Big Day Out and Soundwave promoter AJ Maddah has stirred up a hornets' nest out West by suggesting that festivals will stop going to WA in 2015.
After a Twitter follower told Maddah that they'd be heading east from WA to see a Megadeth sidewave, Maddah replied: "Sadly may have to get used to coming over as I reckon there will be zero festivals going to WA in 2015 :("
Last week, Big Day Out was subject to a last-minute venue change in WA that saw the festival move from Claremont Showgrounds to Arena Joondalup. BDO CEO Adam Zammit told Music Feeds that the move came as a result of political manoeuvrings by Claremont's local council. Claremont Mayor Jock Barker denied the accusations: "Despite what the promoter says, the ticket sales are down. So it's a matter of money, that's why they've moved. It's got nothing to do with us."
Maddah has confirmed that he's also "trying to move" the WA leg of Soundwave from Claremont Showgrounds to Arena Joondalup; not because of ticket sales, which he says he's "very happy with", but because of "state and Local Govs making it impossible".
In classic Maddah fashion, he tweeted that the council is interested in "pushing events out of Showgrounds so it can be flogged off to their developer mates for apartments & town houses".
If this year's Soundwave were to be moved to Arena Joondalup, there'd also be some rescheduling involved, because Good Life is set to take place at that venue on the same day.
Wherever the event ends up this year, it looks like it's Joondalup or bust in 2015, with Maddah tweeting, "If we can't get a move to Joondalup there is no way we're coming back to Claremont".
