From the hottest electronic and dance acts around, to the most talked about rock bands on the planet, the BIG DAY OUT has raised the bar to dish up a festival lineup that's both fresh and flavoursome.

Image: Mareko and his South Auckland based crew Deceptiokonz at BDO 2004.

From the hottest electronic and dance acts around, to the most talked about rock bands on the planet, the BIG DAY OUT has raised the bar to dish up a festival lineup that's both fresh and flavoursome.

Image: Mareko and his South Auckland based crew Deceptiokonz at BDO 2004.

One of the most successful rock trios to come out of Old Blighty, MUSE are next on the list to join the BIG DAY OUT. Their latest and greatest album Absolution sees MUSE at the top of their game scaling the heights grandiose art rock with beguiling and infectious bravado. With scorching guitars, their live show is a spectacle of torrid psycho-punk and unmatched vocal theatrics. MUSE return to assure us that boundary pushing prog-rock is alive and well, and kicking!

In their first visit to NZ, we announce the inclusion of the hotter than hot the KINGS OF LEON.   Consisting of three brothers and a cousin their forte is rootsy southern tinged rock. With their foundations entrenched in the seventies THE KINGS OF LEON crank out classic rock 'n' roll with a twist, with such earnestness and ebullience, that it's hard not to sing along with these gritty Southern boys from Nashville, Tennessee.

BIG DAY OUT is proud to welcome the smash hit band of the recent UK and European festival circuit. THE DARKNESS performances were so good that music scribes renamed the entire season the ¡ ¥summer of Darkness' and their album stayed at the No #1 position on the UK charts for a month. Now THE DARKNESS hit Auckland's BIG DAY OUT stage to remind us that rock 'n' roll is about more than angst ridden lyrics and cardigan-wearing frontmen. THE DARKNESS' flamboyant style breaks all the rules of modern rock and reinstates the lighthearted self -aggrandising and over-indulgent glamour of the seventies and early eighties. THE DARKNESS are here to put the sparkle back into rock, with killer hook-laden riffs and triumphant pop-metal.   Guaranteed to cause mayhem, they should not be missed.

The king of frothy 80s electro decadence and underground grooves FELIX DA HOUSECAT shimmies on the BDO bill with his quirky, electro sounds. The release of his lauded album of 2001, Kittenz and Thee Glitz was a defining moment for the Electro genre as does his latest album, A Bugged Out Mix, a DJ mix CD features cuts from Ladytron, Ledowelt and Frankie Knuckles. FELIX DA HOUSECAT continues to dazzle and amaze everyone who comes into contact with his music.

AUDIO BULLYS are two kids hooked on buying and making records. Their eponymous debut is the album to set this summer on fire with its fresh sounds. Taking in everything from ska to UK garage, this is house music with the easy laddish charm of Squeeze or Madness, sub-bass beats that ask you to do more than just raise your hands. With the raucous energy and streetwise swagger of a young band blended with the dynamism of The Who, and the wry social comment of The Kinks, AUDIO BULLYS still manage to wrap their music up in the ribcage-bending thump of UK club culture.

Irish DJ DAVID HOLMES is making his way down under to give Boiler Room fans its first taste of Holmes at the helm. He is an extraordinary and diverse performer - a club favourite the world over. Always an innovator and creator, he has many strings to his impressive bow and within the modern scene he is one of the few DJs who can be taken seriously as an artist. Free your mind and your arse will follow! Anyone with even a passing interest in a DJ with chameleon like magic should definitely check him out - he won't disappoint.

Press say they sound like "a tsunami as it swallows coastal villages", and their front-man performs like an out-of-control twister.   Having just completed an Australian tour with The White Stripes and an NZ tour with Whirlwind Heat, THE MINT CHICKS are now set for their debut release 'Octagon Octagon Octagon'. It's an EP, it's 6 tracks and it's out in November.   They're a band, they're great and they're playing.   What else do you need to know?

Nu-metal innovators from Wales (UK), THE LOST PROPHETS will make their way to NZ shores for the first time for BDO 04. The band has played sell out shows around the U.K. and were the prestigious winners of the Best Metal Act for 2002 at the NME Awards. THE LOST PROPHETS sound fuses together each of the band member's influences, from metal to post-hardcore to hip-hop, from Perry Como to breakbeat to emo. And their live performance will blow you away.   Featuring a broad palette of sounds combining a full-barrelled surging guitar assault with turntables and keyboards, THE LOST PROPHETS are guaranteed to belt out one hell of an intense show.

As one of the most influential rap artists in New Zealand history, MAREKO with his South Auckland based crew DECEPTIKONZ , has contributed to the shaping of an entire generation of New Zealand hip hop music.   MAREKO is accepted as the major innovator of the Battle MC scene as it is known in New Zealand today, winning his first battle in 2000.   Advancing on to win that same competition a further 4 times, winning the battle for supremacy, MAREKO is the undisputed champion of New Zealand battle hip hop, and he'll be ripping shit up on the hip-hop stage at BDO 04.

Soul-baring quartet THURSDAY make their first journey to NZ to prove themselves as the new ringleaders of emo-core. Wielding a fresh attitude combined with their dynamic, passionate explosions of sound, these guys are way ahead of the rest. THURSDAY have received wide critical acclaim for their latest album War All The Time for its personal, poetic lyrics and a wildly shifting, kitchen sink approach to pensive post-hardcore. With whirlwind-like melodies and driving rhythms, THURSDAY deliver music that is both sonically brilliant and emotionally sincere. Reward your ears at the BIG DAY OUT and witness the mind-blowing energy of THURSDAY .

If you like your music honest, unrelenting and LOUD, POISON THE WELL are not to be missed!   From Florida, USA, POISON THE WELL have introduced a new breed of rock that has attracted many a ripped t-shirt clad sweaty body.   Mixing metal, punk and 80s new wave, POISON THE WELL evade simple definition. Their latest album You Come Before You is both heavy and melodic and their powerhouse live performances have received rave reviews. With layered guitars cranked up to 11, it's cheaper than a visit to the psychiatrist and in the long run, probably more useful.  

Hailed as the Godfather of hip-hop, DJ AFRIKA BAMBAATAA will be steppin' it up at this year's BDO. Starting out as a DJ in the Bronx in the 1970s Afrika's seminal album, Planet Rock (1982) combined classic hip-hop beats with techno pop. Founding the Zulu Nation collective (De La Soul, Queen Latifah, A Tribe Called Quest and the Jungle Brothers) he has collaborated with James Brown, John Lydon, George Clinton, UB40, Bootsy Collins and Boy George. This will be a rare opportunity to witness the depth, creativity and ingenuity of one of hip-hop's true innovators.   DJ AFRIKA BAMBAATAA's performance is a must-see for hip-hop fans.

CONCORD DAWN are by far New Zealand's most respected Drum ¡ ¥n' Bass act, on the back of the release of their third LP Up Rising, and on the dawn of their third world tour in 12 months, the stomping duo return to the Auckland Big Day Out to get your feet moving. Pinned as the pioneers of dark and dirty electric drum n bass in NZ, their single Morning Light has become a club favorite throughout NZ and as far abroad as Rome, Bristol and Miami.

ELEMENO P make pop music that bangs, power pop with big choruses that are like invitations to a party next to a pool with lots of girlies, where the summer is endless and school or work is but a distant memory. Choice - exactly what we'll be after in January.   Their debut album LOVE AND DISRESPECT works the pop paradigm of guitar power chords, bass throb, drumbeats and melodic vocals to perfection.

SOMETHING FOR KATE join the BIG DAY OUT on the back of their The Official Fiction album - which debuted at number 1 on the Australian album chart and has confirmed their status as Australia's favourite rock trio. With the combination of Paul Dempsey's confessional lyrics, subtle melodies and jagged sounds SOMETHING FOR KATE will be a guaranteed crowd pleaser at the 2004 BDO.

And to the boiler room we welcome BDO newbie and NZ's highest profile female DJ, PHILIPPA .   After finding big inspiration on the deep house dancefloors of Wellington 7 years ago, PHILIPPA stepped to the other side of the mixer and has been playing ever since.   What can you expect to hear PHILIPPA spin? Deep, driving and vibing House music, music with soul, a bit of a bump and a helping of oddball flavaÿ

TREY brings her unique funky rhythms and groove-a-licious, melodic rapping to the Auckland BDO. One of Australia's finest hip-hop artists, TREY has been rhyming since 1995 and has taken her dynamic live show combining a soulful flow of lyrics and freestyle improvisation across Australia and around the world, and now she's bringing it down to Aotearoa.  

Screaming fans.   A near riot at a MTV gig.   Personal bodyguardsÿ It's all in a day's work for double platinum rock stars BLINDSPOTT . Intending to make a savage dent on the NZ music landscape, BLINDSPOTT released their self-titled debut album in 2002.   NZ wasn't quite sure what had hit them, but they loved it.   BLINDSPOTT have spent the last year or so tearing up charts, radio playlists and venues throughout NZ, plus ventured overseas to tour through Asia where the aforementioned fans and near-riots occurred.   See them perform another massive mainstage set this coming January.

So - we now have: Muse, The Kings Of Leon, The Darkness, Felix Da Housecat, Audio Bullys, David Holmes, The Lost Prophets, Poison The Well, Afrika Bambaataa, Thursday, Trey, Something For Kate, Elemeno P, Blindspott, Concord Dawn, DJ Philippa, The Mint Chicks, and Mareko featuring Deceptikonz who join:

Metallica, The Strokes, Scribe, The Flaming Lips, The Mars Volta, The Dandy Warhols, Aphex Twin, Basement Jaxx, Salmonella Dub, Gerling, King Kapisi, Black Eyed Peas, Peaches, goodshirt, Luke Vibert, The D4, and The Datsuns.
BIG DAY OUT 2004
Friday January 16th
Auckland Ericsson Stadium