Found My Sandal Does 2/3 of Splendour in the Grass
The yearly migration to North Byron Parklands has come and gone yet again. This year I didn’t really find myself with the sufficient coin to fund a feral weekend in the Northern New South Wales dust. Combining this with the fact that I wasn’t exactly taken with the line-up, it seemed silly to fork out all that dosh leaving myself in a massive whole until this time next year, so Courtney and I decided to volunteer. A small price to pay for what was still going to be quite a weekend. We were given the best deal possible, working Friday afternoon and Saturday night, meaning we only missed 1/3 of the festival and had the entire of Sunday to drink as much and see as many bands as we could.
Usually when I enter an event like this with the intention of writing about it afterwards, I log every thought or significant moment in my phone to refer to before transforming it into flowing, captivating prose. As I didn’t really have that intention at Splendour, I have come out with no dictation of memories. So, find below an assortment of recollections and musings from my weekend at Splendour in the Grass in list form for your reading efficiency and convenience.
Thursday
As we enter the festival, we are relieved to be waved to our campsite which is just to the right of the security checkpoint. The tins that are stealthily hidden at the bottom of our esky have made it safely.
We settle into our tent and indulge in a few said tins. The only things on our agenda tonight are a work briefing, Baker Boy and UV Boi, however our briefing only finishes in time for us to have a few beers around the fire and head into the tent for UV Boi.
UV Boi has a cool setup with a couple of mics and synths and stuff. He makes it very clear very early that he’s trying to reinvent himself as a vocalist and a producer, opting for some assumably new cuts that see him singing and rapping in front of the synths. It certainly doesn’t translate to a Splendour opening night set, though. It’s pretty boring and the numbers in the tent are almost halved. It was good to hear a couple of classics like If She, If He and Running Out Of Time. I acknowledge UV Boi’s attempt at evolving his sound and his live show, but it lands very, very flat with this excitable audience.
Nothing too interesting left on the bill tonight, so early to bed with work the next morning.
Friday
While everyone is pouring their first drinks on day one, Courtney and I slowly get up, eat breakfast and don our black attire for an afternoon behind the bar. My first shift is at the Gold Bar, which is a pretty chill place to spend your afternoon regardless.
The work is pretty easy; just making drinks and watching people. There are a few familiar faces throughout the bar. I internally lose my shit when Billy from Hockey Dad orders a drink that I made. Enjoy, Bill. The amphitheatre is just in earshot enough for me to get slight audible glimpses of what’s going on, but I’m too far away to actually enjoy. It’s quite frustrating, especially when I hear bits of sets from DZ Deathrays and West Theb.
Upon knock-off we race back to camp to get changed, have some tucker and tuck in. We make it back to the grounds to catch the start of Angus and Julia Stone, and it’s a very pleasant way to start the night atop the hill.
After about half an hour of swooning, we head in to see The Presets, but not before we suss out Henry Rollins along the way. We enter the tent mid rant, more so to tick off a box than to take anything in. I would love to stick around and get into the mind of the man and I probably won’t get the chance to do it again, but the party beckons.
The Presets pack the mix up tent with a set that I thought could’ve done well at the amphitheatre. It spans new tunes and classics, with countless heavy, bass-y drops interwoven throughout. A perfect transition from one classic Australian act to another.
We mosey over to Mix-Up to catch the start of Nina Las Vegas. She dropped a few bangers to the small but thankful crowd and was everything you’d expect from a Nina DJ set. She is continually vocal about the status of herself and females in general in the music industry. She’s proud of what she’s achieved and she’s basking in the glory.
On the way to the amphitheatre for closer Lorde, we drop in to GW to see what Dune Rats and Friends were getting up to. We come just in time to see their iconic Red Light, Green Light which is always a good time. It’s pretty epic to see BC 10 foot in the air. A series of guests roll through, all as happy to be there as each other. Everyone’s having a lot of fun, but how could you expect anything else from Dunies.
Now, for a bit of a change of pace, it’s time for Lorde to close the Amphitheatre. I’ve never really given Lorde much of my time, so I knew that, other than the singles, this would be a relatively unfamiliar set. Her energy and presence were impressive. She often made callbacks to that time Frank pulled out and she saved the day, and it’s very interesting to see how far she’s come from the Pure Heroine days. She gallivants on stage, skipping from end to end in a bold, sparkly silver outfit. Due to my lack of knowledge and involvement in the music of Lorde, it probably won’t be a set that will stay with me, but it was a mighty fine way to end day one.
Saturday
Saturday rolls around and it’s the first morning that we can actually wake up and relax. After some quiet and responsible brekky beers, we head in to catch a bit of The Babe Rainbow. Their sun-tinged psych-rock is perfect for the bright morning. I remember seeing The Murlocs in almost exactly the same slot last year and it’s a pearler of way to start the day.
Halfway through their set, we scurry off to catch No Mono, the supergroup pairing of Pieater alumni Tom’s Iansek and Snowden. I run to the tent just in time to hear the affecting single that opened my eyes to this pair, Return To. It’s as beautiful as the first day I heard it. The ensuing set draws heavily from their debut album and it is stunning. It reinforces my strongly-held opinion that Tom Iansek is one of Australia’s most underrated songwriters and cements Tom Snowden as one of the most charismatic front men I’ve seen. His voice is incredibly unique and diverse. I walk away in awe. Easily my highlight so far and one that I figure will be hard to beat.
Next on stage is Superorganism. They immediately catch everyone’s attention with their bright, novel graphics and endless energy. Everyone on stage and in the crowd is moving, dancing and singing, having the time of their lives. Their presence and performance are absolutely brilliant. This foul-mouthed coke-can-wielding 17-year-old commands the crowd with so much authority. No Mono’s reign as highlight didn’t last long. (In hindsight, though, they are tied.) Although perhaps Superorganism are a tad too brilliant? There’s definitely some merit to the “industry plant” theories surrounding them, but I’m able to push that aside and enjoy them nonetheless.
And so prematurely ends the day of music for us, as we have to go and get ready for another seven hours of work. Again, the work itself is quite simple. Tonight, I’m working at the Golden View Bar, which sits atop the Amphitheatre hill. While I can’t really see anything from behind the bar, I hear sets from Methyl Ethyl, Gang of Youths, Franz Ferdinand, CHVRCHES and Vampire Weekend very clearly and it makes me wish I was down in the middle.
Sunday
And finally, the day is upon us. Our first full day of Splendour 2018 happens to be the day that some of our most anticipated acts are playing and we are excited. The first act we have to make it into the grounds for is Soccer Mommy. We arrive at GW to one of the smallest crowds I’ve ever seen, and I worry about the Nashville singer-songwriters first impressions of Australia. I needn’t, however, as the tent gradually fills by the time her and her band make the stage. They play a very cool set ;) of very pleasant indie rock tunes filled with memorable riffs and singalongs She even slips in a cover of The Boss’s best, I’m on Fire.
Next is the act I’m looking forward to most, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever. You could say they’ve blown up a bit since I last saw them at Black Bear, but they seem as humble and fun as ever. With a new LP under their belts, I was interested to see what made the set. I was both happy and sad to see that the set drew very evenly from the new record as well as their early EPs. While it was good to hear some of their classics, I was waiting to hear my album highlight Sister’s Jeans, but it never came. French Press was great though and it proved that their quite easily the best guitar band in the country right now.
I always find it interesting to see how producers who usually play sweaty rooms in the early hours of the morning transform their music to a set in the middle of the afternoon. But it barely seemed to be a worry for MUTO. His debut live set moved from bangers to swooning vocals from regular guests Emerson Leif and Thandi Phoenix. While his music seems to be influenced by Flume, he still manages to make some very unique sounds. A very enjoyable mid-afternoon boogie.
After a quick break to get change clothes and drink some, it’s imperative to claim a good spot at the amphitheatre for PNAU. We get pretty lucky and fill a spot that we pretty much remain for the rest of the night. PNAU come on to some ridiculously trippy visuals and their tribal electronica brings the amphitheatre to life. It’s a non-stop rave. Everyone on the stage is going off their chops and delivering an energetic set to remember. No one more so than Nick Littlemore, who appears to be just left of sober. To be fair, though, it’s genuinely hard to tell if he’s drunk, high or just vibing the shit out of his tunes. He’s having a good time. Of course, they finished with their huge comeback tune, Chameleon and it was deservedly epic.
While I missed the first song of MGMT’s set due to an ill-timed pee and water trip, I made it to catch the rest of a set that dabbled in nostalgia while focusing on new, fun tunes. Of course, everyone was here to hear Kids and Electric Feel, and they went off. During Electric Feel, Courtney turned to me and said, “this is something I never thought I’d see live”, and she was spot on. Hearing Kids immediately took me back to the days when I’d get my friends to email me MP3 files to put on my shitty $15 player that I copped from the bargain bin at a Retravision. While their new album delivered some bangers that were also good to see live, I don’t think anyone in the crowd could keep up their “too cool” hipster façade not to lose their shit at the classics.
While I haven’t really listened to The Wombats in years, I’m rather eager to see what they pull out tonight. I still credit them as the band that helped transform me from a lame, commercial-radio-listening square to the trendy tastemaker you all know today. I’m very pleased and appreciative to hear that their set accommodates for fans new and old. Spanning all four albums, the frequent visitors deliver a set that is as fun and energetic as always. From actual wombat stage-intruders to exciting confetti canons, they had it all.
And now it’s time for the bloke that almost everyone is here to see. Those who opt not to boogie with Girl Talk fill the amphitheatre awaiting the Pulitzer prize winner, Kendrick Lamar. There are many eerie, fun and atmospheric animations and graphics on the big screens that I won’t describe both because I can’t be bothered and can’t remember. The man came out and was all over the stage, zipping and swerving from end to end as he made his way through banger after banger. His set drew heavily from DAMN. but significant nods were also given to To Pimp A Butterfly and Good Kid, M.A.A.d City. He had time to slip in versions of Goosebumps and Collard Greens, but no time for any Untitled Unmastered. or anything pre-2012 (to be fair, though, they are absolute bangers). His crowd interaction is minimal which does maintain his mysterious and enigmatic air, however it also seems as though big Kendrick doesn’t really have time for us lowly Australians. It’s an obviously condensed version of his massive arena set, but the vast majority of the crowd takes it all in, probably thinking that it’s a once in a life time opportunity. That thought doesn’t last long, however, as Kenny leaves the stage after chanting the words “I will be back!” According to two diehard Kendrick fans near me, we had just witnessed the greatest thing we would ever witness in our lives. They were also massive fuckwits, so you could probably take it with a grain of salt.
With Splendour 2018 in the rear-view mirror, I leave with a similar opinion I had after my first Splendour last year. It’s not “the best weekend of I’ve ever experienced”. It didn’t “change my life”. But it’s a weekend of very high quality live music that, in some cases, I probably wouldn’t get the chance to see otherwise. It brings together so many different people with different backgrounds, tastes and expectations. It’s a license to bend with mates new and old and it’s always a shit-tonne of fun.
