Last year saw Soundwave celebrate their 10th birthday with such a dizzying lineup that many thought it would be a toughy to follow. Rockers need not fret however, because once again the folks from Soundwave are bringing some big names down under for what is sure to be another great day at Flemington.
The mid-January final announcement of additions to the 2014 bill saw AJ Maddah’s previous allusion to more international acts confirmed. Filter, The Ghost Inside, Authority Zero, The Defiled, The Dangerkids and Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora are set to join the bill of 88 (mostly international) acts. The jewels on 2014’s Soundwave crown feature Green Day, A Day to Remember, Panic! At The Disco, Trivium, Avenged Sevenfold, Stone Temple Pilots (feat. Chester Bennington), Alice In Chains, Rob Zombie, Megadeth and just oh so many more. Pop-punk veterans Jimmy Eat World are also on board the Soundwave train, their appearance proving that they’ve still got it, two decades on.
Bassist Rick Burch notes a number of factors that have the band eager to head down under, saying; “it’s been a couple of years since we’ve done Soundwave and we’re really excited to come back. It’s always a super-fun, great experience. Just getting to hang out in Australia as well; I love the people… the weather’s gonna be awesome. I’m also excited to see the other bands in what is a great line up. It will be good to reconnect.”
Once a trailblazing name in the mid-90s emocore scene, Jimmy Eat World eventually found a larger audience with a blend of alternative rock and power pop. Their infectious single The Middle earned the band international recognition, and continues to be a key identifier for Jimmy Eat World in the commercial rock realm, four studio albums down the track.
“I think it’s the message of the song that resonates with so many people. You know, ‘don’t get down, hang in there’, it’s positive and it’s a really catchy tune. While we’re on tour and we talk to people at shows, they always seem to say ‘I love to hear this song because it’s like an instant time-warp back to where I first heard it’.
While the track was an instant hit for that band, lead singer Jim Adkins has been noted saying that The Middle came together almost too quickly. Reflecting on the notion of associating easiness with lesser quality, Burch explains that in being part of a band for over 20 years, the virtue of wisdom has definitely come with time.
“Songs come together in the full spectrum of ways. They can come together immediately or you can go around and around trying every different avenue to make the song right. We now have the experience to know when to say when and move on.”
With a total of eight studio albums under Jimmy Eat World’s collective belt, the choice of creating a set list comes a little harder than knowing when a track is right.
“Being a band that’s been around for a few years we’ve got to the point where we are like ‘oh we can’t play that song? We don’t have enough time?’ It’s tough because we want represent every era so we try to play one track from every album, but we also want to highlight the most recent things that we put out. For Soundwave, it will be a good sprinkling from all albums and all eras, we’ll try to get it all in.”
February 28 will see Jimmy Eat World and the whole Soundwave bill roll into Flemington Racecourse for a huge day of head-banging, face-melting, lighter-waving and trips down memory lane. More info and tickets at www.soundwavefestival.com
MATILDA HEGGIE
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