Luke Henery kept the energy going with his captivating front-man energy. As it cracked midnight on the final night of Unify, thousands of punters screaming ‘HELL FUCK YEAH’ was exactly what we have all been waiting 24 months for. This final epic band moment for Unify 2022 reminded every single person there why this festival is just so special. The most Aussie of an all-aussie lineup finished strong. Thank you Violent Soho for always putting on an amazing show.

I think it's pretty obvious that I was stoked to be there. I hope all who attended has as great of a time as I did.

Hope to see Unify back in 2023 & all of you there!

ALL photos by Kill Your Stereo primary photographer, Christopher Roese