Bug Diy Oet

The latest Big Day Out lineup announcement seems to have some of our compatriots in a tizz. First of all, it was announced between 11pm and 1am NZ time, to suit the Australian market where most of the event's money is made. This led one unfortunate youngster to blame the organizers for her imminent failure of NCEA because she had to 'put aside her studies' in order to repeatedly hit F5 on Twitter. We humbly submit that waiting for BDO band announcements might not be this student's main problem.

But really, who even gives two craps about the Big Day Out any more? Recent line-ups, and 2012 is no exception, have certainly been nothing worth waiting up for. Kanye is fronting, and assuming he a) shows up, b) is sober, and c) doesn't play too many tunes about his penis, that might be a good show.

And the second headliner is...what the shit...Soundgarden? Aren't they a 90s band? Aren't they and their songs well past the use-by date? YES and YES! It turns out Cornell and Co have recently realized their original fans now have more disposable income and so have reformed to cash in on the 'tired band festivals' circuit. No new material, "just the good old stuff". Perfect for everybody!

Things get worse from there: British dance-rock bores Kasabian, some highly mediocre local singer-songwriter/rap-guy/rock-chick filler. US math-rockers Battles are interesting but will do your head in. The Living End are probably the most boring three-piece on the planet, with a couple of forgettable radio-hits in the late 90s. And the list is rounded out with My Chemical Romance, who apparently still operate (and have hopefully stopped massacring good Bob Dylan songs).

Here at UUJM we've never been big fans of the BDO. It always seemed sum-uppable by: "go to Auckland, fight public transport, get heatstroke, not really hear what you want, leave early". And with this year's line-up, it hardly seems worth the $165+fees.