Major blow for Australian live music scene as ANOTHER festival is cancelled

Another Australian music festival has been cancelled. R'n'B festival Souled Out was officially axed on Thursday, with organisers sharing a heartbreaking statement to social media revealing the event was no longer 'financially viable'. 'It is with a heavy heart we announce Souled Out will not be going ahead this year,' the statement began. 'Despite our best efforts, the event did not reach the level of support needed to remain financially viable. Like many festivals in Australia, we have faced ongoing challenges in the current market.

'After exploring every possible option, we have had to make the tough call to cancel this year's Souled Out.'. R'n'B festival Souled Out was officially axed on Thursday, with organisers sharing a heartbreaking statement to social media revealing the event was no longer 'financially viable'. The festivals planned lineup was headlined by US R'n'B stars Don Toliver, Vince Staples, Jhené Aiko and 6lack. The Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane concerts have all been cancelled and organisers reassured ticket holders they would receive a refund.

The festival was first held in Australia in 2023 and was headlined by US singer Kehlani. The cancellation is the latest blow for Australian music festivals, coming just weeks after Splendour in the Grass was also canned for 2025. Organisers officially confirmed in January that the beloved Byron Bay music festival will not go ahead for the second year in a row. 'Hey gang, sorry it’s been so quiet, but we had a little holiday…finally,' a statement published on the festival's social media channels began.

'The rest of the festival team have still been busy cooking up some awesome new things for music lovers in Australia, but Splendour needs a little more time to recharge. We won’t be back this year.'. The 2024 Splendour festival, which was set to feature the likes of Kylie Minogue, G Flip, Tash Sultana, and Fontaines D.C., was axed less than a week after tickets went on sale. The festivals planned line-up was headlined by US R'n'B stars Don Toliver (pictured), Vince Staples, Jhené Aiko and 6lack.

Festival organisers issued a heartbreaking statement on social media. Organisers cited 'unexpected events' as the reason behind the last minute cancellation. There is no guarantee that the festival is slated to return in 2026, however organisers asked music fans to 'think of it as a breather so we can come back even bigger and better when the time is right.'. The statement ended on a more hopeful note, with Splendour organisers saying there are 'lots of other huge events on the horizon.'.

'So keep an ear to the ground in the coming months – we can’t wait to share what we’ve been working on!' they added. In a separate statement to Rolling Stone, ticketing and touring company Live Nation said the festivals team 'has our full support to bring Splendour in the Grass back when they feel it’s right.'. Live music fans and promoters had hoped that the tent pole festival would return this year.