The Soundwave 2015 dates and venues have been confirmed as festival boss AJ Maddah announces that Soundwave will become a two-day event next year.

Adelaide’s Bonython Park and Melbourne’s Flemington Racecourse will be the first to host the new format, on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd February 2015, happening simultaneously as half of the lineup play one day of the weekend-long festival.

“Half the bands play day 1. The other half play day 2,” explains Maddah. “They criss-cross Saturday/Sunday in each city.”

The second weekend of Soundwave 2015 will take place in Sydney and Brisbane, on Saturday 28th Feb and Sunday 1st March 2015, at Olympic Park and RNA Showgrounds respectively.

The ticket prices for the new two-day Soundwave 2015 will be $185 (+b/f) – the same price as this year’s edition – while a number of single day tickets, priced at $120 (+b/f), will also be available.

As Maddah explained in a series of tweets, the new weekend-long format will enable improvements to the festival’s infrastructure and production, as well as offering minimal clashes as bands are offered longer sets, across less stages (seven instead of 12).

Maddah also suggests that spreading the event across two days will allow more opportunities to book acts, given the extra chance for later set times. “In recent years we have lost great bands over too many bands wanting to play after dark,” says the Soundwave boss. “This new set-up also gives us twice the dark!”

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The new format was also inspired, Maddah explains, by Stereosonic – which expanded to two days for its 2013 edition. “I’d like to sincerely thank SFX Stereosonic who blazed the trail on this 2 day festival caper in Aus & provided advice & guidance,” tweeted the promoter.

As for the anticipated Soundwave 2015 lineup, expected to have “four headliners” and drop in August, Maddah details that ” there’ll be 1 announce [with] all bands and weekend tickets. Later, we’ll split bands into each day & put day tix on sale.”

The surprise news of Soundwave’s new format follows swiftly after the Big Day Out saga that unravelled during the week, with Maddah selling his financial stake in Big Day Out to US owners C3 Presents, who confirmed that the festival would not be returning for 2015, only for a bitter war of words to erupt between Maddah and Big Day Out co-founder Vivian Lees.

Soundwave 2015 Dates

Soundwave 2015 First Weekend
Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd February, 2015
Adelaide – Bonython Park
Melbourne – Flemington Racecourse

Soundwave 2015 Second Weekend
Saturday 28th Feb and Sunday 1st March
Sydney – Olympic Park
Brisbane – RNA Showgrounds

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