Soundwave has become one of Australia’s favourite festivals since its national debut in 2008, with heavyweights as varied as Faith No More, Iron Maiden, Slipknot, and Deftones being just a few that have headlined the event in the past.
Next year’s event looks like it may be the best yet, with an insane lineup including three of metal’s “big four” in Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax, along with pop-punk icons Blink-182 and the Offspring, and arena rock stalwarts Linkin Park.
Considering the spectacle that is sure to ensue in February, it only seems right to take a look back at the best Soundwave moments that have occurred over the past 4 years.
Kane Hibberd, the official photographer who has captured the annual festival since Soundwave’s inception, has taken it upon himself to do just that in a collection of photography to be released under his natty guise of Kanye Lens.
Hibberd will be releasing his first book, Kanye Lens Vs Soundwave Volume 1 in February 2013 – the same month that Soundwave 2013 is set to take place.
Over 450 pages long and with over 600 photographs, the tome will also contain personal commentary on Hibberd’s imagery from artists and crew, and with only 2000 copies available, it is doubtlessly set to become a collector’s item.“I’ve tried to create a book full of imagery that can escape the shadow of its famous inhabitants and stand alone as beautiful pieces of artwork.”
– Kane Hibberd, Soundwave Photographer
“From the moment I was asked to jump on board the Soundwave machine, my goal was to, one day, produce a coffee table style photography book,” Hibberd says of his new book. “I grew up watching Tony Mott create a legacy with the Big Day Out and now this is hopefully the start of my own legacy. I’ve tried to create a book full of imagery that can escape the shadow of its famous inhabitants and stand alone as beautiful pieces of artwork.”
“Hopefully the book will appeal to not only music fans, but also fans of photography,” Hibberd enthused about his new project.
He is self-funding and independently publishing the book, suggesting the photographer’s wage may be a little higher than traditionally thought.
As well as the festival itself, the book is sure to cement the legacy of Soundwave’s creator, boss, and founder, AJ Maddah, and it’s just the latest in a series of news showing that 2012 is a good year to be AJ.
Tickets to Soundwave 2013 sold out in no time at all this year, which isn’t really a surprise considering its mammoth line-up.
Then Maddah’s foray into turning his expertise to the indie market with Harvest Festival, which ran in November, was also a smash success. It experienced some teething problems in it’s inaugural showing last year, but these all appeared to be smoothed out for it’s second year – prompting our Melbourne reviewer to describe it as the festival version of Nevermind.
If all this wasn’t enough to keep Maddah busy, he also found the time to purchase the backline hiring company Billy Hyde Stage Systems, just as its parent company seemed to be on the brink of collapse.
The retail giant folded under debts of over 40 million, with over 600 jobs looking to be lost – but it was thankfully saved at the eleventh hour by former rival Con Gallin.
All events which only add to Soundwave’s colourful history.
The limited edition copies of Kanye Lens Vs Soundwave Volume 1 are currently available for preorder from www.kanyelens.com with options including prints of selected artists.
For an inkling of what the book’s going to be like, check out our slideshow of Soundwave’s greatest moments, which we teamed up with Hibberd to create, below.
