Ken West has officially lost it

[the_flight_of_the_magpie]

Ken West sounds off again

Increasingly outspoken Big Day Out promoter Ken West has accused rival festival promoters of using fake names to post comments on Facebook and Twitter “shit canning” his festival.
Commenting on the less than enthusiastic reaction to the Big Day Out lineup on social media, West told Adelaide Now that “With the Facebook and Twitter world, you only have five minutes to convince people now. If they go ‘Pfffft’, then getting them back is really hard. There’s so much vitriol now. You know there’s other promoters putting postings under fake names shit canning your show. All we do (online) is a bit of damage control. I won’t enter that game of ambushing everyone’s stuff.”
The allegations come just weeks after West claimed that Soundwave boss AJ Maddah is a “financial anarchist” and West’s former partner Viv Lees compared his departure from the Big Day Out team to the end of an ‘abusive relationship’
Although the Big Day Out has been forced to down scale several events this year West maintains that “Despite the rumours, the tickets are doing OK. It just cost too much… The talent costs are so high. It was like, ‘If you don’t match that, you don’t get us’. Then you make bad decisions. Tickets for Eminem were up to $400. Good seats for Foo Fighters were $180; they’re festival ticket prices. Something’s got to give.”
Responding to criticism about Kanye West’s place on the lineup Ken West explains that “Kanye’s a hoot. He’s a nutjob. I love having uncompromising artists on the show, except when we ask them to compromise…I believe in every act on the show. I just don’t necessarily believe all those acts should be on the [same] show.”
West also weighed in on the bidding war for a tour from the re-formed Stone Roses, who had been strongly tipped to play at Splendour in the Grass before the festival promoters issued a denial.
The Adelaide Now article claims that The Stone Roses are now “earmarked for Future Music 2013” but Ken West, who was the last Australian promoters to tour the band, claims that “fundamentally they’re not a good live band. It’s a very cynical exercise in what people are prepared to pay for them.”
http://www.fasterlouder.com.au/news/local/31305/Ken-West-sounds-off-again

 

[gUt]

I wonder if Soundgarden looked at the Soundwave lineup this year and went to themselves "daaamn we're at the wrong festival..."

Kanye West headlining = lol.

 

[franklin2323]

:lol: what a sook. Look at other festivals they got decent lineups for that Genre anyway. Click on the ' AJ is a financial anarcist' classic! Who goes to festivals for Aus bands?? The make good fillers but don't draw people except AC/DC.

I will use an example when we were talking about going to BDO Living End were mentioned as a band to watch. A month later they were at Panthers. That's the thing Aussie bands tour regularly at Clubs so no need to pay to watch them without big international acts.

 

[Red Bear]

:lol: what a sook. Look at other festivals they got decent lineups for that Genre anyway. Click on the ' AJ is a financial anarcist' classic! Who goes to festivals for Aus bands?? The make good fillers but don't draw people except AC/DC.

I will use an example when we were talking about going to BDO Living End were mentioned as a band to watch. A month later they were at Panthers. That's the thing Aussie bands tour regularly at Clubs so no need to pay to watch them without big international acts.

But when you have someone like AJ/Soundwave who just ignore the local scene it damages it.

For all the warrented criticism of Ken West he runs a festival that has consistently had a decent amount of Australian bands. This means you get situations like , say, me watching King Cannons yesterday. They put on a ripping show which makes me want to get more of their music. With near 50k people there yesterday there'll be a heap of others who saw something new that they like. And thus the local music scene stays strong.

When promotors such as AJ ignore the local scene there is no space for local acts to grow, and the bands suffer.

Give me BDO over the clusterf**k of Soundwave anyday

 

[franklin2323]

What Aussie acts are demanding to be picked?? Other then Living End & AC/DC the next big 2 Powerfinger & Silverchair have gone. The fact is the charting bands are all Auto tuned pop crap 90% are international. It's not like AJ isn't up on the Australian music scene he hosts programs on triple J. His next shift is Feb 14.

Soundwave is for proven bands over years of practice. Harvest is the up & comers the majority are Aussie bands. The fact the Soundwave sold out in record time proves his theory right.

 

[LESStar58]

BDO has been rubbish for years IMO. West has probably made mountains of cash by now. Hw should retire and let festivals like Soundwave have their time. Sure, I can't say I'm a giant fan of the SW line up this year but there are more MUSIC fans at Soundwave. BDO is just a social gathering for bogans to destroy.

 

[beave]

But when you have someone like AJ/Soundwave who just ignore the local scene it damages it.

For all the warrented criticism of Ken West he runs a festival that has consistently had a decent amount of Australian bands. This means you get situations like , say, me watching King Cannons yesterday. They put on a ripping show which makes me want to get more of their music. With near 50k people there yesterday there'll be a heap of others who saw something new that they like. And thus the local music scene stays strong.

When promotors such as AJ ignore the local scene there is no space for local acts to grow, and the bands suffer.

Give me BDO over the clusterf**k of Soundwave anyday

I normally agree with most things you say mate, but not this.

How many decent Aussie metal/hard bands are there that will drag in 30-40k punters?? Sweet FA is the answer, if i wanna see parkway drive or the Butterfly effect I will see them when they do a local tour, be f**ked if i am spending $160 bucks on a ticket, plus airfares to brissy and accomodation to see the Living End for the 1000th time. There's not Enough local talent to make a decent festival, we simply don't have the population here to sustain or create the amount of bands needed for an all dayer like SW. Unfortunatley the harder music scene has been neglected in this country for too long (festival wise) and the people who are into that sort of music are now dropping the BDO and heading to SW because it now caters for their taste. If AJ can bring the names here he has and make some cash, then more power to him I say.

I'm interested to know why you think SW is a clusterf**k mate, the last 3 I have been to have been very well run and all had great bands on the bill.

 

[gUt]

They r auzsyies so they muts be gud!!1

 

[Big Pete]

I agree with Red Bear to a degree.

I don't think they should get rid of local talents at all - I think the BDO is great for local music and the local bands really do give it their all. But at a time where they're asking for a small fortune and tickets are (or at least were) difficult to obtain they need to book more international draws to re-invigorate interest.

That doesn't mean they should get rid of the local acts at all. You can still bring in local bands to open up the main stages and fill other tents around the park but the days of Jet or The Living End appearing 3rd last on the main stage are over.

As for Soundwave - it's usually 'too good' in that they bring in a lot of great acts but the clashes are terrible and bands simply don't get enough time. This might have changed recently, I'm not sure but I always felt underwhelmed coming out of them.

 

[Nevcost]

I think the days of loyalty to one festival is truly over and its just who can get the best acts. This year I went to BDO on the Gold Coast mainly because I'm a bit of a Oasis/Noel Gallagher fan as well as Kasabaian, but their were a few other bands that peaked my interest so I thought stuff it I'll go. Basically at one point Cage the Elepephant clashed with Frenzal Rhomb but I went for Cage the Elephant because I could see Frenzal at a local pub/rsl and it would be cheaper then seeing Cage the Elephant at a bar in the city/valley. I also agree about King Cannons being a good band, it was nice to see an old fashioned punk band that sounded like a combination of The Clash and The Jam. Overall the only Australian band I saw was the Living End who seemed to put on a good set, I might of seen Regurgitator but they were on at the same time as Soundgarden and Foster the People which I would have to say was poor planing and I would be very surprised if they managed to get a good crowd. I had a good day but the fact it is in the middle of nowhere (probably took me about 2 and half hours to get home) and on a sunday makes me not want to go again unless they get someone there that I really want to see, ie if the Future Music Fetival can get the Stone Roses next year then I would rather go there because I will probably never get a chance to see them again. Highlights of the BDO were probably, Noel, Kasabian, Cage the Elephant, The Vacines and catching the end of Foster the People.

 

[Red Bear]

Soundwave is for proven bands over years of practice. Harvest is the up & comers the majority are Aussie bands. The fact the Soundwave sold out in record time proves his theory right.

I normally agree with most things you say mate, but not this.

How many decent Aussie metal/hard bands are there that will drag in 30-40k punters?? Sweet FA is the answer, if i wanna see parkway drive or the Butterfly effect I will see them when they do a local tour, be f**ked if i am spending $160 bucks on a ticket, plus airfares to brissy and accomodation to see the Living End for the 1000th time. There's not Enough local talent to make a decent festival, we simply don't have the population here to sustain or create the amount of bands needed for an all dayer like SW. Unfortunatley the harder music scene has been neglected in this country for too long (festival wise) and the people who are into that sort of music are now dropping the BDO and heading to SW because it now caters for their taste. If AJ can bring the names here he has and make some cash, then more power to him I say.

I'm interested to know why you think SW is a clusterf**k mate, the last 3 I have been to have been very well run and all had great bands on the bill.

But it's not the big bands here that is the issue. I fully expect the headliners that draw you in to be big name internationals.

It's that the 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th bands on the bill are also all international that is the issue. These arent the bands that are definatley going to grab people in yet all these slots go to the international artists. You say Soundwave is for proven bands but do you ever wonder why there arent proven bands in Australia to go along side them? They never get the opportunity to prove themselves and expand their audience through playing on a bill such as this because it's preferred to get Unwritten Law for the 15th time. I mean I've seen some very good bands supporting others around shows in Sydney, Lungs a good example, yet they're never going to get the opportunity to expand their audience at a show like this.

One of the great things about a music festival is that you'll see bands you otherwise will not see, which can get you into new music, which in turn helps those artists. Whilst someone like AJ has bugger all locals on the bill that is most likely to find their target audience the local heavy scene will continue to struggle.

They r auzsyies so they muts be gud!!1

They are internationals so they must be good?

 

[IanG]

Either way I bet they were never Sunbury

 

[gUt]

But it's not the big bands here that is the issue. I fully expect the headliners that draw you in to be big name internationals.

It's that the 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th bands on the bill are also all international that is the issue. These arent the bands that are definatley going to grab people in yet all these slots go to the international artists. You say Soundwave is for proven bands but do you ever wonder why there arent proven bands in Australia to go along side them? They never get the opportunity to prove themselves and expand their audience through playing on a bill such as this because it's preferred to get Unwritten Law for the 15th time. I mean I've seen some very good bands supporting others around shows in Sydney, Lungs a good example, yet they're never going to get the opportunity to expand their audience at a show like this.

One of the great things about a music festival is that you'll see bands you otherwise will not see, which can get you into new music, which in turn helps those artists. Whilst someone like AJ has bugger all locals on the bill that is most likely to find their target audience the local heavy scene will continue to struggle.
They are internationals so they must be good?

If Aussie bands were good enough, had a following, wanted to be there and available, they'd be on the Soundwave bill. It's not up to festival organisers to promote new bands, they want a lineup that's going to pay its own way and make them some money on top.

There's always been a bit of patriotic snobbery when it comes to music, lead primarily by JJJ. Groups like Hilltop Hoods and Eskimo Joe would be absolute nobodies, completely ignored in this country, if they weren't given a leg-up for being Australian. There are simply much better alternatives available around the world for what they do.

I don't care where a band or artist is from, the music is what matters. No one gets extra points from me for being Australian.

As for Soundwave, the times I've been there have been little-known (judging by their audience) local bands given a spot on a stage somewhere and that's great. But they shouldn't necessarily be given priority just for being locals.

 

[franklin2323]

As for Soundwave, the times I've been there have been little-known (judging by their audience) local bands given a spot on a stage somewhere and that's great. But they shouldn't necessarily be given priority just for being locals.

Exactly. If for the same price you can get a solid international act or an unknown Aussie band you will go the better band always.

There's an unknown Aussie band opening Soundwave as prior years. I am 90% Alter Bridge will follow them in that case plenty will watch them to get a good spot. People won't just leave a smaller profile international act that rarely come because an Aus band is playing. Those Aussie bands will get more exposure supporting bigger bands in club tourd then at a festival.

 

[natheel]

there is more aussie bands on this years soundwave anyway then there has ever been on the bill

Break Even
Dream on Dreamer
Heroes for Hire
Tonight Alive
Mission in motion

yes that isn't many but they're creeping in slowly into this festival. where BDO is majority Aussie bands (which is great for local bands) but people want to see the international acts

 

[LESStar58]

gUt; I say you and I join forces and put on a hillbilly festival. We'll get Unknown Hinson to headline! ;-)

 

[Big Pete]

I'm not sure about Australian punk music but there's a lot of Australian alternative music that I think fit the bill of an alternative music festival perfectly and apart of the BDO's appeal was always seeing some of these relatively unknown acts capture our attention.

 

[Alpha]

The festival use to be a mix of top international acts and popular local acts which justified the price. As you can see from below every year the talent pool or world class acts drops. It should be noted that I don't listen to the majority of the list but they are mostly world class performers. As I said the show gets diluted every year and they still expect to hand over our cash. Another beef is why the f**k are festivals held on a Sunday?


2000
RHCP
Foo Fighters
Blink 182
Nine Inch Nails

2001
Ramstein
QOTSA
Placebo
Black eyed peas
Coldplay
Limp Bizket

2002
Prodigy
White stripes
Drowning pool

2003
Janes addiction
Foo fighters
QOTSA
Xzibit

2004
Metallica
Muse
Black eyed peas
Kings of Leon
The strokes

2005
Beastie boys
Chemical brothers
System of a down
Slipknot

2006
White stripes
Iggy pop
Fraz Ferdinand
Kings of Leon

2007
Tool
Muse

2008
RATM
Arcade fire

2009
Neil Young
Arctic monkeys

2010
Muse
Lilly Allen

2011
Tool
Ramstein

2012
kanye west
Soundgarden

 

[Red Bear]

I'm not sure about Australian punk music but there's a lot of Australian alternative music that I think fit the bill of an alternative music festival perfectly and apart of the BDO's appeal was always seeing some of these relatively unknown acts capture our attention.

Guys like Andrew Haug when he was on JJJ, Stu Harvey on short fast loud try and put a decent amount of Australian music from the various punk, hardcore, metal etc genres. SOme of it is bloody good. Some of it is shit. Seems about the same as equivalent international bands

 

[Big Pete]

Your list doesn't seem too accurate Alpha.

2007
Tool
Muse
The Killers
Violent Femmes
Lily Allen
My Chemical Romance
Justice
The Streets

2008
Rage Against Machine
Arcade Fire
Bjork
LCD Soundsystem
Unkle

2009
Neil Young
Arctic Monkeys
The Prodigy
Serj Tankien
Dropkick Murpheys

2010
Muse
Lily Allen
Powderfinger*
Groove Armada
The Mars Volta
Kasabian

*Powderfinger were in the middle of their farewell tour.

2011
Tool
Rammstein
Iggy Pop & the Stooges
MIA
Deftones
LCD Soundsystem
Primal Scream

2012
Kanye West
Soundgarden
Kasabian
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
Nero
My Chemical Romance

And to be honest, that's short changing a lot of those line ups that included a lot of acclaimed acts who I wouldn't necessarily call a draw but certainly added to the appeal.

I don't think the Big Day Out has gone down hill. It's just that the competition has improved so much that the BDO no longer stands out like it used to.