David Sefton’s inclusion of Van Dyke Parks in the 2013 Adelaide Festival was always something I’d been looking forward to, yet being at the show itself completely blew any expectations I’d previously had out of the water. The American composer, producer and everything else arts-related, it seems, brought with him a bit of a career retrospective through to the Thebarton Theatre, as well as two very special guests in Silverchair frontman/object of my teenage dreams, Daniel Johns and Grammy holding, NZ pop princess, Kimbra.

In this Issue:Big Day Out have some exciting news, Kimbra sings alongside an Australian favourite (and no, it’s not Gotye), Fun announce sideshows and much more!

This week in the column: Insane activity in the ARIA charts, opportunities with FBi Radio, and little observations from BIGSOUND + more.

Already into the second half of the year and what a month it was!

1. Big Day Out 2013 line-up announcement

In 1990, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds released a song that within 11 years was voted one of the Top 30 Best Australian Songs of the previous 75 years. That song was The Ship Song. Now, Sydney Opera House has married this iconic song with the world’s most famous building to celebrate the artists, architecture and interiors that together make Sydney Opera House intrinsic to Australia’s cultural fabric. The Ship Song can be viewed here www.theshipsongproject.com