AJ Maddah, the man behind the Soundwave and Harvest festivals, has delivered a shock announcement over the weekend, that he will help bring the Vans Warped Tour back to Australia in December 2013.

As FasterLouder points out, Maddah will buddy up with the Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman, who first founded the festival in 1995, to bring the Warped Tour back to Australian soil after a lengthy absence. Maddah and Lyman have confirmed that the tour will reach Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, and some regional areas of the east coast.

Although no bands or dates have been announced as yet, eager fans only have to wait until April to hear who is on the bill. Previous lineups have included the likes of Blink 182, The Living End, Pennywise, and Suicidal Tendancies.

The Warped Tour first reached Australia in 1998, and is sponsored by skateboard shoe manufacturer Vans. The punk rock festival is normally held in obscure locations, where car parks or fields become the stomping grounds for extreme sports and music fanatics alike.

It may seem that AJ Maddah is bringing back a duplicate festival to his other project, Soundwave Festival, however he recognises the different concepts between both, saying:

Maddah also tweeted his enthusiasm for working with Warped founder Kevin Lyman, writing:

Teaming up with founder Kevin Lyman, who has successfully organised the Warped Festival internationally since its creation, is a recipe for success. Both men have managed to effectively pull off festivals years after year, so the duo working together could only mean great things for Vans’ Australian return in 2013.

Due to Maddah’s experience with punk rock lineups in Soundwave Festival, he may be taking the reins when it comes to formulating a stellar lineup. This year’s Soundwave Festival includes headlining acts Blink 182, The Offspring, Linkin Park, and Paramore. There is opportunity for concern however should the big names of the punk rock genre be recycled at both festivals.

With a now second punk tour in summer featuring the most loved artists of the genre, could formulating a fresh lineup each year become a difficult task?

Having founded the Harvest Festival in 2011, AJ Maddah also appears to be piling a lot onto his plate. Now with a third festival to keep track of, perhaps he is biting off more than he can chew?

The similarity of Soundwave and Warped festivals also makes for an interesting debate, potentially meaning that bands are playing two festivals in a matter of months – with Warped in December and Soundwave in Febuary/March the following year.

Whether this is convenient or inconvenient to the bands is debatable. On one hand, there is more opportunity to play sideshows to adoring fans, and experience Australia’s renowned festival season. On the other hand, if some acts are asked to perform at both events, there are chances that they may only pick one.

The fact that both festivals cater to similar genres, with a huge focus on punk rock acts, means that creating a stellar lineup for two different festivals could be tricky, without having a few double-ups.

For the real dedicated fans howver, the chance to see their favourite international acts twice in the same season would be living the dream, but for the majority of music lovers with empty pockets out there, it could be a ginormous tease.

The lineup for South America’s Warped Festival could give fans a hint of who to expect at December’s shows. With names like The Used, Memphis May Fire, Reel Big Fish and Black Veil Brides gracing the South American earth in July/August this year, there is possibility that we could be enjoying these acts in our very own backyard come December.

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