Aussie bands to play Lollapalooza
Dougy Mandagi of The Temper Trap performs on stage. Photo: Edwina Pickles
Australian acts The Jezabels, Temper Trap and Tame Impala will be sharing stages with The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Black Keys and British indie darlings Florence + the Machine at the 2012 three-day Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago.
"Every year it's kind of a nail biter putting a lineup together," Jane's Addiction lead singer and Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell said.
"There were moments when I looked at it and I was beside myself. I didn't know what to do."
The Jezabels will perform at Lollapalooza.
But with the final list also including acts such as Black Sabbath, Jack White and Sigur Ros, "that lineup is just going to be so exciting and it's so diverse. I think it works so well," Farrell said.
The festival in Chicago's sprawling Grant Park begins on August 3.
The schedule of more than 120 bands features Lollapalooza's signature mix of mainstream headliners and indie bands. The global factor is strong with acts also from across Europe, Chile and Malaysia. It also reflects American music hubs like Austin, Nashville and Portland, spanning genres from rock to pop, hip-hop and rap to electronic dance.
Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand, The Afghan Whigs, The Shins and former American Idol contestant Haley Reinhart are on the bill, with the full lineup available on Lollapalooza's website.
In recent years headliners have included Lady Gaga, Green Day, Eminem and Coldplay.
Putting together the perfect lineup has a special set of challenges, Farrell said.
"You are trying to balance a lot of things," he said.
"Balance economics, there's budget how much we can afford for talent. You're trying to balance that with who's available."
Farrell said he sees his role as curatorial, "purely as a music selector."
This year he sees a special place for electronic dance music, with Justice and Avicii headlining the main stage.
"To me that's honouring dance music," Farrell said.
This is Lollapalooza's eighth year in Chicago. Last year's festival sold out at 90,000 visitors a day, or 270,000 over the three-day event. Discounted souvenir and early bird three-day passes priced at $US75 and $US200 ($A73 and $A195) have sold out. Regular priced $US230 passes are available.