Well Soundwave Festival is wrapped for another year. My hearing is gone, my liver is bruised, my back aches like an malnourished old lady and my insides are sufficiently scrambled from standing too close to too many speakers. I was finally privy to how the entire tour rolls out across the country this year and I must say, the sheer scale of it all is totally fucking mind-blowing. It really has become one of the biggest festivals in the world, not just because of the headliners it’s managed to pull, but because of the sheer manpower required to tie the thing together and ensure its smooth running. It’s so fascinating to see that for every band that sinks beers and gallops onto stage to bang out a 40 minute set to a carefree audience of thousands, there were hundreds of people working behind the scenes to make that moment happen. Genuinely impressive. Many people have checked in to ask what the best band of the tour was, and for some reason Metallica seem overall victors of Soundwave 2013. It’s terribly cliché but seems fitting, if only because of the massive crowd they pulled without fail with each performance. Everyone from teenagers to grandfathers seemed present to witness the vast collection banging genre-defining anthems they played – pitch perfect – over a marathon set of over two hours. Pros. Total pros.
Sydney hardcore band Relentless have been picked as national supports on the upcoming Funeral For A Friend tour. Catch the duo when they play at The Corner Hotel on Tuesday May 14 or Pier Live in Frankson on Wednesday May 15. Tickets are available now.
Five years since the release of their self titled effort, Fear Like Us released their new Street Vipers 7” via Poison City last week and they’ll hit the road in April in support of it. Lock in Friday April 26 at The Reverence Hotel.
Ska fiends unite. Mad Caddies and Voodoo Glow Skulls are teaming up for a Hits and Pits sideshow on Saturday March 30 at the Northcote Social Club. This will be their only show outside of Hits and Pits Festival.
The Transplants will release a new album in May. The band – made up of Tim Armstrong, Travis Barker, Skinhead Rob and Kevin Bivona – once released a cracking album of punk/rap mashups but have yet to impress since. Their new album In A Warzone will be released in May. It’ll be their first album in eight years.
All Tomorrow’s Shoeys is happening! Friday April 26 – Sunday 28 will see Hobart’s Brisbane Hotel host three days of great bands from all over Australia. There’s never been a better time to visit Tassie with this lineup. See The Smith Street Band, Luca Brasi, Fear Like Us, The Bennies, Headaches, Lincoln LeFevre, Grim Fandango, Jen Buxton, El Alamein, Foxtrot, Ride The Tiger, Speech Patterns, Lucy Wilson and more. Tickets for “ego free” funtimes are available at alltomorrowsshoeys.bigcartel.com
Bring Me The Horizon are bringing forward the release date for their new album Sempiternal to Friday March 29. Originally set for an April release, strong demand and an early leak has seen the band prepare for an early release.
Ladies and gentlemen we might have a contender for gig of the year. Hits and Pits Festival have announced a banging sideshow to take place at Northcote Social Club in a couple weeks’ time. Good Riddance will open the show, followed by A Wilhelm Scream playing Mute Print in full, followed by The Flatliners playing their amazing Cavalcade album front to back. Holy hell. Sunday March 31 (Easter Sunday). Don’t miss out.
Lamb Of God’s Randy Blythe has been cleared of manslaughter chargers over the death of a fan at a L.O.G. gig in Prague over three years ago. He has asked fans to “please remember the family of Daniel Nosek…I only wish for them peace. Thank you for your support”.
Heroes For Hire have given their frontman and founding member Brad Smith, the arse. The band revealed that existing member Duane would take vocalist duties and released a new press shot early last week. Smith responded on Twitter saying “So within 15 seconds of getting off my flight I’ve been told Heroes don’t want me in the band anymore”. Brutal.
