Roll up! Roll up! Rock ’n’ roll ringmaster SERJ TANKIAN has donned his top hat and will be cracking the whip at BIG DAY OUT 2009. The System of a Down front man has gone solo with the multi-layered album Elect the Dead. Backed by his band the FCC, TANKIAN’s show is a vaudevillian explosion – part comedic, part heart-attack serious. A showman like no other, SERJ TANKIAN is guaranteed to bring the drama at BIG DAY OUT this summer. (ALL SHOWS)
BIG DAY OUT is dedicated to providing good times. And to help us do this in 2009, we’ve called on the band dubbed Boston’s answer to the Ramones – the legendary DROPKICK MURPHYS. This loud, raucous and chaotic seven-piece Celtic punk combo hits the stage with one goal: to play music that creates an all-for-one, one-for-all environment where everyone is encouraged to participate, sing along, and have a good time. Sounds good to us! So let the good times roll with DROPKICK MURPHYS at BIG DAY OUT 2009. (ALL SHOWS)
Do not underestimate the charm of BLACK KIDS. They won’t teach your boyfriend how to dance, but this feel-good Florida five-piece will help you put your best foot forward at BIG DAY OUT 2009. Led by Reggie Youngblood’s “catchy tunes about dancing and desire”, BLACK KIDS have put a fresh spin on retro sounds with their irresistible debut album Partie Traumatic. From artist-to-watch to buzz band to real deal in the space of only three years, see BLACK KIDS continue their stratospheric rise at BIG DAY OUT. (ALL SHOWS)
When BIG DAY OUT felt that burning desire to get on the floor, there was only one band to call: please welcome back everybody’s favourite synth-wielders, London’s HOT CHIP. “The most effortlessly cool band in Ravesville” (thanks, NME) are set to scintillate and shake up the summer with tunes from their third album, Made in the Dark. For a festival experience packing personality and electro-pop perfection, it gets no hotter than HOT CHIP at BIG DAY OUT 2009. (ALL SHOWS)
Summer Down Under is so hot, BIG DAY OUT is calling in The Cool – the head-spinning wordplay of Chicago hip hop trailblazer LUPE FIASCO. Once protégé to Kanye, Jay-Z and Pharrell, LUPE’s second album, The Cool, whose first single “Superstar” (featuring Matthew Santos) has shot him into the big leagues in his own right. This smart, charismatic and energetic performer and his band are coming to teach you the art of being cool. School’s in for summer with LUPE FIASCO at BIG DAY OUT 2009. (ALL SHOWS)
Forget the father and the son, all BIG DAY OUT needs is HOLY GHOST! Part of the DFA stable, HOLY GHOST! is Brooklyn duo Nicholas Millhiser and Alexander Frankel. Obsessed with analog synths, thumping disco, and older than old school production, the pair busted out their own moves on the majestically squelchy single Hold On, and have spiced up other people’s moves with remixes for Cut Copy, MGMT and Moby. Let the spirit move you when HOLY GHOST! enter the body of BIG DAY OUT 2009. (ALL SHOWS)
BIG DAY OUT is going back to the future, and the man at the wheel of the DeLorean is Z*TRIP. The LA DJ once regarded the originator and king of the mash up movement, Z*TRIP is now mixing things up differently – classics, soul, up-tempo and b-boy jams, rock riffs, old school hip hop, all feeding into something new, something totally Z*TRIP. He’s DJed for change for Obama in the States, now Z*TRIP will be changing it up at BIG DAY OUT 2009. (NZ & EAST COAST ONLY)
Early in 1984, an inner city Sydney band called DIED PRETTY set out to create their own distinctive style, and challenge the musical preconceptions of the time. They quickly garnered a reputation for live shows full of raw passion, intensity, and more often than not, complete disintegration. After 18 years together and eight seminal albums, 2002 signalled the end for this five-piece and they played their last shows. Fast forward to present day, and 2008 has seen former band mates Peno, Myers, Welsh, Clark and Hoey reunite. DIED PRETTY played the first BIG DAY OUT in 1992, and in 2009 they return to the BDO stage to show us their music has well and truly stood the test of time. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)
It’s been six years since THE VINES ram-raided their way into the public consciousness. In this time, THE VINES have experienced an accelerated career lived out very publicly in a whirlwind of brilliant pop records, legendary gigs and gruelling world tours, breakdowns, break ups and the occasional fug of spliff smoke. Roll on 2008 and the release of their fourth album Melodia which greets the world with the kind of blinking, wide eyed enthusiasm of a band just out of the garage and it’s a safe bet to say that anything goes. In fact, based on the last six years, it’s best not to assume anything other than: it’s going to be one hell of a ride…and we welcome THE VINES back to the BIG DAY OUT this summer. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)
INFUSION is one of Australia’s most loved electronica artists, well known for their rollicking live shows and a resume of remixes as long as your arm. They return to rock the house at the BIG DAY OUT in 2009 after starring at Coachella, Roskilde and Glastonbury festivals. Following on from their classic Phrases and Numbers (2002) and Six Feet Above Yesterday (2004) the band will release their third album in 2009 and they’ve given us a taste of what’s to come with the saucy electro track “Dogtown”. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)
Scorching guitar work, killer name and an electrifying stage presence has made Melbourne’s CHILDREN COLLLIDE the hottest trio to break through the indie scene in a long time. With their cracker debut LP The Long Now, CHILDREN COLLIDE have created an album that is a captivating introduction to the band’s explosive, high-voltage grunge-alicous pop. After wowing crowds during their hometown BDO show in 08, they join the big wheel circus for the first time. Come meet Johnny, Ryan and Heath at the BIG DAY OUT summer series, we know you’re gonna love them. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)
Dance music guru PEE WEE FERRIS returns to the BIG DAY OUT in 2009. One of Australia’s most influential DJs and producers, PEE WEE FERRIS is a trailblazer of the dance music movement world wide. He’s had residencies in Australia and around the world featuring guests like Paul Oakenfold and Paul van Dyk, played alongside Basement Jaxx, Daft Punk and The Prodigy, received ARIA nominations and ARIA Gold Records and has a swag of composition and remix credits to his name. He takes his rightful place behind the decks at the BDO and will hammer out one huge party set for fans this summer! (ALL SHOWS)
Bridging the gap between introspective art rock and shimmering melodic pop, SPARKADIA’s debut album Postcards is one of the albums of the year. The Sydney four-piece have been hitting it big time in Europe with their accomplished pop hooks and bittersweet lyrics. SPARKADIA return this summer to deliver their most majestic sing along anthems like “Too Much to Do” and “Jealousy” at the BIG DAY OUT. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)
THE GETAWAY PLAN have graduated top of the class from their teenage punk rock beginnings in Melbourne and have busted their way into the rock scene in a big way! With sold out tours and stacks of radio and television airplay, these rock minstrels are on the up. And finally fans can enjoy their music in the comfort and safety of their own homes with the release of their debut LP Other Voices, Other Rooms, which punches out powerful, melodic, rock hits like Where the City Meets the Sea and Shadows. It’s time to get away with the GET AWAY PLAN at the BIG DAY OUT! (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)
Melbourne based LITTLE RED are sharp dressers, and they smile a lot. Their music is pretty good too – word on the street is that they’re going to be in command of a comprehensive 60s rock’n’roll revival at BIG DAY OUT. Their debut album Listen to Little Red is full of irresistibly danceable hooks, timeless melodies and charming harmonies. Don’t miss LITTLE RED as they serve up a refreshing set of sweet summer sounds at the BIG DAY OUT in 2009. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)
Mammal is f**king excellent to watch; there’s no denying it. – Drum Media. And it IS as simple as that really. MAMMAL’s first LP was a revolutionary live album melding prog, punk and raw rock. With their prophetic powerhouse vocalist Ezekiel Ox and more wild riffage from Pete Williamson than you can poke a stick at, these guys released their first studio album this year when they recorded with Eric Sarafin (Ben Harper, Pharcyde). Raging against the record industry machine, MAMMAL released the resulting record The Majority independently, and are set to make one hell of a big ass noise for fans at the BIG DAY OUT. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)
The genius of Sydney’s own MERCY ARMS is slowly dawning on music fans in Australia and abroad. In 2008 they’ve continued to spin their melodic web around our psyche’s with release their self titled debut – an inspired album drenched in luscious production from iconic Australian producer Tony Cohen. MERCY ARMS have also been sharing their atmospheric rock with audiences worldwide, and locally have ridden along in the tour bus with the likes of The Pixies, The Strokes, Cut Copy, The Horrors and The Editors. This band is sure to be round longer than your haircut, so don’t miss them at the BIG DAY OUT. (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)
AJAX has been working the decks for over 15 years. He started out pretty much the same way as most DJs by spinning at house parties, private events and dances – he was a hit, and made friends fast. Not content with the same old things, he quickly moved into the club and radio mix show scene and now his mantle is littered with many a DJ award. AJAX’s frenzied live shows serve up an energetic fist pumping, head nodding, body moving style, breaking out with scratching, beat juggling and trick mixing. Get ready for a BIG DAY OUT dance-floor experience you won’t forget any time soon! (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)
ANDEE FROST’s musical soul was set on fire at an early age by the glimmering sounds from the decks at the school disco. He took to DJing and his obsession with dance music grew and he eventually gained the status of “legend” at Melbourne club Honky Tonks. Throwing down some of the kookiest licks in town, ANDEE FROST has played with the likes of Justice, 2 Many DJs, and the Klaxons, and his Dr Seuss, disco inspired set is not to be missed at the BIG DAY OUT! (ALL AUSTRALIAN SHOWS)
Cathartic, intense and thunderous, THE DRONES’ music does not fit easily into conventional rock music categories. While their material is often based on rock sounds and song structures, Gareth Liddiard and band mates are driven by a need to push boundaries venturing into the noisy, atonal, blues-based music that the likes of Tom Waits brought to a wider audience. Their fourth long player Havilah was released in September, and is again brimming with the innovation and artistic integrity that has made THE DRONES one of Australian rock’s most critically acclaimed acts both here and overseas. Come witness THE DRONES when they deliver both new material and bring new light to their older songs at the BIG DAY OUT. (EAST COAST ONLY)
New additions to Big Day Out 09: SERJ TANKIAN, DROPKICK MURPHYS, BLACK KIDS, HOT CHIP, LUPE FIASCO, HOLY GHOST!, Z*TRIP, DIED PRETTY, THE VINES, INFUSION, CHILDREN COLLIDE, PEE WEE FERRIS, SPARKADIA, THE GETAWAY PLAN, LITTLE RED, MAMMAL, MERCY ARMS, AJAX, ANDEE FROST, THE DRONES.
These acts join the already announced: NEIL YOUNG, ARCTIC MONKEYS, THE LIVING END, THE PRODIGY, SNEAKY SOUND SYSTEM, MY MORNING JACKET, PENDULUM, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, TV ON THE RADIO, SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO, THE TING TINGS, TIKI TAANE, CUT COPY, COG, YOUTH GROUP, THE GRATES, BIRDS OF TOKYO, TZU and EDDY CURRENT SUPPRESSION RING.
Stay tuned for more local additions in your city!
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
FRIDAY JANUARY 16th AUCKLAND MT SMART STADIUM
Maurice Rd Penrose. Gates open 11am
SUNDAY JANUARY 18th GOLD COAST PARKLANDS – SOLD OUT, TICKET BALLOT NOW IN PLACE
Smith St Southport. Gates open 11am
FRIDAY JANUARY 23rd SYDNEY SHOWGROUND – SOLD OUT, TICKET BALLOT NOW IN PLACE
Showground Rd Sydney Olympic Park. Gates open 11am. Event closes midnight.
MONDAY JANUARY 26th MELBOURNE FLEMINGTON RACECOURSE
AUSTRALIA DAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY
Epsom Rd, Flemington, Melbourne. Gates Open 11am
FRIDAY JANUARY 30th ADELAIDE SHOWGROUND
Rose Tce Wayville, Adelaide. Gates Open 11am
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 1st PERTH CLAREMONT SHOWGROUND
Graylands Rd Claremont, Perth. Gates Open 11am