The Soundwave 2014 line up has been officially announced, finally letting countless eagerly waiting fans off the hook. It’s set to be one of the most explosive years yet for what has quickly become Australia’s biggest music festival. The 2014 line up includes the likes of Green Day, Avenged Sevenfold, Stone Temple Pilots, Alice In Chains, Rob Zombie, Megadeth and more!
Though it was hotly rumoured that industrial legends Nine Inch Nails would be announced as the third headliner for the 2014 edition of the festival, promoter AJ Maddah confirmed via Twitter that this would not be the case, tweeting “Sadly Trent wants to be mainstream now and reach Justin Timberlake’s audience.”
Talk has already begun on who the third headliner might be. Music Feedspreviously speculated that the likes of Iron Maiden, Deftones, Godsmack, Disturbed, Black Veil Brides, Panic! At The Disco and/or Rancid are all possibilities to make the 2014 cut, with Maddah said to be in talks with Iron Maiden.
Below, you can find info on all of the bands revealed in today’s announcement. If you wanna find out what’s been happening with any of the bands, just click on their name in the lineup list and you’ll be directed to their Feed page, where all of their latest goings-on will be there for your viewing pleasure.
With only one headliner, and just under a third of the lineup still to be revealed, the 2014 Soundwave lineup is already looking like the hottest ticket in town, and fans have every reason to celebrate. Tickets are said to priced at a damn reasonable $182, presumably inclusive of booking fees, and will go on general release on Thursday, 5th September, available for purchase via OzTix and the official Soundwave website.
With the lineup catering to pop-punk emo kids and old-school heavy metal purists alike, Soundwave 2014 is not something you’re going to want to miss – there’s 50 good reasons why below.
GREEN DAY
Punk rock legends Green Day are this year’s headliners. The group are coming off their latest project, a trio of albums titled ¡Uno!, ¡Dos! and ¡Tré! respectively. Fans will be salivating as Billie Joe and co. haven’t been Down Under since late 2009 after cancelling all 2012 tour dates.
It’s been stated that the band will not be playing any sideshows while they’re here, but will instead satiate fans with 2 and a half hour set! The band recently performed their album Dookie! in its entirety at a recent gig in London and it’s looking like they may be set to do the same here as they celebrate the 20th anniversary of the seminal album.
Watch: Green Day – Longview (Brixton Academy 21.08.13)
http://youtu.be/_D7GycuxDTc
AVENGED SEVENFOLD
With their heavy new album, Hail to the King set to drop later this month, Avenged Sevenfold last toured the Aussie shores back in 2011, when a scheduling disagreement forced them to cancel their appearance at that year’s Soundwave. The Huntington Beach rockers’ first ever Soundwave dates are sure to go off with a bang!
Watch: Avenged Sevenfold – Chapter Four (Musikfest 08.11.13)
STONE TEMPLE PILOTS
Alt-rock legends Stone Temple Pilots have been given a new lease on life with Link Park frontman Chester Bennington called in to replace troubled former frontman Scott Weiland. A Weiland-helmed STP were last here in 2011, with a revitalised new lineup things are looking good for STP fans.
Watch: Stone Temple Pilots w/ Chester Bennington – Wicked Garden (MusiCares Club Nokia 05.30.13)
ALICE IN CHAINS
Seattle grunge luminaries Alice In Chains were likewise given a chance at a new beginning after the death of singer Layne Staley. The band brought in William DuVall as frontman and back in May, released their latest album The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here. The band were last here in 2009 when they co-headlined Soundwave.
Watch: Alice In Chains – Man In the Box (Rock Am Ring ’06)
ROB ZOMBIE
The spook-master himself, Rob Zombie makes his return to Oz following a very brief rest after he was one of the main draws of Soundwave 2011. The singer/songwriter/director/screenwriter/producer is coming off the strength of his latest album, Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor released earlier this year.
Watch: Rob Zombie – Superbeast (Download Festival ’11)
MEGADETH
Megadeth, one of the Big Four of thrash, these heavy metal legends were last here all the way back in 2009 to tour with fellow thrash legends Slayer. Since then, they’ve released two new albums, including the recent Super Collider and are set to make this a big year for Dave Mustaine and co.
Watch: Megadeth – Holy Wars… The Punishment Due (Gothenburg 03.07.11)
http://youtu.be/pe3gjD1cihY
PLACEBO
No strangers to Soundwave or Australia, London-based alt-rockers Placebo were last here for 2010’s Soundwave festival, when they co-headlined with Faith No More and Jane’s Addiction. Their new album, Loud Like Love, is set to drop early September and will surely get fans excited for their 2014 Soundwave appearance.
Watch: Placebo – The Bitter End (Pinkpop Festival 31.05.09)
AFI
Next on the bill, AFI. Call them post-hardcore, call them alt-rock, call them emo, whatever they are, these genre-bending California rockers are heavy. Their much-anticipated new album Burials comes after a short break. The band were last here for Soundwave in 2010.
Watch: AFI – This Time Imperfect (I Heard A Voice) (Long Beach Arena 15.09.13)
http://youtu.be/vXpK3IaDzuE
KORN
You might need to re-educate yourself on heavy music if you don’t know who Korn are. With anticipation mounting for their new album, titled The Paradigm Shift, set to drop in October and fans not getting a live taste of Korn since 2010, this is surely one not to be missed.
Watch: Korn – Coming Undone (Download Festival ’13)
http://youtu.be/Fm-rxfBbR0Y
ALTER BRIDGE
Alter Bridge can’t seem to get enough of Aussie fans, having performed at Soundwave 2012 to great reviews. Their new album Fortress is set to drop in September on the iconic Roadrunner Records, so fans should prepare themselves for a sublime onslaught of hard-edged rock.
Watch: Alter Bridge – Blackbird (Wembley Arena 29.11.11)
28th February 2014
Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne
1st March 2014
Bonython Park, Adelaide
3rd March 2014
Claremont Showgrounds, Perth
Tickets:
General release on sale Thursday, 5th September via OzTix
Pre-sale for Soundwave mailing list members starts next week – sign up here!
Soundwave 2014 Lineup
UNITED KINGDOM - JANUARY 01: Photo of Billie Joe ARMSTRONG and GREEN DAY and Tre COOL and Mike DIRNT; L-R. Mike Dirnt, Billie Joe Armstrong, Tre Cool (Photo by Nigel Crane/Redferns)