The Big Day Out 2014 lineup has now been revealed after being hyped by festival promoters as “the biggest and best ever,” featuring the touring one-day festival’s first ever triple headliners – Pearl Jam, Blur, and Arcade Fire – alongside a bill that includes Snoop Dog(/Lion), Major Lazer, Tame Impala, Flume, and over 30 more artists.

But despite promoter Ken West noting his pride in landing two ‘White Whales’ in the festival’s lineup, it’s come to light there’s a few acts that managed to get away from Big Day Out bookers’ proverbial harpoon.

First and foremost, Kendrick Lamar was set to join Snoop and Mac Miller in providing big name hip hop on the Big Day Out 2014 lineup and was “locked in” for the bill until a commitment to the Grammy Awards forced the 26-year-old rapper to pull out.

Big Day Out CEO Adam Zammit (whose juicy twittering has taken a page out of Soundwave promoter AJ Maddah’s) revealed that he was confirmed for the Big Day Out 2014 lineup until he pulled the plug to attend the Grammys, noting that the rapper was “devo” at having to cancel on the first shows since the M.A.A.D. City artist visited Australia in December last year.

Zammit speculated that he was “attending and performing” at the 56th annual awards ceremony, which clashed with a number of dates on the Big Day Out touring schedule.


When asked by a fan if Kendrick Lamar would be back for a headline tour or possibly for Big Day Out 2015, Zammit replied “we will be working toward that for sure.”

Another band that was heavily rumoured for the Big Day Out 2014 bill was Sheffield rockers Arctic Monkeys. With Tone Deaf predicting that they were likely to return due to the timing of their new album AM, due in September, and their working relationship with Big Day Out, having headlined in 2009 with Neil Young.

Arctic Monkeys also appeared on this year’s Austin City Limits lineup (which coincidentally also featured Kendrick Lamar), put together by Big Day Out partners C3 Presents. Zammit reveals that there were discussions to book the band for a return Big Day Out spot but that it didn’t “work out.”


Goth-rock forefathers The Cure were also on the Austin City Limits bill, which combined with the fact that Robert Smith and his not-so-merry men have been rumoured for nearly every Aussie lineup since Splendour put them as contenders for the Big Day Out bill, but alas, with Zammit tweeting that once they’d landed Pearl Jam, Blur, and Arcade Fire, there was no more room for The Cure, “3 headliners confirmed so couldn’t fit em,” he told a fan, while offering his own tips for a potential Aus appearance at Falls Festival.


Despite whatever bands that eluded their grasp, many are thrilled at the Big Day Out 2014 lineup, not least co-headliners Blur with bassist Alex James saying of the bill “It’s hugely exciting and there’s something for everybody there.” Organisers even custom-built an extra stage to accommodate the Brtipop headliners, leading James to humorously remark “splitting up was the best thing we ever did, probably.”

Blur will close Big Day Out each night with an 80 minute set on the separate Love Stage, just as Pearl Jam wind up a two hour long concert set on the main stage preceded Arcade Fire, with Zammit assuring there will be “no clashes” between the three headliners.

Meanwhile fellow promoter Ken West has said “the lineup is strong” and “pretty magical” for fans. “You wouldn’t be able to get these three (headliners) on the one day anywhere else in the world,” he says. “We had an opportunity to put a gangbuster show together, we’ve got that and we’re going to make sure it’s the best experience.”

Big Day Out 2014 Lineup

Pearl Jam * Arcade Fire * Blur
Snoop Dogg aka Snoop Lion * Major Lazer * Steve Angello (Swedish House Mafia) * 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…

Big Day Out 2014 Dates & Venues

Friday 17th January ~ Western Springs, Auckland*
Sunday 19th January ~ Metricon Stadium & Carrara Parklands, Gold Coast
Friday 24th January ~ Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne
Sunday 26th January ~ Sydney Showgrounds, Sydney Day One
Monday 27th January ~ Sydney Showgrounds, Sydney Day Two
Friday 31st January ~ Bonython Park, Adelaide**
Sunday 2nd February ~ Claremont Showgrounds, Perth**

*For New Zealand Big Day Out 2014 lineup and ticketing details, please refer towww.bigdayout.com and choose AUCKLAND

**Subject to council approval

For more details head here or  www.bigdayout.com

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