Albums of the Year
Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
Andrew Bird – Noble Beast
Antony & the Johnsons – The Crying Light
Morrissey – Years of Refusal
Beirut – March of the Zapotec
Albums of the Year
Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
Andrew Bird – Noble Beast
Antony & the Johnsons – The Crying Light
Morrissey – Years of Refusal
Beirut – March of the Zapotec

You don’t get many people going to Nine Inch Nails gigs that are ‘kind of in to them’, or that have picked up a spare ticket from a mate at the last minute so pop along just to see what all the fuss is about. In many people’s eyes (including my own) Trent doesn’t put a foot wrong, not just when producing and performing but also in taking a stance against the traditional music industry and its inflexible distribution model.

Psarandonis at The Barracks Stage
My expectations for this event were stratospheric as soon as it was announced. Either because of the superlative reputation it had in the UK for being a grown-up, chilled out festival, the involvement of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, the venue itself or, more likely, a combination of all three. Continue reading →
The OAF is a great venue. It feels like Fabric in 2001/ 2002 and not just because of the industrial set up with open brick- and metal-work. As with (nu skool) breaks 7 or 8 years ago, there was a genuine feeling that we were about to see something a bit new and different.
Friday 27 February – Perth, Burswood Dome
Tuesday 3 March – Melbourne, Rod Laver Arena
Wednesday 4 March – Melbourne, Rod Laver Arena
Sunday 8 March – Brisbane, Entertainment Centre
Monday 9 March – Brisbane, Entertainment Centre
Wednesday 11 March – Sydney, Acer Arena
Thursday 12 March – Sydney, Acer Arena
We haven’t seen these chaps since 2006. Welcome back boys :) Tickets go on sale: Thursday 4 December. Tickets and details through www.ticketek.com.au or 132 849 (this is a very hard number to find!).
All the 2009 Big Day Out Side Shows Have Been Announced: 
TV ON THE RADIO
SYDNEY – Saturday 24 January – THE METRO (plus WOLF & CUB)
MELBOURNE – Thursday 29 January – THE HI FI BAR (plus WOLF & CUB)
SERJ TANKIAN AND THE FANTOMAS
BRISBANE – Wednesday 21 January – THE TIVOLI
SYDNEY – SATURDAY 24 January – THE ENMORE THEATRE
MELBOURNE – Sunday 25 January – THE PALACE
DROPKICK MURPHYS
SYDNEY – Sunday 25 January – THE METRO (plus THE CORPS)
MELBOURNE – Wednesday 28 January – BILLBOARD (plus BULLDOG SPIRIT)
THE PRODIGY
BRISBANE – Tuesday 20 January – RIVERSTAGE (previously announced)
SYDNEY – Saturday 24 January – HORDERN PAVILION (previously announced)
MELBOURNE – Thursday 29 January – PALACE
Personally, I’m now considering selling my Big Day Out 2009 ticket and heading to The Prodigy sideshows. Even tempted to hop cities and see them in Brisbane. But here you go.
Big Day Out second round line-up:
Once again we’re lucky enough to have The Prodigy playing in Australia next year in 2009 for the Big Day Out Festival and once again – just as they did in 2005 with Two Tribes – they are playing a side show.
Five years of waiting and The Prodigy are locked for two massive sideshows in Sydney and Brisbane.
Tickets on sale Friday 14th November.
Another one of my favourite acts is coming out: Nine Inch Nails to play at Soundwave Festival 2009 – as if the announcement of The Prodigy playing at Big Day Out 2009 wasn’t enough!
17
Apr 09
I’ll fest your blues in a minute.
The stampede to see Toni Childs.
It’s been three days and the post-blues blues are sort of beginning to fade. The 2009 East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival was my first Bluesfest, and proved to be a superb way to pop the cherry and chill out in Byron Bay for a few days.
What was awesome?
1. Blue King Brown – I’ve never seen BKB live before but the energy and mood of their whole set was simply joyous. Natalie Pa’apa’a was smoking in some short-shorts and a leetle black singlet. I chugged two Smirnoff Ice’s and danced the whole way through.
2. Seasick Steve – what a fascinating man. The 68 year old guitarist still looks like the hobo he used to be (and took frequent swigs of whisky from a bottle under his chair in between songs) but his sound is superb and his stories are humbling. Easily the crowd favourite among the smaller Bluesfest acts. Continue reading →