GETTING TO AND FROM THE GOLD COAST BIG DAY OUT

Sunday, 22 January, 2012 – Gold Coast Parklands

The best way to get to Big Day Out is by public transport!

Reduce your Carbon Footprint and Go Green with Public Transport!

GOLD COAST SHUTTLE BUS CHARTER SERVICE
A Big Day Out Shuttle Bus charter service operates from the following departure points TO the event from 10.00am until 4.00pm. Departures returning FROM the event to all locations from 7.00pm to 11.00pm. Tickets on sale at departure point in the main car park out of the front of the main gate from event staff.

SURFERS PARADISE
Shuttle bus departs from Cypress Ave Car Park, cost is $10 return.

BROADBEACH
Shuttle bus departs from Gold Coast Highway (northbound lane) outside Jupiters, cost is $10 return.
Continue reading 2012 Big Day Out Gold Coast Map, Timetable and Transport Information →

California G-Punk legends (Hed)p.e. announce their upcoming 2012 Australian tour with Suburban Noize label mate, Mushroomhead vocalist and solo artist Jeffrey Nothing.

When it comes to Australia [HED]p.e need no introduction. The band have enjoyed a long running love affair with fans in this country ignited by [HED]p.e.’s genre defying blend of punk, hip hop, hardcore and metal. The band are touring in support of their eighth studio album Truth Rising, which sees (HED)p.e. become the voice for a movement that empowers youth, revealing the seedy underbelly of our current political global climate. On Truth Rising, (Hed)p.e. are the air raid siren waking up youth across the globe.

“We are excited to get back to Australia in early 2012 and play for all the renegades overseas,” enthused founding (Hed)p.e. member Jared Gomes. “We’ve done a couple tours of Australia and the underground down under has always embraced our music. I’m excited this time to be bringing our brother Jeffrey Nothing overseas with us so you can check out his new live show. Australia get ready…”
Continue reading (HED)pe & Jeffrey Nothing (Mushroomhead)- Australian Tour 2012! →

Brisbane’s indie art rockers Drawn from Bees head out on the Dusty Midnight Cowboy Tour. Kicking off in Sydney at the start of February the band will then head to Melbourne to play the infamous St Kilda Festival. Of course they’ll be taking in their hometown, Brisbane, along with Move Mountains Music & Arts Festival, Toowoomba and finishing up in March at the Gold Coast Arts Festival.

To coincide with the Dusty Midnight Cowboys Tour the band will be starring in their very own Comic strip; a story of four outlaws who wreak havoc on the Wild West. Check the Drawn from Bees website for weekly updates on the outlaws’ adventures.
Continue reading Drawn From Bees – Dusty Midnight Cowboys Tour | Feb/Mar 2012 →

Review by Billy Geary
Falls Festival, held in Lorne, Victoria is easily the premier New Years music festival in Australia. Combining what can only be described as a picturesque location with a consistently good selection of acts, it makes for one hell of a way to welcome in the New Year and is an undisputed heavyweight of the Australian festival calendar.

2011’s version was no different and, judging by the general consensus, was one of the best in recent times.

Saturday 31st – Day Three
Continue reading Falls Festival 2011 – Lorne, Victoria – Day Three Review →

Review by Billy Geary

Falls Festival, held in Lorne, Victoria is easily the premier New Years music festival in Australia. Combining what can only be described as a picturesque location with a consistently good selection of acts, it makes for one hell of a way to welcome in the New Year and is an undisputed heavyweight of the Australian festival calendar.

2011’s version was no different and, judging by the general consensus, was one of the best in recent times.

Friday 30th – Day Two
First up on Friday were Brisbane indie darlings An Horse, the lunch time crowd lapping up their 40 minute set. Similarly, Chris Taylor’s (of Grizzly Bear fame) solo project CANT played to a slightly modest turnout in The Grand Theatre. Taylor’s synth laden pop was the perfect fodder for those seeking refuge from the increasingly hot sun.

Back down at The Valley Stage, Metronomy had a sizable crowd in the palm of their hands. With plenty of slightly odd dance moves and off kilter beats, Metronomy were perfect for their late afternoon spot. Heartbreaker in particular went down very well. Immediately after Metronomy was Australia’s latest it band The Jezebels, with punters flocking out of the woodwork to catch their set. The quartet did not disappoint, with the quartet putting on a great set with opener Endless Summer suiting the mood of the festival perfectly.
Continue reading Falls Festival 2011 – Lorne, Victoria – Day Two Review →

Review by Billy Geary
Falls Festival, held in Lorne, Victoria is easily the premier New Years music festival in Australia. Combining what can only be described as a picturesque location with a consistently good selection of acts, it makes for one hell of a way to welcome in the New Year and is an undisputed heavyweight of the Australian festival calendar.

2011’s version was no different and, judging by the general consensus, was one of the best in recent times.

Thursday 29th – Day One
Rolling into camp a bit after lunchtime on Thursday, we headed straight for the music with Guineafowl just starting their set as we arrive at The Valley Stage. Their chilled indie pop sets the scene for an afternoon of excellent bands.

Perhaps one of the more interesting concepts to be seen at Falls this time around was the Easy Star All-Stars performing their album Dub Side of the Moon, a reggae cover album of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. As someone who hadn’t heard their music before, I was immediately won over with The Great Gig in the Sky proving to be the set highlight.
Continue reading Falls Festival 2011 – Lorne, Victoria – Day One Review →

LUCKIEST PRODUCTIONS & THE HARBOUR AGENCY
BRITNEY SPEARS: THE CABARET
WED 8 – SUN 12 FEB 2012
Not so much a cabaret show as a cry for help, Britney Spears: The Cabaret – starring Christie Whelan – was commissioned for the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, and has since enjoyed sell-out runs in Sydney and Melbourne.

Hilariously funny and strangely touching, the show is a satirical look at the perils of fame by award-winning writer/director Dean Bryant. The musical direction of Mathew Frank sees Britney’s hits transformed into cabaret songs, and seamlessly intertwined into the fabric of her life story.
Continue reading BRITNEY SPEARS: THE CABARET @ Brisbane Powerhouse – February 2012 →

Review and Photos by Robert Pugsley
The Jim Jones Revue came, rocked and conquered the Annandale Hotel. The Jim Jones Revue always delivers what Jim describes as “bigger better faster louder” rock n roll and they certainly lived up to the hype at their Sydney gig.

Gathering quite a following, the Annandale in Sydney was packed. The Annandale was a better location than their previous Metro Theatre gig, here they were able to reach out and drench the audience in their sweat and rock them with their passionate interpretation of rock from its 1950’s origins.

Don’t roll yours eyes; they are not a retro act. They don’t live in the ‘50s and as Jim said “we don’t sing about pink Cadillac’s whilst wearing vintage Levis jeans”. They appreciate rock from its origins and use the history of rock n roll for its “energy, the drive, the explosiveness – but in a modern context”.

For the punters sober enough to notice, The Jim Jones Revue played their set alternating between their albums The Jim Jones Revue (2008) and Burning Your House Down (2010), almost in chronological order if you want to geek it out. They also tested out some new material for their upcoming recording sessions if you couldn’t recognize what the hell they were playing.
Continue reading The Jim Jones Revue @ Annandale Hotel, Sydney – 05 January 2012 | Live Review →

Andy Murray has been crowned the 2012 Brisbane International Men’s Singles Champion in front of a record final Sunday crowd of 6,213 patrons.

The World No. 4 defeated Alexandr Dolgopolov in straight sets 6-1 6-3 in just over an hour.

The total 2012 Brisbane International attendance figures well surpassed the previous 2010 record of 82,257 patrons, reaching a grand total of 92,802 attendees.
Continue reading Brisbane International – Day Eight Update →

Review by Billy Geary
La Dispute’s debut release Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair was, to put it mildly, a polarising affair within post hardcore circles. Their brutally emotional take on an increasingly commercially minded genre resulted in most just dismissing the quintet as just another ‘emo’ band. However, with the release of their second album Wildlife, La Dispute may have just given us not only album of the year, but one of the most important albums in the genre.

Wildlife is a significant step forward for the band, building on their outstanding debut in almost every facet imaginable. Quite apparent however, is the vast improvement and subsequent branching out of front man Jordan Dreyer. Their debut and many of the EP’s that came before Wildlife showed that, while Dreyer stacked a truckload of emotion into his vocals and lyrics, at times the technical aspect of his voice was lacking. However, on Wildlife, Dreyer has delivered the performance of his life vocally. Replicating the sheer emotional weight of Somewhere at the Bottom…. and adding much more control to his voice sees Dreyer meet his full potential and beyond. One only has to look to first single ‘Harder Harmonies’ or the considerable epic ‘King Park’ for examples of this.
Continue reading La Dispute – Wildlife | Album Review →

It was a record breaking day for the Brisbane International with the total attendance exceeding the previous record held in 2010.

86,589 patrons have entered the Queensland Tennis Centre with one day still to go. The previous total attendance record was 82,257.

On court tonight Kaia Kanepi took out her second WTA title and first Premier event at the 2012 Brisbane International.

The Estonian has been impressive all week, defeating three seeds on her way to the final and over powering Daniela Hantuchova tonight, 6-2 6-1.

In the women’s doubles final the Spaniard pairing of Nuria Llagostera Vives and Arantxa Parra Santonja defeated Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears from America to take out the title.

Earlier today spectators witnessed the much anticipated showdown between Andy Murray and Australia’s No.1 men’s player, Bernard Tomic. The Scotsman defeated the world No.42, 6-3 6-2, in what was a good test for the teenager leading into the Australian Open.

In the second semifinal No.3 seed Alexandr Dolgopolov progress with a win over the No.2 seed Gilles Simon. Dolgopolov will now meet the world No.4, Murray, in the Brisbane International men’s final tomorrow at 2pm. The men’s doubles champions will also be crowned on Sunday starting at 12 noon.
Continue reading Brisbane International – Day Seven Update →

The Zoo will host four young, talented Brisbane-formed and based bands on February 2nd 2012 in a must see gig for aficionados of fresh original rock.

Forever the Optimist, Zelita, Jakarta Criers and Social Eyes are up and coming groups rapidly making names for themselves on the Brisbane music scene as alternative/hard rock, all original specialists.

Headliners, Forever the Optimist, have recently paired with Thousand Needles in Red across cities and have just released a video for their single ‘My Design’

Continue reading Forever the Optimist to play The Zoo, Brisbane on 2nd February 2012 →

Able Touring is thrilled to announce that Game will be hitting cities across Australia in February 2012 in support for The R.E.D. Album Tour. Tickets go on sale 9am Thursday December 1.

Jayceon Terrell Taylor, known as Game (formerly The Game), grew up in Compton, California, in a gang neighbourhood. While recovering in the hospital from gunshot wounds in late 2001, he decided to put a mixtape together. It reached the hands of Dr Dre who signed him with 50 Cent and G-Unit. Game made his first appearance in the music video for 50 Cent’s “In da Club”. He then went on to make numerous cameo appearances in music videos by 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Young Buck, and Fabolous.

Game released his debut album, The Documentary, in 2005. It was a #1 Billboard 200 hit, going two times platinum. With several hit singles including “Westside Story” and “How We Do”, it was the single “Hate It or Love It” that shot him to instant stardom. This two-time Grammy nominated single, reached #1 on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop songs chart and was nominated for a 2005 MTV Video Music Award in the category of Best Rap Video. Game was now a legitimate hip-hop star.
Continue reading Game to play at Arena, Brisbane – 16th February 2012 →

HATEBREED. Respected by peers. Revered by fans. An unstoppable force.

The hardcore legends have been annihilating mosh pits throughout the globe for over 17 brutal years. HATEBREED’S music is like a universal language that so many speak and comprehend. Architects of positive, uplifting anthems that require and demand crowd participation with punktastic.com proclaiming “Tonight’s a schooling for any pretenders to the throne in how to do hardcore the right way”.

Before CRO-MAGS the idea of combining heavy metal and hardcore was unheard of. They defined the hardcore/ metal genre with the release of their classic debut album ‘‘The Age Of Quarrel’ with Punk News describing it as a ‘masterpiece and ‘one of the most influential hardcore albums of all time’
Continue reading Hatebreed+Cro-Mags + Biohazard+Hellyeah Sidewaves announced! →