Visitor photograph themselves with autumn leaves in St James's Park in London October 17, 2014.
Visitor photograph themselves with autumn leaves in St James's Park in London October 17, 2014. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor

Going to the Soundwave festival this weekend? Don’t bother bringing your selfie stick. Promoter AJ Maddah has blasted revellers carrying the “narcissistic” selfie sticks, vowing to ban the photography aid from the music event.

On Sunday, Maddah made it known how he truly felt about the popular selfie stick on Twitter. He reaffirmed his feelings on the loathed device in a later interview, calling it the “ultimate expression of narcissism.”

Maddah told Fairfax that it was the Melbourne event that suffered the most from the selfie bug, with “about 40 or 50” sticks were in use. “Most of them are pointed at the stage with kids taking photos. But I think the one that kind of put it in perspective for me was there was a band set going and a young girl pointed it at herself,” he said.

“It took every fibre of resistance I had not to just grab the stick off her and kick her out. But then I figured she may have possibly paid for her ticket and so I resisted.”

Selfie sticks, according to Maddah, enable the “illegal recording” of the artists on stage. They also cause safety issues and inconvenient people around those who use them.

So for the upcoming Soundwave at the Olympic Park in Sydney this weekend, Maddah vowed to ban selfie sticks. The organisers would be providing a cloakroom where people can leave the photography aid before they can enter the venue.

Meanwhile, the much-hyped “Comfort Zone” will be at the Sydney and Brisbane venues this weekend after it was shelved for Adelaide and Melbourne. Organisers have now revealed what will be included in the anticipated rooms, promising comfort for the so-called Comfort Zone.

“With toilets being cleaned all day you can rest assured. You’ll be cool as a cucumber and ready to rock again!” (sic) the announcement on the festival’s site reads.

The area will include “roaming massage service, barista made coffee, cake back, lick ice cream stall, luxury serviced (& flushable) toilets, licensed bar with quality wine, phone charging, easy access to EFTPOS, relaxing seats in the shade.”

Comfort Zone was absent at the Adelaide and Melbourne dates because of “planning permission.” For Sydney and Brisbane punters, they may enter the area for $30 for a single day entry and $50 for the whole weekend.

Soundwave 2015 was held at the Bonython Park in Adelaide and at the Melbourne Showgrounds on Feb. 21, and will be at the Olympic Park in Sydney and at the RNA Showgrounds in Brisbane on Feb. 28.