BIG DAY OUT SYDNEY - GIVEAWAY.

UPDATE: THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

We at the optional e are really excited for the hectic lineup of the quintessential Aussie music festival Big Day Out in 2014!

We were all pretty stoked to see heavyweights Pearl Jam and Arcade Fire headlining next year's fest, but unfortunately Blur pulled out recently. However, Blur has been replaced by the talented Beady Eye, Deftones and The Hives (all of which the optional e are massive fans of).

Also, we recently launched our very own Facebook page (with the help of our newest writer Anthony!) and to celebrate, we're giving away to one lucky person two Sydney tickets to Big Day Out.

To be in the running to see Pearl Jam, Arcade Fire, The Hives, Flume (2013 ARIA award winner), Tame Impala (2013 ARIA award winner) and many more, all you need to do is head over to our brand-spanking new page, hit the 'like' button and 'like' the giveaway photo. Share it with your friends for extra fun - there are two tickets after all! :-)

This giveaway will be drawn short after the New Year.

In the meantime, get stoked for an Aussie summer full of music festivals!

On a side note, I think Kevin Parker of Tame Impala deserves some sort of medal for wearing this outfit to the ARIAs:

Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

I'm pretty sure Kevin's shoes were virtually non-existent. In fact, these guys look like they've just stepped out of some hippy caravan. You go, guys.

DAY OUT.

I'm sure all of you have had a good perusal of the Big Day out 2014 lineup.
If not, here it is.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

We have heavyweights Pearl Jam, Arcade Fire and Blur who I am so ecstatic knowing that I WILL BE BREATHING THE SAME AIR AS THEM HOLY MOLY.

I'm actually so excited for the new Arcade Fire release - their music has matured and developed so astoundingly that their upcoming record pretty much promises perfection.

I'm pretty happy seeing a few great Aussie acts on here - Tame Impala, Kingswood, Loon Lake and DZ Deathrays - and was very pleased to see that those crazy kids from across the pond, The Naked And Famous, are going to be here too.

The announcement of the lineup was almost right on the heels of the end of Splendour which had equally talented acts. In fact, I don't see why all the festival promoters don't just huddle together and throw a kind of massive music festival which spans all of Spring and Summer. That would actually be the best. AT CHRISTMAS THEY CAN PLAY EPIC CAROLS!

BodyMusic - AlunaGeorge

To other news, the fresh duo of AlunaGeorge released their highly anticipated debut album, 'BodyMusic'. Filled with seductive bass lines and the spectacular vocals, this is not to be missed.

Honestly, I've never been a huge R&B girl. I still love to jam out to Destiny's Child and TLC but nowadays the scene has become a bit bland. But not to worry - AlunaGeorge are out to fix that.

The British pair - Aluna Francis and George Reid - wonderfully marry the rhythmic flexibility of dance music with the old soul of R&B. However, the record is almost assertively its own, flaunting its original pop with cool vibes.

Formed in 2009, this duo has only gone up. They've been featured in the US series of Skins, made a pretty cool vid for 'You Know You Like It' in 2011 and are booked to play the Pitchfork festival in Paris this November. They are one of three contenders for the Brits Critics' Choice Awards and on the longlist for the BBC's Influential Sound of 2013 poll. Whatever they are doing, they must be doing it well.

And so they are. 'You Know You Like It', released in 2011, is a hazy, dreamy piece cleanly grounded by Aluna's spectacular vocals. Ringing with a delicious accent, it contrasts so well with the fuzzy, twisting sounds that George artfully warps. Really, it's impeccable music to dance/listen/try and sing along to.

These two sound so promising, and I cannot wait to see their sound progress further. I can only imagine how spectacular it would be if they took a darker sound... But I guess the beauty of AlunaGeorge is that they do whatever the hell they want. Loving it.

Have a listen to the first song from the record, 'Attracting Flies', here:

Buy their album from any good music store (like Getmusic! Love them.)