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 Hammers.
HAMMERS are a ferocious, five-piece heavy rock band hailing from Australia’s East Coast, primarily rooted across the Gold Coast, Tweed Coast, and Northern Rivers regions. Known for their tongue-in-cheek swagger and “true blue” Aussie spirit, they deliver an aggressive yet deeply infectious live show.
Their sound seamlessly bridges alternative heavy rock, post-hardcore grit, nu-metal grooves, stoner rock, punk attitude, and massive metal weight.
HEAVY: DEAD OF WINTER FESTIVAL returns in 2026 after a seven year hiatus. Why do you think DOW just HAD to return?
HAMMERS: I think DOW had built itself such a solid community of supporters/fans/bands over the years the it’s absence left a huuuge hole in the scene.
H: What does it mean to your band to be playing DOW?
HAMMERS: Means a lot to us to be included on the bill for the first show back with the calibre of bands we’ll be sharing the stage with. We’ve had such a siiiick time at past DOW’s, so to be part of the Resurrection festival, armed with our new album under the belt, it’s gonna be a farkin time!
H: Have you ever been to DOW as a punter or playing?
HAMMERS: We’ve been very fortunate to have played DOW twice (2018 and 2019). 2 of the most memorable shows we’ve ever played. BAD.ASS. LFG 2026, third times a charm.
H: If so, best memories of the day.
HAMMERS: The last DOW we played was actually on my birthday. Playing big riffs with my best mates for a full room of frothers was definitely a cracking birthday gift.
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?
HAMMERS: Hydration. Good sleep the night before. Move my body around. Don’t eat too much and have a quiet place to retreat to between bands.
H: Give me your Top 3 Festival survival tips.
- Safe place. Somewhere to have a sit that isn’t too noisy and full of people (pretty hard to do) recharge the batteries/check the set times and rest my small, but adequate legs.
- Water. Pretty self explanatory really- but staying hydrated is key to making it through the whole day.
- Quality Shoes. Look- might have taken me almost my entire life to realise that having good shoes can make or break your festival experience. Forget the 47” platforms darling, slap on a good pair of Dunlop KT26’s and have a boogie
H: Which band – other than yourself – do you think will get up to the most mischief on the day?
HAMMERS: 3 way tie between Black Rheno, Flangipanis and Boof Heads.
H: Run us through your typical live show and what punters can expect.
HAMMERS: Despite what we look like – we are pretty high octane from the get go. We are all in love and when you watch us play – you’ll see it in motion.
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?
HAMMERS: Boof Heads covering our tune Salad Fingers would be sick.
H: What’s your latest release?
HAMMERS: We released our first full length studio album called Death Wobbles in February. You can find it across most of the platforms.
H: Finally, what plans does your band have for the rest of 2026 into 2027?
HAMMERS: In 2024 we kicked off what we call the ‘Weekender Bender’ series of shows, so we are gonna bring that back. Our aim is to get to as many regional and remote places that get left off the usual tour paths. We get to see parts of our beautiful country, meet new friends and play smaller towns with fuck all going on, so they get to boogie and let their hair down. Win. Win.
