Festivals are good for bands. They thrash about on a stage for an hour then slink on back into gratifying interviews and V.I.P-lounge chilled beverages.

Meanwhile the rest of us have severe heatstroke and are probably wondering, a) What our name is, b) What native indian tribe the gentleman in front of you hails from, and c) Why we ate pizza for a week before getting the bikini out.

But not the bands. They have it all. The ego boost as a swarming mass of emotionally elated, physically deflated, young pretty things chant their name in perfect (albeit drunken) unison and LOVE them with happy hearts. There’s none of this sweaty, irritated, can’t turn my head 3 centimetres without accidentally making-out with someone business backstage.

It’s not really fair.

Okay, so maybe this festival thang isn’t such a breeze. It ain’t easy being awesome, and last night’s Big Day Out 2014 line-up looks like someone themed the party ‘awesome’ and enforced said theme with some kind of crazy awesome detector.

Not that you needed any encouragement, we’ve collated 5 reminders of WHY we brave the flesh and salty bodily fluids of strangers each year in festival season and why these musos goddamn deserve that post-set, ice-cold beer in calm, private solitude. Without further adieu, here’s 5 killer sets from 5 of Big Day Out 2014’s mind-imploding-exploding-ceasing-completely line-up.

Blur. I think we’re all feeling pretty heavy metal.

Arcade Fire. No-one can guarantee any giant, glowing balls of joy, but here’s hoping.

Tame Impala improv ‘Elephant’.

FBi fave Flume turning country NSW into Hyperparadise.

Major Lazer. It’s all about the costumes. The hairy, hairy costumes.

FULL LINE UP

Pearl Jam
Arcade Fire
Blur
Snoop Dogg
Major Lazer
Steve Angello
Flume
The Lumineers
Tame Impala
Dillon Francis
Mac Miller
Ghost
Grouplove
Flosstradamus
Portugal. The Man
Toro Y Moi
DIIV
The Naked And Famous
Big Gigantic
PEZ
Mudhoney
Cosmic Psychos
Northlane
The 1975
Loon Lake
Kingswood
Bo Ningen
The Algorithm
DZ Deathrays
Peking Duk
Ben Morris
Rüfüs

WHAT :: Big Day Out 2014
WHEN :: January 26 – 27, 2014
WHERE :: Sydney Showgrounds
HOW MUCH :: $185 – gen admission on sale August 8 here

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