Sitting pretty atop the Big Day Out 2009 line-up, Sheffield four-piece Arctic Monkeys has announced headline shows for Sydney and Melbourne.

As reported by FL in August, the band has recently hooked up with Queens Of The Stone Age frontman Josh Homme to work on a follow-up to Favourite Worst Nightmare. The mind boggles at the possibilities. The Monkeys will be uprooting from the studio in Joshua Tree, California, to spend summer with us. Their live show boasts plenty of pep and humour – not to mention a bunch of tunes that look pretty good on the dancefloor.

Arctic Monkeys play two special sideshows alongside their Big Day Out appearances. Tickets on sale Monday 1 December.

Thursday 22 January – Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Saturday 24 January – Palais Theatre, Melbourne