The middle weekend of July usually holds a stock standard place in the average Australian music fan's calendar.
However, this year looked noticeably different for most of the annual Splendour festival goers. A Splendid Weekender was the sold-out saving grace – a one-day mini festival exclusive to Byron Bay (Saturday) and Gold Coast (Sunday) last weekend.Sunday afternoon (21 July) at Miami Marketta was spent dancing away to some of Australia's favourite indie artists. The packed laneway was graced by all walks of life; from families with the kids out for a gig on a school night, through to the groups of friends looking for an excuse to have a big Sunday night – and that they did.
Opening the festival were the dazzling ladies from Dead Witch. The group brought the start to the day you wish every Sunday afternoon offered, with lots of smiles and lighthearted tunes that imminently got everyone's hips swaying.
Teenage Joans - image © Hope Morgan
The day's line-up offered something for everyone's preferred cup of tea. From the team at Ra Ra Viper who lean into the mellow Gold Coast roots, to the talented duo of Teenage Joans donning stylistic reds and blacks performing their debut album, 'The Rot That Grows Inside My Chest'.
Miami Marketta was littered with activity all afternoon, the laneway belting either side with bars, merchandise stands, and their trademark food stalls lining the Studio 56 strip.
Gold Coast locals Peach Fur are no strangers to the stage at Marketta; the four-piece band hailing from the southern Gold Coast had no trouble filling the room as fans were packed in as far as the eye could see to catch the hometown heroes.
Rum Jungle were undeniably a highlight of the day, the boys from Newcastle quickly became a crowd favourite. Sporting their feel good, high energy 'Back Home' got the crowd up and about hanging off every word that was sung.
Rum Jungle - image © Hope Morgan
The laneway was littered with big smiles across faces as the boys danced across the stage laughing with each other. Fresh off their EU/ UK tour, they expressed their gratitude to the Gold Coast crowd to be playing shows again in a place that feels like home.
These boys were set to hit the main stage at Splendour this year (for the very first time) and were expectedly devastated to have the festival stripped from the live music calendar.
Lead singer Benny McIntyre, on behalf of the band, conveyed how thrilled they were when they found out they had the chance to play these shows on the same weekend, and this was definitely reflected in their electric performance on the day.
As the evening began to set in, Marketta was well and truly packed in and patrons were buzzing to catch a glimpse of the headlining acts. DJ Blokbstr kept the anticipation high throughout the night keeping the music pumping from top to bottom of the alley.
The Terrys - image © Hope Morgan
As the crowd mingled in impatience, The Terrys, one of the anticipated headliners, were huddling and chanting backstage to AC/DC's 'You Shook Me All Night Long' before they broke through the black curtain and the jam-packed crowd awaiting their arrival.
They opened their set with some of their crowd favourites including 'No Bad Days' and 'Our Paradise'. The indie-rock band from Gerringong ensured the energy remained high throughout their set.
Frontman Jacob 'Finchy' Finch kept the mood pumping when he invited Australian music legend Ben Lee onstage to perform alongside the band during his song 'Catch My Disease'. The Terrys originally performed the song for triple j's Like A Version in 2022, and it has since become a crowd favourite for the band. The crowd sang along harmoniously with great smiles across faces everywhere.
As the night began to come to a close, there was an echo coursing through the laneway of Miami Marketta prior to the final set of the night. "Beddy Rays. . . Beddy Rays!" echoed through the crowd, all the way to backstage where the four-piece surf rock band awaited their call to stage.
Peeking through the curtains to catch a glimpse of the sold-out crowd that were eagerly huddling in, they walked onto the stage to a huge roar from the mass of the people as they began to play their first song, 'Wait A While'.
Beddy Rays - image © Hope Morgan
The Beddy Rays were another Splendid Weekender artist who were set to play Splendour in 2024 and for their very first time at the main stage. This tight-knit group – who are tradies by day, musicians by night – have attended every Splendour together since 2015.
From just up the road at Redland Bay, this team (in their own words) were "very chuffed to be playing to a crowd this size on a school night". The crowd certainly reciprocated the gratitude to be in the presence of the local music legends, singing and dancing along to every word of their songs, some going as far as breaking out into a rowboat formation mid pit, mid set. Very Gold Coast. Very Beddy Rays.
Their set went by in the blink of an eye and before everyone knew it, they were exiting the stage for their encore break. The crowd continued their chant they had practiced earlier, that merged into the classic "one more song” to coerce the group into a couple more.
Beddy Rays granted their wishes and gave one better, dishing out four final songs including their hits 'Sobercoaster', 'Week On Repeat' and 'Better Weather' as well as a rocking rendition of Thelma Plum's 'Better In Black'.
- written by Hope Morgan
More photos from the festival.
