The release of the second lineup round for Big Day Out 2014 has boosted the lineup to 45 acts and brought names like Primus, The Drones, CSS, and Bluejuice into the fold. The question now remains: who will be playing sideshows and who’ll be restricting their energy to the festival dates?
After a curious fan queried the official Big Day Out Twitter account about the possibility of a sideshow from The Naked & Famous, organisers responded, “were announcing sideshows on Thursday. Let you know then,” while Triple J stars Tom and Alex announced likewise this morning.
Back in July, BDO boss Ken West told FasterLouder, “Shows in Sydney will be very rare, because we’re doing two [BDO] shows. Anything that we do will be very, very small. There’ll be a few extra shows in Melbourne because of the one day, but again most of those are ‘underplays.'”
With the cancellation of the second Sydney show due to lower than expected ticket sales, this rule could be subject to change. It was recently announced that grunge progenitors Mudhoney would play a string of East Coast dates, including Sydney.
“The decision’s made for Pearl Jam because they’re bringing family out and having a holiday and [sideshows] are more work,” West added, indicating that the other grunge legends on the bill won’t be playing sideshows, though promoter AJ Maddah insisted it would be a headline-length set.
“Pleeeaasssee fight for them,” one fan (very emphatically) told Maddah regarding fellow headliners Arcade Fire, to which Australia’s most powerful industry figure responded similarly emphatically, saying, “I am!”
Maddah also confirmed that fans of the highly-anticipated papal antics of Ghost will be able to experience in them in intimate surrounds, though only in Melbourne, with the touring mogul telling one fan, “Not sure if I can get a venue in Sydney tbh. I think both metro & Hi Fi are booked out.”
The jury is still out on the newly added Primus, who came over to Big Day Out on the wave of the second lineup announcement, having been previously slated to play the cancelled Harvest Festival. Said Maddah: “Depends on if we can get an appropriate venue.”
Interesting to note is what West also told FL: “The building up process of the sideshow thing is great if it’s exposing you to your fans in a smaller situation or if it’s a building block process and you’re on the way up or if you’ve got fans who just won’t go [to BDO].”
“When it comes down to acts that are likely to tour again at some stage then just doing the [BDO] is a better call for them because as we’ve found with acts that did sideshows and then did a return tour, the return tour didn’t do as well as if they’d just exclusively done the festivals,” he added.
Update: Reports have surfaced that Brooklyn indie four-piece DIIV have pulled out of all Big Day Out 2014 tour dates, removing any speculation as to whether they’ll be playing sideshows. According to the band’s management, DIIV are focussing on the follow-up LP to 2012’s Oshin.
Los Angeles five-piece Grouplove have also sparked speculation regarding sideshows after sending out a post to their Twitter followers reading, “Hey Australia… Check back tomorrow morning for some news,” in keeping with the Thursday morning sideshow reveal date.
Update: 21/11/13 A stack of Big Day Out 2014 Sideshows have been announced! Details below.
Update 23/01/14: A whole new bunch of sideshows have been announced and we’ve added all the details below!
ARCADE FIRE
with Diplo
Wednesday, 22nd January
Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne (Lic/AA)
Tix: Via Ticketmaster
Tuesday, 28th January
Sydney Entertainment Centre, Sydney (Lic/AA)
Tix: Via Ticketmaster
SNOOP DOGG aka SNOOP LION & MAC MILLER
with Kerser
Wednesday, 22nd January
Palace Theatre, Melbourne (18+)
Tix: Via Oztix
Saturday, 25th January
Enmore Theatre, Sydney (18+)
Tix: Via Ticketek
SNOOP DOGG aka SNOOP LION, MAJOR LAZER & FLOSSTRADAMUS
Saturday, 18th January
Marquee, Brisbane (Lic/AA)
Tix: Via Oztix
MAJOR LAZER & FLOSSTRADAMUS
Tuesday, 21st January
Palace Theatre, Melbourne (18+)
Tix: Via Oztix
Wednesday, 29th January
Enmore Theatre, Melbourne (18+)
Tix: Via Ticketek
Vista Chino Big Day Out 2014 Sideshows
with Dead
Wednesday, 22nd January
170 Russell, Melbourne
Tix: Oztix
Tuesday, 28th January
The Metro, Sydney
Tix: Ticketek
An Evening With PRIMUS
PRIMUS will be playing two full sets.
Monday, 27th January
Metro Theatre, Sydney (18+)
Tix: Via Ticketek
GROUPLOVE & CSS
Thursday, 23rd January
The Hi-Fi, Melbourne (18+)
Tix: Via Oztix
Saturday, 25th January
Metro Theatre, Sydney (18+)
Tix: Via Ticketek
THE LUMINEERS
Saturday, 18th January
The Tivoli, Brisbane (18+)
Tix: Via Ticketmaster
Thursday, 23rd January
Palace Theatre, Melbourne (18+)
Tix: Via Oztix
Tuesday, 28th January
Enmore Theatre, Sydney (18+)
Tix: Via Ticketek
TORO Y MOI & PORTUGAL. THE MAN
Tuesday, 21st January
The Hi-Fi, Melbourne (18+)
Tix: Via Oztix
Wednesday, 21st January
The Hi-Fi, Sydney (18+)
Tix: Via Oztix
THE 1975
with City Riots
Wednesday, 22nd January
Northcote Social Club, Melbourne (18+)
Tix: Via Northcote Social Club
Monday, 27th January
Oxford Art Factory, Sydney (18+)
Tix: Moshtix
Beady Eye
with Davey Lane
Monday, January 27
The Enmore, Sydney (Lic/AA)
Tix: www.ticketek.com.au
Deftones
Tuesday, 28th January
UNSW Roundhouse, Sydney (Lic/AA)
Tix: www.ticketek.com.au
The Hives
w/Born Lion
Tuesday, 21st January
170 Russell (formerly Billboard), Melbourne
Tix: www.oztix.com.au
MUDHONEY
Saturday, 18th January 2014
Zoo, Brisbane
Tix: Via Handsome Tours
Wednesday, 22nd January 2014
Corner Hotel, Melbourne
Tix: Via Handsome Tours
Wednesday, 29th January 2014
Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
Tix: Via Handsome Tours
DILLON FRANCIS
Bass Boutique: Aboard with Dillon Francis (On Sydney Harbour)
Dillon Francis (USA)
Danny T
Spenda C
A-Tonez
Natnoiz
Platform 19
Pat Ward
Ocean
Nemo
Saturday 25th January (12pm-5pm)
Bella Vista (pick up from King Street Wharf), Sydney Harbour
Tix: Via Moshtix
@averagejoes were announcing sideshows on Thursday. Let you know then.
— Big Day Out (@bigdayout) November 19, 2013
@PratVenoo7 Ghost will do 1. Pearl Jam are doing no other shows but the Big day Out on this album. It's part of the contract.
— AJ (@iamnotshouting) November 17, 2013
@PratVenoo7 They are, however, doing their full headline set at Big Day Out.
— AJ (@iamnotshouting) November 17, 2013
@igetdry @PratVenoo7 Melb
— AJ (@iamnotshouting) November 17, 2013
@PratVenoo7 @igetdry Not sure if I can get a venue in Sydney tbh. I think both metro & Hi Fi are booked out 🙁
— AJ (@iamnotshouting) November 17, 2013
@ambrinw0ndrland Depends on if we can get an appropriate venue
— AJ (@iamnotshouting) November 19, 2013
@bsellick I am!
— AJ (@iamnotshouting) November 14, 2013
Hey Australia… Check back tomorrow morning for some news
— GROUPLOVE (@GROUPLOVE) November 20, 2013