The festival rumour mill may have quietened down after the coveted Splendour In The Grass lineup and subsequent sideshows being announced, but that only leaves room for speculation about festivals later in the year and even into 2014.
Few things fuel a lineup rumour fire quite like other lineup announcements, as has been seen in recent news. Even though it’s a gestation period away, the guessing games have already begun for next year’s Laneway Festival, following the announcement of its American debut in Detroit, with hope for a visit from headliners, Sigur Rós and The National.
Additionally, the USA’s Austin City Limits Festival is also vying for the ‘best lineup ever’ award this October, with over 130 bands recently confirmed for the Texan event. The two-weekend festival is produced by C3 Presents, who also co-produce Australia’s own Big Day Out and given their connections and the correlation between last year’s lineup and Big Day Out 2013, the new Austin City Limits lineup could be some serious clues for festival speculators.
Closer on the calendar, however, is the return to Australia of the Vans Warped Tour this November/December, proudly brought to us (in part) by rough-tongued promoter AJ Maddah, who is teaming up with the tour’s founder, Kevin Lyman.
After announcing the touring dates earlier this month, confirming shows in Brisbane, Coffs Harbour, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and finishing up in Adelaide, it was expected that the all important lineup announcement would soon follow.
Despite being relatively forthcoming with information on his fervent Twitter feed, with Maddah stating that “Warped will have lots of locals” and hinting towards acts such as 28 Days and New Jersey’s Man Overboard, the official lineup announcement has now been pushed back until “mid to late June”, according to @iamnotshouting himself.
To tide you over until that vague date, the official Vans Warped Tour 2013 Compilation album will be in stores next Friday 7th June, out locally through Shock Records. Featuring such past favourites as The Used, Motion City Soundtrack, and Bring Me The Horizon across 50 tracks, it may offer some clues as to who to expect come summertime.
The lineup for South America’s Warped Festival could also give fans a hint of who will be stopping by at December’s shows. Featuring names like Memphis May Fire, Reel Big Fish, and Black Veil Brides gracing the South American leg in July/August this year, but it’s yet to be confirmed as to whether they’ll head down under four months later. After announcing the touring dates earlier this month… it was expected that the all important lineup announcement would soon follow.
Unfortunately, whoever Maddah brings out for the tour, you’ll only have one chance to see them, as he previously confirmed that there wouldn’t be any sideshows for Vans Warped Tour 2013. Taking into consideration that it’s the first time the tour has come to Australia in over a decade, he justified it in writing.
Maddah has made a point of distinguishing the Warped Tour from his other major festival project, Soundwave, stating, “Warped is about mayhem & DIY punk rock spirit. [Soundwave] is about delivering a slick & orchestrated day of performances.”
It’s not just the “spirit” that will be different, with Maddah revealing tickets will be “somewhere around $70 +GST +BF”, cheaper than the $190 punters paid to attend Soundwave 2013. Billboard claim Maddah and Lyman are looking for smaller venues for the Warped tour dates, which among the swamped festival marketplace will be a “prudent way to test the waters.”
It will be the first Australian leg for the Vans Warped Tour in more than a decade. First launched in 1995, three years later in January 1998 the festival first made its way to Australia with a lineup that featured Pennywise, Frenzal Rhomb, Blink 182, The Living End, Bodyjar and more, but the Warped Tour has abstained from an Australian visit since 2002.
Before its return though, AJ Maddah still has the increasingly popular Harvest Festival to promote in November. Rumours have already circulated about appearances by Franz Ferdinand, Damien Rice, Ghost Inside and even Jack White, for the lineup, while the recent announcement of a reunion tour by cult 90s band Neutral Milk Hotel confirms the lo-fi pioneers as the first officially leaked act on the 2013 lineup.
Yesterday, the promoter also let slip the dates for Soundwave 2014, saying they would start in Brisbane and follow “the same pattern” as this year’s edition. Maddah also revealed that the lineup “is pretty much full” via his favourite social media site. Few names are yet to be announced, but there will be the introduction of a new Japanese metal stage, with the inclusion of X Japan and Maximum The Hormone, while others likely for the 2014 bill are Crashdiet, Volbeat, Godsmack, and Shinedown.
Maddah has also confirmed that there won’t be any double-ups between any visitors for Soundwave and the Vans Warped Tour bill (when it finally comes).
