Soundwave was an annual music festival held in major cities around Australia. The festival originated in Perth, Western Australia and began travelling to the other Australian capital cities in 2007. It features a number of international and Australian music acts, from various genres including rock, metal and punk. 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, Smashing Pumpkins, System of a Down, Slipknot, Green Day, Avenged Sevenfold, Linkin Park, Blink-182 and Metallica. The festival was run and promoted by Soundwave Touring, who also run Harvest Festival and promote tours for bands and musicians each year.
On 17 December 2015, the Soundwave founder, music promoter AJ Maddah, announced that the 2016 Soundwave festival was cancelled due to poor ticket sales. This was announced two days after the announcement that 2016 would be the final Soundwave festival.
Video Soundwave (Australian music festival)
History
The Soundwave festival originated in Perth, as a smaller festival known as Gravity Soundwave within the Gravity Games. 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.
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. The following night featured Unwritten Law, Regurgitator, MxPx, Lagwagon and Last Year's Hero.
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.
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.
Maps Soundwave (Australian music festival)
2007
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
- Riverstage, Brisbane, 24 February 2007
- Sydney Park, Sydney, 25 February 2007
- Robinson Pavilion, Perth, 3 March 2007
Lineup
Local acts
Notes
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
- Riverstage and Parklands, Brisbane, 23 February 2008
- Sydney Park, Sydney, 24 February 2008
- Melbourne Showgrounds, Melbourne, 29 February 2008
- Bonython Park, Adelaide, 1 March 2008
- Steel Blue Oval, Perth, 3 March 2008
Lineup
Local acts
Notes
2009
The lineup for the 2009 festival was announced on 24 September 2008, the headliners were Nine Inch Nails 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.
This festival featured 55 acts across six stages.
Locations
- RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane, 21 February 2009
- Eastern Creek Raceway, Sydney, 22 February 2009
- Melbourne Showgrounds, Melbourne, 27 February 2009
- Bonython Park, Adelaide, 28 February 2009
- Steel Blue Oval, Perth, 2 March 2009
Lineup
Local acts
Notes
2010
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
- RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane, 20 February 2010
- Eastern Creek Raceway, Sydney, 21 February 2010
- Melbourne Showgrounds, Melbourne, 26 February 2010
- Bonython Park, Adelaide, 27 February 2010
- Steel Blue Oval, Perth, 1 March 2010
Lineup
Local acts
Notes
2011
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.
This festival featured 71 acts across eight stages.
Locations
- RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane, 26 February 2011
- Olympic Park, Sydney, 27 February 2011
- Melbourne Showgrounds, Melbourne, 4 March 2011
- Bonython Park, Adelaide, 5 March 2011
- Claremont Showground, Perth, 7 March 2011
Lineup
Local acts
Notes
2012
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.
The festival also featured a reunited Coal Chamber, who played their first shows since 2003, and also marked the final shows of emo group Thursday.
This festival featured 95 acts across eleven stages.
Locations
- RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane, 25 February 2012,
- Olympic Park, Sydney, 26 February 2012
- Melbourne Showgrounds, Melbourne, 2 March 2012,
- Bonython Park, Adelaide, 3 March 2012,
- Claremont Showground, Perth, 5 March 2012,
Lineup
Local acts
Notes
2013
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", where several bands lost members in the week leading up to the festival:
- Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker was to attempt the long-haul flight and participate in Blink-182's first Australian tour since 2004, saying "[I'm] getting knocked out and getting on a plane to Australia". Barker survived a plane crash in 2008 and suffers from aerophobia. However, after months of counselling and medication, Barker could not overcome his fear of flying and was replaced on the tour by Brooks Wackerman from Bad Religion.
- Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante was replaced by Jon Dette from Animetal USA due to personal issues
- Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo announced on Facebook that he was fired due to a dispute over money, he was also replaced by Jon Dette, who was already filling in for Anthrax and has previously played in Slayer
- The Vandals drummer Josh Freese (formerly of A Perfect Circle and Paramore, both were also on the lineup) was replaced by Alkaline Trio drummer Derek Grant due to other commitments.
- Six Feet Under withdrew from the lineup due to drummer Kevin Talley being injured in a dirtbike accident
- In addition, Shai Hulud vocalist Justin Kraus was hospitalised with chest pain immediately after playing a show in Trenton, New Jersey, he was replaced by Mike Moynihan, who was previously their vocalist between 2009-2011
- Gallows guitarist Stephen Carter left the band in the days leading up to the festival, the band continued as a four-piece.
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
- RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane, 23 February 2013
- Olympic Park, Sydney, 24 February 2013,
- Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, 1 March 2013,
- Bonython Park, Adelaide, 2 March 2013,
- Claremont Showground, Perth, 4 March 2013,
Lineup
Local acts
Notes
2014
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
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. 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, where the festival originated.
Locations
- RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane, 22 February 2014,
- Olympic Park, Sydney, 23 February 2014,
- Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, 28 February 2014,
- Bonython Park, Adelaide, 1 March 2014,
- Arena Joondalup, Perth, 3 March 2014
Lineup
Local acts
Notes
2015
On 28 June 2014, Soundwave announced that it will become a two-day festival, 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." 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 to large to subsidise out of the other cities.
Locations
- Bonython Park, Adelaide, 21 February 2015 (Day One) & 22 February 2015 (Day Two)
- Melbourne Showgrounds, Melbourne, 21 February 2015 (Day Two) & 22 February 2015 (Day One)
- Olympic Park, Sydney, 28 February (Day One) & 1 March 2015 (Day Two)
- RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane, 28 February (Day Two) & 1 March 2015 (Day One)
Day One Lineup
Day Two Lineup
Local acts
Notes
Proposed 2016 Lineup and Cancellation
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.
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.
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)
- L7 pulling out for unspecified reasons
- Bring Me the Horizon claiming in December 2015 that they weren't officially confirmed to perform at the festival despite being announced months beforehand
- The festival's advertised venues reportedly not being booked
- Backlash from fans concerning the long length of time that it took for Maddah to announce the full lineup and also for including bands that were deemed unfit for a metal and rock festival (such as Public Enemy, The Prodigy, and the (at the time) lesser known groups Nothing But Thieves and Moose Blood).
- Fans receiving the wrong tickets in the mail or not receiving them at all
- The festival's operating company going into voluntary administration over an unpaid debt
- Reports surfacing that Maddah owes a total of over $11 million to all the bands who played the 2015 festival after they claimed that they were not paid.
Locations
- RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane, 23 January 2016
- Olympic Park, Sydney, 24 January 2016
- RAS Melbourne Showground, Melbourne, 26 January 2016
Lineup
Notes
Source of article : Wikipedia
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