Pearl Jam, Arcade Fire, Blur & Snoop Dogg Lead Big Day Out 2014

Big Day Out has announced its line-up this evening and, frankly, it's the best they had in years. Here it is!

Pearl Jam, Arcade Fire, Blur, Snoop Dogg aka Snoop Lion, Major Lazer, Steve Angello, Flume, The Lumineers, Tame Impala, Dillon Francis, Mac Miller, Ghost,  Grouplove, Flosstradamus, Portugal. The Man, Toro Y Moi, DIIV, The Naked And Famous, Big Gigantic, PEZ, Mudhoney, Cosmic Psychos, Northlane, The 1975, Loon Lake, Kingswood, Bo Ningen, The Algorithm, DZ Deathrays, Peking Duk, Ben Morris, Rüfüs and more to be announced…

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PEARL JAM:

As well as being one of the world's great grunge bands in the early 1990s, they successfully crossed over to the mainstream to become a genuine modern rock behemoth. They love Australia, Australia loves them and their spot at the top of the Big Day Out list in 2014 looks like it could be a mutually beneficial arrangement for all involved.

ARCADE FIRE:

Indie bands do not come any bigger than this Canadian ensemble. They were last in Australia for Big Day Out dates a few years back, but since then they released their smash hit record The Suburbs and, frankly, became one of the biggest bands on the planet. We cannot wait for their epic return to Australian soil and the stunning live show that will come with it.

BLUR:

Where do we start with these guys? They haven't been to Australia in something like 15 or 16 years, they are one of the defining bands of one of the 1990s biggest musical movement – Britpop – and they're responsible for some of the best pop songs of the past 20 years. We could watch them all day long, but we'll actually see them after Pearl Jam finish on the new LOVE stage.

SNOOP DOGG AKA SNOOP LION:

Okay, so he hasn't put out a great record in a few years, but have you ever seen a Snoop live show? It's hit after hit after hit, he is generally on time and he give 100 percent when he's onstage, no matter how many blunts he has smoked (probably heaps). He is one of the ultimate festival acts who no self-respecting hip hop fan will want to miss.

MAJOR LAZER:

Diplo's reggae fusion project has taken on a life of its own over the past couple of years and now he sees it sit perched high on the Big Day Out bill. His Free The Universe LP featured guest spots from members of Dirty Projectors, Vampire Weekend, Santigold, Bruno Mars, Wyclef and even Shaggy! It'll be interesting to see what the shows are like without these collaborators.

STEVE ANGELLO:

This Swedish House Mafia member is one of the kings of modern day house, his take on prog and electro house styles has had dancefloors pumping for almost ten years now. If Big Day Out were looking for a real big name DJ then they got exactly what they were looking for with his inclusion. But they're not stopping there…

FLUME:

We need not say much about this young Aussie EDM gun. He has conquered this country over the past year and will probably conquer the world before long. After a set that left everyone enraptured at Splendour In The Grass, it's obvious that he has what it takes to control a big crowd from behind the decks – we are very interested to see what kinda show he brings to Big Day Out.

THE LUMINEERS:

After a mammoth Australian tour that saw them sell out a stack of pretty freaking massive shows and attract one of the biggest crowds of the Byron Bay Bluesfest, these chart topping alt-folkies are ready to bring it all back less than a year after they dominated the first time around.

TAME IMPALA:

Their Lonerism LP of last year was one of the best Australian albums we've heard in a really long time and given the Perth lads have been busy blowing away crowds at just about every festival happening in Europe and the US over their summer we're sure they'll be a big hit at Big Day Out. Truly one of the great psych bands we've ever produced.

MUDHONEY:

We can't even start on this band. They are one of the best rock bands in the history of the world and if you don't agree then you try telling this year's headliners. They'll laugh and mock you all the way home. Grunge legends.

COSMIC PSYCHOS

Just read our Mudhoney description; same thing applies to the entire thing but just chuck the word Aussie in there a few times. One of the great garage rock bands we've ever had and a band who still kick inordinate amounts of arse.

DILLON FRANCIS:

Do you know what moombahton is? If not, then the name Dillon Francis might not mean much to you. If you do, then you'll be very excited about his inclusion of Big Day Out. The blend of reggaeton and electro house is becoming insanely popular and this guy is one of the artists leading the charge. He'll have the Boiler Room pumping, we promise.

MAC MILLER:

The kids have gone crazy for this young rapper over the past couple of years and after listening to his mixtapes and legit LPs, it's pretty easy to see why. The young fella is good mates with Wiz Khalifa and has a pretty hearty respect for the greats of hip hop past, which makes him pretty likeable. He's also ridiculously talented and – so long as he stays off the cocktail of drugs he was taking up until recently – the sky is the limit.

GHOST:

They were one of the best bands at Soundwave this year, hands down. Ghost are the real deal; amazing musicians, scary as fuck, great songwriters and completely captivating. Hopefully they'll get a slot on a small stage after the sun has set, just to make things extra creepy. Their Infestissumam album, which dropped just after their visit, is another triumph and something we can't wait to hear and see live.

GROUPLOVE:

The whole concept behind the band is pretty strange but the indie-pop music that has come out of it is nothing short of divine. Grouplove came together on a whim at an artist's retreat where they all met, but they're probably not as weird as you'd imagine after hearing that. Past visits to Australian have shown just how great they are live and they'll be well-loved in the summer sun of Big Day Out next year.

FLOSSTRADAMUS:

Chicago DJs J2K and Autobot come together as Flosstradamus and after a few years they have become one of the leading trap acts around. Last year saw them release a stack of EPs as well as work on tunes with the likes of Iggy Azalea and Mykki Blanco and who knows what more they have in store as their music progresses. They'll sure as hell give you another good reason to party, we can promise that.

PORTUGAL. THE MAN:

Quite literally just in the country last week (maybe they're still around?) Portugal. The Man delivered one of the most raved about sets of the Splendour In The Grass festival. If you missed that then it's only a couple of months until you get to see them again as they look to keep that high opinion of their show instated through Big Day Out shows.

TORO Y MOI:

He was totally one of chillwave's favourite sons at first, but Chazwick Bundick – aka Toro y Moi – has expanded his musical horizons considerably since first bursting onto the indie music scene. He now performs with a full band and together they put on joyous performances that have elements of funk and synthpop with electronic flourishes. Tasty stuff.

DIIV:

These shoegazy indie rockers are perhaps a little bit lonely on this bill, but they're a brilliant addition nonetheless. Last year's Oshin LP was beloved by hipsters and tastemakers around the world and news of their first trip to Australia will be greeted with glee by their fervish, finger-on-pulse fans.

THE NAKED AND FAMOUS:

Their song Young Blood (the one from the cider ad) has had 19 millio0n views on YouTube, that's pretty serious fucking business right there. It doesn't matter how sick of it you are after too much TV – you have to admit it's a brilliant slice of pop. These kiwis will show Big Day Out that they have far more than that up their sleeve, however.

BIG GIGANTIC:

They'll most likely a new discovery for a lot of Aussies, but  Big Gigantic have been making waves in the live scene overseas for a while now. They're part jam band, part electronic act – a unique live band that takes great influence from the world of hip hop.

PEZ:

One of Aussie hip hop's brightest stars and one who is due to drop a whole stack of shit-hot new material very soon, Pez is a perfect addition considering the dominance of his genre in Aussie music right now. Plus he wrote that song about going to festivals and that always goes down well.

NORTHLANE

This metalcore (yes we know the fans hate it when we call you that) band proved they're the next big thing in Australian heavy music this year with the release of their Singularity LP. It debuted at number three on the charts, the tour they embarked on in support of it sold out pretty much everywhere and critics absolutely raved about it. The pit will cut sick for them next year.

THE 1975

These Mancunians will release their debut LP this September, but the fact is they have been a band for over ten years now. Sure they've had a few different names, played a few different styles and had quite a number of different members, but they've settled on their brand of electronic inflected indie rock and they're bringing it down to us in January.

LOON LAKE

One of Australia's most lovable indie rock bands, they're slick and they're catchy and, honestly, they seem like they'd probably be pretty good blokes. Loon Lake have the kinds of songs that are custom built for the Australian summer and what better place to lose your mind to them than the summer's longest running festival?

KINGSWOOD

Melbourne based rockers Kingswood have appeared everywhere over the past 12 months or so, so it's about time they crossed Big Day Out from their bucket list. Revved up rock'n'roll with plenty of grit and plenty of passion, these Aussie rockers have festival slot written all over them.

BO NINGEN

These guys are a crazy sounding Japanese punk rock group who have released some pretty great music over the past couple of years. They're kinda abrasive, kinda melodic and have worked with the likes of Damo Suzuki and Savages, so we're willing to wager that they are pretty great at what they do. We'll find out soon enough!

THE ALGORITHM

Here's one very much out of left field for you. The Algorithm is a young French bloke who plays a mix of electronic music (yes, including dubstep) and progressive metal and djent styles. It's incredibly complex music and it is going to blow your brain when you hear it slamming out of the Big Day Out system next year.

DZ DEATHRAYS

This Brisbane duo made a splash all around the world with their debut LP Bloodstreams and the tireless touring they undertook in support of it. To put it simply, seeing these guys perform live is nothing short of exhilarating. They are tight, loud, energetic, have lights going everywhere and songs that are catchy as all hell. We are so excited to see them destroy a festival just like they have Splendour and Laneway in the recent past.

PEKING DUK

This Canberra-based electro house duo have gone from strength to strength in recent years and can be scene inciting massive parties on the dancefloors around the nation any given weekend with their big beats. They've done swags of festivals in recent times, it'll be great to see them smash up this one.

BEN MORRIS

If you're interested in some really big house music, then Ben Morris is the guy you want to be sure you're catching at Big Day Out. He plays all the big rooms around the country and he does it with true style, he knows what the masses want and he's not afraid to dish it out.

RÜFÜS

With their Atlas LP set to drop in just a touch over a week and dates already locked in for a couple of festivals in the lead up to Big Day Out, we reckon that this Sydney indie-dance outfit are going to be red hot by the time we see them tearing shit up next January. That's a challenge, boys.

These are the dates:

Friday 17 January – Western Springs, Auckland
Sunday 19 January – Metricon Stadium & Carrara Parklands, Gold Coast
Friday 24 January – Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne
Sunday 26 January – Sydney Showgrounds, Sydney
Monday 27 January – Sydney Showgrounds, Sydney
Friday 31 January – Bonython Park, Adelaide
Sunday 2 February – Claremont Showgrounds, Perth

Tickets are on sale from Friday morning if you sign up to be a Big Day Out member.

If you don't want to do that then here are the on sale dates:

Gold Coast: 9am Wednesday 7 August
Sydney (both shows): 9am Thursday 8 August
Melbourne, Adelaide & Perth: 9am (local time) Friday 9 August