Ken West has officially lost it

[Big Pete]

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

Exactly.

These bands surely can't be any worse than any of the international acts I watched at some of these past couple of Soundwave festivals.

'Spose the punk scene just can't compete with the Plain White Ts. :roll:

 

[Pete Cash]

Its not like the BDO has even really changed. Its always been pretty mainstream. Its just music has changed. Someone like Kanye West is a good representation of this change in music. He is hugely popular both within his genre and outside of it. He got the first perfect score from hipster doofus reviewer pitchfork media since 2002 for his latest solo album. He has appeal across a lot of different tastes.

Do people seriously just stick with one genre of music now days. I thought the MP3 changed all that. I listen to Kanye West to Agalloch. I can do this because music is so easy to get a hold of now days.

The BDO line up was fine. It represented its history pretty well really and if it had a nu metal act would have pretty much summed up the last twenty years of music. It had grunge with Soundgarden, hiphop with Kanye, britpop with Noel, dubstep/dance with Nero, pop rock or whatever with MCR and indie with Kasabian. That is pretty much what the music scene has been for twenty years.

It has competition and its pricey. I spent probably 600 dollars on the thing between me and the wife including tickets. Its not been a great year for festivals soundwave excepted. Did many of them sell out this year ?

 

[Red Bear]

Exactly.

These bands surely can't be any worse than any of the international acts I watched at some of these past couple of Soundwave festivals.

'Spose the punk scene just can't compete with the Plain White Ts. :roll:

Yet if you go back through the early big day outs you see big drawcard bands with the likes of The Meanies, Hard-ons and Cosmic Psycho's. You go the late 90's and bands like Frenzal, The Living End, Bodyjar, Magic Dirt, Spiderbait etc were getting opportunities on the BDO bill (and the old Homebake bills, before they decided a guitar with distortion wasnt allowed in their festival).

Now there's a reasonable underground scene but just about no chance of getting beyond that. Only a couple of bands really have broken through to a larger scale the last ten years (Parkway the prime example), and it's probably partly because the biggest alternative punk/metal/hardcore etc festival around doesnt bother with them.

Was also going to point out the short changing of those lineups. I dont think every BDO lineup has been great, having gone 4 of the last 5 years. Didnt bother the year Muse played cos it wasnt my cup of tea but I still prefer a festival with a bit of everything such as BDO than one that really focuses on a small range of genres (which seems to be just about every other festival, bar maybe splendour)

 

[Danish]

Do people really rate the soundwave line up that highly? I'm going but am not really excited by it.

Limp bizkit... Marilyn Manson... System of a down.... Slipknot.... Alright if you are a 16 year old with a bunch of angst about having pimples and girls not liking you but not exactly musical geniuses.

While I owned albums of all of them when I was in year 10 I can barely make it through more than 2 tracks by any of them these days without feeling embarrassed about how emo I obviously was back then :lol:

Most annoyingly I will not really be able to enjoy the above acts from anywhere other than the back of the arena as I really don't feel the need to jump around head banging like a f**king child like all the pissed bogans will be doing.

To me the line up of both festivals were underwhelming, with BDO being my preferred (although I am only going to SW as all my mates bailed on BDO).

 

[gUt]

The bands you listed aren't why I like this year's lineup, although SOAD put on a good show.

 

[franklin2323]

That's what I go for the older bands you know what you get with all those bands mentioned no autotune & pure rock that's what I want. That's the reason Fooey's, GD, Blink, RHCP's etc still sell out gigs. There's a few newer bands I like on the bill so that helps imo it's a good mix of old and new

The Aus music scene is almost non existant I struggle to find a pub band when I go out. It's all covers & dj's & that flows all the way through to cd sales/air play etc.

 

[franklin2323]

'Spose the punk scene just can't compete with the Plain White Ts. :roll:

I am a huge fan of any type of rock the problem is you hear a good song/album & go this bands alright. You can bet your bottom dollar the next album is softer a pop style. That is the problem I was excited when Silverchair 1st arrived then the 2nd album was slower. The 3rd was absoulate crap. That is just 1 example.

 

[pennywisealfie]

I dont see the issue tbh. If I want to see an aussie band, I'll go watch them when they play at a club show. If they are on the bill at a festival, ill go watch the international act coz thats what I'm there to see. some of the bands SW has put on the bill, some of the smaller int act have been whats made the festival so good. some bands that i thought I would never see live playing at this wonderful festival.

 

[Wooden Spoonar]

It's bands like lamb of god, machine head and hellyeah that attract me to soundwave.

The only reason I went to BDO last yeah was to see rammstein.

 

[Big Pete]

I am a huge fan of any type of rock the problem is you hear a good song/album & go this bands alright. You can bet your bottom dollar the next album is softer a pop style. That is the problem I was excited when Silverchair 1st arrived then the 2nd album was slower. The 3rd was absoulate crap. That is just 1 example.

Yes, because International bands aren't guilty of this either. :lol:

 

[skeepe]

That's what I go for the older bands you know what you get with all those bands mentioned no autotune & pure rock that's what I want. That's the reason Fooey's, GD, Blink, RHCP's etc still sell out gigs. There's a few newer bands I like on the bill so that helps imo it's a good mix of old and new

The Aus music scene is almost non existant I struggle to find a pub band when I go out. It's all covers & dj's & that flows all the way through to cd sales/air play etc.

If you think the Aus music scene is non existent then you haven't bothered looking.

Honestly I've seen some ignorant posts on this forum but this is right up there.

 

[Firey_Dragon]

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.

With the exception of last year, every year sydney has been a clusterf**k. 3 hour lines to get in, running out of water with no shade by 3pm on a 40 degree day, hour long lines for food... It's been a shambles most years, but the bands bring people back.

Good to see it's finally found a place at olympic park.

As for supporting the Australian scene, there are very few bands that actually fit the bill in Australia, so it's not like he's ignoring local talent, it simply doesn't exist. Most of Australia's bigger name talents are in indie, hip hop and a few rock bands. There aren't too many Australian punk or metal bands that will draw in crowds. It's a pretty sad state of affairs, but it's never been a huge scene here.

 

[LESStar58]

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

1999 was pretty epic by way of international headliners as well with 2 of the biggest Aussie bands of the time featuring too:

Marilyb Manson
Korn
Manic Street Preachers
Hole
Underworld
Fatboy Slim
Powderfinger
Fun Loving Criminals
The Living end (when they were at their best!)

 

[beave]

With the exception of last year, every year sydney has been a clusterf**k. 3 hour lines to get in, running out of water with no shade by 3pm on a 40 degree day, hour long lines for food... It's been a shambles most years, but the bands bring people back.

Good to see it's finally found a place at olympic park.

As for supporting the Australian scene, there are very few bands that actually fit the bill in Australia, so it's not like he's ignoring local talent, it simply doesn't exist. Most of Australia's bigger name talents are in indie, hip hop and a few rock bands. There aren't too many Australian punk or metal bands that will draw in crowds. It's a pretty sad state of affairs, but it's never been a huge scene here.

I disagree mate, there is a huge scene here in Oz for metal, it's just that no one can be f**ked slaving away for years earning pittance in a band. There is easier ways to make a far better living in this country.

On the organizational skills of SW, I have been to 4 in Brissy and the first one at riverstage was a shitfight but since they moved it to the showgrounds it has been fantastic.

 

[franklin2323]

If you think the Aus music scene is non existent then you haven't bothered looking.

Ok where in Western Sydney can I just rock up to a pub & see a young up & coming band or even just a great act?

If it existed I wouldn't leave the place. All have dj's or cover bands & certainly no metal bands.

In the early 2000's before I was 18 I would sneak in to my local & see quality. In 1 year they had Butterfly affect, bodyjar, 28 Days, Grinspoon, jet as a support. Nothing there since 2005 very sad.

 

[LESStar58]

Move to Melbourne Rock City!

 

[Firey_Dragon]

I disagree mate, there is a huge scene here in Oz for metal, it's just that no one can be f**ked slaving away for years earning pittance in a band. There is easier ways to make a far better living in this country.

On the organizational skills of SW, I have been to 4 in Brissy and the first one at riverstage was a shitfight but since they moved it to the showgrounds it has been fantastic.

I'm not talking about the scene as in fans of the genre. I'm talking about bands, there are very few that ply the trade, stick to it, and do it well in this country.

And as for the organisation, Sydney has been a shambles every year with the exception of last year. It's a universally accepted fact. They have never been able to settle on a venue that could handle the crowds, every other soundwave location has been pretty good from what I've heard. 2010 in sydney was especially bad, I'm surprised people didn't die, the queue for st johns ambulance was literally 200m long with people collapsing of heat exhaustion once water ran out. The only way to get water after 3pm was entering the 18+ areas, tough luck for the 16 year olds I guess. I missed last years one as I was living overseas at the time, but from all reports it was incredibly well organised, I hold similar hopes for this year.

 

[beave]

The only heavy aussie bands I have ever liked are Armoured Angel, Segression, Allegiance, Damaged, Parkway Drive and Sunk Loto. How many of these are still together (other than Parkway?) i think they have all busted up.

 

[gUt]

This perfectly sums it all up imo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f897wcNYcPc&feature=share

 

[natheel]

Move to Melbourne Rock City!

I wish mate!

Love it down there

Australia has a good metal scene
Mediocre punk scene
Good indie scene
Good rock scene


I think Australian music is good but when I go to a long day festival I'd rather see international bands because Aussie bands are in pubs and clubs and uni bars all the time

I think I've only seen 4 Aussie bands at festivals in the past

Frenzal rhomb
Grinspoon
Living end
Karnivool