Born in Sydney, Australia, Ken West grew up in Cabramatta and studied at what is now UNSW College of Fine Arts in 1976 to become a kineticist and experiential artist.
[3] He promoted Australian tours for New Order, Lou Reed, Run-DMC, before starting the Big Day Out festival in 1992.
The first festival in 1992 was only held in Sydney, but subsequent years expanded around Australia, and later also included New Zealand.
[6] Following the festival, West kept a low profile until the beginning of 2022 when he announced he had written a book titled Controlled Chaos.
[7] The announcement coincided with the 30th anniversary of Big Day Out, and West released chapters from the book relating to the festival.