The Big Day Out music festival is deep in crisis with news that one its main headliners, Blur, has pulled out, blaming the event organisers.
The pioneering Britpop band posted a statement on its Facebook page on Sunday morning confirming their withdrawal and claiming they had “done our very best to work with the organisers … but they have let us down”.
They spoke of “constantly shifting goalposts and challenging conditions of the organisers,” without providing any more detail.
The Big Day Out’s CEO, Adam Zammit, tweeted this morning: “will announce replacement very soon”.
Blur’s headlining shows were due to be the band’s first Australian performances in 17 years.
The timing of the news is intriguing, with sideshows confirmed last week for several BDO acts including Arcade Fire and Snoop Dogg.
Blur, like Pearl Jam, were not due to play sideshows and industry sources have speculated not having the certainty of extra gigs may have contributed to the band’s withdrawal.
There has already been speculation it might open the door for a full Australian tour – although the band has made no comment to this effect.
No information is available yet about refunds, but fans are already bitterly complaining on social media, echoing Michael Lee’s one-word Facebook post: “REFUND”.
Le Bizut also summed up many fans’ feelings, posting “Can I get my money back? I am so pissed off, bought tickets only for Blur” on the band’s Facebook page.
The Californian surf-pop band Wavves have tweeted offering to take Blur’s spot.
The shock news creates huge headaches for organisers, who are faced with the unlikely prospect of replacing its big-name act only eight weeks out from the festival.
The BDO is due to begin in Auckland on January 17, then tour the Gold Coast on January 19, Melbourne on January 24, Sydney January 26, Adelaide January 31 and Perth on February 2.
Music industry industry sources say the reasons for Blur dropping out only a few months before the Big Day Out tour are almost certainly financial.
Most international headlining bands would be paid a sizable deposit before the festival tour begins.
Sources also said Blur not getting any Big Day Out sideshows – worth an estimated $5 million – would have influenced their decision.
“If the band can’t get that money on top of the festival shows maybe they made the call to not bother,” a source told Fairfax.
“But if you put a Blur sideshow on sale when the Big Day Out is limping – you will stop any Blur fan from attending BDO most likely.”
Big Day Out organisers were building Blur their own stage for the tour.
According to a Fairfax Media source: “The only thing that would stop [a cancellation] is if it is more expensive to cancel it than to run it at a big loss due to non-refundable deposits on hire, facilities, bands, and equipment”.
In September, Soundwave promoter AJ Maddah cancelled one of his own national festivals, Harvest, then within days he bought a share of the Big Day Out.
Big Day Out co-founder Vivian Lees left the organisation in 2011. The Big Day Out is now part-owned by Texan music company C3, which also runs the US rock festival Lollapalooza.
Australian co-founder Ken West, sources said, was also no longer involved day to day.
