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Vale Ken West

The father of Australia’s alternative music festivals died in his sleep on Thursday aged 64.
8 Apr 2022 10:44
Richard Watts

Music

The late Ken West in 2006 at the Perth leg of the Big Day Out. Image: Sophie Howarth Photography.

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Music promoter Ken West, the founder of Australia’s iconic music festival Big Day Out, has died aged 64.

Launched in 1992 as a Sydney-only event featuring Nirvana and Violent Femmes, the Big Day Out (BDO) quickly evolved into a musical juggernaut touring to multiple Australian cities every January, eventually extending its reach to New Zealand before folding in 2014.

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Richard Watts

Richard Watts OAM is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in 2020. In 2021 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association. Most recently, Richard received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts

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