The Festival: Founded in 2002, Urbanscapes is Malaysia’s biggest (and longest running) outdoor arts and music festival. Set in the leafy surrounds of Malaysia Agro Exposition Park in Selangor, each year the two-day event welcomes international acts joined by Southeast Asian rising stars and homegrown talent.    

 

Line Up: Headliners include Glasgow indie-pop veterans Franz Ferdinand, touring in support of their well-received fourth studio album, Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Actions, and Northern Irish pop-rock upstarts Two Door Cinema Club (also heading to Impact Arena Bangkok on Nov 28). Other bands to catch include Canadian rock sisters Tegan and Sara, Danish dream-pop acts Mew and Efterklang, and local experimental groups They Will Kill Us All, Kyoto Protocol and The Experience Brothers.

 

Dates and Venue: Nov 23-24, doors open 2pm. Malaysia Agro Exposition Park, Serdang (MAEPS), Selangor.  

 

Tickets: Two-day passes are B2,100 from Thaiticketmajor. 

 

For more information: http://urbanscapes.com.my

 

The Festival: The annual Penang Island Jazz festival returns for its 10th edition, looking to maintain its reputation for an inclusive approach and an eclectic musical lineup.  

 

Line up: Acts who’ve already been confirmed include Grammy-nominated pianist Freddy Cole and his quartet, Cypriot guitarist Okan Ersan, Zimbabwe-born and London-raised singer and composer Eska and Norwegian avant-jazz rock group the Hedvig Mollestad Trio.  

 

Dates and Venue: Dec 5-8 (doors open 7pm on Thur and 6pm on Sat-Sun) at The Bayview Beach Resort Gardens, Batu Ferringhi, Penang.   

 

Tickets: RM78 (about B780) per day via ticketpro.com.my 

 

For more information: www.penangjazz.com

The Festival: Taking its inspiration from Japan’s massive Fuji Rock festival, Clockenflap was launched in 2008 as a small music and arts event, quickly establishing itself as a top destination on the festival circuit. This year it shifts location from the Cyberport to the bigger West Kowloon Cultural District promising seven stages, a film tent, cabaret, art installations, indie craft market, silent disco and food booths. 

 

Line up: Held just one week after Urbanscapes in Malaysia, it’s no surprise to see some of the same names pop up again, like Franz Ferdinand, Two Door Cinema Club, Tegan and Sara and Efterklang. Extra diversity comes in the form of San Francisco folk-tinged rockers Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Syrian livewire Omar Souleyman, electro-whiz Four Tet, Canadian electro-pop band Austra, Brazilian indie-pop trio Turtle Giant and even a couple of big name Thais in the form of Hugo Julajak and Palmy. Local acts include Uptown Rockers and the comically named Daft Pink.     

 

Dates and Venue: Nov 29-Dec 1 at the West Kowloon Cultural District, HK.  

 

Tickets: Three-day passes are HK$980 (about B4,000) and day tickets HK$440 (B2,000) available at Thaiticketmajor.

 

For more information: www.clockenflap.com

The festival: The annual arts and electronic music festival by the beach in Sentosa returns for its 13th edition, with a lineup of international big names and local DJs over two long nights.  

 

Line up: The lineup covers everything from electro, trance, house and techno to hip hop, with the biggest acts being none other than Dutch DJ and producer Nick van de Wall, aka Afrojack and Armada trance veteran Dash Berlin. Others to look out for include Example & DJ Wire (UK), Ferry Corsten (Netherlands), Chicago electro-pop group Krewella, Australian electronic twins Nervo and local DMC Champion in both 2009 and 2010, Ghetto.      

 

Dates and venue: Dec 13-14, 8pm, at Siloso Beach, Sentosa.  

 

Tickets: For Day 1, happy hour tickets are $88 (B2,200) limited to 2,000 tickets, after which prices go up to $98 (B2,500) until Nov 30. Dec 1-12 standard tickets will be $108 (B2,720), while it’s $118 (B3,000) on the door. Day 2 tickets start from $98 (B2,500) and go up in the same fashion to $128 (B3,220) on the door. Two-day passes are available at the one price of $168 until Dec 12. Purchase via ticketing.zoukclub.com

 

 

The Festival: Founded back in 2004 as a small summer live music session at St. Jerome’s Bar down a laneway in Melbourne, Australia, this festival first reached Singapore in 2011, bringing with it a very welcome injection of hipster-approved indie acts from all over the world (previous years have brought over everyone from Feist to The xx). Needless to say, Laneway draws in crowds from all over the region hoping to catch some of the globe’s most hyped new acts. 

 

Line up: Even though Singapore gets a slightly shortened version of the Australian lineup, there’s plenty to look forward to, from much-vaunted British electro-pop trio CHVRCHES, who just released their debut album The Bones of What You Believe, to stylish LA sisters Haim, who have been getting rave reviews for their debut album Days are Gone. Other acts definitely worth your while include British electro-crooner James Blake, Philadelphia rocker Kurt Vile, Scottish four-piece Frightened Rabbit, Jamie xx of The xx, London all-girl post-punk outfit Savages and British “post-dubstep” duo Mount Kimbie.

 

Dates and Venue: Jan 25, 2014. The Meadow, Gardens By The Bay.   

 

Tickets: SG$150 (B3,750) via singapore.lanewayfestival.com/buy-tickets  

 

For more information: singapore.lanewayfestival.com  

The Festival: Founded back in 2010 by GMM and Thai music mogul Yuthana Boonaom, Big Mountain has established itself as the biggest out-of-town music festival in the country. This year promises over 200 Thai and international artists playing to a crowd of over 14,000 revelers.  

 

Line up: Unlike the other regional festivals mentioned above, most of the acts here are local. Headliners span a range of genres from the 90s pop of 2 Days Ago Kids, sweet-pop of Armchair to the hard-hitting alternative rock of Abuse The Youth. Of course, all the big name rockers will be present, from Big Ass and Bodyslam to Slot Machine, The Yers and Apartmentkhunpa. Fresh faces include Bedroom Audio, Getsunova, Nap A Lean and Tabasco, while indie mainstays The Standards will also join the party. International acts include Austra from Canada, Bombi and the Shuta Hasunuma Group from Japan and Cells from Laos.       

Dates and Venue: Dec 7-8, 3pm. Bonanza Khao-Yai, Khao Yai National Park Na Hin Lat, Park Phli, Nakorn Nayok.   

 

Tickets: B1,900 for a two-day pass with buy-five-get-one-free from Thaiticketmajor. 

 

For more information: www.bigmountainmusicfestival.com

 

The Festival: Big Mountain Music Festival represents Thai music on a massive scale, but Stone Free is tailored to the real music aficionados with more of an art focus and niche acts. Founded back in 2011 by the Panda Records crew led by Pok Stylish Nonsense and Tokin Teekanun, the festival, now in its third year, promises to feature Tokin’s mixed media installation A Part Of You, A Part Of Me. 

 

Line up: The full lineup hasn’t been announced yet but going off previous years you can expect experimental sounds that traverse electro-pop, noise-rock and folk from bands like Stylish Nonsense, Abstraction XL, Basement Tape and Desktop Error, as well as underground acts from labels like So::On Dry Flower.     

 

Dates and Venue: The crew has confirmed that the event will take place on Dec 14 but has yet to announce the venue. Previous editions have taken place amid the rolling hills of Saraburi, but organizers are hinting it will take place on an island this time around. Keep an eye on BK+ for updates.   

 

Tickets: TBA 

 

For more information: www.facebook.com/StoneFreeMusicFestival