SoulFest 2014 Bringing Common, Mos Def & More To Australia

March 14, 2014

A mysterious event poster and website advertising an event dubbed SoulFest, billed as “Australia’s first annual neo-soul, jazz and hip-hop festival,” has sparked rumours regarding East Coast appearances from Common, Mos Def, Maxwell, Aloe Blacc, and more soul stars this October.

According to theMusic.com.au, the poster was shared by singer and apparent lineup member Anthony Hamilton on his Facebook page, before being quickly taken down.

You can’t erase the internet, though, and the poster soon began circulating on Twitter. Eager fans have already reached out to some of the artists advertised on the lineup for confirmation, though none, including Hamilton, have made comment.

The poster also directs users to the SoulFest website, which has only become active in the last hour. The website features a SoundCloud embed of a DJ Trey mix and the opportunity to pre-register for tickets by signing up to a mailing list.

The poster, which Music Feeds understands is outdated, does not bear the name of any Australian or international promoter, though it does list dates in October at Sydney’s Victoria Park, Yarra Park in Melbourne, and Brisbane’s Riverstage.

Although some of the information on the poster may inaccurate, Music Feeds believes the event is planned to go ahead this year. Details at the moment are scant but more information is expected to arrive early next week. Stay tuned for more updates.

UPDATE 6:26pm 14/03/14: It seems IEG Presents, a group co-founded by promoter John Denison, are behind Soulfest. IEG’s Twitter account describes them as “Producers of Soulfest 2014”.

IEG tweeted the festival’s logo back in January with the blurb “There’s a new kid in town!!” In response to a fan asking earlier this week if there was any news on the festival, IEG tweeted, “Yep u will have to wait tho. Media release next Tuesday.”

The account has this week tweeted information regarding D’Angelo and Maxwell, both featured on the poster doing the rounds. Denison unsuccessfully attempted to launch a new urban festival, to be known as Hype, late last year. In July, Denison said Hype was not cancelled but postponed, though the rough time frame of November 2013 he set has now come and gone.

IEG recently presented a tour by R&B superstar Brian McKnight.