Punk! #623
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Punk! #623

So yes, the Brown Sound IS officially back in Sum 41! Awesome news. Good to see him on social media talking the band (and its plans) up. I’ll take all the reassurance I can get!
So, Soundwave. What’s the deal? Mid October, and the official line up (due on the first of September) still hasn’t been announced. Tool and Babymetal were implicated as “hold ups” who hadn’t yet been able to confirm their involvement, but the natives are getting restless. Tool have since been ruled out, and complete silence about Babymetal. Hmmmmm. Facebook followers have been pretty vocal about their feelings concerning Soundwave 2016, and it seems a lot of people were completely put off the drip feed announcement of the first few bands: especially considering that those bands weren’t much cop. I’m sure metalheads are thrilled about Bullet For My Valentine, but where are the big bands, the ones that will have fans SHITTING themselves with excitement? Disturbed are the most recently whispered about possibility, but again, are they big enough to carry a festival like Soundwave? Certainly not. A reformed, original line up Guns ‘N’ Roses would have been a boon, but they too have been completely ruled out, as have Rage Against the Machine. Most other big names have already done Soundwave (in some cases, multiple times) so the next few weeks should be very interesting indeed. What am I personally expecting? Either a killer first round announcement with lots of surprises, or the complete cancellation of the event along the same lines of what happened with Soundwave Revolution a few years back. Hmmmmm…
So, from a punk rock perspective, who would you guys like to see killing a Soundwave stage? Rancid won’t do it, as we know, but there’s a BUTT-LOAD of bands that Australian audiences would love to see. Social Distortion have had their name connected to Soundwave before, but nothing materialised. And despite the fact that Unwritten Law and The Casualties tour quite often, I personally would LOVE to see them in a legit festival setting instead of the usual club shows we get to see them play…
I’d also love to see some local bands get a shot next year. Younger bands like Clowns or Batfoot, or older bands like Tumbleweed or the Meanies would be fantastic. The Living End would also make a killer headline act. We have so much talent in this country we could EASILY fill a festival bill with locals. Enough with the washed up bogan nostalgia acts, emo/screamo flash-in-the-pans and repeat performers. For the love of God, won’t somebody listen?!
Looking for a fun read? There’s a hysterical punk rock satire site called The Hard Times that has to be seen (or read!) to be believed. Like it on Facebook to be kept in the loop about new stories- you’ll cack yourself!
Ah crap- we’re all outta time and space for another issue… Meet you all back here next time, kidz!!!
Written by Christopher Cruz