Soundwave 2015 Sydney / Photo: Yael Stempler

The Fate Of Soundwave 2016 To Be Decided Today, Says Promoter AJ Maddah

UPDATE 17/12/15 5.50pm: Soundwave 2016 has been officially cancelled.

Soundwave promoter AJ Maddah says the fate of the 2016 edition of the festival will be decided later today, as more doubts continue to be cast on whether or not the event will go ahead next year.

After saying yesterday that Soundwave “definitely” won’t be returning in 2017, Maddah refused to give a formal guarantee that the 2016 leg of the festival will still go ahead, and members of Soundwave 2016 act NOFX have since suggested SW16 is on its way to being axed.

Posting to Instagram (below) about an upcoming Australian Christmas appearance, NOFX’s Eric Melvin says, “Soundwave cancelling sw16 isn’t going to stop me from seeing my Australian mates at Xmas…..!!!!!!!”

Referring to Melvin’s post, a Twitter user has asked Maddah to say that the cancellation of Soundwave 2016 isn’t true, to which Maddah has responded with, “Not true yet. We’ll know this afternoon.”

When asked about what the deciding factor in the matter will be, Maddah said, “It is down to some scumbags at Eventopia/Tickete[k].”

Meanwhile, NOFX’s Fat Mike has tweeted, “Shit, I wanted to meet Flav and Chuck D. Come on AJ, make it happen!…. Bring me the Verizon… I don’t need to meet them.”

NOFX’s manager Kent Jamieson has also told a concerned fan on Twitter that it’s “doubtful” whether the band will be paid for their scheduled appearance at Soundwave next year. NOFX are scheduled to play the three legs of Soundwave in January, as well as a trio of sideshows.

Aussie act Frenzal Rhomb have also hinted at doubts over their scheduled SW16 appearance, with drummer Gordy Forman posting an update about his injured arm, saying, “If Soundwave manage to find heaps of money under their mattress and realise they can use that to pay the bands what they agreed upon, I might actually be able to play a song or two by then.”

Despite not being able to guarantee that the 2016 edition of Soundwave will end up happening, Maddah says he’s “doing [his] darnest to make sure shows go ahead”. 38 days out from the festival, the official venues have also yet to be fully announced.

Let’s hope that AJ ends up being able to pull this off and that we can all get together to give Soundwave the big send-off it deserves. Catch the recent posts from Maddah, NOFX and Frenzal Rhomb, below.

UPDATE 16/12/15 6:50pm Soundwave 2016 ticketing company Eventopia has released a statement concerning the fate of the festival.

UPDATE 16/12/15 9:00pm: AJ Maddah has hit back at Eventopia with a statement on Twitter. He has said, “We cannot hold festival without their support.”

Gallery: 11 Unforgettable Soundwave Festival Moments

Soundwave cancelling sw16 isn’t going to stop me from seeing my Australian mates at Xmas…..!!!!!!!

A photo posted by Eric Melvin (@eric_melvin) on

Getting closer, motherfuckers.It's been a cunt of a 6 month stitch, but I can actually hit a drum now!If Soundwave... Posted by Frenzal Rhomb on Saturday, 12 December 2015

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