Rhythm and Vines and Splore line-ups announced

Grandmaster Flash. Photo / Supplied

Stadium dance rock band Pendulum lead the charge of acts playing this year's Rhythm and Vines festival in Gisborne.

The Australian band, who mash and mangle everything from rock, drum 'n' bass, metal, electro and dubstep to create their sound, will be joined at New Zealand's biggest New Year's Eve party by one of hip-hop's founding fathers, Grandmaster Flash, dance producer Calvin Harris - who is best known for hands-in-the-air anthems I'm Not Alone and Ready for the Weekend - and Australian indie pop band Cut Copy, as well as an array of some of Europe's best beat-makers including Netsky, Yuksek, and Busy P.

The local line-up so far includes dance band Kids of 88, reggae-drum 'n' bass lads Six60, hip-hop acts David Dallas and Homebrew, and pop darling Ruby Frost.

More acts are due to be announced late next month. Tickets to the three-day event at Wai-O-Hika Estate are on sale now from 1-night.co.nz and for more information, go to rhythmandvines.co.nz.

Meanwhile, long-running summer music and art festival Splore will return to the more familiar surroundings of Tapapakanga Regional Park on the Firth of Thames after this year's mildly successful Splore-City event.

The first line-up announcement for the festival on February 17-19 includes Tiki Taane doing an acoustic set (although expect some bass terrorism from Optimus Gryme who will be backing him), British reggae/dancehall exponent Gappy Ranks, Fat Freddy's off-shoot and sing-along band the Yoots, A Hori Buzz (Cairo Knife Fight/Weta man Aaron Tokona's band), and Wellington outfits The Nudge and Lord Echo and His Melodies, among many others. For tickets, go to 1-night.co.nz and for more information see splore.net.

And in case you haven't heard, the Big Day Out will be held at Mt Smart Stadium next year - most likely on January 20.

- TimeOut