Dan Condon: Sick Tunes, November 8, 2013

The second Soundwave Festival announcement dropped super late last night and, as is becoming surprisingly more common as the years go on, there are some real great rock'n'roll gems in there that are well worth checking out if you're wondering whether or not to buy a ticket to the event.

Here are five great bands who have been added to Soundwave 2014.

STIFF LITTLE FINGERS:

I'm nowhere near as cynical as many when it comes to the whole nostalgia tour thing. I go and see pretty much every band who have reformed because they're more popular than ever and can make a dime off it, because I love their records and I never thought I'd see them, so why not take the chance when it's there?

I'm not sure if Irish punk rock royalty Stiff Little Fingers are going to be any good or not, but they have stacks of great songs and are such an important and influential band in the realm of punk rock that it'd be criminal not to find out for yourself. Plus, the Buzzcocks are still fucking incredible live, so maybe these guys are too?

UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS:

British bands have always done psyched out semi-prog rock really well. They owned it in the 1970s and it's great to see bands like Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats carrying on that tradition. Let's be honest, they sound a lot like Black Sabbath, but their songs stand up on their own merits as Poison Apple from this year's Mind Control LP proves.

You'll have to show up pretty early to catch them, but it'll be worth an hour in the blazing sun to feel the psyched out, gloomy-as-hell jams wash over you.

DESAPARECIDOS:

It's not Bright Eyes (apparently we won't see them back here for some time), but for fans of Conor Oberst, it's a pretty good substitute. Desaparecidos were supposed to be here around now as a part of the cancelled Harvest festival, but we all know what happened there, so they're now adding extra value on to the Soundwave bill.

It's much of the same spirited, anthemic, emotional rock that you come to expect from Oberst, but with something of a more jagged edge – it is great stuff, as Te Amo Camila Vallejo/The Underground Man, their single from earlier this year, proves.

MASTODON:

While I doubt you'd say they've crossed over to the mainstream, Mastodon have managed to become one of those bands with so much underground credibility that their explosion into wider popularity has not been met with much distaste from their existing fan base. That's because their music remains freaking awesome; heavy, melodic and just – god I hate this word – EPIC. Hopefully they'll play at night so we can feel the full force of their evil, yet melodic, brand of epic (yeah, there it is again) metal.

EAGLES OF DEATH METAL:

I've never been to see Eagles Of Death Metal when they have come to Australia because I don't think their music is that good. But they strike me as the ultimate festival band; dumb songs that make you wanna dance and sing, played by a band with a frontman who is a supremely talented entertainer. There's nothing deep about what they do, nothing complex, nothing you need to think about too much; just grab a beer, sit back and enjoy the show. It'll be a party.

Also, the story of how they got their name is fucking awesome. Google it.