Deadlines are a funny thing. I normally struggle, at best, to meet our usual deadlines here at BMA, but managing to scrape in on time for the last issue, I noted my scepticism of either Slayer or Iron Maiden being a part of Soundwave 2011. An early deadline had me one day late on delivery, and about one day early from a text message from a spy in camp Slayer that reads as follows “Secret squirrel: Slayer and HOF on Soundwave, not 100% but pretty likely”. I considered calling our hard working editor to stop press, but it wasn’t definite, so I chuckled and forgot about it.
A week later and a day after the last issue hit our pavements, I was playing in Sydney and talking to the promoter and new label manager for Macabre. He lives and works in Australia and casually announced to me over a pie “oh dude, Soundwave is nuts next year” (chomp chomp). “Iron Maiden headlining, Slayer, Primus, Queens (of the Stoneage), Melvins, it’s gonna be crazy” (chomp chomp).
“High On Fire?” I asked? (chomp chomp) “Yeah, them too”. Then I told him what I wrote in the last column. He said I was a dickhead and on that much we could agree.
Fast forward to Thursday night and a leaked phone camera image of the double page Soundwave ad hit Aussie interweb forums like the plague.
“With more to be announced” at the bottom of the page it read. “Good God” was the title of the email I sent around to friends with responses ranging from “F$%k festivals, sideshows” to all out gibberish excitement.
Irrespective of your tastes, inarguably, the Soundwave 2011 line up represents a huge step up in quality for the heavy music fan that would normally need to travel to Europe for such a bill. It’s pretty nuts. Of the responses I got, many who attended this year’s chapter were reluctant about going again, and spoke in fear of attending the festival after roasting in the sun. I asked another Soundwave connection about the two main issues people had: “parking and heat”. But the Soundwave camp have responded, “blame the RTA for the parking situation and we’ve spent 250K hiring shade cloth for next year”. I might have to attend a festival, Good God.
Iron Maiden has already announced side shows across the country, with tickets on sale now for their Thursday February 24 show in Sydney. It’s going to be an insanely expensive six months.
Death Metal At The Maram III hits (no surprise) The Maram in Erindale on Saturday September 4, for the grand price of FREE! You get four brutal sets from Victorian act Insidious Torture, NSW’s Mass Burial as well as locals’ Tortured and Point 17. Doors open at 8pm for this over 18’s show.
Zeni Geva played one of the heaviest gigs the ANU Bar ever hosted back in the 90’s and I was stoked to see them announced back in for an Aussie tour in September. Japan’s long serving purveyors of extreme avant garde are playing at the Bald Faced Stag in Sydney on Thursday September 23 as a part of the Sydney Fringe Festival. The tour is presented by the perpetual Heathen Skulls promotions folks.
Acid King has confirmed for Doomfest this year and there’s talk of a gig scheduled for Thursday October 7 at The Basement with Pod People, I Exist and another band on the cards, but yet to be confirmed.
Josh – np: Splattered Cavities – Carcass – Reek of Putrefecation
