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.

The Australian Music Prize (The Amp) has today announced its shortlist of nine albums its judges consider to be the best of 2011. Akin to the Polaris Prize in Canada or the UK's Mercury Prize, the nine albums are in the running for a $30,000 cash prize thanks to PPCA and they are:

ABBE MAY - Design Desire
ADALITA - Adalita
BOY & BEAR - Moonfire
GOTYE - Making Mirrors
GURRUMUL - Rrakala
JACK LADDER & THE DREAMLANDERS - Hurtsville
THE JEZABELS - Prisoner
KIMBRA - Vows
THE MIDDLE EAST - I Want That You Are Always Happy

Rebecca Houlden takes us to the Big Day Out in Melbourne and captures the amazing performances of Kasabian, Frenzal Rhomb, Mariachi El Bronx, Cage The Elephant, The Living End (pictured) and many more...

Despite the crappy weather of yesterday’s ‘Shtraya’ Day that affected all those wishing to indulge in some good ol’ Aussie shindigs at the beach or chuck back some coldies at a music festival (at least in Sydney), Triple J’s hottest 100 countdown became the rock of our iconic day. Parties were held in commemoration of its greatness and all Shtrayans worth their salt paused as the the number one track of the year was announced... which was no bloody surprise.

Gwendolyn Lee brings us all the excitement from the SMAC Awards in Sydney... the deserving winners were:

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...

What an amazing year we had in 2011! We're taking a look back now at our 11 favourite tours from the year, featuring the local artists who dominated our live scene...

A chilled out atmosphere greeted the second day of the 2012 Southbound Festival. The day's lineup featured the John Butler Trio, Drapht, The Kooks, The Jezabels, Missy Higgins, CSS, Tim Finn and more. Stuart Sevastos brings us the highlights of the second day.

In spite of lagging ticket sales, the 2012 Big Day Out boasts one of the strongest lineups in years. Sure, you've got a couple of frequent visitors, but from the top to the bottom, artists we've never seen in Australia litter the lineup, alongside the best in local talent. So we've put together 10 tracks we can't wait to hear at Big Day Out - some we'll be hearing for the first time, some old favourites - which was actually terribly difficult to narrow down. This should be one hell of a party.

We're back with the top half of our top 20 countdown albums of 2011 list, and like all those before it, it's an electic pile of music from around the world that our contributors have been loving over the last 12 months. Let's get it started!

Let's dive right into the next batch of favourite tracks of 2011, as voted by AU review contributors!

20.

In 2011, this Melbourne based band became fast favourites of the live scene, with their catchy riffs, energetic stage presence and tracks like this one, which stick with you long after you turn it off...

The Fearless Vampire Killers - Tell Me What You're Trying To Say