2010 BDO's First Line Up Announcement

Australia’s biggest festival is back for the 18th time (we know, time flies by) and it’s shaping up to be bigger than ever. Muse, Powderfinger, The Mars Volta, Lily Allen and Kasabian are just a few of the many artists that will kick major arse at the 2010 Big Day Out.

We caught up with Sahara Herald Shepherd, Big Day Out Coordinator, who was more than happy to share some BDO wisdom with vmusic.com.au. “We’re very happy to have Muse back,” Sahara says about the official 2010 headliners. “They’ve played the BDO a couple of times and grown with us. In 2008 they played before Tool and pretty much stole the festival. They always make sure to put up an absolutely stunning show! Plus they just released an incredible new album [The Resistance].”

Another welcomed return to the BDO is Powderfinger, who will be headlining the second stage. “Other than Magic Dirt, they’ve played the most BDOs out of any band ever,” Sahara reveals.

And it looks like Lily Allen’s allegations of abandoning her music career for good are, luckily, not true. We got Sahara to admit that Allen will grace the BDO with her quirky and catchy tunes. “Last time we had Lily on the BDO she was in the Boiler Room, now she’s going to be on the main stage. Her record [It’s Not Me, It’s You] is huge in Australia – Australian people seem to really get her humour. She’s a ratbag, and I say that as a compliment. She’s always trouble, but in a very entertainment way.”

So, what’s this year’s theme? “Margaritas,” Sahara laughs. “No, we’re going with a Mexican/ Aztec Day of the Dead theme. We’re really thrilled with the artwork, it came out beautifully. Unlike many other festivals in the world that just continue with the same theme year after year, we strive really hard to come up with something new, challenging and a bit left-field.”

There’s always been a shroud of mystery surrounding the BDO line-up announcements, which of course leads to a lot of speculation about who will make the final list. “Every year I get phone calls asking me if AC/DC is in the line-up,” Sahara admits. “We’d love to have them but they’re so massive – their upcoming Australian tour sold-out in minutes! The truth is that we haven’t spoken to them… They won’t return our calls,” she laughs.

When asked which has been her favourite BDO, Sahara finds it hard to pick just one. “It’s more like a blend of many BDOs,” she says. “There have been a lot of great moments over the years that I would like to pick out to construct the ultimate Sahara festival. The first time PJ Harvey played the BDO [2001] was very magical for me, she was amazing. Also 2004 was very interesting – we had Metallica and that was quite challenging.”

It’s no secret that every year tickets for the BDO sell out as soon as they go on sale, so we decided to ask Sahara to what she attributes the festival’s massive success. “This is a question I’ve considered a lot myself,” she admits. “The Big Day Out started very small and has grown organically – a lot of the people that started it are still working with us. We’re not reliant on outside finances and we don’t have a committee or a sponsor we have to answer to. We strive hard to deliver an incredible show for a really accessible price. We obviously have some bands that sell tickets, but the concert is so big now that we have the liberty to include artists that are challenging, interesting and that will make kids leave with a different perspective. Or at least that’s what we aim for. At the end of the day, just because an artist sells a lot of records it doesn’t mean that they’re good. We’re in a very privileged position where we can choose what we like. The BDO is not necessarily about what the kids think that they want to hear, but about what we think they should hear.”

First line-up announcement:

International Artists (All Shows)
1.) Muse
2.) The Mars Volta
3.) Lily Allen
4.) Groove Armada
5.) Kasabian
6.) Dizzee Rascal
7.) Peaches
8.) Girl Talk
9.) Rise Against
10.) Mastodon
11.) The Horrors
12) Calvin Harris
13) The Decemberists


Antipodean (All Shows. Incl Nz)
1.) Powderfinger
2.) Eskimo Joe
3 .) Karnivool
4.) Lady Hawke
5.) The Temper Trap

Antipodean (Australia Only)
6.) Grinspoon
7.) Midnight Juggernauts
8.) Tame Impala
9.) kisschasy
10.) Magic Dirt
11.) Lisa Mitchell
12.) Blue Juice

Dates & Tickets

January 17, 2010 – Goldcoast (tickets on sale on October 8).
January 22, 2010 – Sydney (tickets on sale on October 7)
January 26, 2010 – Melbourne (tickets on sale on October 9)
January 29, 2010 – Adelaide (tickets on sale on October 9)
January 31, 2010 – Perth (tickets on sale on October 9)