Splendour In The Grass 2013 @ North Byron Parklands, Byron Bay (26-28/07/2013)
Day One
Arriving at Splendour’s new permanent home in North Byron Parklands, two things are immediately apparent. It’s a beautiful site set in green fields and lush forest, but it is also on very very flat ground, great for easily walking around the festival site, but something not conductive to the inclement weather which arrived on Thursday night and made for a very muddy three days.
Walking around the festival site on Friday morning it became apparent very quickly that this was a gumboot only zone, in particular the area surrounding the GW Mclennan tent was already in a dire stage. But apart from the sodden surface underfoot, the festival grounds as a whole looked great. The three main stages were spaced far enough apart to avoid the sound bleed problems of previous years, there was a plethora of food options for even the most picky attendee, there were restroom facilities galore, and for those camping, the festival site was directly next door.
The music took a back seat for myself at the beginning of the day as I took the opportunity to check out the ‘Songwriter’s Speak’ discussion at the Forum Tent. Featuring Sarah Blasko, Dan from Art vs Science and Kram from Spiderbait, it was an interesting hour long conversation on lots of different aspects that occur when penning a song, from its beginnings, to how it takes shape and is developed, right up to the effect production can have on the final product.
Walking around the festival site on Friday morning it became apparent very quickly that this was a gumboot only zone, in particular the area surrounding the GW Mclennan tent was already in a dire stage. But apart from the sodden surface underfoot, the festival grounds as a whole looked great. The three main stages were spaced far enough apart to avoid the sound bleed problems of previous years, there was a plethora of food options for even the most picky attendee, there were restroom facilities galore, and for those camping, the festival site was directly next door.
The music took a back seat for myself at the beginning of the day as I took the opportunity to check out the ‘Songwriter’s Speak’ discussion at the Forum Tent. Featuring Sarah Blasko, Dan from Art vs Science and Kram from Spiderbait, it was an interesting hour long conversation on lots of different aspects that occur when penning a song, from its beginnings, to how it takes shape and is developed, right up to the effect production can have on the final product.
First up on my music radar was the edgy 70’s stylings of American two piece Deap Vally in the Supertop. After a delayed start, they came on stage wearing an assortment of colourful wigs, glam pants and big sunglasses.
Playing through the majority of cuts from debut record, Sistrionix, the sound was crisp and the two girls on stage looked like they were having a ball. Baby I Call Hell was a big set highlight, inciting the first singalong of the day and getting Splendour off to an exciting and energetic start. Daughter were in Australia for their first, and long-overdue visit, showcasing new album If You Leave, in the intimate confides of the GW Mclennan tent. Youth was the song which particularly stood out for me, the intricate guitar work, coupled with Elena Tonra’s soaring voice, sent the crowd into a dream-like state. |
It’s just unfortunate that the whole set didn’t hold the same sort of magic, as the sound became muddled as the set wore on, although the predominantly young crowd still held onto every note and word.
Haim was a band I was really excited to see and I was immediately drawn in, with the three girls on stage bringing an infectious energy to the Supertop which they maintained for the entirety of their show.
Haim was a band I was really excited to see and I was immediately drawn in, with the three girls on stage bringing an infectious energy to the Supertop which they maintained for the entirety of their show.
Falling really punctuates why Danielle is such a great vocalist, and live its even more present, packing a punch with a swagger and passion that is perfectly complemented by the ‘Falling!” catchcries of here sisters Este and Alana.
Haim put on one of my sets of the day, even though they don’t even have a full length album, there is no shortage of recognisable tunes, Don’t Save Me and Forever result in more of the same hard-hitting melodies. I’ve been wanting to see Darwin Deez for a long time, so making my way over to the Mix Up tent, I was super keen to discover how their indie hooks translated to the live scene. The curtains opened and I was greeted with a hilarious dance routine from the four members of the Los Angeles outfit which then sequenced brilliantly into Constellations. New songs such as Free (The Editorial Me) shone through with the band’s fun and quirky antics sitting well with the up-for-it crowd but the biggest reaction was for the massive Radar Detector featuring Darwin’s brilliant falsetto. I decided to catch the first half of TV on the Radio and was pretty pleased with my decision, the band put on an intense but very engaging show with all six members having the appearance of being a very tightly knit group who play together with a cohesiveness that is rare to see in a band. They sounded great, so I was a bit disappointed to have to leave their set halfway through, but I had one more must-see act. |
And that must-see was none other than the UK’s Klaxons who were back on Australian shores for the first time in three years, armed with new songs to showcase. However an old favourite, Atlantis to Interzone, kicked the mosh into a frenzy.
The band sounded much improved from the previous time I had seen them and there was a renewed vigour about them, songs like Echos and crowd favourite Golden Skans were refreshed and positively shone as bright as the four huge disco balls that adorned the Mix Up’s roof.
Then came the new material, sounding more electronically based and elaborate, more so than guitar based, I think Klaxons new album could give them a dazzling return to the forefront of the British indie scene. It’s Not Over Yet and another brand new song closed the day with Jamie Reynolds promising us that they will be back very soon.
Day one was over, but two more day of awesome music, and blazing sunshine (I lived in hope!) awaited us on Saturday and Sunday.
The band sounded much improved from the previous time I had seen them and there was a renewed vigour about them, songs like Echos and crowd favourite Golden Skans were refreshed and positively shone as bright as the four huge disco balls that adorned the Mix Up’s roof.
Then came the new material, sounding more electronically based and elaborate, more so than guitar based, I think Klaxons new album could give them a dazzling return to the forefront of the British indie scene. It’s Not Over Yet and another brand new song closed the day with Jamie Reynolds promising us that they will be back very soon.
Day one was over, but two more day of awesome music, and blazing sunshine (I lived in hope!) awaited us on Saturday and Sunday.
Day Two
Saturday dawned bright and sunny, a welcome sign for what was to be a busy day of running between stages in the unfortunately still present mud, attempting to catch as much as possible of what was arguably the best day of music that Splendour offered.
First up for me was Brisbane’s Art of Sleeping, on at the early 12:30pm slot but still having amassed a crowd which half-filled the GW tent. The obvious crowd highlight came from the Triple J hit Above Water which got everyone sing along to the rich harmonies which were punctuated by a strong rhythm section, producing one of the best sounding sets I heard all weekend, props to the young band, I’ll definitely be checking out more of their material.
Palma Violets were on their first visit to Australia, on the hype of NME declaring them the future of music. They were a complete surprise to me, much more energetic than I expected, a more full sounding unit than on record, with a slight grungy edginess which kept me intrigued throughout the whole set, particularly during cross-over hit Best of Friends.
Meanwhile I rushed over to catch Irish indie band Villagers, also in the country or their first time. The small crowd that greeted them was disappointing, and my high expectations for their set were also disappointingly not met. The surrounds of the festival stage didn’t seem to suit them, their sound is much more appropriate for a small theatre show, with crowd talk overtaking their intricate sound.
I was much more impressed with UK prodigy Jake Bugg whose secret campsite set earlier in the day had convinced me to check out his full show at the Supertop. He walked out to a massive and up-for-it audience who held onto every word.
First up for me was Brisbane’s Art of Sleeping, on at the early 12:30pm slot but still having amassed a crowd which half-filled the GW tent. The obvious crowd highlight came from the Triple J hit Above Water which got everyone sing along to the rich harmonies which were punctuated by a strong rhythm section, producing one of the best sounding sets I heard all weekend, props to the young band, I’ll definitely be checking out more of their material.
Palma Violets were on their first visit to Australia, on the hype of NME declaring them the future of music. They were a complete surprise to me, much more energetic than I expected, a more full sounding unit than on record, with a slight grungy edginess which kept me intrigued throughout the whole set, particularly during cross-over hit Best of Friends.
Meanwhile I rushed over to catch Irish indie band Villagers, also in the country or their first time. The small crowd that greeted them was disappointing, and my high expectations for their set were also disappointingly not met. The surrounds of the festival stage didn’t seem to suit them, their sound is much more appropriate for a small theatre show, with crowd talk overtaking their intricate sound.
I was much more impressed with UK prodigy Jake Bugg whose secret campsite set earlier in the day had convinced me to check out his full show at the Supertop. He walked out to a massive and up-for-it audience who held onto every word.
Backed by simply a double bassist and drummer, his voice simply shone through, bringing Neil Young comparisons (he did sneak in a cover of Hey Hey My My). It was a triumphant set which makes me hope we will see him back sooner rather than later.
I had previously seen MS MR at Laneway festival where they played a very exciting set to no more than a few hundred strong crowd. Their slot at Splendour was a much more noteworthy one, 6pm to a packed Mix Up Tent. From the get-go with Bones, it was clear the band was very overwhelmed with the awesome crowd reaction, probably the best and most appreciative crowd I witnessed all weekend. Fantasy was another massive highlight in what was clearly career-defining set for the band, stating that this is the show they dreamed of playing when they started the band. It’s clear Australia has taken a huge liking to them and I’m sure we’ll see them back here very soon. |
Perth’s Birds of Tokyo have gone in a completely different direction with new album March Fires, and having seen them a few months ago with a completely revamped and surprisingly breathtaking new live show I was expecting much of the same and was not disappointed. Radio hits Plans and Lanterns went down a storm, and I was very happy to hear older cuts such as Wild Eyed Boy and personal favourite Circles have just as good a crowd reaction. To say the band sounds superb live is an understatement, in my opinion they are the best live band in the country at the moment, matching their intricate melodies and epic guitar riffing with some equally striking visuals.
Next up on my Saturday evening run at the Supertop was Empire of the Sun, a band who had interested me for a long time and one I was very keen to check out live. To say they put on the most visually engaging show for the whole weekend is a vast understatement, it feature elaborate costumes (and frequent costume changes), a lit up staircase, four female dancers, and one very energetic and commanding frontman in Luke Steele. It was a visual feast, but unfortunately lacked the back catalogue to back it up. Sure, hits such as Walking on a Dream and Alive went down a treat with the crowd, but the middle part of the set lacked substance and depth to match the visual display.
Next up on my Saturday evening run at the Supertop was Empire of the Sun, a band who had interested me for a long time and one I was very keen to check out live. To say they put on the most visually engaging show for the whole weekend is a vast understatement, it feature elaborate costumes (and frequent costume changes), a lit up staircase, four female dancers, and one very energetic and commanding frontman in Luke Steele. It was a visual feast, but unfortunately lacked the back catalogue to back it up. Sure, hits such as Walking on a Dream and Alive went down a treat with the crowd, but the middle part of the set lacked substance and depth to match the visual display.
The headliners for Saturday were The National, a band finally making the step up deservedly after recently releasing their brilliant sixth LP. Opening with Fake Empire it was obvious that this was going to be a special set, Matt Berninger’s deep intoxicating voice was perfect in the love setting, backed up the rest of the six piece band, to provide a wonderful contrast of light and darkness throughout the 90 minute set.
New single Demons and Afraid of Everyone were delivered with a vigour missing on the recorded versions, this was a truly special set. However, it was a long one too, and for anyone not familiar with the band’s material, it may have dragged at times. For their die hard fans however, it drew on all facets of the group’s career, and delivered in stunning renditions supported with beautiful background visuals. It was a chilled out but gorgeous way to finish the second day of this music feast, but the final day offered no shortage of talent to check out. |
Day Three
Sunday, the final mud-riddled, music-packed and hopefully sunshine-filled day of Splendour for 2013. I was super keen to catch Perth moody rockers The Chemist whom I had been really impressed last time I caught them in 2010. Unfortunately the surrounds of the GW Tent didn’t really suit them, and with a disappointing crowd of only 50, their layered sound involving quirky instruments such as chains and maracas fell flat in the early afternoon sun.
I made my way over to the Supertop on a spur of the moment decision to catch Florida’s Surfer Blood, of whom I was completely in the dark about. From about one minute into their set I was pretty happy with my choice; front man John Paul Pitts has a really strong and interesting voice which really drew me in and their sophisticated guitar licks provided a stimulating listen.
Well know hits Miranda and Demon Dance got the biggest reactions from the surprisingly packed audience, Surfer Blood are definitely a band I am determined to listen to more of in the future. I was pretty damn excited to see FIDLAR, Fuck It Dog, Life’s A Risk (an acronym of which they reminded us after almost every song), and it appeared that those in the front rows were too. FIDLAR produced the biggest mosh of the weekend, crowdsurfers, circle pits and fists in the air were the norm. |
The band were tight as anything too, pulling out almost all the cuts from their self-titled debut record, with the climaxes coming in Wait for the Man and Wake Bake Skate, this was a fun but hard, fast and intense performance which proved to be a big success.
Snakadaktal played to what was probably the biggest crowd I witnessed in an overflowing GW Tent. Initially the young five piece seemed nervous and timid, and playing a few unheard tracks from their new album did them no favours with the crowd whose drone of chatter was getting louder and louder. However then Air kicked in and saw an immediate transformation to one of the biggest sing-alongs of the day and the band’s confidence grew from there, peaking with a stunning rendition of Dance Bear which turned their late afternoon set into a triumph.
The band I was the most thrilled to see the whole weekend had to be Everything Everything and they proved that their live performances are just as awesome as their tricky-to-perform and intricate records. Jonathan Higgs’ voice live loses none of its charm, with his falsetto translating very well to the live arena and the heavy drumming and keyboard parts also came alive inside the Mix Up Tent. Duet from latest album Arc was an early set favourite with the crowd, getting involved in clapping, singing and bouncing along enthusiastically. Late hits Kemosabe and Cough Cough topped off what was a brilliantly enjoyable and thoroughly engaging show.
Snakadaktal played to what was probably the biggest crowd I witnessed in an overflowing GW Tent. Initially the young five piece seemed nervous and timid, and playing a few unheard tracks from their new album did them no favours with the crowd whose drone of chatter was getting louder and louder. However then Air kicked in and saw an immediate transformation to one of the biggest sing-alongs of the day and the band’s confidence grew from there, peaking with a stunning rendition of Dance Bear which turned their late afternoon set into a triumph.
The band I was the most thrilled to see the whole weekend had to be Everything Everything and they proved that their live performances are just as awesome as their tricky-to-perform and intricate records. Jonathan Higgs’ voice live loses none of its charm, with his falsetto translating very well to the live arena and the heavy drumming and keyboard parts also came alive inside the Mix Up Tent. Duet from latest album Arc was an early set favourite with the crowd, getting involved in clapping, singing and bouncing along enthusiastically. Late hits Kemosabe and Cough Cough topped off what was a brilliantly enjoyable and thoroughly engaging show.
The Supertop was packed for the “mystery band” which was not really a mystery anymore. However it was still hilarious when Alt-J walked out to Daft Punk background music and told us they were actually Daft Punk and would play Alt-J covers.
Whoever the band was, what we got was a near flawless set of hit after hit from the enormously successful An Awesome Wave. From the bass line in Fitzpleasure to the keyboard melody in Taro, everything was pitch perfect and completely engaging, resulting in an hour of immersive genius from what many are touting as the next Radiohead, a prediction I don’t think is too far off. It was my third time seeing Alt-J and they just get better and better with each return performance. |
To end my night however, I chose a home-grown duo, Australia dance heavyweights The Presets in the Mix Up Tent. The one thing that is immediately apparent is that old songs, and new songs alike all sound a bit flat on the live stage, remixed so they are now more mellow and just plain lifeless. It’s a shame, as the up-for-it crowd becomes pretty disinterested after the first half an hour. Thankfully their biggest hit My People stays true to its recorded version and gets a huge reaction, but unfortunately it’s the only highlight in an otherwise disappointing end to the night.
Overall Splendour was a big success at its new permanent home in North Byron Parklands, the line-up of music was awesome, the grounds were mostly ideal (apart from Mother Nature turning the grass into mud instantly) and the organisation was top notch. I am super excited to see what they come up with next year!
Sebastian Betten
Overall Splendour was a big success at its new permanent home in North Byron Parklands, the line-up of music was awesome, the grounds were mostly ideal (apart from Mother Nature turning the grass into mud instantly) and the organisation was top notch. I am super excited to see what they come up with next year!
Sebastian Betten