Listen Out 2020 has been officially canned, 2021 festival going ahead

Header image by Liam Fawell.

It's been a strange day for Australian music festivals. Earlier today, Splendour In The Grass - fresh from postponing their July 2020 festivities to October 2020, then again to July 2021 - announced their three headliners for next year, with The Strokes and Tyler The Creator retaining their headline positions, while Flume - who has been forced to cancel due to scheduling conflicts - has been replaced by Gorillaz, whose headline slot would mark the legendary group's first Australian shows in ten years.

Now, comes Listen Out news. With the festival's forward-thinking and often international act-heavy lineup, anyone could've guessed that the festival may be have been changing in 2020, either going all-Australian like Falls Festival and Laneway Festival, or cancelling 2020 altogether and focusing on 2021 instead. However, the festival has been quiet through much of the last few months - even as their standard, May lineup announce window came and went - with nothing but a peep from its organisers while they seemingly tried to work on a game plan.

Today, official notice came that Listen Out 2020 - and Adelaide's Listen In off-shoot - have been cancelled. "Well, we waited as long as we possibly could in case it became possible... but as you probably expected, the Listen Out / Listen In Aust & NZ tour can't go ahead this year," says organisers on the event in a statement today, posted on their social media. "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..."

However, the festival is encouraging people to keep looking forward, and focus on what's ahead. "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."

The announcement comes with a video soundtracked by Louis The Child's Love Is Alive, seemingly hinting - in classic, Listen Out fashion - that the US duo were included on the festival lineup. 

You can find the full announcement below:

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Well, we waited as long as we possibly could in case it became possible… 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.

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