NEWS
Metallica and Linkin Park had been set to earn several million dollars apiece for their headline sets at Sick New World 2025, before the festival was cancelled last week.
The event, which focuses on rock, nu-metal and industrial music, was scheduled to return to Las Vegas Festival Grounds in April for its third edition.
Other names on the line-up included Evanescence, Queens Of The Stone Age, The Flaming Lips, Gojira, Cradle Of Filth, Refused, Cannibal Corpse and AFI.
In a statement posted on November 29, however, organisers announced that next year’s Sick New World would not be taking place due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
“We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the dedicated SNW fans who had made plans to join us for another cultural celebration of hard rock, goth, alternative, and heavy music,” the update read.
“Please stay tuned for further and future information regarding Sick New World.”
It has since been reported that Sick New World didn’t sell enough tickets for its 2025 festival, per Loudwire. Additionally, it is said that Metallica and Linkin Park had been guaranteed $5million (£3.9m) each for their performances alone.
The publication also noted that the event needed to either sell out or come close to selling this amount of tickets to make up for these huge price tags.
According to the report, Sick New World only sold approximately 20,000 tickets out of the venue’s 60,000 capacity.
It cited the high ticket prices ($472/£373 for general admission) as a potential factor, as well as the line-up – which was slightly different to the bills made up of largely nu-metal acts in 2023 and 2024.
Upon announcing the cancellation of Sick New World 2025, organisers said tickets purchased directly from Front Gate Tickets would be automatically refunded via the original method of payment within 30 days.
Metallica are set to take their ‘M72’ world tour to North America, Australia and New Zealand next year. Linkin Park, meanwhile, recently confirmed a huge 2025 global tour – including a massive show at London’s Wembley Stadium (visit here to buy UK tickets, and here for international tickets).
The latter band released a new album last month, ‘From Zero’, which is their first full-length project since the passing of frontman Chester Bennington, and features Emily Armstrong as frontwoman.
Mike Shinoda and co. have shared a handful of singles from the record – ‘Heavy Is The Crown’, ‘The Emptiness Machine’, ‘Over Each Other’ and ‘Casualty’ – and played several live shows.
‘From Zero’ debuted at Number One in 10 countries, including the UK. “I don’t know what our last Number One was, but it was a very long time ago,” Shinoda said of topping the albums chart on these shores. “This is very cool. It’s a big deal to all of us.”
He had previously explained that this “new chapter” of Linkin Park was “not about erasing the past”. More recently, Shinoda said he didn’t want the group to sound like a covers band.
In a three-star review, NME described ‘From Zero’ as “an intriguing mix of sensational, knockout stadium rock and some perplexingly tired songwriting”.
Meanwhile, Linkin Park have announced a ‘From Zero’ concert film that is due to hit cinemas at some point in 2025.
MUNA have officially shared full details of their long awaited fourth studio album, Dancing On The Wall, which is scheduled to arrive on May 8.
The news comes with the release of the record’s title track and its accompanying official video, giving fans their first real look at what the trio’s new chapter sounds and feels like.
To mark the occasion, the group are planning a run of intimate underplay performances in Los Angeles, New York and London during release week. It will be a special opportunity to catch MUNA up close before they step back onto larger stages later this year.
Opening up about the project, the band described the title song as a standout moment within their body of work.
They shared: “Dancing On The Wall is possibly our favorite song we’ve made as a band. We think it’s all the best parts of MUNA – it’s coming from a really emotional and lonely place, but the song itself makes us feel powerful and euphoric. It’s written in the moment that the clock strikes midnight at the ball, and you have to give up the fantasy. In this case, it’s the fantasy of loving someone or something that can’t love you back.”
The 13 song album was produced by Naomi McPherson, allowing the band to take full creative ownership of the sound and direction. It is a project that pulls listeners straight to the dancefloor while still keeping its vulnerability front and center.
MUNA, made up of Katie Gavin and Josette Maskin alongside McPherson, have continued to build momentum over the years and were personally chosen by Harry Styles as the opening act for his first solo tour. Since then, they have also performed with Taylor Swift on the Eras Tour, in addition to sharing bills with Lorde, boygenius and Phoebe Bridgers.
Dancing On The Wall follows their 2022 self titled album, which marked their first release as independent artists after signing to Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory Records in 2021.
Fans can stream the title track across all major platforms now. For tickets to MUNA’s upcoming shows, visit laylo.com/whereismuna/m/munatour.
Dancing On The Wall tracklisting:
It Gets So Hot
Dancing On The Wall
Eastside Girls
Wannabeher
On Call
So What
Party’s Over
Big Stick
Mary Jane
Girl’s Girl
…Unless
Why Do I Get A Good Feeling
Buzzkiller
