Now I have never been to a Big Day Out before, so I can’t exactly jump on the criticising bandwagon and complain about how it’s changed. I will say that compared to the other festivals that I have been to, it was a little on the smaller side; with most of the stages packed into a small section of the foreshore.

Attendance at the Adelaide Big Day Out was way down this year, but the enthusiasm level of the crowd was high. A scaled down show, minus the eastern states headliner Kayne West and one main stage gave this festival a more intimate feel. Between the main stage and the Guvera skate stage, Legends of Vert performed on the half pipe skate ramp. Perfect weather for an enjoyable day of music.

There was a great deal of scrutiny in the lead up to the 20th anniversary of the Big Day Out with regards to the festivals relevance. Poor ticket sales and the announcement of the last ever Auckland leg, sans headliner Kanye West, did nothing to help the ailing publicity.

Jumping on the bandwagon, here, in no particular order, are twelve Australian bands we're looking out for in 2012... five bands from overseas we're predicting big things for here in Australia... AND a couple of Australian bands the rest of the world should have their eye on! Madness! Read on...

Today we're also premiering the new section "The State Of Affairs", where we fill you in on what's been happening of late in the local and international music and arts industries. From break ups to make ups, from firings to hirings... you'll read it all here.

In This Issue: All-Ages Events get a load of funding, a new venue opens in Newcastle, Boy & Bear hire new management, BDO partners with Lollapalooza, the CEO of Shock Records steps down, the latest ARIA Chart News, Aussie Fashion to get love at SXSW, new appointments announced at APRA, Underworld working on the Olympics, Keynote speakers announced for FUSE 2012, FILTER Magazine turns ten plus New Signings and Distribution Deals...

So last night held many firsts for me. My first time working the ARIAs (or attending at all for that matter), my first time doing red carpet interviews and my first time meeting Kylie Minogue (assuming asking a question in the press centre is "meeting"). But more on all that later...

More performers added for the 25th Anniversary ARIA awards!

With three weeks to go, it’s time to reveal some of the special performances and guest presenters who will light up the stage at the 2011 ARIA Awards on Sunday, 27 November at Allphones Arena in Sydney.

Triple J is drip feeding the BDO 2012 announcement ... Here we go!

Kanye West, Soundgarden, Kasabian

ROYKSOPP!!!, Girl Talk, Best Boast, Cage The Elephant, The Getaway plan, Foster The People, Frenzal Rhomb, OFWGKTA, The Jezabels, Battles, Mariachi El Bronx, Parkway Drive, Architecture in Helsinki, Boy and Bear, Hilltop Hoods, The Living End, My Chemical Romance

Since we missed last Monday due to our slow return from Splendour in the Grass, we're making up for it this week with a MASSIVE Music Video Monday. Plenty of Australian love alongside artists from around the world. So who's got the coveted music video of the week spot? Well it's none other than Boy & Bear who released their debut album Moonfire on Friday and have blown crowds away at Lollapalooza over the weekend. The track is "Milk & Sticks":

As I write this article, Sydney's Boy and Bear are representing Australia (alongside An Horse at the iconic Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago, USA. But just a few days ago they celebrated the launch of their new album Moonfire with a hometown intimate gig for iTunes Live at the Apple Store on George Street.

The first day of live music at Splendour in the Grass continues with Boy & Bear, DJ Shadow, The Hives, Gotye, Modest Mouse, Mogwai, The Black Seeds, Bluejuice, Kanye West and many more!