Brisbane’s premier heavy music and dark arts event, the Dead of Winter Festival, is officially rising from the ashes. Dubbed The Resurrection, the festival is locked in for Saturday, 27 June 2026, marking its first return since 2019. Originally launched in 2009, the iconic gathering was forced into a multi-year hiatus following the pandemic.
For its grand comeback, the festival is shifting away from its former home at the Jubilee Hotel to a brand-new venue: the Mansfield Tavern in Brisbane’s southern suburbs. The highly anticipated 2026 edition promises a massive celebration of alternative culture, packing 34 live acts across multiple stages alongside performance art, horror cosplay, visual installations, and dark market stalls. Organisers have unleashed a diverse, genre-spanning lineup headlined by dance-punk and noise-rock heroes DZ Deathrays, alongside heavy hitters like Mammal, Toe To Toe, Beanflipper, and Slim Krusty. Tickets are available now via Oztix and the official Dead of Winter Festival Website.
With the festival fast approaching, HEAVY sent out some questions to all of the bands in order to get to know them better. Today, we chat with DZ DEATHRAYS.
DZ Deathrays is a powerhouse dance-punk and alternative rock band formed in Brisbane, Queensland. Emerging in 2008 as a chaotic, house-party-wrecking duo consisting of Shane Parsons and Simon Ridley, they have since expanded into a multi-ARIA Award-winning outfit celebrated for their high-octane live shows and visceral, riff-heavy anthems.
They are a staple of the Australian alternative frontier, having won two ARIA Awards for Best Hard Rock or Heavy Metal Album for Bloodstreams (2012) and Black Rat (2014). They have shared arena stages worldwide with heavyweights like Foo Fighters, Biffy Clyro, and The Bronx.
Q & A
HEAVY: DEAD OF WINTER FESTIVAL returns in 2026 after a seven-year hiatus. Why do you think DOW just HAD to return?
DZ DEATHRAYS: Because the Metal never went away
H: What does it mean to your band to be playing DOW?
I’m very excited as it’s one of the few longstanding local festivals that have been around keeping the heavier scene alive, and we get to play it!
H: Have you ever been to DOW as a punter or playing?
No, I am an idiot and have missed each time so very keen to fix that problem this year.
H: If so, best memories of the day.
I have no memories of what I was doing those days, I didn’t go to it, so obviously I mustn’t have been doing anything as good.
H: It’s a long day of music. What will you be doing to make sure you will still be standing come your set time?
Yeah, I’m in trouble a bit here, I think I also have an engagement party that morning I said I’d go to as well, whoops haha. I guess my plan is a couple of low-alcohol beverages at the engagement, thinking it’s mid-morning/midday, so probably mimosas etc. Then a couple of cold goldies at soundcheck/load in. Big late greasy lunch/dunch to soak it up before whiskey and coke to bring that needed late-night energy.
H: Give me your Top 3 Festival survival tips.
Bring money, pants and go to the correct venue. You’re welcome.
H: Which band – other than yourself – do you think will get up to the most mischief on the day?
Dartz
H: Run us through your typical live show and what punters can expect.
Usually, we just play mostly the singles people might have heard, then a deep cut here or there for the diehard fans. But because this is a heavier festival, I might bring my double kick drum pedals and work it into the set without mentioning it to the other band members for Lols. We’ll see how much that late lunch sobers me up before the set.
H: If you could get one band on the line-up to cover one of your songs, who would it be and what song would they cover?
Mitch Please – Witchcraft II
H: What’s your latest release?
Demolition – Easing Out Of Control
H: Finally, what plans does your band have for the rest of 2026 into 2027?
We head over to Europe for their summer season before coming back to Aus for some rural dates later next year.
