Bizarro unveils the 2026 lineups for Overtone, Freeform and Mode festivals, taking over iconic sites in Gold Coast/Kombumerri, Melbourne/Naarm and Sydney/Eora this October. Three heavyweights among their respective scenes are set to headline – Barry Can’t Swim (DJ), Interplanetary Criminal and Richie Hawtin, while Mall Grab will also top the Overtone bill.
Each respective lineup is centred on the same DNA celebrating electronic music on day-to-night dancefloors, while also being individually sculpted by the cities and spaces around them. Across one weekend, three festival rosters will bridge global electronic names with local talent, injecting world-class music experiences into three unique locations down the East Coast.
Edinburgh-born, London-based producer Barry Can’t Swim is arguably one of the most exciting electronic acts in the world. Armed with the groove-heavy, jazz-inflicted dance euphoria of breakout 100M+ streamed debut When Will We Land?, to 2025 album Loner, he’s earned his headline chops through stand-out performances across Glastonbury, Warehouse Project, All Points East, Lost Village and more. Label boss and figurehead for club music coming out of Northern England, Interplanetary Criminal also takes a rightful place atop the trio of festivals as this generation’s UKG hero. His wealth of club ready releases include 2x Platinum “B.O.T.A. (Baddest Of Them All)” with Eliza Rose, high profile remixes, collaborations with KETTAMA, Sammy Virji, Gorgon City and more, and folks can expect plenty of high octane speed garage, bassline and donk from the game-changing producer’s festival set.
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SXM Festival reveals landmark 10th edition lineupBritish-Canadian electronic musician and DJ Richie Hawtin is a legacy unto himself, a vanguard of the art and technological communities and named by DJ Mag as “techno’s future-focussed pioneer”. Spearheading the early 90s minimal techno movement and shaping the techno sound that has become synonymous with Detroit’s scene, Hawtin has gone on to become a three-time winner of DJ Awards’ Best Techno DJ, put an underground edge on avant-garde electronica with his Plastikman pseudonym, and nurtured fellow talent under Plus8 and Minus Records. Overtone will give Gold Coast an extra treat, with Australian DJ and producer Mall Grab also joining as headliner. Needing little introduction to the local scene, the dancefloor giant has consistently risen in success with his artistic finesse and nostalgic yet boundary-pushing production styles, felt most recently in his re-work of Milky’s “Just The Way You Are”.
Maxing out the lineups are an elite assortment of curators, each having firmly made their mark on the global electronic scene. Among them are Detroit-born, Atlanta-based house and techno DJ and cultural voice Ash Lauryn, esteemed musical polymath, Berghain queen and sought-after festival DJ Avalon Emerson, high-energy fixture Melbourne/Naarm’s club scene Bella Claxton, London DJ and radio icon Ben UFO, the inventive, always danceable techno of Call Super, the raw grooves and psychedelia of Berlin-based DJ and producer D. Dan, fellow Berlin-based DJ and activist Freddy K, GiGi FM’s hypnotic and fluid techno, and the pulsating, underground productions of Melbourne/Naarm’s Hasvat Informant.
Australian-raised, London-based DJ, producer and vocalist Memphis LK will bring her transportive show built on her DIY artistry, alongside the experimental rhythms of Bundjalung DJ Mikalah Watego and the mixed bag styles of hardgroove producer Ned Bennett. Part-Spanish, part-Luxembourgish artist Ogazón joins them hailing from Amsterdam’s after-hour scene, along with Grammy-nominated American house music producer Ron Trent, the transatlantic sound of Rinse FM resident Storm Mollison, Melbourne/Naarm-born, London-based producer and one of our most compelling electronic exports, SWIM, the 4×4 rave and techno of TWIENA, and mischievous UK duo Two Shell’s blends of UKG, post-dubstep and techno.
Overtone alone will also be treated to sets from 6 SENSE, Eva Charley, LIZA, Ngaaru, SHIMMY and Tori Pepper, while 2LUBLY, Crÿbaby and Rakhi join the Freeform lineup. Expanding the menu at Mode are buzzy locals alilia b2b anusha, Fuchsia, rapidly-rising Sydney/Eora producer Harry Hayes, producer, Gunggandji / Wiradjuri DJ Jun Wan, vocalist and DJ KSMBA and Chinese Laundry resident Obeido.
Overtone channels a raw, rave-inspired aesthetic and brings it to Musgrave Park on Friday 2 October. Freeform is co-presented by Crown Ruler, and will deliver its largest lineup yet across four stages within the iconic grounds of Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Saturday 3 October. Mode Festival stands at the forefront of the Australian electronic scene – a multidimensional celebration of cutting-edge music, striking visuals and forward-thinking and design that returns to Cockatoo Island/Wareamah on Sunday 4 October, making the most of the city’s Labour Day long weekend.
Lineups are unique for each event, so find out who’s coming to your city in the event breakdowns below.
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