UPDATE 17/12/15 5.50pm: Soundwave 2016 has been officially cancelled.
Soundwave promoter AJ Maddah says there will “definitely” be no Soundwave festival in 2017.
Replying to a punter on Twitter who asked, “what r the odds of there being SW17 or even SW16 2 go ahead,” Maddah says, “Definitely no SW17. It’s a lot of hard work, stress & risk in return for which we get hate & stupidity #OverIt.”
In November, Maddah said that while ticket sales for Soundwave 2016 are “reasonable”, there were “no guarantees” the event would return in 2017.
Replying to a punter on Twitter, Maddah said, “SW17 depends on how SW16 goes.” When asked how confident he is the festival will be around in 2017, he said, “I honestly don’t know. I just don’t know.”
Soundwave 2016 will only take place in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne in January. The festival last made its way to Perth in 2014. Maddah has previously said he was “devastated” to lose the Perth leg of Soundwave, but said it had become financially unviable to keep it in the city.
Soundwave’s 2014 ticket sales in Perth were reportedly down almost 70 per cent compared to 2013. Maddah blamed a “perfect shitstorm” of factors for the slide, including government interference and high operating costs.
The Adelaide leg of Soundwave has also been dropped for 2016, due to lacklustre ticket sales in 2015. “We can’t bring a show of this magnitude down again for so few people,” Maddah said at the time.
A former Soundwave Festival operating company went into voluntary administration earlier this year, after an application was filed by World Stages Pty Ltd seeking to wind up the company’s operations over an unpaid debt. The case has since been dismissed.
Catch Maddah’s full series of tweets, below.
UPDATE 15/12/15 7:00pm: AJ Maddah has refused to give a guarantee that Soundwave will go ahead in 2016, and has also said the Soundwave Touring company will soon no longer exist.
UPDATE 16/12/15: The fate of Soundwave 2016 is said to be decided later today, according to promoter AJ Maddah. SW16 bands NOFX and Frenzal Rhomb have also cast further doubts on whether the festival will go ahead.
Gallery: 11 Unforgettable Soundwave Festival Moments
@stevenhewitt91 @SheGoCrazi Definitely no SW17. It's a lot of hard work, stress & risk in return for which we get hate & stupidity #OverIt
— AJ (@iamnotshouting) December 15, 2015
@MattRogueReview i'm doing my darnest to make sure shows go ahead. Once I know position, will let everyone know.
— AJ (@iamnotshouting) December 15, 2015
@the_zing Ticket sales are reasonable. SW17 depends on how SW16 goes. No guarantees.
— AJ (@iamnotshouting) November 24, 2015
@tom__williams I honestly don't know. I just don't know.
— AJ (@iamnotshouting) November 24, 2015
@JettVikernes always. What i meant was at least 10 days away! We're still a couple of confirmations short of full announce.
— AJ (@iamnotshouting) November 23, 2015
11 Unforgettable Soundwave Festival Moments
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Gwar - Soundwave 2014
Interstellar gods of metal GWAR well and truly made their mark on Australian audiences at Soundwave 2014 when front-thing Oderus Urungus used his mighty sword to decapitate an effigy of our widely-loathed PM Tony Abbott and soak the cheering crowd in his blood. Not even Napisan Plus could remove those pink stains which, for many, would soon become a sweaty memento from one of the last performances Urungus would ever give. His human alter ego, Dave Brockie, died tragically just weeks later from a heroin overdose. -
Mike Patton - Soundwave 2010
Nothing like a bit of mid-set nudity to make Faith No More’s headlining slot at Brisbane Soundwave in 2010 even more, uh, Epic. Frontman Mike Patton proved he was Just A Man by unleashing Mike Jr. from his trousered hideaway and literally rocking out with his cock out. -
Bloodhound - Soundwave 2009
An honourable mention must go to the Bloodhound Gang, who took the stage in 2009 to effectively reduce the throng of adult metalheads into sexually frustrated 13-year-olds. They did it like they did on the Discovery Channel, with healthy dose of Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo. Nostalgia was everywhere. As were bewbs. -
Alexisonfire - Soundwave 2010
As anyone who was on the scene for Sydney Soundwave 2010 can attest, that was the hottest fucking day in the history of the earth. The festival, then-held out near Eastern Creek Raceway, was one giant dustbowl, and those who withstood the 40+ temperatures were coughing up dirt for the next three days. Alexisonfire must have pre-empted this outcome and decided: fuck it. Frontman George Pettit jumped into the crowd mid-set and gave himself a dirt-bath in the middle of the pit. Who needs sunblock when you’re covered in a 2-inch thick layer of dust anyway? Epic. -
All Time Low - Soundwave 2015
When the sky opened up and unleashed a rainstorm of hell upon Sydney Soundwave earlier this year, right in the middle of All Time Low’s set, the Baltimore pop punk’s gear got wrecked, and the band were unable to play on. However, instead of letting the storm beat them, frontman Alex Gaskarth ploughed onward, leading fans in an a cappella singalong of his band’s track Weightlessas well as some of Queen’s We Will Rock You. Many people became All Time Low fans that day. -
Dallas Green – Soundwave 2008
Dallas Green performed a musical screaming eagle in ’08 when he appeared as the frontman of both Alexisonfire and City + Colour. Crushing skulls and melting hearts. All in a day’s work. -
Fucked Up - Soundwave 2011
The spirit of punk was alive and well at SW11 when Fucked Up gave an expectedly insane performance, complete with hair-ripping, sweaty hugging, and beast frontman Damien force-feeding the mic to members of the crowd. This set will probably go down in Aussie festival history. -
Killer Be Killed – Soundwave 2015
After a hurricane of hype leading up to their global live debut at Soundwave 2015, metal supergroup Killer Be Killed – featuring Max Cavalera, Greg Puciato, Troy Sanders and Ben Koller – did not disappoint, delivering an absolutely pulverising set. -
Blink-182 – Soundwave 2013
A Travis Barker-less Blink-182 shot their love all over the crowd during their headlining set at Soundwave 2013. With Bad Religion drummer Brooks Wackerman filling in on the skins, the pop punk trio capped off their first show in Australia since 2004 by wheeling out a massive confetti canon and opening fire on a sweat-drenched mosh pit, absolutely smothering fans in the coloured stuff. Many shower drains got clogged, that fateful night. -
Slash – Soundwave 2012
Alter Bridge pulled a rabbit out of their hat during their Sydney set in 2012, and by hat we mean top hat and by rabbit we mean guitar legend Slash, who was wearing the hat. The ex-Guns N’ Roses icon wasn’t even known to be in the country at the time, but he majestically appeared to claim an unused Marshall stack and Gibson Les Paul and join his singer Myles Kennedy for a few choice AB jams. You really never can tell just when #wunterslaush is going to turn up somewhere. -
Jane’s Addiction – Soundwave 2010
Soundwave 2010 was bittersweet for Jane’s Addiction fans, marking the band’s last ever tour. As ladies danced onstage and punters tried to mask their lonely tears, Eric Avery’s words rang home: “That’s it. With equal parts regret and relief, the Jane’s Addiction experiment is at an end.”
