The Offspring Confirmed For Soundwave 2013

Those eagerly awaiting the festival lineup announcement for Soundwave 2013, scheduled to arrive tomorrow, have already have had a fair acts leaked for them. Most recently, the encouraging news that Blink 182 – with drummer Travis Barker – would be playing the hard and heavy touring festival next Febuary.

Now another skate punk band who cemented their fame in the 90s have been all but locked in for the 2013 edition of Soundwave: The Offspring.

The band are currently on the trail towards new album, Days Go By, their first record since 2008′s Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace; dropping the OTT corny lead single, ‘Cruising California (Bumpin’ In My Trunk)’ in May; which, depending on who you ask, is either a tongue-in-cheek exercise in mocking pop or a song that simply jumps the shark and becomes what it’s supposedly imitating.

Regardless, the confirmation of the Californian rock band’s addition to the lineup came courtesy of Triple M, who posted a fuzzy image of Offspring frontman Dexter Holland with a blurb from radio presenter Becko saying: ”I have been told the lineup for Soundwave 2013 and while I’m sworn to secrecy this pic gives you a hint.”

Hardly a brain-stumper to begin with, and given that this is the internet, some enterprising souls quickly figured out that it was an image of frontman Holland.

Fellow Triple M music journo/rumour monger Nui Te Koha has backed the announcement, recently tweeting the following:

Soundwave: The Offspring will play. Travis Barker will tour Australia with Blink 182.

— Nui Te Koha (@nuionline) August 1, 2012

While the radio station has also previously fuelled rumours of the lineup, stating last May that an appearance from Linkin Park was also very likely, while recent footage from a Take 40 Australia-hosted interview between co-frontman Chester Bennington and a number of fans, strongly hints at an appearance from the band.

An Australian tour from The Offspring has been rumoured for a while now, the band were even tossed into the rumour mill for the 2011 edition of Soundwave as well, in the lead up to the announcement.

While most festival organisers would be livid at a broken embargo over their lineup, Soundwave promoter and serial twitterer AJ Maddah has already managed to leak a majority of the acts himself, in his frank responses to fan enquiries.

Though the full Soundwave 2013 announcement is expected tomorrow morning, The Offspring’s confirmation joins the likes of Blink 182, from Maddah himself:

MARK + TOM + TRAVIS. Yes, TRAVIS. #SW13 #BLINK182

— AJ (@iamnotshouting) August 2, 2012

Both bands join a list that’s had more leaks than the Titanic, with Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor confirming that his other group, Stone Sour, would be playing the Australian heavy rock and metal event; along with Sludge metallers Kingdom Of Sorrow, post-hardcore act The Blackout and Cannibal Corpse side-project Six Feet Under - all already confirmed for Soundwave 2013.

While Toronto-bred hardcore act The Cancer Bats also confirmed they’ll be appearing, following the announcement  that their earlier Australian tour in July was cancelled, a press release from the band rescheduled for confirming that the band will “instead return for Soundwave 2013 which means they will now be performing in all 5 state capitals.”

The rumour mill, often churned by Maddah’s own social media feed, has also turned up a bunch of other potential acts, including Machine Head and Periphery (whose new album Periphery II is one of the year’s most diverse metal releases).

But all will be revealed tomorrow morning…