Jun 15 2026, 9.34am / Features
Dear Joey and Brooke, What a wild ride! I just wanted to write to express …
After a flurry of last-ditch efforts and heated tweets, Festival boss AJ Maddah has officially pulled the plug on the ill-fated Soundwave Festival 2016.
Soundwave Festival 2016, promoted by Hounds of Hell Pty. Ltd., was in crisis mode Saturday after a series of tweets and posts hinting they could not fulfil their financial obligations to bands emerged. (See our timeline below.) Despite Maddah’s repeated assurances, the festival is now cancelled for 2016 due to poor ticket sales.
I am devastated to have to announce the cancellation of Soundwave 16 due to poor ticket sales. I am very sorry. I tried my best. #SW16
— AJ (@iamnotshouting) December 17, 2015
Thank you to all the fans, bands and people who supported the event for the last 12 years. i wish we could have ended it on a better note.
— AJ (@iamnotshouting) December 17, 2015
Refunds will be made available from the point of purchase.
COUNTDOWN TO CANCELLATION
All times in AEDT
THURSDAY 17 DECEMBER
3PM: AJ Maddah tweeted we would know the fate of the Festival by Close of Business.
11AM: Riot grrrl band L7 officially pull out of Soundwave, due to circumstances beyond their control.
According to Music Feeds, the Sydney and Melbourne venues, Sydney Olympic Park and Melbourne Showgrounds, are not booked on their respective Festival dates. Brisbane Showgrounds declined to comment.
WEDNESDAY 16 DECEMBER
At 12PM, NOFX manager Kent Jamieson tweeted it would be “doubtful” that NOFX would be paid ahead of their Soundwave Festival 2016 appearance. Vocalist and guitarist “Fat” Mike Burnett tweeted he was looking forward to meeting Chuck D and Flavor Flav.
Eric Melvin of NOFX posted this to Instagram, intimating Soundwave was cancelled.
Soundwave cancelling sw16 isn’t going to stop me from seeing my Australian mates at Xmas…..!!!!!!!
A photo posted by Eric Melvin (@eric_melvin) on
Maddah confirmed via Twitter at almost 3PM there would be refunds available for patrons who purchased tickets if the Festival were to be cancelled.
@RatedRKO91 of course!
— AJ (@iamnotshouting) December 16, 2015
At approximately 4PM, Maddah openly blamed ticketing operators Eventopia and Ticketek for funding issues on Twitter. Eventopia fired back moments later, stating they were not responsible for the go-ahead of the festival.
Maddah clarified his statements a few hours later, tweeting:
7PM: Promoter of the Hobart leg of NOFX Australian tour, Damage Events, confirms the band’s cancellation in a statement via Facebook.
TUESDAY 15 DECEMBER
We report The Prodigy, Public Enemy, Refused and Soulfly Soundwave Festival appearances were not confirmed via their websites and artist verified Songkick pages at the time of writing. (Click here to view: Prodigy, Public Enemy, Refused, Soulfly)
AJ Maddah tweeted at 3PM that there would be “Definitely no SW17.”
@stevenhewitt91 @SheGoCrazi Definitely no SW17. It’s a lot of hard work, stress & risk in return for which we get hate & stupidity #OverIt
— AJ (@iamnotshouting) December 15, 2015
At 4PM, he assured a fan he’d be “doing [his] darnedest” to make sure SW16 would go ahead.
@MattRogueReview i’m doing my darnest to make sure shows go ahead. Once I know position, will let everyone know.
— AJ (@iamnotshouting) December 15, 2015
Shortly after, Soundwave General Manager Chris O’Brien announced his new artist management venture WhataVibe and first signing, Melbourne metalcore act Storm The Sky.
At 6:30PM, he sent another tweet indicating Maddah would dissolve Soundwave Touring after Soundwave 2016’s conclusion.
@IanBiggus No. I’m done. Let some new people go for it.
— AJ (@iamnotshouting) December 15, 2015
MONDAY 14 DECEMBER
Headliners Bring Me The Horizon express concerns about the event over Twitter. They tweet they were never “100% confirmed” for the event. AJ fired back, tweeting “have just spoken to BMTH agent & manager. We’re working on their concerns/requests.”
SATURDAY 12 DECEMBER
Frenzal Rhomb drummer Gordy Forman issued a statement via Facebook, “If Soundwave manage to find heaps of money under their mattress and realise they can use that to pay the bands what they agreed upon, I might actually be able to play a song or two by then.”
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The Soundwave Festival began as an offshoot of the Gravity Games in 2004 as the “Gravity Soundwave” Festival. It was spun off in 2007, with an event taking place each year. Soundwave has hosted rock, punk and metal’s biggest names in Australia, including Iron Maiden, Metallica, Slayer, blink-182, Green Day and Faith No More.
— Additional reporting by Mark Acheson, Jonty Simmons, and Tom Valcanis
