Soundwave (Australian music festival)
| Soundwave | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Metal, Hardcore, Punk rock, Pop punk & Alternative rock |
| Dates | Mid February - early March |
| Location(s) | Australia |
| Years active | 2007 - present |
| Organised by | KMW Productions |
| Website | Official website |
The Soundwave Festival (not to be confused with the UK Soundwave Festival) is a music festival held in Australia, that originated in Perth, Western Australia and began traveling to other state capitals in 2007. It features an increasing number of International and Australian music acts, from various genres like Metal, Hardcore, Punk rock, Pop punk & Alternative rock.
History pre-2007
The Australian Soundwave Festival originated as a smaller festival within the Gravity Games, which were held at McCallum Park in Perth, Western Australia from 2004-2006.[1]
The 2004 Festival was held in the evening on the 14th and 15th of October. The first night's lineup included Good Charlotte supported by One Dollar Short and Gyroscope. The second night included Unwritten Law, Regurgitator, MxPx, Lagwagon and Last Year’s Hero.
The 2005 Festival was held on October the 8th and included Grinspoon, Unwritten Law, Reel Big Fish, Cog and Goldfinger.[2]
The 2006 Festival was held on December the 7th and included Aiden, Gyroscope, Kisschasy, Parkway Drive, The Getaway Plan and Goodnight Nurse.[3]
2007
In 2007 the festival expanded to include Sydney and Brisbane, and increased the number of bands performing. A number of the artists featured in the 2007 Festival had previously played at the Soundwave Festival in Perth including Unwritten Law, MxPx and Parkway Drive.
Locations
The festival in 2007 was held in three cities across Australia:
- Riverstage, Brisbane, 24 February.
- Sydney Park, Sydney, 25 February.
- Claremont Showgrounds & Robinson Pavilion, Perth, 3 March.
The large gap between the second and third days of the festival was to allow the bands attending to play sideshows in other major Australia cities; namely Adelaide and Melbourne.
Line up
* Did not appear in Perth
** Replaced The Format
Local Acts
|
Brisbane: |
Sydney: |
Perth: |
2008
The 2008 Soundwave Festival was expanded to include dates in 5 states of Australia with the addition of dates in Melbourne and Adelaide. The expanded Festival featured 5 stages compared to 3 the previous year.
The Festival's organisers received criticism from some attendees due to an apparent lack of organisation in Brisbane and Sydney, due to a large increase in the number of attendees, some queueing for up to 2 hours to enter in heat up to 40 degrees Celsius. By the Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth festivals organisers rectified planning issues experienced in the first two Festivals.
Locations
The festival in 2008 was held in five cities across Australia:
- Riverstage and Parklands, Brisbane, 23 February.
- Sydney Park, Sydney, 24 February.
- Melbourne Showgrounds, Melbourne, 29 February.
- Bonython Park, Adelaide, 1 March.
- Steel Blue Oval, Perth, 3 March.
Line up
|
* Did not appear in Brisbane or Sydney[4]
** Replaced Coheed and Cambria[5]
† Replaced Chiodos[6]
†† Replaced Social Distortion[5]
††† Replaced Ace Enders[5]
Local Acts
|
Brisbane: Sydney: |
Melbourne:
Adelaide: |
Perth: |
All canceled acts were replaced except The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.[7]
2009
51 international bands are so far confirmed to take part in the 2009 installment of the Soundwave Festival, as announced on Wednesday, September 24, 2008.[8] The 2009 festival will expand to 6 stages due to the extra bands playing this year. There will be a smaller announcement in the future to bring the total amount of bands to around 60. It is believed this will mostly be Australian artists.
The blurb from the official press release reads:
As promised, Soundwave returns in ’09, and to paraphrase Southpark, it is bigger, longer and uncut!
Topped by one of this generation’s most talented and uncompromising bands in Nine Inch Nails, the festival also sees a long overdue return of grunge titans Alice In Chains, juvenile delinquents The Bloodhound Gang and this year’s most exciting new band, Scars On Broadway featuring System of a Down members Daron Malakian and John Dolmayan.
As always, there is also plenty to offer the fans of punk, metal and the heavier end of the alternative spectrum, as well as signing tents giving artists the opportunity to meet fans, market stalls and the odd bit of crappy installation art for you to laugh at.
Locations
The festival in 2009 will be held in five cities across Australia:
- The RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane, 21 February.
- TBA, Sydney, 22 February.
- Melbourne Showgrounds, Melbourne, 27 February.
- Bonython Park, Adelaide, 28 February.
- Steel Blue Oval, Perth, 2 March.
Line up
Compilation albums
The official compilation CD featuring artists who perform at the festival is released through Shock Records.
- Soundwave 2008 (2008)
- Soundwave 2009 (Release Date TBA)