Gabrielle Vacher
Imagine this. You have one hand tucked under your armpit, the other tightly grasping your bag. It’s cold, freezing actually and what’s more you’re covered in sweat; its layer on your skin is icy. You’ve been sleeping in a car, you haven’t showered in two days and you’re starting to become short on cash. Have you set the scene? I’ll start from the beginning.Friday, 21 July
A slow start to the morning prompted late campsite departure, just in time for Cosmo’s Midnight’s set at the Mix Up tent at around 2pm. Having seen the boys perform within the dark realms of the TBC Club in Brisbane I was pumped to see their identical faces in the light and even more so to know whether the two could string together another killer set list. The verdict? Stellar performance, showcasing all their originals and fleshed out with plenty of other bangers; I highly approve their leaving ‘Snare’ until last; it may not be their most upbeat, but in my opinion, it’s their best track yet.
Image © Pat O'Hara
Having missed two of The Kite String Tangle’s gigs over the past year, I kept my feet firmly planted at the Mix Up tent for his following set. Such a genuine and humble character to witness on stage, it was a pleasure to finally hear ‘Arcadia’ and ‘Given The Chance’ in the flesh; the new album is a beauty as well.
If the enormous crowd spilling from the G.W McLennan tent proved anything, it’s that San Cisco probably deserved a bigger venue for their performance. The group may still look adorable but their music has well and truly been promoted from that title; ‘Awkward’ was cute and catchy, indeed, but 2017 album ‘The Water’ in its entirety is a polished masterpiece.
Click for more photos: Day One Part One / Day One Part Two
The underdogs of my shortlist, Haim were an absolute marvel. I had admittedly erred on the side of uncertainty when listening to their music prior (liked, but not loved) but after watching the three sisters stand in line along the stage, cheekily plucking 'Seinfeld' on the bass and shredding guitar solos as aptly and capably as any musical legend, I was well and truly converted to an avid fan. Listening live, their unique blends certainly took more of a rock turn than pop; think 1970s soft rock with even hints of ABBA nuances as times. The trio are undeniably talented (gifted, clearly) and a little kooky as well; I was in awe, not only of their tidy performance and silky harmonies, but of their incredible stage presence in its entirety.
Haim - Image © Pat O'Hara
Saturday, 22 July
Youngen Gretta Ray bounded onto the G.W McLennan stage, footsteps carried by what appeared to be an even split of nerves and excitement. Her music brims with youthful emotion though her voice, quite deep and raspy, has an edge of maturity that contrasts beautifully with her lyrics. The intimate crowd and early time slot added to the ambience of the almost country performance, breezy early afternoon hues complimenting her beautiful vocals.
I remember absentmindedly wandering past the Middle Kids set at Falls Festival 2016/17, lured in by singer Hannah Joy’s instantly likeable persona. Funny to think I was alternatively racing to see the band at Splendour seven months later; the cool and quirky trio have certainly upped the ante in all aspects; fan base, musical skill, even self-assurance. Very cool, and all tracks well above average; every... single... one. Before glimpsing at the timetable to check for Future Islands, the first thought to cross my mind was, “would be a wicked sunset set”. It was technically more evening than sundown though on the brink nonetheless; I have a theory that the sunset timeslots are reserved for a certain style of act and Future Islands fitted that stereotype nicely. The synth wizards proved that ‘Seasons Changed’ wasn’t just a one-hit wonder, turns out their new album ‘The Far Field’ is undeniably funky, as well. The biggest surprise was the wild attitude of front man Samuel Herring; he’s a mad man, I tell you, but it sure makes for one captivating show.
Image © Pat O'Hara
Authentic head-banging music is all but extinct these days, wiped out by an epidemic of EDM and autotune, though Royal Blood may just be the antidote in reviving what was arguably the most prevalent genre of the '90s. The British Brighton rockers performed impeccably, blaring a sound with enough complexity to fool anybody listening with eyes closed that the noise is in fact generated by only two band members. The entire set was consistently blasted with all guns blazing; after an hour of elicit fist pumping (hardcore moshing for those up front) even the air felt thick with sweat despite it being so bloody cold.
Click for more photos: Day Two Part One / Day Two Part Two
Sunday, 23 July
Ah, Good Boy, how stoked I was to see these Brisbane boys score a slot at the G.W McLennan tent; despite it being mid-afternoon an impressive crowd had gathered for the set; it was brilliant, as always. An emerging indie band at its absolute prime.
One of the most pleasing revelations leading up to the festival was learning ScHoolboy Q had scored a set at the Amphitheatre. F*cking A. Like the jerks we all despise, I shoved my way into the heart of the mosh pit to experience the set as it should be felt: loud, rough and a little overwhelming. Q’s back-to-back tracks barely gave the crowd time to breathe, an admirable number of punters rapping every single word; I was reminded of just how many memorable tunes are amongst his shining discography. He skolled a bottle of what looked like straight liquor on stage, though there’s no appeasing Aussies and their manic drinking culture... The crowd threw shoes at ScHoolboy and chanted “shoey, shoey!” until he eventually hushed them with a change of subject. Tough gig.
ScHoolboy Q - Image © Pat O'Hara
Having unfortunately missed Sigur Ros at Splendour 2016, I was palpably teeming to be part of the crowd at the Amphitheatre. For lack of better words (‘speechless’ at its prime), the band was hauntingly beautiful, infinitely more awe-inspiring to watch than to listen to, something I didn’t think possible. The long-term quintet is as confident and comfortable on stage as you would expect amidst a 23-year-long career, perhaps more so; it may be something to see a musician produce a series of unusual, alluring sounds on a computer, but watching them take shape from a stage full of traditional instruments is truly something else. Coupled with a stunning lighting set and an audience totally still, it initially appeared as if each member was completely and utterly absorbed in his own instrument. Though alternatively, the trio are clearly entwined by an unseeable force, a force that lifts drummer Agust’s head to keep in time with the bassist, a force that sees each member comfortably shift around the stage without a word, a force that drove the drummer's foot into the kit at the end of the set as vocalist Jonsi kicked various paraphernalia off the stage in a frenzy and bassist Georg threw his guitar to the ground. There may not have been any verbal communication between band and audience, but I can assure you, the emotional connection was stronger than words would have been.
Click For More Photos: Day Three Part One / Day Three Part Two
Bonobo wasn’t an artist who initially struck my interest (out of ignorance, not distaste), though surprisingly was one who instilled me with enough curiousity to see; who was he, and how did he earn the final timeslot in the Mix Up tent? Competing against LCD Soundsystem evidently took its toll on crowd numbers, though an avid-enough fan base still circulated around the stage. The set started ambiguously, an aspect I expected to fizzle throughout, though it instead appears to be the kind of wave his music tends to surf. Watching Simon Green perform was in fact one of the highlights of the festival, he carefully and quietly addresses the turntable with a certain gentleness and evident aptitude.
Sigur Ross - Image © Pat O'Hara
Re-set the scene I was describing earlier. It’s cold, remember, your clothes are damp with sweat, you’re tired, you’re dirty and you’re broke, as well. But you’re standing front row for one of your all-time favourite bands, close enough to see the vocalist’s misty exhale, the drummer’s extra force in that last crash on the cymbal. You’re standing beside your best mate, plus an entire crowd full of musically likeminded pals, grinning for no reason and re-evaluating what life is all about, certain that this moment, right here, must be it.
If you haven’t had a moment like that in your life yet, I highly recommend you buy a ticket to Splendour in the Grass in future.
Jesse Chaffey
Thousands of people, the smells of food from all over the world, questionable behaviour, good music and more glitter than you ever thought imaginable? Must be Splendour o'clock. Keen festival goers came in droves to North Byron Parklands for another year of frivolity, fabulous fashions and funky music.The entirety of the festival was blessed with clear skies and sun during the day, which sadly in turn meant rather chilly evenings. This didn't stop the masses from getting into some crazy festival attire to get down in, however.
Arriving on Saturday morning after having to give Friday a miss, I was greeted by mild temps and a welcoming ray of sunlight which was the perfect way to kick off the festivities. First on my list was Brisbane-based Mallrat at the Mix Up Stage. Her insanely catchy set, featuring such tunes as 'Uninvited', 'Inside Voices', 'Sunglasses' and 'Tokyo Drift' was a danceable 45 minutes and seemed to get a majority of the crowd in the mood for a good day. I have to applaud Mallrat's stage presence. It wasn't overbearing but it wasn't deadpan either... She hit a sweet spot somewhere in the middle and was visibly overwhelmed by the size of the crowd.
Confidence Man - Image © Pat O'Hara
As the Mallrat crowd dispersed I went against the current and pushed my way to the barrier for Confidence Man, one of the highlights of my weekend. Lead singers Sugar and Janet Planet were like two kids on red cordial for their entire set. There were multiple instrumental interludes weaved throughout as they disappeared side stage for a drink and a breather, because when you're constantly flailing around violently on stage to four-to-the-floor beats, sacrifices must be made. The stand-out moments were 'Bubblegum' and 'Boyfriend (Repeat)', the only two songs the group has released official studio versions for. The latter even included their trademark: a building section of the song where the audience was required to “get down” – quite literally, on the ground – before shooting back up like hundreds of Jack In The Boxes when the beat kicked back in.
Click for more photos: Day Two Part One / Day Two Part Two
Synthy Sydney group Bag Raiders' setlist was filled with all the smooth vocals and head-bobbing beats that Australia has come to love from them, but it wasn't until their global hit 'Shooting Stars' that the atmosphere truly heightened to its full potential. Thanks to a meme you've probably seen, this song went absolutely wild around the world and just as wild at Splendour. Just a brilliant, ethereal electronic song that was going to get people dancing regardless of whether the internet blew it up or not.
Bernard Fanning was his usual soulful, lovable self over at the Amphitheatre as he sang such songs as 'Belly Of The Beast', 'Songbird' and 'Isn't It A Pity'. He's a force to be reckoned with on his own, of course, but sometimes watching a solo artist who has broken away from a band (in this case Powderfinger) makes you reminiscent of the good old days. Luckily it seemed as though the Amphitheatre was filled with likeminded folks because when Bernard brought the rest of Powderfinger out from the side of the stage (!!! MAJOR !!!) it was almost as if a tsunami began to roll down from the top of the hill as excited fans pelted for their life to get closer to this momentous reunion. They blasted out '(Baby I Got You) On My Mind' before Bernard sang a song of goodbye with 'Wish You Well'.
Bernard Fanning/Powderfinger - Image © Pat O'Hara
As the sun set, the sounds of Dope Lemon and Future Islands could be heard throughout the venue among others and a huge crowd packed in over at the Amphitheatre again for Catfish & The Bottlemen, who burned through their tunes and received screaming approval from the masses.
Rapper Allday attracted an impressive mob of music-lovers with a bunch of new stuff from his recent album 'Speeding' as well as a few popular originals like 'Claude Monet'. His set included a few special guests too; Asta emerged to play 'Dynamite' with him and Mallrat for 'Baby Spiders'.
There are international artists and budding Australian acts aplenty at Splendour every year, but there's nothing like a bit of good old-fashioned classic Aussie rock. Thanks to Paul Kelly, those craving this were given it in a full dose as he pleased an adoring crowd with 'Before Too Long', 'How To Make Gravy', 'To Her Door', 'Dumb Things' and more. It was hard not to bop along to his steady drum beats and purely Aussie lyrics so the only option was to let loose and scream for an hour.
Queens Of The Stone Age closed off Saturday playing a mesmerising and impressive set. Suddenly, just like that, it was time for me to head back to the camping grounds and rest up for the final day of Splendour for 2017.
Image © Pat O'Hara
My Sunday began a little later than Saturday, but it kicked off in an incredible way. I managed to make my way to front and centre for Amy Shark and it was worth it. The Hottest 100 runner-up presented a brilliant 45 minutes of raw talent, emotional lyrics and humble crowd interactions. This woman was an absolute powerhouse and the reaction from the audience throughout her set seemed to reflect how I was feeling at the time.
After experiencing the genius of Amy Shark I headed over to witness the craziness that was Smith Street Band, who attracted a rather impressive crowd over at the Amphitheatre. Lead singer Wil Wagner stopped more than once to marvel at the turn-out and thank the fans for supporting their work. It's not a necessity for bands to do this but it's extremely admirable when they do. I was impressed by this as well as their set itself.
Click for more photos: Day Three Part One / Day Three Part Two
Over at the Mix Up Stage a little later, Swedish performer Tove Lo burned through songs from her albums 'Queen Of The Clouds' and 'Ladywood', also stopping to let the hundreds of faces in the crowd know that Splendour “is one of the dream festivals I've always wanted to play”. Well-known hits 'Habits (Stay High)' and 'Say It' – the latter produced by Australia's own Flume – were singalong highlights and the smile on Tove's face throughout 90% of her setlist spoke for itself.
The sometimes vengeful yet still sweet and clever lyrics of Meg Mac's writing were showcased when she hit the G.W McLennan tent and this was one of the stand-out moments of my weekend too. Wearing a white suit and a wide-brim cowboy hat, Meg showed off her insane vocal abilities and infectious stage presence. Though quite reserved at some points she still managed to exude an air of fun and expression which was matched by the swaying crowd.
Tove Lo - Image © Pat O'Hara
In the freezing cold, crowds flocked to see LCD Soundsystem as the final Amphitheatre act of Splendour In The Grass 2017 in a joyful and upbeat send-off featuring songs like 'Daft Punk Is Playing At My House' and the catchy as hell 'All My Friends'.
In summary, this year's Splendour In The Grass was simply another example of why so many people venture to Byron Bay every July. A perfect combination of lesser-known local acts and larger-than-life international superstars, the 2017 version of Splendour set out to impress and it well and truly did. Whether you lost yourself in the lasers of Tipi Forest, learned a thing or two at the Science Tent, ate your life away in one of the various food locations or simply rocked up to take in the tunes, Splendour In The Grass was a brilliant showcase of entertainment and a festival that acts around the world should feel proud to be a part of.
