international news _ 12th December, 2005
Mylo and Franz Ferdinand Go Down
Now the Southern Hemisphere's answer to world famous musical festivals such as Glastonbury, the Big Day Out spawned from much humbler beginnings. 1992 saw the Big Day Out's debut, a Sydney only gig with headlining acts Nirvana and the Violent Femmes playing to a modest crowd of 9,500 grunge hungry Aussies. Over a decade later and things have changed dramatically for the Australian festival that now plays in six cities including a sojourn eastwards to New Zealand. This year's gig saw some 255,000 punters moshing the day away in the scorching January sun.
Come January 2006 there will no doubt be a similar number of music lovers heading down under to catch some of the world's finest acts. Next years lineup includes Detroit duo the White Stripes with Franz Ferdinand joining them as they walk the fine line between indie and pop. But dance music enthusiasts needn't shed a tear as there will be plenty to entertain on the day. International acts such as Mylo, Vitalic, Caged Baby, DJ James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem), and 2 Many DJs will all be representing the international community while homegrown acts Cut Copy and Gerling will be doing their best to convince the world that there is more to Oz than kangaroos and barbecued shrimp.
Dates
20th January - Auckland, Ericsson Stadium
22nd January - Gold Coast, Parklands
26th January - Sydney, Sydney Showground
29th January - Melbourne, Princes Park
3rd February- Adelaide, Royal Adelaide Showground
5th February- Perth, Claremont Showground
Text : Nick Lawrence
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