Soundwave (Australian music festival)

Soundwave
AFI playing on the main stage at Soundwave Perth 2010
Genre
[1]
Datesmid-February – early March; late January
Location(s)Australia
Perth (2004–2014)
Brisbane (2007–2015)
Sydney (2007–2015)
Melbourne (2008–2015)
Adelaide (2008–2015)
Years active2004–2015
FoundersAJ Maddah
Websitesoundwavefestival.com

Soundwave was an annual music festival held in major cities around Australia, run and promoted by Soundwave Touring. The festival originated in Perth, Western Australia, and began travelling to the other Australian capital cities in 2007. It featured a number of international and Australian music acts from various genres, including rock, metal and punk.[2] The festival has been headlined by Deftones, the Offspring, Incubus, Alice in Chains, Bloodhound Gang, Nine Inch Nails, Faith No More, Jimmy Eat World, Jane's Addiction, Soundgarden, Iron Maiden, Queens of the Stone Age, the Smashing Pumpkins, System of a Down, Slipknot, Green Day, Avenged Sevenfold, Linkin Park, Blink-182 and Metallica.

Soundwave Festival occurred annually until 2015. A 2016 iteration of the festival was planned, but its cancellation was announced on 17 December 2015 by founder AJ Maddah due to poor ticket sales.[3]

History

[edit]

The Soundwave festival originated in Perth,[4] as a smaller festival known as Gravity Soundwave within the Gravity Games.[5] The Gravity Games were held in South Perth along the Swan River, being based mainly on water-based and action sports. The event was sponsored by Vodafone in its first year, with the company reportedly committing one million dollars to the event. Gravity Soundwave provided the music side of the festival, which took place at McCallum Park alongside the Swan River.[6]

Gravity Soundwave was first introduced in the festival's first year, which was held on 14 and 15 October 2004. American pop punk band Good Charlotte effectively became the first headline act of Soundwave, when they performed in the festival's first night along with Gyroscope and One Dollar Short.[6] The following night featured Unwritten Law, Regurgitator, MxPx, Lagwagon and Last Year's Hero.[6]

The 2005 festival was again presented by Vodafone, being held on the night of 8 October. Gravity Soundwave was headlined by Grinspoon, with it also featuring American acts Unwritten Law, Reel Big Fish, and Goldfinger.[5]

The third and final year of the Gravity Games festival in Perth was moved to December 2006, instead of October. Gravity Soundwave featured American act Aiden, local Australian bands Gyroscope, Kisschasy, Parkway Drive, The Getaway Plan and New Zealanders Goodnight Nurse.[7]

2007

[edit]
2007 logo

In 2007 the festival expanded to include Sydney and Brisbane, and increased the number of bands performing. A number of the artists featured in the 2007 Festival had previously played at the Soundwave Festival in Perth, including Unwritten Law, MxPx and Parkway Drive.

Locations

[edit]

Lineup

[edit]

Local acts

[edit]

Brisbane

  • Doctor Octopus
  • The Disables
  • Say Nothing

Sydney

Perth


Notes

*A ^ Parkway Drive did not appear in Perth
*B ^ As Tall as Lions replaced The Format

2008

[edit]
The Dear Hunter vocalist Casey Crescenzo performing at Soundwave in Melbourne 2008.

The 2008 Soundwave festival was headlined by The Offspring, along with Incubus and Killswitch Engage and was expanded to include dates in Melbourne and Adelaide, increasing the number of dates from three to five. The expanded Festival featured five stages compared to three the previous year.

Locations

[edit]

Lineup

[edit]

Local acts

[edit]

Brisbane

Sydney

Melbourne

Adelaide

Perth

Notes

*A ^ Alexisonfire replaced Coheed and Cambria, who withdrew from the lineup to support Linkin Park on their US tour[8]
*B ^ Thursday replaced Chiodos, who also withdrew from the lineup to support Linkin Park on their US tour[9]
*C ^ Infectious Grooves replaced Social Distortion, who withdrew from the lineup for unspecified reasons
*D ^ From Autumn to Ashes and Still Remains did not appear in Brisbane or Sydney[10]
*E ^ City and Colour replaced Ace Enders, who withdrew from the lineup for unspecified reasons

2009

[edit]
Chiodos performing on the introduced extra sixth stage at Soundwave in Melbourne, 2009.

The lineup for the 2009 festival was announced on 24 September 2008, the headliners were Nine Inch Nails[11] and sub-headliners were Alice in Chains and Bloodhound Gang.

Presenters of British reality stunt TV show Dirty Sanchez and Finnish stuntmen The Dudesons were masters of ceremonies at Soundwave 2009.[12]

This festival featured 55 acts across six stages.

Locations

[edit]

Lineup

[edit]

Local acts

[edit]

Brisbane

Sydney

  • Mission in Motion
  • Mary Jane Kelly

Melbourne

Adelaide

Perth

Notes

*A^ The Dillinger Escape Plan replaced Scars on Broadway
*B^ Less Than Jake did not appear in Brisbane due to flight delays.
*C^ Acts were made public in a third announcement and only appeared in Sydney.

2010

[edit]
Panorama of Steel Blue Oval during Soundwave, 2010.
Trivium performing at the Perth Soundwave.

The first lineup announcement for the 2010 festival was made on 13 August 2009, the headliners were Faith No More, Jane's Addiction and Placebo, the lineup also featured Paramore, AFI, Jimmy Eat World (who replaced My Chemical Romance) and HIM.

This festival featured 46 acts across six stages.

Locations

[edit]

Lineup

[edit]

Local acts

[edit]

Brisbane

  • Too Late Escape
  • Adelle

Sydney

  • Heroes for Hire

Melbourne

  • Death Audio

Adelaide

  • ISAW

Perth

  • Vanity


Notes

*A^ Architects replaced The Devil Wears Prada, who withdrew from the lineup so they could support Killswitch Engage on their US tour[13]
*B^ This Is Hell replaced Maximum the Hormone, who withdrew from the lineup due to drummer Nao being hospitalized[14]
*C^ Jimmy Eat World replaced My Chemical Romance, who withdrew from the lineup due to lead singer Gerard Way suffering from severe vocal problems[15]
*D Closure in Moscow were removed from the line up with no explanation or replacement act.

2011

[edit]
Foxy Shazam performing in Sydney

The first lineup announcement for the 2011 festival was made on 5 August 2010, the headliners were Iron Maiden and Queens of the Stone Age. The lineup also included The Starting Line, who reunited for the festival.[16]

This festival featured 71 acts across eight stages.

Locations

[edit]

Lineup

[edit]

Lineup

Local acts

[edit]

Brisbane

Sydney

  • Blatherskite

Melbourne

  • Anchors

Adelaide

  • Paper Arms

Perth

  • Sensory Amusia
  • Lacrymae
  • Chainsaw Hookers

Notes

*A^ Slayer pulled out of the Sydney show at the last minute due to Tom Araya being admitted to hospital[17]
*B^ Avenged Sevenfold withdrew due to a disagreement with promoters over their allocated timeslot[18]
*C^ Sum 41 only performed in Brisbane and Sydney due to Deryck Whibley's hospitalisation with severe pneumonia. Replaced by International Superheroes of Hardcore[19]
*D^ Saxon withdrew due to album commitments and family illness[20]
*E^ Polar Bear Club replaced Alesana, who withdrew from the lineup for unknown reasons
*F^ Blessthefall replaced A Skylit Drive, who withdrew from the lineup for unknown reasons
*G^ This Town Needs Guns were added as a bonus band after the two dropouts
*H^ International Superheroes of Hardcore did not appear in Perth


2012

[edit]
Slipknot performing at Melbourne's Soundwave

The lineup for the 2012 festival was first announced on 7 October 2011. The 2012 Soundwave lineup featured System of a Down, Slipknot, Limp Bizkit and Marilyn Manson.

This was the first time Limp Bizkit had toured Australia in eleven years. Their previous tour was the 2001 Big Day Out festival, which was marred by the death of 16-year-old Jessica Michalik during their performance at the Sydney show. Limp Bizkit singer Fred Durst paid tribute to Michalik at each Soundwave date and openly criticised Big Day Out organisers.[21]

The festival also featured a reunited Coal Chamber, who played their first shows since 2003,[22] and also marked the final shows of emo group Thursday.[23]

This festival featured 95 acts across eleven stages.

Locations

[edit]

Lineup

[edit]

Local acts

[edit]

Brisbane

  • Milestones

Sydney

  • The Sweet Apes

Melbourne

  • Aitches

Adelaide

  • Admella

Perth

  • Sensory Amusia

Notes

*A^ Bush replaced Hole, who withdrew from the lineup due to a dispute with Soundwave promoters[24]
*B^ Paradise Lost and Switchfoot replaced DragonForce, who withdrew from the lineup due to recording delays[25]
*C^ These Kids Wear Crowns did not play in Brisbane due to being double-booked for a sold-out arena show with Simple Plan in Canada[26]
*D^ Mission in Motion did not appear in Melbourne
*E^ Black Tide withdrew from the lineup due to a family emergency[27]
*F^ Switchfoot withdrew from the Adelaide and Perth shows due to a family emergency[28]

2013

[edit]
Chester Bennington from Linkin Park performing at Melbourne's Soundwave

The lineup for the 2013 Soundwave Festival was first announced on 8 August 2012, featuring headliners Metallica, Linkin Park and Blink-182, along with sub headliners A Perfect Circle, The Offspring, Garbage, Paramore, Tomahawk, Cypress Hill and Killswitch Engage

This edition of Soundwave was noted for its "drummers' curse",[29] where several bands lost members in the week leading up to the festival:

There was also controversy regarding bands such as Pierce the Veil and The Amity Affliction having their sets cut short in Perth due to complaints from local residents – after this Maddah doubted the festival's future in Western Australia.

This festival featured 72 acts across nine stages (eight stages in Perth).

Locations

[edit]

Lineup

[edit]

Local acts

[edit]

Brisbane

  • The Schoenberg Automaton

Sydney

  • Born Lion

Melbourne

  • Party Vibez

Adelaide

  • Life Pilot


Notes

*A^ Garbage did not perform in Sydney due to logistical issues[37][38]
*B^ Flogging Molly did not appear in Perth[39]
*C^ Mindless Self Indulgence did not perform in Melbourne due to logistical issues[40]
*D^ Six Feet Under were forced to withdraw from the lineup after drummer Kevin Talley was injured in an accident[34]
*E^ Blood On The Dance Floor withdrew from the lineup due to financial issues[41]
*F^ Dr. Acula broke up in October 2012 and were subsequently removed from the lineup[42]
*G^ Living With Lions and Mark Tremonti were added to the lineup on 30 October 2012,[43] but Tremonti pulled out the next day due to clashing tour commitments.[44]
*H^ Puscifer only played in Sydney and Adelaide, they were originally listed as "Special Guests".[45]
*I^ Malakyte only played in Brisbane, they were originally listed as "Special Guests"[46]
*J^ The winners of the Triple J Unearthed competition for Perth, In League, were not able to perform due to time constraints alongside Soundwave's conflict with the Claremont Council[47][48]

2014

[edit]
Jonathan Davis from Korn performing at Soundwave in Perth

The lineup for the 2014 festival was first announced on 23 August 2013. The lineup containing 94 bands, featured Green Day, Avenged Sevenfold, Korn and Alice in Chains[49]

The Perth festival was relocated from Claremont Showground to Arena Joondalup, 25 km north of Perth, two weeks before the beginning of the festival due to Soundwave's ongoing conflict with the Claremont Council.[50] Following a similar situation at the Perth leg of Big Day Out in January of that year, which was also relocated from Claremont Showground to Arena Joondalup, AJ Maddah confirmed that 2014 would be the last Soundwave held in Perth,[51] where the festival originated.

Locations

[edit]

Lineup

[edit]

Local acts

[edit]
Brisbane
  • Chronolyth
  • HELM

Sydney

Melbourne

Adelaide

  • Truth Corroded
  • Sierra
  • Se Bon Ki Ra

Perth

Notes

*A^ The Living End replaced Stone Temple Pilots, who withdrew from the lineup due to scheduling conflicts.[52]
*B^ Megadeth withdrew from the lineup due to unspecified reasons[53]
*C^ Newsted withdrew from the lineup due to unspecified reasons.[54]
*D^ Filter replaced Sevendust, who withdrew from the lineup due to a financial dispute with Soundwave promoters.[55]
*E^ Desaparecidos withdrew from the lineup for personal reasons.[56]
*F^ Dir En Grey did not appear in Perth.[57]
*G^ Volbeat withdrew from the Adelaide and Perth shows due to a family emergency.[58]
*H^ Whitechapel withdrew from the lineup due to the death of an immediate family member.[59]
*I^ Hardcore Superstar withdrew from the lineup due to a scheduling dispute with Soundwave promoters.[54]

2015

[edit]

On 28 June 2014, Soundwave announced that it will become a two-day festival,[60] held over two consecutive weekends, with half the bands announced playing day one and the other half playing day two, criss-crossing between Adelaide and Melbourne, then Sydney and Brisbane. AJ Maddah stated on Twitter "Putting the line-up across [two] days enables us to minimise clashes; give bands longer sets, better staging, production [and] infrastructure. I am also hoping that this will give fans better value for money and a less stressful day."[60] AJ Maddah later confirmed that 2015 was the last Soundwave for Adelaide in the foreseeable future as it made a $300,000 loss in 2014, but with the $1,400,000 loss in 2015 due to lackluster ticket sales being too large to subsidise out of the other cities.[61]

Locations

[edit]

Day One Lineup

Day Two Lineup

Local acts

[edit]

Brisbane

  • Columbus

Sydney

  • Bare Bones

Melbourne

  • I, Valiance

Adelaide

  • A Ghost Orchestra

Notes

*A^ Rival Sons withdrew from the lineup for personal reasons.[62]
*B^ The Treatment did not appear in Adelaide.[63]
*C^ Evergreen Terrace withdrew from the lineup due to drummer Brad Moxey suffering serious injuries in an accident.[64]

2016 (cancelled)

[edit]

On 20 March 2015, AJ Maddah stated that Soundwave 2016 would return to the one-day format and would be held in January instead of the usual late February/early March dates. He also later stated that the 2016 lineup would be announced via "drip-feeding" and would also be smaller in order to achieve longer set times for bands.

Bullet for My Valentine was announced as the first act of Soundwave 2016 via the band's social media accounts and the official Soundwave website on 14 August 2015, and over the next four months, Disturbed was announced as the headliner and 24 other bands were added for a total of 26 bands.

Locations

[edit]

Lineup

[edit]

Notes

*A^ L7 withdrew from the lineup due to unspecified reasons.[65]

Cancellation

[edit]

On 15 December 2015, Maddah tweeted that 2016 would be the final ever Soundwave, stating it was due to "stress and haters", and two days later he tweeted that the festival had been officially cancelled.[66]

Various problems contributed to its cancellation, including:

  • Poor ticket sales (Maddah once stated that 2016 would "sell out instantly", but around 20,000 tickets in total had been sold at the time of its cancellation)[67]
  • L7 withdrawing from the lineup for unspecified reasons
  • Bring Me the Horizon claiming that they weren't officially locked in for the festival despite being announced months beforehand
  • The festival's venues reportedly not being booked
  • Reports surfacing that Maddah owes over $11 million to all the bands who played the 2015 festival

Compilation albums

[edit]

Official compilation CDs featuring artists who performed at the festival were released through Shock Records.

  • Soundwave 2008 (2008)
  • Soundwave 2009 (2009)
  • Soundwave 2010 (2010)
  • Soundwave 2011 (2011)
  • Soundwave 2012 (2012)
  • Soundwave 2013 (2013)
  • Soundwave 2014 (2014)
  • Soundwave 2015 (2015)

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Soundwave 2015, Sydney: A Punk Perspective. MusicFeeds. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  2. ^ "Soundwave Festival brings wave of black". News.com.au. 18 February 2010.
  3. ^ Vincent, Peter (17 December 2015). "Soundwave music festival cancelled". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  4. ^ Rakowski, Ian (24 September 2008). "Soundwave nails in 2009 dates". News.com.au.
  5. ^ a b "For fans of action sports and extreme fun". GravityGames H2O. 15 September 2005. Archived from the original on 20 August 2006.
  6. ^ a b c "H2O – Good Charlotte Announced for Second Soundwave Concert". Versus. Archived from the original on 7 March 2009.
  7. ^ "Gravity 'G Fest' Concerts are Set to Soar in December!". GravityGames H2O. Archived from the original on 30 August 2007.
  8. ^ "Chiodos cancel Soundwave appearance for US tour". Faster Louder. 12 December 2007.
  9. ^ "Thursday Join Soundwave". Bombshellzine. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011.
  10. ^ "It Begins!". Bombshellzine. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011.
  11. ^ Rakowski, Ian (24 September 2008). "Soundwave nails in 2009 dates". News.com.au. Retrieved 14 February 2009.
  12. ^ "Soundwave Third Announcement". Kill Your Stereo. 30 January 2009.
  13. ^ "The Devil Wears Prada pull out of Soundwave". junkee.com. 16 November 2009. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  14. ^ "Maximum The Hormone pull out of Soundwave". junkee.com. 9 November 2009. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  15. ^ "My Chemical Romance Cancel Australian Tour, Jimmy Eat World Step Up – Music Feeds". musicfeeds.com.au. 5 February 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  16. ^ Heisel, Scott (4 August 2010). "Exclusive: The Starting Line to reunite for Australia's Soundwave Festival". Alternative Press.
  17. ^ "Tom Araya's health condition updated". Kill Your Stereo. 1 March 2011.
  18. ^ Mann, Tom (16 December 2010). "International band dropped from Soundwave". Faster Louder.
  19. ^ Soundwave Festival. 3 March 2011 at 20:01. Facebook.
  20. ^ @iamnotshouting. 3:43 AM – 16 Feb 11. Twitter.
  21. ^ McCabe, Kathy (29 February 2012). "Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst attacks Big Day Out organisers at Soundwave Festival". News.com.au.
  22. ^ "Coal Chamber Announces Plans to Reform for Australian Soundwave Shows". Coal Chamber (official website). 26 September 2011.
  23. ^ "Thursday to quit after Soundwave shows". Triple J. 23 November 2011.
  24. ^ "Soundwave 2012 Line-up: Hole Pulls Out? – Music Feeds". musicfeeds.com.au. 17 October 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  25. ^ "Dragonforce Pull Out of Soundwave". beat.com.au. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  26. ^ Darke, Brayden (30 January 2012). "Soundwave 2012 – These Kids Wear Crowns Off Brisbane Line-up". Music Feeds.
  27. ^ Soundwave Festival. 24 February 2012 at 00:35. Facebook.
  28. ^ @iamnotshouting. 12:59 AM – 2 Mar 12. Twitter.
  29. ^ Mann, Tom (19 February 2013). "Soundwave drummer 'curse' claims another victim". Faster Louder.
  30. ^ "Blink 182: Have Travis, will travel". Triple J. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  31. ^ "Travis Barker Pulls Out of Blink-182 Tour". Triple M. 17 February 2013.
  32. ^ a b Hohnen, Mike (21 February 2013). "Slayer To Share Drummer With Anthrax at Soundwave". Music Feeds.
  33. ^ Dave Lombardo. 20 February at 22:30. Facebook.
  34. ^ a b c d Mann, Tom (19 February 2013). "Soundwave band cancels tour after 'dirtbike mishap'". Faster Louder.
  35. ^ Shai Hulud. "Timeline Photos". Facebook. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  36. ^ Gallows. 20 February at 06:00. Facebook.
  37. ^ "Floods, destructive winds hit northern NSW". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 23 February 2013.
  38. ^ Hohnen, Mike (24 February 2013). "Garbage Cancel Soundwave Sydney Performance". Music Feeds.
  39. ^ @iamnotshouting. 4:46 AM – 22 Feb 13. Twitter.
  40. ^ Mann, Tom (1 March 2013). "Airline 'fuck up' causes band to cancel Soundwave set in Melbourne". Faster Louder.
  41. ^ "AJ Maddah 'Super Pleased' As Soundwave Band Pulls Out Of Lineup". Tone Dead. 5 February 2013.
  42. ^ Hohnen, Mike (13 November 2012). "Dr. Acula Officially Off Soundwave 2013 Lineup". Music Feeds.
  43. ^ Hohnen, Mike (30 October 2012). "Mark Tremonti And Living With Lions Added To Soundwave 2013 Lineup". Music Feeds.
  44. ^ Levin, Darren (1 November 2012). "Creed guitarist on Soundwave one day; off the next". Faster Louder.
  45. ^ "Puscifer Announced on Soundwave Festival in Sydney and Adelaide". Soundwave Touring. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  46. ^ Malakyte. 22 February at 06:45. Facebook.
  47. ^ Zanotti, Marc (16 May 2012). "Perth's Claremont Council Vote To Take Legal Action Against Soundwave". Music Feeds.
  48. ^ Hohnen, Mike (21 February 2013). "Unearthed Winners Added To (And Booted From) Soundwave". Music Feeds.
  49. ^ "Welcome to Soundwave 2014". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
  50. ^ "Soundwave 2014 Makes Last Minute Venue Change". Tone Deaf. 12 February 2014.
  51. ^ "AJ Maddah "devastated" there won't be a Perth Soundwave in 2015". fasterlouder.com.au. 28 February 2014.
  52. ^ "STONE TEMPLE PILOTS REGRETFULLY CANCEL ALL UPCOMING SHOWS – THE LIVING END STEP IN". Soundewave Festival. 29 January 2014.
  53. ^ "Megadeth Pull Out of Soundwave, Cancel Australian Tour". musicfeeds.com.au. 10 February 2014.
  54. ^ a b "Two More Bands Pull Out of Soundwave". musicfeeds.com.au. 19 February 2014.
  55. ^ "Sevendust Cancel Soundwave 2014 Appearance". musicfeeds.com.au. 10 January 2014.
  56. ^ "Desaparecidos "Postpone Australian Trip", Cancel Soundwave 2014". Music Feeds. 17 February 2014.
  57. ^ "iamnotshouting". Twitter. 18 February 2014.
  58. ^ "Soundwave Updates Adelaide Timetable As Volbeat Withdraw". Music Feeds. 2 March 2014.
  59. ^ "WHITECHAPEL UNFORTUNATELY WITHDRAW FROM SOUNDWAVE FESTIVAL DUE TO DEATH OF AN IMMEDIATE FAMILY MEMBER". Soundwave Festival. 17 February 2014.
  60. ^ a b "Soundwave 2015 Will Be A Two-Day Festival". Music Feeds. 28 June 2014.
  61. ^ Exclusive: AJ Maddah on how Adelaide nearly "wiped out" Soundwave. FasterLouder. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  62. ^ "Rival Sons Cancel Soundwave Festival Tour". musicfeeds.com.au. 12 February 2015.
  63. ^ "iamnotshouting". Twitter. 20 February 2015.
  64. ^ "Evergreen Terrace Cancels Soundwave 2015 Tour". musicfeeds.com.au. 11 February 2015.
  65. ^ "An international act just officially pulled out of Soundwave 2016". FasterLouder. 17 December 2015. Archived from the original on 20 December 2015.
  66. ^ name=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-12-15/soundwave-boss-pulls-2017-festival-due-to-stress-and-haters/7031510
  67. ^ "Here's How Many Soundwave 2016 Tickets Were Sold Before Its Cancellation". 22 December 2015.
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