When it’s the winter of austerity in Europe & North America, it’s summertime & the living is easy down in the southern hemisphere. So swing down to Australia & New Zealand & Festival Guide for Down Under (see last year’s here):
The Oceanic music festivals don’t just feature the fixed locale ones around New Year’s that you find in the stodgy Northern Hemisphere, but also traveling ones at the start of 2012, ranging from either side of the Outback to either side of the Tasman Sea:
View QRO Magazine 2012/2013 Festival Guide Down Under in a larger map
Stationary
What: Meredith
Where: Meredith, VIC
When: December 7-9
Who: Primal Scream, Spiritualized, Turbonegro, Four Tet, Grimes, Tame Impala, Omar Souleyman, Pond, Hot Snakes, J.B. Smoove, and more
Why: Meredith Music Festival is old enough to drink (even in the States) with another nice mix of Aussie & elsewhere.
Web: www.mmf.com.au
What: The Falls
Where: Lorne, VIC & Marion Bay, TAS
When: December 28 – January 1
Who: The Flaming Lips, Hot Chip, The Hives, Rodrigo y Gabriela, SBTRKT, Two Door Cinema Club, Sharon Van Etten, Maxïmo Park, Beach House, Coolio, The Vaccines, Best Coast, Bombay Bicycle Club, Django Django, First Aid Kit, Angus Stone, and more
Why: Why spend New Year’s in one state, when you can spend it in two? The Falls Festival started in 1993 in Lorne, but in 2003 spread across the Bass Strait to Marion Bay, with acts playing both campgrounds.
Web: www.fallsfestival.com/au
What: Pyramid Rock
Where: Phillip Island, VIC
When: December 29 – January 1
Who: Anti-Flag, Tame Impala, The Cribs, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Xavier Rudd, Blood Red Shoes, DJ Yoda, Karnivool, Kate Miller-Heidke, and more
Why: Now in its eighth year, Philip Island’s Pyramid Rock blows through the end of 2010 & the start of 2011 with a somewhat dance-hop weighted line-up.
Web: www.thepyramidrockfestival.com
What: Field Day
Where: Sydney, NSW
When: January 1
Who: Two Door Cinema Club, Hot Chip, SBTRKT, Mark Ronson, The Vaccines, Django Django, Erol Aikan, Fake Blood, Icona Pop, Coolio, Araabmuzik, Hudson Mohawke, and more
Why: Celebrate 2012 with an electro-dance party at The Domain in Sydney.
Web: www.fielddaynyd.com.au
What: Southbound
Where: Busselton, WA
When: January 4-5
Who: The Flaming Lips, Hot Chip, The Hives, Rodrigo y Gabriela, SBTRKT, Two Door Cinema Club, Sharon Van Etten, Maxïmo Park, Beach House, Coolio, The Vaccines, Best Coast, Bombay Bicycle Club, Django Django, First Aid Kit, Angus Stone, and more
Why: The standing festival heads west, as many of the acts that spent New Year’s Eve on the Bass Strait go to Western Australia’s Sir Stewart Bovell Park the following weekend.
Web: www.southboundfestival.com.au
What: Sydney
Where: Sydney, NSW
When: January 5-27
Who: David Byrne & St. Vincent, Dirty Projectors, Sharon Van Etten, Lindstrøm, Daptone Super Soul Revue, Lianne La Havas, Dappled Cities, Hunx and His Punx, yMusic, Nite Jewel & Peanut Butter Wolf, Nicolas Jaar, Perfume Genius, and more
Why: Sydney celebrates the southern summer at venues across the city across January.
Web: www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2013
What: Perth International Arts
Where: Perth, WA
When: February 8 – March 2
Who: Cat Power, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Dead Can Dance, Jens Lekman, The Tallest Man On Earth, Deer Tick, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Laurie Anderson, Antibalas, Father John Misty, Stars, Buke & Gase, How To Dress Well, Kronos Quartet, Two Gallants, Sleepy Sun, and more
Why: Perth welcomes arts from around the world.
Web: www.perthfestival.com.au
What: ATP: I’ll Be Your Mirror
Where: Melbourne, VIC
When: February 16-17
Who: My Bloody Valentine, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Einstürzende Neubauten, Swans, The Dead C, Pere Ubu, Thee Oh Sees, Sleepy Sun, and more
Why: ATP’s ‘I’ll Be Your Mirror’ goes Down Under with critic favorites. See much more in our photo gallery of London’s I’ll Be Your Mirror 2012 here
Web: www.atpfestival.com/events/australia2013.php
What: Golden Plains
Where: Meredith, VIC
When: March 9-11
Who: Cat Power, Dinosaur Jr., The Tallest Man On Earth, George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Purity Ring, Toro Y Moi, Wild Nothing, Redd Kross, and more
Why: Celebrate the antipode autumn on the Golden Plains.
Web: www.goldenplains.com.au
What: West Coast Blues ‘n’ Roots
Where: Fremantle, WA
When: March 23-24
Who: Paul Simon, Robert Plant, Iggy & The Stooges, Ben Harper, Santana, Chris Isaak, Jason Mraz, Steve Miller Band, Wilco, Bonnie Raitt, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Jimmy Cliff, Manu Chao, Julia Stone, Michael Kiwanuka, Rufus Wainwright, Kitty, Daisy & Lewis, Grace Potter, and more
Why: Head to the West Coast for some Blues ‘n’ Roots. See much more in our photo gallery here
Web: westcoastbluesnroots.com.au
Traveling
What: Harvest
Where: Melbourne, VIC; Sydney, NSW; Brisbane, QLD
When: November 10-18
Who: Beck, Sigur Rós, Mike Patton, Grizzly Bear, Ben Folds Five, Silversun Pickups, Beirut, Santigold, CAKE, The Dandy Warhols, The Black Angels, Chromatics, Liars, Fuck Buttons, Los Campesinos!, The War On Drugs, Dark Dark Dark, and more
Why: November is Harvest time even down under. Read more in our 2012 recap of Harvest Festival : Melbourne here
Web: www.harvestfestival.com.au
What: Stereosonic
Where: Sydney, NSW; Perth, WA, Melbourne, VIC; Adelaide, SA; Brisbane, QLD
When: November 24 – December 2
Who: Tiesto, Avicii, Calvin Harris, Carl Cox, Major Lazer, Laidback Luke, Martin Solveig, Diplo, Sander van Doorn, Porter Robinson, Bassnectar, Datsik, Dillon Francis, Zedd, and more
Why: All the big-name DJs come down under for Stereosonic.
Web: www.stereosonic.com.au
What: Summadayze
Where: Adelaide, SA; Melbourne, VIC; Gold Coast, QLD; Perth, WA
When: December 31 – January 6
Who: M.I.A., The Chemical Brothers, Fedde Le Grand, Mark Ronson, Kimbra Booka Shade, Erol Aikan, Fake Blood, Hudson Mohawke, AraabMUZIK, Icona Pop, and more
Why: Dancetronic artists come to the rest of Australia.
Web: www.futureentertainment.com.au/summadayze
What: Big Day Out
Where: Sydney, NSW; Gold Coast, QLD; Adelaide, SA; Melbourne, VIC; Perth, WA
When: January 18 – 28
Who: Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Killers, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Vampire Weekend, Band of Horses, The Bloody Beetroots, Kaskade, Animal Collective, B.o.B., Sleigh Bells, Foals, Alabama Shakes, BT, Crystal Castles, Pretty Lights, OFF!, Against Me!, Gary Clark Jr., Delta Spirit, Childish Gambino, JEFF The Brotherhood, and more
Why: The biggest traveling festival Down Under has the best acts from all around the world – even if it’s Australia-only this year. Read more in our 2012 recap of the last year of Big Day Out : Auckland here
Web: www.bigdayout.com
What: Laneway
Where: Singapore; Auckland, NZ; Brisbane, QLD; Sydney, NSW; Melbourne, VIC; Adelaide, SA; Perth, WA
When: January 26 – February 9
Who: Bat For Lashes, Yeasayer, alt-J, Divine Fits, Japandroids, Kings of Convenience, Of Monsters and Men, Real Estate, The Men, Cloud Nothings, El-P, Perfume Genius, Poliça, MS MR, Nite Jewel, Pond, and more
Why: Stretching from New Zealand to Singapore (!). Laneway Festival cements itself as a great traveling festival. Read more in our recap of 2012 Laneway : Melbourne here
Web: www.lanewayfestival.com.au
What: Soundwave
Where: Brisbane, QLD; Sydney, NSW; Melbourne, VIC; Adelaide, SA; Perth, WA
When: February 23 – March 4
Who: Metallica, Linkin Park, Blink-182, A Perfect Circle, The Offspring, Paramore, Slayer, Garbage, Cypress Hill, Bullet For My Valentine, Tomahawk, Stone Sour, Kyuss Lives!, Anthrax, Sum-41, All Time Low, Flogging Molly, Duff McKagan, Motion City Soundtrack, The Vandals, Sick Of It All, Cancer Bats, Gallows, Fucked Up, The Sword, Miss May I, Lucero, Cerebral Ballzy, The Dear Hunter, Red Fang, and more
Why: Soundwave brings the hard rock down under.
Web: www.soundwavefestival.com
What: Future
Where: Brisbane, QLD; Perth, WA; Sydney, NSW; Melbourne, VIC; Adelaide, SA; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
When: March 2-15
Who: The Prodigy, The Stone Roses, Psy, Dizzee Rascal, Bloc Party, Azealia Banks, Boys Noize, The Temper Trap, fun., Madeon, Ellie Goudling, Steve Aoki, A-Trak, Zeds Dead, and more
Why: A killer dance line-up hits not only Australia but also Malaysia – Gangam Style! See more in our photo gallery from Future Music : Perth here
Web: www.futuremusicfestival.com.au
What: Groovin’ the Moo
Where: Maitland, NSW; Canberra, ACT; Bendingo, VIC; Townsville, QLD; Bunbury, WA
When: April 27 – May 11
Who: They Might Be Giants, Tegan & Sara, The Kooks, Matt & Kim, The Temper Trap, Tame Impala, Midnight Juggernauts, Frightened Rabbit, YACHT, The Bronx, DZ Deathrays, and more
Why: Before the Antipodes go into winter, be sure to Groove the Moo. See more in our photo gallery from Groovin’ the Moo : Bunbury here
Web: www.gtm.net.au
