In a city crowded with music festivals, what does the future hold for the granddaddy of them all – the Big Day Out?IN 1992, a music festival featuring the Violent Femmes and the latest big thing, Nirvana, played in a dingy old hall in Moore Park, Sydney. About 70 performers and crew made the event possible, playing for a few thousand punters.
It was called the Big Day Out, and it unwittingly became the number one music festival in Australia. The next year, festivals in Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide were added, with the Gold Coast and Auckland getting in on the act in 1994.
This year, the event celebrates its 20th anniversary. When the BDO started, all-day music festivals were a rarity, but now there’s nearly more festivals than there are days of decent weather in Melbourne. But for all the competition, the BDO remains popular, attracting 52,000 music-lovers to last year’s sell-out Melbourne show alone.
Co-founder and promoter Ken West looks every bit the rock n’ roll stalwart. His black leather jacket and open face are equally worn. Sitting in a small office at the show’s Flemington Racecourse venue, he seems eager for the significant anniversary to pass without fuss.
‘‘Anniversaries are always a disappointment, it never quite works. That’s why the 100th show was more fun, because it came out of nowhere,’’ he says, swivelling in his chair. ‘‘There will be a great celebration in that we’ve survived 20 years, and that can’t be trifled with. Because it is very, very hard for anything to exist that long in modern society. And when you get to this point, sometimes it can get taken for granted.’’
West and his former business partner Vivian Lees founded the BDO all those years ago, having spent 10 years promoting music concerts and events. Lees left the BDO in November, citing his desire to spend more time with his family, although West hints at tensions between the two.
Nabbing Nirvana at the peak of their career not only guaranteed the first BDO would be a sell-out, it also cemented its global reputation.
Over the years bands and performers such as Muse, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sonic Youth, Björk, The Smashing Pumpkins, Fatboy Slim, Rage Against the Machine, The Prodigy, Foo Fighters, Metallica, Tool, Neil Young and The Strokes have all graced its stages. It’s also provided a springboard for emerging and established Australian acts, including Silverchair, You Am I, Wolfmother, Powderfinger and John Butler Trio.
The BDO has traditionally provided a stage for rock and alternative acts, but this year it spread its wings, nabbing controversial hip-hop artist Kanye West as the headline act. 1990s grunge titans Soundgarden and popular emo band My Chemical Romance round out the top billing, with local bands The Living End, Boy & Bear, Hilltop Hoods and Art Vs Science also performing.
Tony Mott has had the enviable job of being the official BDO photographer for all 19 festivals thus far. A British native, Mott will be back again this year, and says he has no plans to step away from the gig.
‘‘I’d been to Glastonbury in England and I was completely baffled at why a country with such crap weather could have festivals, and a country with great weather didn’t. So when it started I thought it was very natural,’’ he says. What Mott didn’t expect was the quick and sustained growth of the event. ‘‘I didn’t think it would be so successful so quickly. That was a surprise.’’
When asked what his favourite moment has been, West says it’s almost impossible to name just one, although he does give the Red Hot Chili Peppers top marks for their performance. ‘‘After 20 years there’s too many, there’s so many. Muse are just total nutters, they’re up for anything, and they’re the people who inspire you to keep going. Lily Allen was great. But now she has a nice clothing store. That’s a shame. I’d like to get her back again.’’
Mott names Iggy Pop and PJ Harvey as his favourite performers who have taken part. ‘‘There have been so many highlights, it’s hard to actually isolate too many. It’s a smorgasbord.’’
One moment that won’t make his personal top 10 is the time when his photography equipment was stolen in 1996. ‘‘I’d just done a photo session with Kylie [Minogue] and Nick [Cave], and unfortunately I’d decided to celebrate by drinking a glass of wine and when I went back to pick up my cameras, they weren’t there any more. So that was pretty disappointing.’’
After more than 30 years in the industry, West isn’t afraid to admit he’s been successful. But it’s come at a price, he says. Its stellar line-up aside, the BDO has had its fair share of controversy. In 1997, West and Lees cancelled the event, citing exhaustion. In 2001, 15-year-old Jessica Michalik was fatally crushed in a Sydney mosh pit while US band Limp Bizkit performed. Her death still upsets West. ‘‘I know the audience has moved on, but I’m a bit scared by it,’’ he says. ‘‘You go through a lot of ‘God, is that my fault or not?’, and you can’t actually solve the problem. There’s just nothing you could do.’’
As he approaches another intense two weeks of shows, travel and more interviews, West says the real highlight of the event is the flight home from Perth. ‘‘That’s when I can go home,’’ he says with a laugh.
When asked if the BDO has another 20 years left, West hesitates. The event that was a prototype for what a successful music festival should be has spawned a long list of competing events. Promoters are now having to bid against each other to get the high-profile acts out, pushing up ticket prices.
‘‘It’s become harder and harder, but the team are just so good and motivated and focused and passionate about the music scene, and they’ve committed a chunk of their lives to this. I think it has a very positive future. So the 20 years is really forming the foundation of a new beginning. And that’s nice.’’
Tickets to the 2012 Big Day Out on January 29 at Flemington Racecourse are $175.80. For more information, visit Big Day Out here.
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