The time that hard rock, heavy metal, and punk fans lose sleep over is almost here, with Soundwave 2015 set to hit up Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide next month, and we’re busy marking our timetables and memorising the lineup.
Naturally, everybody’s going to be scrambling for prime moshing real estate to see the likes of headliners like Slipknot, Faith No More, Soundgarden, and The Smashing Pumpkins, but they’re just a small fraction of the bands that make up the incredible 2015 lineup.
In order to spread the love around, we’ve decided to take a look at some of the bands on the Soundwave lineup that you maybe aren’t so familiar with, but who you should definitely get to know a little better before festival time finally comes around.
The Swellers
Formerly signed to the iconic Fueled by Ramen label (best known as the home of Paramore, Fun, Panic! at the Disco, and Gym Class Heroes), Flint, Michigan natives The Swellers now call No Sleep Records home, alongside bands like Balance and Composure, La Dispute, and The Wonder Years, and judging by their steadily growing fan base, they may soon eclipse all of the aforementioned.
With a sound that sits somewhere between Less Than Jake and American Hi-Fi, with elements of ’90s alternative rock blended in, punk fans would do well to make The Swellers a stop on their Soundwave 2015 journey.
This Wild Life
This Long Beach acoustic pop punk duo (yes, you read that right) embarked on their rapturously received maiden voyage to Australia last year as the supporting act for Jonny Craig.
This Wild Life soon became the only thing punters could talk about and their debut full-length album, Clouded, cemented them as one of the most original and refreshing bands to come into pop punk in years.
Blending uplifting punk melodies with deft acoustic guitar playing, the band’s roots as a four-piece punk band from the Long Beach DIY scene is audible in every note and strum.
Coldrain
Hailing from Nagoya, Japan, Coldrain are one of the most intriguing internationalists on the Soundwave 2015 lineup, touting a unique brand of high-energy, explosive metalcore played with impressive technical prowess and incorporating strong melodic elements.
The band recently made their debut on the international stage with a European tour supporting Bullet For My Valentine and have managed to develop the momentum into a passionate following worldwide, partly due to their English lyrics sung by half-American vocalist Masato. If melody-heavy metalcore played with dynamism and artistry is your thing, Coldrain are for you.
Rival Sons
Listening to Rival Sons is like taking a trip through the best moment of late-’60s psych, blues rock, and hard rock. The band wear their influences, which range from Led Zeppelin and The Yardbirds, to Van Morrison and The Doors, on their sleeves, but imbue every song with a fiery modern sound that smacks you in the face and compels you to shake something.
These consummate riff-makers are as known for their retro-meets-modern sonic palette as they are for their live performances, which turn everything up to 11 and take audiences by the throat.
Raglans
Taking their name from Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh’s 1946 work On Raglan Road (not the T-shirt, if you were wondering), Raglans blend the best of traditional Irish folk and UK punk pioneers like The Clash for a streamlined, 21st Century answer to the timeless sound of The Pogues.
These Irish up-and-comers have slowly been developing a strong international following for their peppy brand of indie rock which is distinctly Irish, while harkening back to the gargey sounds of the early 2000s embodied by bands like The Libertines and The Coral.
Patent Pending
It’s like this: mix equal parts Blink-182, Beastie Boys, and They Might Be Giants, put it on a stage, and unleash it on an unsuspecting crowd. That’s what you get with Patent Pending. Keeping tongue firmly in cheek, these Mount Sinai, New York natives are one of the most irreverent and dynamic bands to come on the pop punk scene in recent memory.
Forming 2001, the boys self-released six records before unveiling a full-length effort in 2006, Save Each Other, the Whales Are Doing Fine. Other titles in their discography include Meet the Fat Kids and Patent Pending Is Your Biological Father. Whether you want a show that will have you jumping as much as laughing, or you’re just into some well-crafted pop rock, Patent Pending are for you.
Le Butcherettes
Hailing from Guadalajara, Mexico, Le Butcherettes are known for their incendiary mix of explosive garage rock and militant social awareness. They first created a buzz back in 2007 for their notorious live performances, which famously feature props such as brooms, feather dusters, and bloody aprons, which are used as a pointed attack on the perceived status of women as slaves.
Led by the infamous Teri Gender Bender, who has become something of a Mexican underground cultural icon, the band’s performances are equal parts ruthless assault and family gathering.
Sleepwave
Rising from the ashes of metalcore favourites Underoath, Sleepwave are Spencer Chamberlain and Stephen Bowman, and they’re responsible for one of the most intriguing debuts of 2014. Broken Compass was hailed for its masterful blend of modern production elements and retro stylings, which harken back to the golden days of alternative rock.
Influenced by bands like Nine Inch Nails, The Smashing Pumpkins, and Filter, to hear Chamberlain talk about it, he has big plans for this new retro-meets-future project, “I wanna do it. I wanna be the next Layne Staley or Kurt Cobain,” he told Tone Deaf.
Monuments
On the surface, the mighty Monuments come barreling out of the gate with an intricate blend of djent and progressive metal, but if you look deeper into their sound, you’ll find a complicated tapestry of influences, taking cues from everything, including jazz, experimental noise, and death metal.
The band consistently garner praise for their unbeatable live shows, which include moments of outright metal frenzy as well as saxophone solos, as well as the skill with which they walk that line between the cerebral and the visceral, culminating in their most recent album, The Amanuensis.
Soundwave Festival 2015
Faith No More
Soundgarden
Incubus
Lamb Of God
Ministry
Antemasque
Gerard Way
Mayhem
New Found Glory
Fear Factory
Hollywood Undead
Atreyu
The Aquabats
Area 7
Godflesh
Crown The Empire
The Interrupters
Icon For Hire
Emily’s Army
Patent Pending
Fireworks
The Bennies
The Color Morale
Monuments
Nothing More
Deathstars
Ne Obliviscaris
The Treatment
Slipknot
Slash w/Myles Kennedy
Marilyn Manson
Fall Out Boy
Judas Priest
Godsmack
All Time Low
Papa Roach
Of Mice & Men
Escape The Fate
Apocalyptica
Lagwagon
Tonight Alive
Crossfaith
Butcher Babies
Confession
The Swellers
Conditions
Coldrain
King 810
Dayshell
This Wild Life
The Wonder Years
Bayside
Nonpoint
Animals As Leaders
Bayside
The Devil Wears Prada
Dragonforce
Evergreen Terrace
Fucked Up
He Is Legend
Killer Be Killed
Le Butcherettes
Lower Than Atlantis
Nonpoint
One Ok Rock
Sleepwave
Twin Atlantic
The Smashing Pumpkins
Steel Panther
Millencolin
Falling In Reverse
Exodus
The Vandals
Rival Sons
King Parrot
Raglans
Terror Universal
Saturday, 21st February & Sunday, 22nd February 2015
Bonython Park, Adelaide, South Australia
Tickets: Soundwave
Saturday, 21st February & Sunday, 22nd February 2015
Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, Victoria
Tickets: Soundwave
Saturday, 28th February & Sunday, 1st March 2015
Olympic Park, Sydney, New South Wales
Tickets: Soundwave
Saturday, 28th February & Sunday, 1st March 2015
RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane, Queensland
Tickets: Soundwave
