Stereoboard Look At Possible Sonisphere 2012 Headliners (Sonisphere Feature)
Tuesday, 17 January 2012
Written by Heather McDaid
While Download is currently leading the race in announcing their bands, Sonisphere has finally given fans a hint of what’s to come. We already know that their main competition will be hosting Black Sabbath, Metallica, Soundgarden, Machine Head and more, and, at present, we have no one for Knebworth’s rock onslaught.
In a twist, the festival teamed up with Scuzz TV to offer an hour for their ‘Mystery Headliner’, playing videos of numerous bands, one of whom would be the first announced headliner. So, while predictions were made a while ago, it’s now time to look at the shortlist and deem who would be most likely to take the headliner slot.
So who were the bands Scuzz decided to play? Van Halen, Paramore, Tool, Rage Against The Machine, Rush, Foo Fighters, Avenged Sevenfold, Faith No More, KISS, Iron Maiden, Blink 182.
Theory would dictate that with Download simply dominating the rock festivals line-up wise at the moment, it’s a fair bet that the first announcement will be a truly huge force of rock in some form: punk, classic, glam, metal. With this in mind, we’d rule out Paramore; this isn’t to discredit them, but that being their first announcement simply cannot compete with Metallica and Sabbath on a shared bill.
Avenged Sevenfold fans are clamouring for them to be the headline act; the last time they featured at the festival was the support to Metallica back in 2009. Having said that, Matt [Shadows] has already said he thinks the band will look to writing their new album across the summer. It seems that fans may have to wait a while longer if this schedule is adhered to. We got them at Download 2011 though, so a year extra won’t hurt.
Judging from general talk seen online, the most popular or sensible choices are Van Halen, Iron Maiden, Rage Against The Machine, Rush, KISS, Faith No More, Blink 182 and the Foo Fighters.
Van Halen have confirmed that their new record ‘A Different Kind Of Truth’ is due out very soon and the band are set to embark on an enormous tour in support of it. The dates unveiled, at present, only run up to the last week or so of June, so that most certainly leaves them a plausible candidate for Sonisphere. With America getting a good run of months from the band, it would seem the natural next step to flit over to the UK for festival season. Another way to look at it would be that they have never played the Festival, which took on its current name in 2009.
Iron Maiden, however, have. In 2010 they closed the festival with a fantastically epic set. While Metallica made the return to Sonisphere in 2011, a mere two years after their first headlining slot there, they had the flaunt of performing as part of the Big Four. Not that anyone would turn their noses up at having Iron Maiden annihilating Knebworth two years out of three, but we’d say this is a fair reason to rule them out. The basis of judgement is that this announcement will be BIG, but also someone who’s not played a festival for a while.
Rage Against The Machine completely and utterly stole Download when they played in 2010, so it’s another good assumption that, should they be the headliner, Sonisphere would follow a similar fate. Most festival goers seem to share the theory that a two year circulation on festivals is okay, but not the usual choice. Linkin Park played Sonisphere in 2009, then Download in 2011 and no one complained; no one in their right mind would complain about Rage. In a similar theory to Iron Maiden, the two year rule isn’t as strict as it would be a different festival. Would we like to see Rage headline? Hell – yes.
Faith No More are hailed as one of the best... in general life. They’ve yet to play the festival under its current name-sake. As far as we’re aware, they don’t have much planned over the summer show-wise, so maybe Knebworth will have snagged them for a weekend. Rush, much like Faith No More, are legends that have yet to play Sonisphere Festival. Their tour page looks rather empty, so any reasoning applicable to them playing is exactly that of Faith No More: without real reasoning. Well, no reasoning other than it would just be flat out awesome to have them there.
Now, KISS. Where to start? It’s common knowledge that the band are in the final stages with their new album ‘Monster’ and, following that, they intend to announce a mammoth tour in all senses. In the previous festival prediction feature, this is what was said about KISS... “Famed for their elaborate stage show and being, let’s be honest, a great excuse to embrace face paints, it would be the perfect time for the foursome to return to the UK festival circuit, having not headlined since Download 2008. If there’s one band I can say that I would place my money on performing somewhere next year, it would be KISS.”
Adamant that the 100+ date tour that Gene Simmons spoke of following this album’s release would include festivals, it was a gleeful moment when Scuzz played their video for ‘Crazy Crazy Nights’, therefore making them a contender. Maybe it’s down to pride, just to be able to say “I was right!” but it does make sense. In a similar sense that Van Halen have a new record out and extensive touring schedule planned, it makes them an equal contender if you apply the rules of logic and common sense.
But, in reality, when are festival line-ups purely based on common sense? There’s almost always a shock announcement on the bill; why not ruffle a few feathers with the headliner?
Sonisphere is considered a metal festival, yes, but it’s prone to diversify itself. Blink 182 ruled Reading and Leeds following their comeback and are using 2012 as a summer to make it up to the UK. Following their most recent album release, the UK found their 2011 tour cancelled with promises of making it up to them this year. Cue: longer UK tour and, perhaps, festival appearances? It would ruffle some feathers, purely because some people can’t relinquish the ‘Slayer or die’ attitude. Blink are good live, Blink are fun live and it would certainly be a nostalgia trip for many.
The Foo Fighters entertained those able to make it up to T in the Park in the midst of last summer, so based on the festival rotation theory – it’s now an official theory – they’re unlikely. But then again, T in the Park and Sonisphere are very different festivals. Occurring on the same weekend, they admittedly have some crossovers in bands, but for the most part it’s a more metal v. mainstream/indie type comparison. Would anyone really turn their noses up at the Foos? They’re one of the best bands in the world, probably the closest to a new-era classic band we have.
In theory, it could be any of them. Logically, it’s likely to be one of two. In general, it’s probably one of about six.
While we could probably fathom an extensive list of reasons as to why Paramore could, for whatever reason, be the headliner, it’s more sensible to just apply logic even when logic isn’t always necessary.
KISS or Van Halen. Take your pick. That’s my theory.
Either way, Sonisphere seems to have a good announcement brewing.
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Now, KISS. Where to start? It’s common knowledge that the band are in the final stages with their new album ‘Monster’ and, following that, they intend to announce a mammoth tour in all senses. In the previous festival prediction feature, this is what was said about KISS... “Famed for their elaborate stage show and being, let’s be honest, a great excuse to embrace face paints, it would be the perfect time for the foursome to return to the UK festival circuit, having not headlined since Download 2008. If there’s one band I can say that I would place my money on performing somewhere next year, it would be KISS.” 
