In the next 30 days music fans will likely have the Soundwave 2014 Lineup, a second round of bands for Harvest Festival and the Australian return of the Vans Warped Tour; news that comes direct from the prolific promoter for all three music festivals, AJ Maddah.
The outspoken festival honcho has just returned from overseas but has wasted no time in getting stuck straight into the lineup updates for all three major music festivals, Maddah tweeting that he’s likely got a very busy month ahead of him.
In response to a query, Maddah replied that he will be avoiding any rest and getting “back into it! Amazing Harvest 2nd announce, SW announcement, 2nd Warped all in next 30 days!” as well as three Australian tours under the Soundwave Touring company, as FasterLouder points out.
The Soundwave 2014 Lineup is perhaps the biggest of the updates litter and with the 2014 festival dates locked in for next February, the lineup is expected to drop sometime in late August, but Maddah has already confirmed that the bill is “pretty much full” and contains around 63 bands.
Maddah has already said it’s going to be difficult to top the 10th anniversary lineup of Soundwave 2013, which brought huge attendance numbers from its 70+ strong bill featuring Metallica, Blink 182, Garbage, Linkin Park, The Offspring, Slayer, Anthrax and many more.
That hasn’t stop the Soundwave 2014 lineup rumour mill from spinning into overdrive, with Nine Inch Nails still pegged as potential headliners, while other acts tossed about include Slash, Alter Bridge, Deftones, Alice In Chains, Kylesa, Papa Roach, and Skunk Anansie. “Amazing Harvest 2nd announce, SW announcement, 2nd Warped all in next 30 days!” – AJ Maddah
There’s also the introduction of a a new Japanese metal stage, with around nine bands, with Maximum The Hormone likely to appear. There’ll also be some ska bands and the promise that the “Metal stages will be back with a vengeance next year!” While tickets to Soundwave 2014 are likely ” $160 + GST + BF. So around $180 to $185 I reckon,” says Maddah.
Meanwhile Harvest festival-goers can look forward to “a hell of an announcement” for the second round of bands to join the likes of Massive Attack, Franz Ferdinand, Goldfrapp, Neutral Milk Hotel, and The Drones on the 2013 bill in November. Second round announcements for the first two editions of Harvest brought the likes of Mogwai, TV On The Radio and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah in 2011, and Dexys Midnight Runners, Silversun Pickups, and Los Campesinos! last year, but Maddah has teased that for 2013, “it’s definitely our biggest 2nd announcement!”
Harvest Festival sideshows will see many of the event’s bands teaming up for co-headline shows in the tradition of previous years, and will likely be announced in the first two weeks of September following the second round lineup announcement. Also as per Harvest tradition, sideshows will only happen outside of Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne, in the states Harvest won’t trek to. But expect potential sideshows from Franz Ferdinand, Eels, Neutral Milk Hotel, Goldfrapp, and Primus.
Last but not least, the Warped Tour is also getting another round of acts for the festival’s return to Australia for the first time in over a decade, headlined by The Offspring and Simple Plan. Maddah has said to “expect another 4 or 5 internationals as well as a load of locals” to join domestic groups Parkway Drive and Tonight Alive, and in fact the festival put out an open call for recommendations for Aussie bands for each of Warped’s six dates this December.
While the promoter previously said there won’t be any Warped Tour sideshows, he’s since turned back on that decision. Simple Plan and Parkway Drive won’t be doing sideshows, while The Offspring will play a headline date in Perth, the city that was snubbed by a visit from Warped after Maddah took issue with the Western Australian Government‘s attitudes to festivals and live music in general. It’s also “quite possible” Man Overboard and We Came As Romans could play the WA capital.
Soundwave 2014 Dates
venues TBA
Saturday 22nd February – Brisbane
Sunday 23rd February – Sydney
Friday 28th February – Melbourne
Saturday 1st March – Adelaide
Monday 3rd March – Perth
Harvest 2013 Dates
Sunday November 10: Melbourne, Werribee Park
Saturday November 16: Sydney, The Domain
Sunday November 17: Brisbane, City Botanic Gardens
Vans Warped Tour 2013 Dates
Friday 29th November
Brisbane RNA Showgrounds
Saturday 30th November
Coffs Harbour
Sunday 1st December
Barangaroo, Sydney
Friday 6th December
Exhibition Park, Canberra
Saturday 7th December
VENUE TBA, Melbourne
Sunday 8th December
VENUE TBA, Adelaide
For more info head to: facebook.com/WarpedAU and http://vanswarpedtouraustralia.com/
