EXCLUSIVE: The Used Latest Band To Blast Soundwave Over Lost Band Fees

In recent days a number of former Soundwave acts have come out swinging against the festival and head honcho AJ Maddah regarding unpaid band fees and now US outfit The Used are the latest to publicly speak out on the topic, suggesting that someone needs to "suffer the consequences".

Speaking to theMusic today ahead of their Australian tour later this year, The Used frontman Bert McCracken said that though he doesn't know Maddah that well, someone should take responsibility for the alleged unpaid fees.

"When so much money is unaccounted for and so many promises broken, I think people have to be held accountable," McCracken said.

"Things have to be transparent in this world we live in. Somebody’s always trying to get one over someone else without paying for it."

The Used last performed at Soundwave in 2012, as well as at the Maddah-led Warped Tour in 2013.

"I think that we can all agree that when somebody fucks someone else over, they should probably suffer the consequences," McCracken said.

The singer's comments come in the wake of fellow US band Fear Factory slamming Maddah, suggesting the promoter "deserves to go to jail".

In an interview with Sticks For Stones, lead singer Burton C Bell touched on the group's alleged non-payment issues following their 2014 appearance at the now-defunct festival. 

"...None of the bands ever got paid," Bell said.

"The best thing that could happen is that man goes to jail. He deserves to go to jail for ripping so many people off. Not just bands from 'out of the country' but local bands as well, he ripped off local contractors also. He deserves to go to jail.

"It was a hardship, you know. We needed that money to survive until the record came out and when that didn't happen, my family suffered because of it. He should just hope that he never comes across me, ever."

Meanwhile speaking to News Corp during their current Australian tour, Millencolin lead guitarist Mathias Farm, who performed at the last ever Soundwave in 2015, said he wasn't surprised the festival has folded, given the financial discrepancies with its acts. 

"I loved that festival and we had such a good time playing it but we kind of noticed something was wrong just afterwards because we never got paid," Farm said.

"We got some money but we got screwed over kind of bad. For us to get down to Australia costs a lot of money and also the crew have to get paid, they always get paid. But we never really got the money we were promised. Some other bands got hit much harder than we were but still, we noticed something was wrong."

Maddah declined to comment after being contacted by theMusic.