Deep Purple, Placebo & More Drop Off Pandemonium Line-Up

Following weeks of speculation, organisers of the Pandemonium festival have finally shared the itinerary for its revised operation.

Right off the bat, reports of the lineup being pared down have been confirmed. Among the cuts have been two of the festival’s four headliners – Deep Purple and Placebo – as well as Dead Kennedys (who confirmed their exit independently last week), Gang Of Four, Gyroscope and Petch. On account of these omissions, Pandemonium will now be run as a one-stage event.

Still due to perform are Alice Cooper, Blondie, Psychedelic Furs, Wheatus, Wolfmother, Palaye Royale and Cosmic Psychos. The former two headliners affirmed their continued involvement in the festival last week, alongside word that some of the venues for the run would be changed.

This, too, has been confirmed today (April 8), with organisers noting that the Gold Coast show (scheduled for Saturday April 27) has been moved from Doug Jennings Park to the Broadwater Parklands; they say this will ensure “ease of access and egress as well as accessible car parking”. The Brisbane event, slated for Sunday April 28, has also been moved from the Sandstone Point Hotel to Eatons Hill Hotel.

It’s worth noting that Blondie will not appear at the latter show, although this has been the case since Pandemonium was first announced.

Furthermore, Alice Cooper and Blondie were originally booked to perform separate sideshows in Newcastle, however these have now been merged into one show, scheduled for Tuesday April 23 at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre. Also performing at this gig will be Psychedelic Furs and Wolfmother.

The festival organisers had this to say in a press statement: “We have been hard at work ensuring we deliver events that provide fans with the best possible experience and we extend our thanks to those who have patiently waited for our good news. Four festival dates with a couple of location tweaks and a formatting alteration, and one killer Newcastle side show will proceed later this month!

“We acknowledge the current state of the Australian economy and the cost of living crisis, of which we're constantly reminded of by the media. This cost of living crisis has impacted the live music touring industry significantly and forced many other festivals and tours, sadly, to cancel. Pandemonium is not one of those and despite aforementioned national issues our festival is moving forward.”

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Alongside changes to the lineup, Pandemonium organisers have announced that tickets for the Melbourne, Sydney and Gold Coast editions will now cost $190 ($70 less than the original price of $260), while Brisbane’s show will now cost $165 to attend. Those who’d already bought tickets at the original price will have three options: a partial refund of $70, an extra ticket for free, or an exclusive hoodie (said to be valued at $100) which will not be sold at the festival itself.

More info for ticketholders will be issued soon via OzTix, with remaining tickets on sale here.

Before the news of possible “alterations” and changes to the set-up were announced last month, Pandemonium blasted reports that the festival was cancelled after Nine News claimed the event was being called off.

It followed the festival’s first major controversy in January, when the Sydney edition was moved from The Domain to Cathy Freeman Park. The move came in response to blowback surrounding the event’s scheduling – it’ll take place on ANZAC Day, Thursday April 25.