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Straight from the 'Hang on, does anyone need to know this?' part of our brains to your screen.

  1. Soundwave 2012 In Photos

    Posted Thursday, 8 March 2012 at 21:40 by Rock Sound

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  2. The Soundwave Blog Competition Winner’s Blog!

    Posted Thursday, 8 March 2012 at 18:21 by Rock Sound

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    Logistically speaking, Soundwave 2012 is one of the biggest touring music festivals in the world. It is an incredible feat to have 96 bands, accompanying tour managers, crew and the SW team roll in and out of a city in a day. It takes a lot of work no doubt, with many early mornings and sleepless nights. It was all worth it, however, as Soundwave 2012 was a complete success.

    The first flight into the next city is always completely booked out with the SW team taking up a large portion of seats, taking advantage of what little sleep they can get. A new day, a new city. On site early in the morning, crew are already hard at work ensuring everything is ready for bands and punters a-like in Perth, the last stop of the 2012 run.

    Of course, everyone knows System of a Down and Slipknot on this tour, but the bill is full of great acts. Vinnie Caruana, frontman of I Am the Avalanche, said it well. 'You could be out seeing Slipknot, the greatest live band in the world but you're here with us and it means a lot.' The band delivering their infectious punk and energetic live show to a small but dedicated crowd early in the day.

    This sentiment was echoed by a lot of bands on the tour; just stoked to be across the world playing to anyone who knows the words, gaining new fans in the process. UK band The Smoking Hearts impressed audiences with their energetic live show, never letting up on energy despite playing at 12pm in 37° C sun. The entire band even performing their last song in Perth, and thus on Soundwave, from inside the crowd. They are definitely a band to watch in the future.

    Renowned for their live shows, letlive. put on an explosive set showing why they often get comparisons to greats like Refused and Glassjaw. Frontman Jason Butler is as charismatic as you can get. Rapper Hyro da Hero has also never heard of a mid-set lull and neither has his band [made up of members of At the Drive In, Blood Brothers and Idiot Pilot]. Perth Soundwave held emotional final shows for Thursday and Cathedral. Perth locals Break Even are also calling it a day, playing one of their last homestate shows.

    Other highlights include River City Extension, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Kittie, Cherri Bomb and Zebrahead. With 96 bands, there was something for everyone.

    Whenever you looked, band members were being chased by their tour managers. A member of the Soundwave team said it best when she compared TMs to parents. Without them, bands would be lost.

    Soundwave has been referred to as more of a vacation, a Summer band camp of sorts. It is a community - crew, bands, tour managers, promoters. Everyone is needed to ensure the festival runs smoothly. And plus, where else would you find anyone from the kids in Cherri Bomb to bearded guys in their 50s all getting giddy over koalas?

    Thank you Soundwave and Rock Sound. Here's to 2013!

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  3. Today We’re Talking About…

    Posted Wednesday, 7 March 2012 at 18:50 by Rock Sound

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    That's all.

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  4. Twin Atlantic x Ion Dissonance x LMFAO

    Posted Tuesday, 6 March 2012 at 16:42 by Rock Sound

    ...and we made the below while eating lunch. Reckon we've won the Twin Atlantic remix competition then! Easy!

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  5. What I Hope 2012 Sounds Like, by Ian Camfield

    Posted Monday, 13 February 2012 at 16:59 by Rock Sound

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    It seems strange to be writing about the 2012 albums I’m looking forward to now we’re two months into the year. But it does mean we can consider how high the bar has already been set. We have been treated to new Lamb Of God, Enter Shikari and Young Guns, all before most of us have given up on our New Year’s Resolutions. And I thought January is meant to be boring!

    So what’s next? Well last week I saw Don Broco supporting Four Year Strong. Their singles have featured heavily on my show, but I predict what is in store on their next album will include some of the hookiest songs of the year. They played a couple in their set last Wednesday and they’re still stuck in my head a week later. The crossover potential is huge. At a time when the music from our world is barely bothering the mainstream charts, it’s great to have a relatively new UK act, which could be in with a shot of re-addressing the balance.

    If 2012 is Don Broco’s time to establish themselves, I think the next Lostprophets album will either keep them ‘on the map,’ or mean they’re off the radar. The Prophets have become one of those bands some like to knock, but I’ve always admired their work ethic. It’s not been an easy ride, in many cases due to industry elements that had nothing to do with the songs the band were releasing. The Betrayed was solid, if largely unremarkable. But have you heard the first proper single from Weapons? It’s storming. This bodes well.

    Will there be a Beady Eye / Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds type of situation with Pure Love and Gallows? Possibly. Not that there’s bad blood within the Carter family. But Frank’s departure made some fans angry and could lead to taking sides. Gallows’ EP with Wade has paved the way for a good full album and it will be interesting to hear what Frank’s new band sound like when they play live this week. I feel the Gallows and Pure Love albums will be very different listening experiences, unlike Noel and Liam’s new, some may say, sub par versions of Oasis. So perhaps the Carters’ parting of ways will be for the greater good.

    And then there are forthcoming releases from some of my favourite older bands. In these cases one hopes they will live up to the legend already in place by those outfits’ catalogues. I have an upfront copy of 2012 by Killing Joke. Do you like Jaz Coleman & co? If so you’ll love it. I really want The Cult’s first new album in five years to be as strong – fingers crossed, the song Lucifer is awesome. And then theres’s Van Halen. If ever a band set themselves up for a fall it would surely have been to re-group with David Lee Roth, to initially tour, and then embark on their first new release together since 1984. But, oh how they’ve achieved what many (myself included) considered impossible. A Different Kind Of Truth is a triumph. If only we could get them to play here.

    The Rock Show, with Ian Camfield is on Xfm every damn week! For more follow @iancamfield and click here to listen back to the latest show.

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