The weekend’s shock news that festival co-headliners Blur had cancelled on their appearance at the Big Day Out, less than eight weeks from its kick-off, was also shock news to some of the event’s organisers.

A statement from Blur, posted on the Britpop icons’ Facebook page on Sunday blames the constantly shifting goalposts and challenging conditions of the organisers” for the cancellation. Adding that: “we’ve done our very best to work with the organisers and considered every option to make it happen, but they’ve let us down and let everyone else down too.”

The shock exit of Blur from the bill they topped alongside Pearl Jam and Arcade Fire was not only news to ticket-holders and fans, but to some of the Big Day Out’s team also.

Comments from newly minted Big Day Out co-promoter AJ Maddah reveal that he found out about the Blur cancellation from third-hand sources; asked by a fan on social media if he’d found about the cancellation through ‘Blur’s people’ or through Facebook, the Soundwave boss replied: “Even worse! I don’t even have [Facebook] so it was someone else telling me who had seen it on [there].”

It was a similar situation for Big Day Out’s New Zealand promoter Campbell Smith, who took to his own Facebook account to write: “The Blur announcement a total surprise to me. I had no idea. As soon as I find out what happened and what will happen, I will advise.” Adding in another post: “All international touring artists are booked by BDO Aus, so this whole thing taken me by surprise.”

Meanwhile, shortly after the cancellation news, the festival’s CEO Adam Zammit took to twitter to assure that the festival would be going ahead despite the blow.


UPDATE 25/11: Big Day Out have issued an official response to the Blur cancellation on the event’s Facebook page that reads: “We were disappointed to learn of Blur’s cancellation via their Facebook page yesterday morning. We are working on replacements and will bring you new additions to the Big Day Out lineup shortly.”

The timing of Blur pulling out on their first Australian dates in 17 years follows on from the Big Day Out announcing the first official sideshows last week, while there are a handful more Big Day Out sideshows expected, comments from AJ Maddah confirmed that Blur – like Pearl Jam – would be exclusively playing the festival only. Stating “no Blur sideshows at all.”

There has been industry speculation that the lack of sideshows may have had something to do with Blur pulling out of the lineup, but a series of tweets from Maddah following the cancellation he insists that the festival had done everything to satisfy Blur’s demands, including offers of sideshows.

“We tried to get a sideshow at The Hordern in Sydney. They passed on it,” he wrote to one fan, telling another that the lack of sideshows “does not affect their money or conditions. Festival gave them option for headline side show & they declined.”

In another reply about the “shifting goalposts” and problematic organisers, Maddah wrote: “Far as I know BDO gave into every demand within the possibility of curfews & public safety.” Adding that: “I’ve been around for a month & in that time all I’ve seen is everyone trying to keep them happy.” The only request the festival turned down was “when they asked to swap positions with Arcade Fire,” says Maddah, presumably leading to the construction of the third ‘Love’ stage to accommodate Blur’s closing slot.

“Everyone at BDO is absolutely devastated and confused by this turn of events,” Maddah adds. “All we can do is to replace them and bring you the best show possible.” In organising a replacement band, the promoter notes “we have a list of targets and are making contact with them all,” and that the cost “and profits” were of no concern compared to “protecting the brand.”


In response to a fan suggesting that Blur may in fact be splitting again or going into another long-term hiatus, Maddah wrote:


Refunds will be available for all ticket-holders following the cancellation, owing to terms and conditions on the festival website.

Blur are the second band to pull out of the lineup, after earlier in the week New York’s shoegaze-inspired indie outfit DIIV announced they were bowing out so the band can continue work on the follow-up to 2012 album Oshin. DIIV’s position on the Big Day Out 2014 lineup has been in jeopardy ever since their frontman, Zachary Cole Smith, was arrested in a drug bust this past September.

It remains unclear exactly what Blur are referring to when they cite “shifting goalposts”, although the festival has gone through a huge transformation behind the scenes these past few months, including the cancellation of the second date for the Sydney leg owing to poor ticket sales and rumours that the future of the festival was in a dire state after a Fairfax media article citing anonymous sources claimed the event was “tipped to lose up to $10 million, potentially making the event unsustainable in the future.”

Following the report, Big Day Out CEO Adam Zammit lashed out at the Fairfax journalist and his editorial team for the article for its rumour-mongering and unprofessionalism, including claims that long-term Big Day Out promoter Ken West had been booted from the Big Day Out team in light of Soundwave boss AJ Maddah buying a stake into the event.

But at the Face The Music conference last week, Ken West said the future of the Big Day Out was not in doubt, while commending Maddah as the “logical choice” for the event moving forward.

“I don’t believe there’s a crisis on any level,” said West of the Aussie music festival market ”It might be fragile, but generally the sales are all there… They’ve been reallocated for the time, we’re in a competitive business. But we just want to put on the best show possible, everybody.”

Big Day Out 2014 Lineup

Primus
Vista Chino
The Drones
CSS
Kerser
Bluejuice
Violent Soho
Jungle Giants
All Of The Colours
Bliss N Eso (Not playing Adelaide)
360 (Adelaide Only)

Joining the already announced lineup of:

Pearl Jam * Arcade Fire * Blur
Snoop Dogg aka Snoop Lion * Major Lazer * Steve Angello (Swedish House Mafia) * Flume * The Lumineers * Tame Impala * Dillon Francis * Mac Miller * Ghost * Grouplove * Flosstradamus * Portugal. The Man * Toro Y Moi * DIIV * The Naked And Famous * Big Gigantic * PEZ * Mudhoney * Cosmic Psychos * Northlane * The 1975 * Loon Lake * Kingswood * Bo Ningen * The Algorithm * DZ Deathrays * Peking Duk * Ben Morris * Rüfüs

Big Day Out 2014 Dates & Venues

Friday 17th January ~ Western Springs, Auckland*
Sunday 19th January ~ Metricon Stadium & Carrara Parklands, Gold Coast
Friday 24th January ~ Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne
Sunday 26th January ~ Sydney Showgrounds, Sydney
Friday 31st January ~ Bonython Park, Adelaide**
Sunday 2nd February ~ Claremont Showgrounds, Perth**

*For New Zealand Big Day Out 2014 lineup and ticketing details, please refer towww.bigdayout.com and choose AUCKLAND

**Subject to council approval

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