AJ Maddah has bluntly ended speculation as to whether his Harvest Festival event will proceed in 2014, following its much-publicised cancellation in 2013. Responding to a Twitter follower curious about the chances of a 2014 return, the Soundwave mogul replied simply, “Won’t happen this year.”
Harvest 2013 was cancelled back in September after weeks of rumours that the event had failed to attract sufficient interest from punters. In a Triple J interview earlier this year, Maddah blamed the event’s “’90s-centric lineup” and “booking bands that I like” for Harvest’s lacklustre ticket sales.
Days before the cancellation, Maddah told the Sydney Morning Herald that the event could return “some day,” but said it was “Pretty f-cking unlikely though.” Maddah labelled the indie and alternative rock event “a labour of love,” saying “we have a couple of great years to remember.”
Since the cancellation of Harvest 2013, Maddah has faced an uphill battle with his other events, including Big Day Out, with which he became involved around the same time as Harvest’s cancellation. Speaking to Triple J’s Hack, Maddah confirmed BDO experienced “ugly” losses.
@MajorScumbag won't happen this year.
— AJ (@iamnotshouting) April 16, 2014
