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We are kept waiting for just a few minutes for The Killers - but its enough to work the crowd up into a frenzy of hand claps and chants once again. When the lovely chaps from Las Vegas do take to the stage they are wearing matching smart black and gold blazers - true showmen in all their glory.

Pleasing and yet teasing us with Somebody Told Me, front man Mr Brandon Flowers cruises around the stage with his trademark smooth style. Audience participation they have down to a tee and this is not a set for the faint hearted.  As thousands of people jump around to Mr Brightside and a chorus of Smile Like You Mean It echoes around this arena tonight I get that mesmerising feeling that this is one of those once in a lifetime moments. The Killers know what they are doing for sure and their confidence is almost cocky. Flowers jumps around and after a few songs the blazers are off to reveal smart simplistic black shirts. Suave.

An hour and a half later you would think this Aussie crowd would be all tired out.  Not a chance. The jumping and dancing continues. There’s even a couple down the front spinning around and slow dancing. The Killers give something for everyone and keep nothing for themselves. Every ounce of energy from each member of the band seems to be going into giving us the best possible show, and it works.

The encore is stunning. Brandon Flowers is back on stage in all his glory to woo us once more. There is not one person in the whole arena standing still as the electronic and bass infused ditty rings out into the dark night sky.

When You Were Young is the perfect end to the perfect day. Well done V Festival.  I know I’ll be back next year for sure.

Across the way on the undeservedly named “Other Stage”, Razorlight are beginning their 45 minute slot.  It is an unbelievable clash but these guys just aren’t as big over here as in the UK.  In fact the majority of this small arena is made up of British and Irish expats and backpackers dancing away.  Nevertheless, it’s a fantastic set from the London based band. Bursting straight into In The Morning, Johnny Borrell smoothly rocks around the stage.  He is sporting some rather tight skinny jeans which, in this heat, must be quite uncomfortable - yet the eccentric front man doesn’t seem to bother, declaring on his T-shirt SAVE THE WORLD. The band play further big tracks such as America and Before I Fall to Pieces with Borrell strutting around throughout the entire set like an extra from Grease.  Sexy. They may be playing the “Other Stage” but they are V Fest winners in my heart.

Snow Patrol have a huge personalised Snow Patrol Perth backdrop which lights up creating a moment of madness and screams from the crowd who run forward in the main arena. The Snow Patrol fan base here tonight is a somewhat divided one.  Some rush to the front for jumping and dancing in the more upbeat moments. The rest sit and lye on the grass and watch the big screens from a distance as the British 5 piece make musically atmospheric twists and turns through a rollercoaster set of old and new tracks.

Experiencing both the relaxed and the euphoric ways, I can officially declare that Snow Patrol have got it all.  Projecting the video for Open Your Eyes onto a huge screen on stage and pumping the volume, Snow Patrol give their all to impress.

Starting the intro and first half of Run with a simplistic low volume sends the arena into a quiet and mellow scene as everyone tones down to hear lead vocalist Gary Lightbody who is almost down to a whisper.  Mid-song the stage bursts into life - as does the volume - for a shout-along few choruses before Snow Patrol burst straight into their next tune, the fast paced Take Back The City. It’s their latest single and biggest hit to date here in Australia.

Atmospheric, musically and visually beautiful and appreciated by all, the band leave the stage with smiles all round knowing that they have worked their magic tonight.

Within minutes Madness are on the opposite stage and once again there is a mini rush to get to the front. Suggs gets a few laughs with a giant magical pink umbrella shading him from the sunshine and for some reason the band are donning full suits - they really are mad.  They have a whole hour to play with and oh how they play.  Cramming in every hit under the sun and ending on an absolute high with House of Fun - you have never seen as many people skanking and dancing away to everybody’s favourite old school ska-pop outfit, as Madness play their encore to thousands.

The Kaiser Chiefs are up next and they have their name up in lights.  Kicking off with Ruby, the Perth punters rave away.  The sun is setting at the Claremont Showgrounds now as the Kaiser Chiefs spit out all their favourite tracks - a highlight being I Predict A Riot which sends the Aussie’s crazy - it is definitely the song that made them famous here.  A sea of hand claps covers the arena floor and the party is well and truly under way.  Lead vocalist Ricky Wilson lets the crowd take over every now and then making for a hugely atmospheric, shout-along vibe.  These guys are worshiped here and go down a treat!

Perth, Australia.  It is 29 degrees, blue skies all round and I am sat at a bar about to witness one of the best festivals to visit the Claremont Showgrounds this year.

The first act I get to see is Duffy. The Welsh, fair skinned popstrel is looking a bit pink and flustered in the western Australia heat but still manages to belt out hit after hit. Sporting some very Kylie-esque white hot pants and a bright red summer top she shimmies her way through Mercy and serenades the growing crowd with Warwick Avenue. Two top tunes which seem to leave a good impression on the Aussie’s.  It is a great start to the big artists today.

And so for this ‘giant game of musical tig’ as Elbow’s Guy Garvey describes it, the whole of the crowd rush across to the stage next door to catch the Mercury Music Award winner’s 45 minute set. The band hailing from Bury, Manchester (represent - and how I did cheer for the Mancs) manage to calm the crowd right down and eventually create a chilled out atmosphere of thousands of people sat on the grass or swaying along up front. As the sun starts to go down Elbow display their finest tunes and the crowd seem most happy to hear One Day Like This, a song that seems to have really helped their popularity here.  It really is a fantastic and awe inspiring set. A relaxing afternoon in the sun complimented by a world class band who are clearly giving their all. The band are also appreciative for their chance to tour with the V Festival and end their set by thanking their good friends Snow Patrol - the mention of which gets the crowd roaring with cheers…

Anyone fortunate enough to sweat it up amongst the crowd flailing around to Madness at one of the Australian V Festivals, can confirm that this 10 piece has only improved with age. Their sets at Sydney, Gold Coast, Melbourne and Perth had everything - sing alongs, classics and more love than you could poke a bowler and brolly at. If you weren’t there, then feast on this - live from Sydney V Festival… we present Madness!

Kaiser Chiefs perform Never Miss A Beat at the Sydney V Festival 2009. Give us a shout out if you were there, and if not - well treat yourself to this video clip and spirit yourself there anyway. Along with The Killers, Snow Patrol, Elbow and Razorlight, the Kaisers have just finished their V Festival tour of Australia - taking in Sydney, Gold Coast, Melbourne and Perth. Check back soon for more video clips from V Festival Australia.

Here we have Snow Patrol turning off the lights for Earth Hour at the Sydney V Festival 2009 as they launch in to Run. Give us a shout out if you were there, and if not - well treat yourself to this video clip and spirit yourself there anyway. Snow Patrol, along with The Killers, Kaiser Chiefs, Elbow and Razorlight have just finished their V Festival tour of Australia - taking in Sydney, Gold Coast, Melbourne and Perth. Check back soon for more video clips from V Festival Australia.

Watch this fantastic performance from The Killers as they play Human at this year’s V Festival in Sydney, Australia. Give us a shout out if you were there, and if not - well treat yourself to this video clip and spirit yourself there anyway. Having already played Gold Coast last weekend, The Killers are now set to headline V Festivals in Melbourne and Perth this weekend… Check back soon for more video clips from V Festival Australia.

Elbow are set for a summer of love in 2009, music.virgin.com’s Eleanor Conway will be hot on their heels in true stalker fashion as they prepare for V Festival Sydney sunshine, ahead of their UK dates (including V Festival of course!). On the eve of the hotly commended Wembley Arena gig last week, Eleanor Conway gets down and dirty with the boys from Elbow in this exclusive video interview…

This one’s for all you budding Aussie rock stars. V Festival Australia wants you to show us all what you’re made of. All you have to do is pick a song from a V Festival Australia 09 artist, no matter how far back in their catalogue, and offer your own interpretation. Capture your performance on camera, upload it to YouTube and the very best (or the worst) will be posted on the V Festival Australia website and an esteemed panel will pick the funniest or the best.

The one the V Fest guys think is the best will get to be a rock star - for real! First of all Virgin Mobile Australia will make sure you get rock star treatment at the V Festival in your city where you’ll watch bands from dedicated viewing platforms, drink and eat for free and of course be on the guest list! Then afterwards you will take a Virgin Blue flight to Sydney and be on your way to LA - the home of all that rocks, thanks to Virgin Blue’s brand spanking new international airline, V Australia.

So what are you wating for? All eligible Aussies should head straight on over to vfestival.com.au to enter. Rock on…

Razorlight have been added to the V Festival Australia lineup. Johnny Borrell and the boys will now join The Killers, Snow Patrol, Kaiser Chiefs, Elbow and Duffy on the four dates across Australia: Sydney (28 March), Gold Coast (29 March), Melbourne (4 April) and Perth (5 April).

Razorlight are heading to their first ever shows in Australia next week where their Sydney and Melbourne gigs quickly sold out. But as a treat for Virgin Mobile customers in Oz who didn’t manage to get their hands on the sought after tickets, Virgin Mobile has grabbed the last 40 tickets to each show and is giving them away free!

To get your hands on a double pass, all you have to do is line up @ Virgin Mobile Pitt Street in Sydney tomorrow (Wednesday January 28), or Swanston Street in Melbourne on Thursday (January 29) before 1pm. It’s first in best dressed so get there early…

Razorlight play the Metro in Sydney on Thursday January 29, and The Hi Fi Bar in Melbourne on Saturday January 31.

The last 40 tickets will be given away from 1pm:

SYDNEY - Virgin Mobile Store at Westfield Centrepoint, Pitt St Mall, City on Wednesday Jan 28 (from 1pm).

MELBOURNE - Virgin Mobile Store, 133 Swanston St, City on Thursday Jan 29 (from 1pm).

For all you eager Aussie beavers quivering with anticipation over the forthcoming Australia V Festivals - here’s a flashback to this year’s awesome V Festivals in Sydney, Gold Coast, Melbourne and Perth. Watch Queens Of The Stone Age rule the stage with Make It Wit Chu.

If you missed it before, here’s the interview with QOTSA backstage at the Melbourne V Festival: watch the QOTSA interview

The Killers, Kaiser Chiefs, Snow Patrol, Elbow, Duffy, Louis XIV, Tame Impala, The Do, The Temper Trap and The Canyons are already on the V Festival lineup for 2009 and tickets are on sale now. Check out vfestival.com.au for more details…

The Kaiser Chiefs, fresh from the success of their new album Off With Their Heads, are now looking forward to heading over to Australia in March with The Killers, Snow Patrol, Elbow and Duffy for their four dates on the V Festival tour - Sydney, Gold Coast, Melbourne and Perth.

Here’s a ‘making of Never Miss A Beat’ video for you to enjoy in the meantime (worth it to see Ricky’s ‘walk the dog’ yo-yo skills in action, his surreal diva ‘I don’t want to be an anchorman’ moment and his umbrella-in-strong-wind dexterity). And be sure to look out for the second single off the album - Good Days, Bad Days - it’s brilliant… Can’t wait to see them at V Festival Australia…

get your mitts on V Festival Australia tickets now

Yes you heard right, prolific songwriter Ryan Adams is bringing his Cardinals back to Australian shores in January. Last here in 2007, their live show was certainly a talking point, and with their new critically acclaimed album Cardinology in the bag, this trip is sure to get tongues wagging all over again.

Let it be known that The Cardinals are much more than just a backing band for one of this decade’s most phenominal artists. The musicianship within this group is quite frankly mind blowing and must be seen to be believed.

Tickets for the following shows are on sale 9am Friday 28 November… but get in quick, they will not last!

Sunday 25th January - Metropolis, Perth

Tuesday 27th January - The Tivoli, Brisbane

Thursday 29th January - Enmore Theatre, Sydney

Friday 30th January - Forum Theatre, Melbourne

Ticketek are selling for all Australian shows http://premier.ticketek.com.au/

Tame Impala are one of the awesome acts already confirmed on the V Festival Australia lineup for March & April ‘09. Check out the video for Half Full Glass Of Wine - one of the corking tracks on their brilliant debut EP which will be available to download here in the UK on 1 December. You can preorder the EP from their official website: tameimpala.com

Currently touring Australia, the lads from Perth are set to release their debut album in the UK in Spring ‘09 and are promising a bunch of live dates - so keep your surfing eyes peeled for more info as we get it.

Tame Impala join The Killers, Snow Patrol, Kaiser Chiefs, Duffy, Elbow, Louis XIV, The Do, The Temper Trap and Canyons on the V Festival Australia bill - with more acts to be announced soon. Tickets are now on sale at Tickemaster - so what are you waiting for!?

V Festival Australia is on for 2009 and The Killers, Snow Patrol and the Kaiser Chiefs will be headlining. Virgin Mobile’s third V Festival whirlwind is to hit Sydney on 28 March, Gold Coast on 29 March, Melbourne on 4 April and Perth on 5 April next year. Elbow, Duffy, Louis XIV, The Do, Tame Impala, The Temper Trap and Canyons beef up the already awesome lineup with more acts to be announced soon. Tickets will be on sale Friday 28 November but if you’re a lucky lucky Virgin Mobile Australia customer then you can get your hands on pre-sale tickets from this Wednesday 19 November. Check out vfestival.com.au for more details…

Twelve years playing together has given Perth band Gyroscope a lot of time to grow as musicians. Guitarist Rob reflects on how they have developed.

“We’ve grown as songwriters and arrangers and as players, you know.”

Things aren’t always perfect, but Rob explains that this is all part of the process.

“If you’re serious about what you do you pick up little mistakes. It might not be noticeable, it might just be you but you pick them up and iron them out and promise yourself you won’t do them next time.”

“You learn, that’s the best thing. All your mistakes you learn from.”

And one thing they have learned is that touring is an integral part of being in a successful band.

“Coming this far, eleven or twelve years with the band we know that’s how it works.”

“Without that touring formula there’s nothing. We started as a touring band and we’ll end as a touring band. The studio and all the other stuff is kinda the fun stuff in between.”

Getting older has made it more difficult to head out on the road for long periods, but Rob maintains that it’s still a necessary part of the job.

“It gets harder with age ‘cause you get older and get more attached to home, your family and friends, but fundamentally it’s the same thing as when you started touring that first time, when you were bright eyed and bushy tailed. You really wanted to get out there and you know that you have to do it because it’s promoting the songs you’re writing.”

The band cut their teeth negotiating the vibrant music scene in Perth. The “sort of mentality where it’s very eager and keen and competitive but healthy at the same time” and an environment that pushed the band to work harder.

“There’s a whole bunch of quality bands that are gigging week in and week out over here. You don’t have an industry type that’s breathing down your neck. We tend to just go hard until we’re ready to show the rest of the country or the rest of our peers what we’re about.”

“There’s not a lot of venues. Everyone’s competing for that dream to get over east. The eastern state bands might take that a bit for granted because that’s something they can do easily. That’s essentially what it is. We know we’ve got it hard so we go harder.”

For the next couple of months Rob says Gyroscope will be busy working on new material and keeping the touring to a minimum.

“Just a few festivals here and there on the weekends but apart from that we’re doing some writing.”

“We’ve got about ten demos at the moment. That’s where we’re sitting at the moment and that’s where we’ll be for the next few months until we get in there next year and record the album.”

Any new album brings with it new ideas, but Rob is unsure how it will all sound when they’re done.

“I don’t know yet man. It’s hard to say. It’s all sounding good though, very happy with it all.”

For more info, check out http://www.myspace.com/gyroscope

Words: Dan Clarke, Interview: Mikey Carr. Musicfeeds - Spanish for awesome!

This video clip here from Perth signals the end of my whirlwind tour of Australia V Festivals. First came Sydney, then Gold Coast, followed by Melbourne and we wound up in Perth - and Perth rocked, as you can see. There literally were fireworks. Duran Duran put on an amazing show and had everyone singing along (and yes the girls got their la-las out for Girls On Film), the crowd went nuts for CSS and The Presets while the Smashing Pumpkins and Queens Of The Stone Age took Australia by the scruff of its neck and shook it for all it’s worth. But just think - next year this could be you. Not only will we send you to Sydney V Festival, we’ll also send you to Toronto V Festival in Canada, Baltimore in the US and Chelmsford in the UK. And it’s you that’ll be filling these pages on music.virgin.com with all your adventures home and away. Not only do we want to hear all about the Virgin Festivals around the world - we want to hear about the music scene in your neck of the woods all year round. So this is your chance to be the music journalist you always wanted to be. How? Just enter the Global VPass competition and the world of V is yours for the taking…

Looking forward to the UK VFestival in a few weeks? Chelmsford and Stafford here we come! In the meantime - get a feel for how they do VFestival on the other side of the world. Check out this little film here which goes some way to capturing whatever it is that’s in the Perth water that makes the VFestival rock so much in Western Australia. Those guys know how to throw a party (but maybe it’s me - three cans of Bourbon & coke and I’m anyones). And if you fancy a bit of VFestival Australia style next year then all you have to do is enter the Global VPass competition to win an amazing worldwide rock’n'roll tour of VFestivals in Australia, Canada, US and UK. Then it could be you blogging your VFest adventures across the world VIP style for this very site… enter the Global VPass competition now

Another surreal and humiliating experience for me as I infiltrate the puntership at VFestival Perth on the mission for that perfect voxpop. Hey, I know - let’s get get those kooky Japanese girls to big up VFest in a kooky Japanese type way… oh - they don’t actually speak any English and don’t actually know where they are. Who is that weird guy pretending to translate for them? Has he kidnapped them? Strewth - call the police… somebody help.