This Petition Wants To Bring Soundwave Back To Perth In 2016

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

Western Australia has been without the sweet rock-heavy fruits of Soundwave since it last hosted the festival in 2014, but a die-hard Soundwave fan has launched a petition to bring the event back to Perth in 2016, and it’s quickly gathering support.

The new petition, launched by J.J. Gilpin, is calling on Soundwave promoter AJ Maddah, the Western Australian Government, Perth councils and Soundwave Festival itself to band together and bring the event back to Australia’s west coast.

“We, the Metal lovers of Western Australia, want our best Metal festival back,” reads the petition.

“Western Australia has a brilliant local Metal Scene, and we love our local and international Metal acts. Soundwave was started in Perth, and we all are disappointed to not have seen it last year here in Western Australia.

“Not only would it be in the best interests for Soundwave to return, but the flow on effect Western Australia would be worth it. People come from all over Western Australia, and even Australia to stay in Perth, spending money to do so.”

Gilpin’s petition, which has already amassed almost 2000 in the last five days, comes with some “rough estimates” of Soundwave’s 2014 Perth ticket sales and bar profits, stating, “We don’t understand how Perth couldn’t make any money when there was $4.74 Million on the table right there.

“Obviously we don’t know the costs and issues associated with running a large scale Festival, but appreciate the fact that people take the time and effort to make this a reality for us,” the petition adds. AJ Maddah has been contacted for comment on the petition’s figures.

Back in 2014, Maddah said he was “devastated” to lose the Perth leg of Soundwave event, but noted that it had become financially unviable to keep it in the city.

Maddah previously said that Perth’s 2014 ticket sales were down almost 70 per cent compared to those in 2013, blaming a “perfect shitstorm” of factors including government interference and high operating costs for not returning to Perth.

Soundwave 2016 is currently set to make its way through Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne in January. The lineup expected to drop in the next three weeks, but Welsh metal outfit Bullet For My Valentine have already been confirmed for the festival.

The Adelaide leg of Soundwave was dropped for 2016 after 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, before saying the festival may eventually return to the city.

The petition to bring Soundwave back to Perth is aiming for “at least 15,000 signatures”. View the petition in full at the change.org website, and for all the latest Soundwave 2016 lineup rumours, head to the Music Feeds Soundwave 2016 Lineup Rumours And Info page.

UPDATE 19/08/15: Soundwave promoter AJ Maddah has taken to Twitter to say that while “We would LOVE to go back to Perth one day”, the amounts of money mentioned in Gilpin’s petition “are total nonsense”.

“The cost of putting on show, before artist fees is over $3.5 million,” Maddah says. “Bands ain’t cheap.” View his Tweets in full, below.

Gallery: Soundwave 2015: The Best Of The Fest

@musicfeeds @soundwavefest We would LOVE to go back to Perth one day.

— AJ (@iamnotshouting) August 19, 2015

@tom__williams @soundwavefest numbers are total nonsense. The cost of putting on show, before artist fees is over $3.5M Bands ain't cheap

— AJ (@iamnotshouting) August 19, 2015