Big Day Out 2013 Artists Announce NZ Shows

EMBARGOED UNTIL 6AM THURSDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER 2012

BDO 2013 ARTISTS
BAND OF HORSES, ALABAMA SHAKES, CRYSTAL CASTLES,
ANIMAL COLLECTIVE AND PRETTY LIGHTS
ANNOUNCE NEW ZEALAND SHOWS

If the release of the 2013 Big Day Out line-up in Australia brought on serious BDO pangs, there is good news today as NZ promoters have cherry-picked the bill to unveil five shows sure to thrill a cross-section of music punters.

Crystal Castles, Band of Horses, Alabama Shakes, Animal Collective and Pretty Lights all join the Red Hot Chili Peppers in confirming they will be including a New Zealand stopover on their BDO trip downunder in January.

It is a line-up of shows that will cause a few anxious choices to be made because it includes some of the hottest live musical choices on offer this summer – playing just down the road from each other.

If it was the thrill and action of the BDO moshpit you were missing, CRYSTAL CASTLES are undoubtedly a highlight of this announcement. The Toronto duo only just made it here for the 2011 Big Day Out but Alice Glass’s broken foot severely curtailed the antics of a band with a reputation for a ferocious live show.

Selling out Auckland’s Studio on Tuesday 15 January should not be a challenge. Crystal Castles have been recording in Warsaw, Poland, and are riding a huge buzz of anticipation with current single Plague and impending (self-titled again) third album.

BAND OF HORSES release their fourth album Mirage Rock this week and are another act with a large reputation here. Their beautifully bruised take on classic American rock, characterized on two previous visits by incredible musicianship and Ben Bridwell’s keening, Neil Young-like vocals, has earned Band of Horses a legion of loyal NZ fans.

They play their first ever show in Wellington at the capital’s Town Hall on Tuesday 15 January before bringing the action up to the Auckland Town Hall on Wednesday 16 January.

Meanwhile Auckland’s Powerstation will be bouncing on Tuesday 15 January to the sensational sound of ALABAMA SHAKES, a band that has kicked soul music back into the future with an electrifying live reputation.

The Athens, Alabama quartet are fronted by Brittany Howard, barely 22 years old and already anointed the Next Big Thing for her throaty blues howl that according to critics is “no exaggeration, smack between Janis Joplin's and Jack White's…" Their debut album Boys & Girls has been called one of the albums of 2012 by critics everywhere. From the heart-rending title song to such stomps as ‘Rise to the Sun’, the album demonstrates the sense of groove and space the band learned from their idols, along with a blistering force and emotion that simply can’t be learned. Auckland gets its first chance to taste that feeling in January 2012. Don’t make the mistake of missing out.

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE return to New Zealand for the first time in three years to play the Powerstation on Monday 14 January. The group played the same venue in stripped down live format in 2009 and this chance to see the full four piece Animal Collective line-up showcase the just-released Centipede Hz album is not to be missed.

Animal Collective have a matchless reputation as one of the most enigmatic and progressive bands in modern music. The American group has honed an astonishingly broad and inviting sonic palette, which encompasses everything from tribal drums to field recordings, always remaining uniquely compelling due the richly textured melodic instincts of the band. Their albums have earned endless plaudits including high placings in albums-of-the-decade lists from the likes of Pitchfork Media and Uncut magazine

PRETTY LIGHTS bring the dancefloor direct from the Big Day Out’s Boiler Room, stopping off on the way out of Aussie for shows at Wellington’s San Francisco Bath House on Thursday 31 January and The Studio in Auckland on Friday 1 February.

The musical vision of the ultra-versatile Colorado based producer Derek Vincent Smith, Pretty Lights is moving the dub step massive deeper with cutting electro and organic sounds and serious party rocking beats. Described by Clash Magazine (UK) as a sound "full of chopped-up samples (both vintage and fresh) and deliciously big synth riffs layered over a solid-as-you-like hip hop backbone”, Pretty Lights has caught the zeitgeist, giving away more than 2.6 million free album downloads to date.

And as a special treat, if you buy a ticket to any of the shows during the pre-sale period (14 – 20 September) you will go into the draw to win tickets to all the other shows AND flights and tickets to the Sydney Big Day Out. Thanks to grabaseat.

CRS and BDO present

Crystal Castles
Tuesday 15th January Auckland – The Studio
Tickets from www.ticketmaster.co.nz and www.nztix.co.nz

Band of Horses
Tuesday 15th January Wellington Town Hall
Tickets from www.ticketek.co.nz

Wednesday 16th January Auckland Town Hall
Tickets from www.buytickets.com and
www.ticketmaster.co.nz

Alabama Shakes
Tuesday 15th January Auckland - Powerstation
Tickets from www.ticketmaster.co.nz

Pretty Lights

Thursday 31st January Wellington – San Francisco Bathhouse

Tickets from www.ticketmaster.co.nz and www.nztix.co.nz

Friday 1st February Auckland – The Studio

Tickets from www.ticketmaster.co.nz and www.nztix.co.nz

Muchmore Music Presents

Animal Collective *
Monday 14th January Auckland – The Powerstation
Tickets from www.ticketmaster.co.nz

Pre-sale tickets from Friday 14th September to Thursday 20th September
Buy your ticket during the pre-sale period and go into the draw to win tickets to all the other shows AND flights and tickets to the Sydney Big Day Out. Thanks to grabaseat. Terms and conditions at ticketing websites.

General Tickets on sale Friday 21st September
* Animal Collective tickets on general sale Thursday 13th September but all tickets bought before 20 September are still valid for entry to the prize draw.

ENDS

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