Young at heart ... veteran rocker Neil Young is headlining the Big Day Out / AP
The first line-up announcement for the country`s biggest annual music festival was released today, adding Australian chart-toppers Sneaky Sound System and Cut Copy to the ranks.
Organisers confirmed earlier this month that 62-year-old Canadian music legend Young would lead the pack, which also includes indie rockers My Morning Jacket, New York group TV On The Radio, UK duo The Ting Tings and new metal band Bullet For My Valentine.
Other local acts including Cog, Birds of Tokyo, TZU, Youth Group and Pendulum have also been added to the bill.
The festival will travel to Auckland, the Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth from January 16 to February 1.
Tickets cost $135 for most locations, but Big Day Out organisers are putting a positive spin on the current economic crisis.
"With the global economy on the brink of collapse, what better time to ask people to hand over their hard earned money to escape the world for a day," organisers said.
"And who better to prove to you that investing in music is safer and returns much more than banks any day - the man who has seen it all, Neil Young."
Tickets for the Sydney show go on sale on October 8, followed by the Gold Coast on October 9, and all remaining shows on October 10.
More acts will be announced in November.
SPORTS presenter Matthew White will fill the hole left by the resignation of experienced anchor Anna Coren at Today Tonight
AN episode of the animated comedy Family Guy in which the Grim Reaper has sex with a dead girl has landed Foxtel in hot water with the broadcasting watchdog
