Just two months before it was ostensibly set to take place, organisers have revealed that the annual Listen Out festival will not be held this year.
First taking place back in in 2013, Listen Out has become one of the most popular celebrations of local and international hip-hop, electronic, and pop music in Australia. Held in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth, the festival has attracted a massive array of big names over the years, with the likes of Diplo, Denzel Curry, and Flume headlining the 2019 event.
Traditionally, the festival lineup arrives each year around May, giving fans roughly four months to plan their course of action on the day.
However, with just two months to go until the 2020 event was presumably set to take place and still no sign of the lineup, organisers have taken to social media overnight to confirm that this year’s festival will not be going ahead as intended.
“Well, we waited as long as we possibly could in case it became possible,” the statement began, “But as you probably expected, the Listen Out / Listen In Aust & NZ tour can’t go ahead this year.
“We had a killer lineup ready to go, a new venue for Melbourne and heaps of changes in the other cities which you would have loved. Sadly though, it wasn’t to be…
“But we’re already working hard on Listen Out / Listen In 2021 and we cannot wait to see you there! Til then: Stay true, stay strong, and keep love in your heart.”
While it’s unknown which artists would have been featured on the 2020 lineup, and which venue would have hosted the Melbourne leg of the festival, both fans and organisers are now set to look forward to next year, which will (hopefully) be a far brighter period for the Australian music industry as a whole.
