Image supplied.
Have you been looking forward to the AFL Gather Round? Can you believe it’s only just around the corner? Here’s something else to get amped up about: there’s a brand-new music festival on the horizon – Gather Sounds – bringing together sports and music fans for an epic two days of musical mastery.
Programmed and headlined by Adelaide rock band Bad//Dreems, hot on the lineup of supporting acts will be performances by Beddy Rays, Phil Jamieson, West Thebarton, Caitlin Harnett & The Pony Boys, Dr. Piffle & The Burlap Band, The Empty Threats, Jack Griffith, Don’t Thank Me Spank Me and more.
Noting the huge success of AFL’s annual Gather Round, which unites in excess of 50,000 footy fans each year, the footy-loving band have seized the opportunity to bring you a hot new festival that celebrates local and independent music and shines on spotlight on the best musos in the industry.
Taking place over two days – during the height of football madness! – there’s a lot of talent crammed into this festival, which kicks off at 6pm on Friday 10 April with the official launch of Bad//Dreems’ fifth studio album, Ultra Dundee. Saturday is when they really turn up the heat on the action, erupting into a two-stage mini-festival from 2pm until the clock strikes midnight, showcasing the band’s original songs and some Aussie cover hits, alongside headliners Beddy Rays and Phil Jamieson.
Hitting the music scene in the summer of 2012, Bad//Dreems have come long way since they started jamming in a whitegoods warehouse on the River Torrens.
Their debut album Dogs at Bay scored nominations for a host of prestigious awards, including the AIR Award (2015) and National Live Music Award (2015), and they were listed as honourable mentions in Rolling Stone’s Greatest Australian Albums of All-Time.
Bad//Dreems have also voiced their passion for truth-telling and for exposing the ongoing mistreatment of Aboriginal people, which is reflected in their deep and introspective music, permitting listeners to pause and appreciate the rawness and unique cathartic quality to their songs. As guitarist and songwriter Alex Cameron once said, “We wanted to show that it was okay to like football and poetry.”
Now one of the hottest rock bands in South Australia, these local legends know how to entertain a crowd, have travelled all across the world’s stage in the UK and the US – not to mention their own Aussie backyard – and this festival is shaping up to be huge.
For two days of jam-packed entertainment during the height of AFL’s annual celebrations, you won’t want to miss the inaugural Gather Sounds festival. Book tickets online now!
Bad//Dreems presents: Gather Sounds
When: 6pm on Friday 10 April to 12am Sunday 12 April, 2026
Where: Cloisters at UniBar, Adelaide University, SA
For more information and to book tickets, click here.
More News
