Splendour in the Grass (Day One) @ Woodfordia, Woodford QLD (30/07/2011)
For the second year in a row the new home of Splendour in the Grass at Woodford played host to a stellar line-up of home-grown and international acts. Splendour has become Australia’s premier multi-day camping festival and has grown from strength to strength in its 11 years with this year featuring headlining sets from international heavyweights Kanye West, Janes Addiction and Coldplay. This reviewer, being a Splendour virgin, made the trek up from Brisbane to check out the Friday action.
I arrived at Woodfordia in time to catch the last few tracks of the opening act at the Amphitheatre, Triple J’s unearthed winners Millions. They had pulled a surprisingly large crowd, with the mosh pit almost full and the numerous punters lining the hill. They played a tight indie pop set and got the crowd clapping along. The most impressive part of the set had to be the vocalist with his strong and attractive voice transferring well to the imposing large outdoor stage.
Next up was US singer songwriter Marques Toliver, whom I was particularly excited to see after watching his incredible Jools Holland performance on YouTube. Arriving at the GW McLennan Tent, there were only 20 or so people in attendance for the start of the set but throughout the 45 minutes, the crowd grew as curious punters were lured in by his wonderfully rich and soaring voice. It was a truly magical set with the audience captivated by Toliver’s intricate electric harp, xylophone and violin playing. Finishing with White Sails, he was given a rousing applause and had definitely won over a new set of fans.
Wondering up to Amphitheatre again, I am met with a huge crowd lapping up the upbeat indie folk tunes of Jinja Safari. After winning the unearthed competition for Splendour last year, they are back with a year’s experience and an array of new tunes at their arsenal. Front men Marcus Azon and Pepa Knight had the crowd in the palm of their hands, even going as far as to jump into the mosh for a crowd surf at the end of their set. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable set which sounded fantastic from up on the hill.
Back to the GW McLennan Tent and Kimbra was looking splendid indeed in a bright blue 60’s style dress. Her delightful pop tunes had the tent full to bursting and she was backed by a four piece band which gave her a richer, fuller sound than on record. Singles Cameo Lover and Settle Down were highlights of a fun and quirky set by the songstress.
Jebediah have made a welcome return to the Australian music scene after a five year hiatus, so the Amphitheatre was packed with many festival goers keen to see if they still had it. Unfortunately the band came over a bit flat and lacking energy. While older hits such as the classic Leaving Home received a warm reception from the crowd, the newer material from latest album Kosciusko seemed to fall on deaf ears, getting lost in the vastness of the arena.
Leaving the Amphitheatre I decided to check out some of the other offerings of Splendour. At the Forum Tent a small crowd had turned out to play music trivia with the boys from Eskimo Joe and Grinspoon. It was a light hearted event and a nice change of scenery. There is also a variety of foods available from the delicious Byron Bay Doughnuts to awesome food and music at La Cantina Mexico. Another feature of Splendour is the vast array of art and markets, the avid shopper could get lost in there for hours. But I decided to head to the Mix-Up tent for some dub-step.
Having his debut album hyped to the max by the worldwide music press, there was much expectation for James Blake’s set with the mix-up tent close to full when he entered the stage. However, there wasn’t much interest from the crowd for the first few album songs. It wasn’t until he dropped his cover of Feist’s Limit to You Love that everyone started to get into the set. From there on it was a respectable set with the highlight being the massive hit The Wilhelm Scream. James Blake performed well however he wasn’t really suited to a mid-afternoon festival slot and I think a smaller indoor venue, much like the ones he is doing sideshows in whilst performing in Australia, would be a much more impressive setting.
I had been looking forward to Scottish rockers Glasvegas’s first Australian festival performance after being impressed by their recently released second album, Euphoric Heartbreak. However, disappointingly, they obviously had technical problems and were 15 minutes late for their 4:30pm slot of the Amphitheatre stage. The problems continued when they arrives with the volume being unusually quiet for the first half of their set. But when they fixed their issues, older hits Geraldine and Daddy’s Gone turned into massive sing-along’s with the crowd.
Eskimo Joe strutted onto the stage and opened with a fantastic version of Sarah. From then on it the Perth rockers played a string of hits which got the best crowd reactions of the day so far. They had the best sound of the day so far and played with heaps of energy. Frontman Kav Temperley (as is now tradition) ignored the pleas of the crowd to play fan favourite Sweater, instead providing us with a flurry of hits including From the Sea and Black Fingernails, Red Wine as well as new single Love is a Drug.
By the time Modest Mouse had walked onto the stage, the amphitheatre was packed and eagerly awaiting the evening’s stellar line up of acts. Playing through a hit heavy set , focusing on material from their two most recent LP’s, there was limited banter as the band got on with the show, a stark contrast to the reports of the bands lackluster sideshows the previous week. There were mass sing-alongs for hits Dashboard and Float On, in what was a solid, but unspectacular set.
The Hives are known for their outrageous live shows and the crazy Swedes didn’t disappoint. Opening with the one-two punch of Come on and Main Offender, it was clear from the outset that Pelle Almqvist and his band mates had brought their A-Game to Splendour. Keeping the crowd roused up between songs, the band played a career spanning set, including the first airing of material from their forthcoming album. Finishing on the high of Tick Tick Boom, The Hives had the crowd in raptures in what was a fantastically sounding and full of energy set.
But it was Kanye West that the crowd had to come to see. With rumours floating throughout the day of a possible guest appearance from Jay Z, the atmosphere was electric. What was hiding behind the backdrop curtains? Would the entrance be as spectacular as Coachella?
Opening with a chorus of dancers on the stage, every eye was riveted to the side of stage, wanting to catch the first glimpse of the man. But instead he chose to arrive in spectacular fashion, on a lift rising up into the middle of the crowd during the opening notes of Dark Fantasy. From there the backdrop was lifted and a mural of Greek Goddesses was revealed. From then on it was the kind of fantastic performance that everyone had expected from the man dressed white. With an infamous reputation for his large ego, it was surprising when Kanye first addressed the audience with, “I’m lost for words, this crowd is amazing”. The massive crowd brought a fantastic atmosphere to the gig as hit after hit were rolled out including Stronger, Gold Digger and an extended version of Runaway. Leaving the stage briefly, Kanye returned for a contrastingly subdued encore of Lost in the World and finished with a moving tribute to Amy Winehouse of Hey Mama.
It was a fantastic ending to an awesome opening day of the 11th Splendour festival, and proved why it has turned into one of Australia’s premier live music events.
Sebastian Betten
I arrived at Woodfordia in time to catch the last few tracks of the opening act at the Amphitheatre, Triple J’s unearthed winners Millions. They had pulled a surprisingly large crowd, with the mosh pit almost full and the numerous punters lining the hill. They played a tight indie pop set and got the crowd clapping along. The most impressive part of the set had to be the vocalist with his strong and attractive voice transferring well to the imposing large outdoor stage.
Next up was US singer songwriter Marques Toliver, whom I was particularly excited to see after watching his incredible Jools Holland performance on YouTube. Arriving at the GW McLennan Tent, there were only 20 or so people in attendance for the start of the set but throughout the 45 minutes, the crowd grew as curious punters were lured in by his wonderfully rich and soaring voice. It was a truly magical set with the audience captivated by Toliver’s intricate electric harp, xylophone and violin playing. Finishing with White Sails, he was given a rousing applause and had definitely won over a new set of fans.
Wondering up to Amphitheatre again, I am met with a huge crowd lapping up the upbeat indie folk tunes of Jinja Safari. After winning the unearthed competition for Splendour last year, they are back with a year’s experience and an array of new tunes at their arsenal. Front men Marcus Azon and Pepa Knight had the crowd in the palm of their hands, even going as far as to jump into the mosh for a crowd surf at the end of their set. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable set which sounded fantastic from up on the hill.
Back to the GW McLennan Tent and Kimbra was looking splendid indeed in a bright blue 60’s style dress. Her delightful pop tunes had the tent full to bursting and she was backed by a four piece band which gave her a richer, fuller sound than on record. Singles Cameo Lover and Settle Down were highlights of a fun and quirky set by the songstress.
Jebediah have made a welcome return to the Australian music scene after a five year hiatus, so the Amphitheatre was packed with many festival goers keen to see if they still had it. Unfortunately the band came over a bit flat and lacking energy. While older hits such as the classic Leaving Home received a warm reception from the crowd, the newer material from latest album Kosciusko seemed to fall on deaf ears, getting lost in the vastness of the arena.
Leaving the Amphitheatre I decided to check out some of the other offerings of Splendour. At the Forum Tent a small crowd had turned out to play music trivia with the boys from Eskimo Joe and Grinspoon. It was a light hearted event and a nice change of scenery. There is also a variety of foods available from the delicious Byron Bay Doughnuts to awesome food and music at La Cantina Mexico. Another feature of Splendour is the vast array of art and markets, the avid shopper could get lost in there for hours. But I decided to head to the Mix-Up tent for some dub-step.
Having his debut album hyped to the max by the worldwide music press, there was much expectation for James Blake’s set with the mix-up tent close to full when he entered the stage. However, there wasn’t much interest from the crowd for the first few album songs. It wasn’t until he dropped his cover of Feist’s Limit to You Love that everyone started to get into the set. From there on it was a respectable set with the highlight being the massive hit The Wilhelm Scream. James Blake performed well however he wasn’t really suited to a mid-afternoon festival slot and I think a smaller indoor venue, much like the ones he is doing sideshows in whilst performing in Australia, would be a much more impressive setting.
I had been looking forward to Scottish rockers Glasvegas’s first Australian festival performance after being impressed by their recently released second album, Euphoric Heartbreak. However, disappointingly, they obviously had technical problems and were 15 minutes late for their 4:30pm slot of the Amphitheatre stage. The problems continued when they arrives with the volume being unusually quiet for the first half of their set. But when they fixed their issues, older hits Geraldine and Daddy’s Gone turned into massive sing-along’s with the crowd.
Eskimo Joe strutted onto the stage and opened with a fantastic version of Sarah. From then on it the Perth rockers played a string of hits which got the best crowd reactions of the day so far. They had the best sound of the day so far and played with heaps of energy. Frontman Kav Temperley (as is now tradition) ignored the pleas of the crowd to play fan favourite Sweater, instead providing us with a flurry of hits including From the Sea and Black Fingernails, Red Wine as well as new single Love is a Drug.
By the time Modest Mouse had walked onto the stage, the amphitheatre was packed and eagerly awaiting the evening’s stellar line up of acts. Playing through a hit heavy set , focusing on material from their two most recent LP’s, there was limited banter as the band got on with the show, a stark contrast to the reports of the bands lackluster sideshows the previous week. There were mass sing-alongs for hits Dashboard and Float On, in what was a solid, but unspectacular set.
The Hives are known for their outrageous live shows and the crazy Swedes didn’t disappoint. Opening with the one-two punch of Come on and Main Offender, it was clear from the outset that Pelle Almqvist and his band mates had brought their A-Game to Splendour. Keeping the crowd roused up between songs, the band played a career spanning set, including the first airing of material from their forthcoming album. Finishing on the high of Tick Tick Boom, The Hives had the crowd in raptures in what was a fantastically sounding and full of energy set.
But it was Kanye West that the crowd had to come to see. With rumours floating throughout the day of a possible guest appearance from Jay Z, the atmosphere was electric. What was hiding behind the backdrop curtains? Would the entrance be as spectacular as Coachella?
Opening with a chorus of dancers on the stage, every eye was riveted to the side of stage, wanting to catch the first glimpse of the man. But instead he chose to arrive in spectacular fashion, on a lift rising up into the middle of the crowd during the opening notes of Dark Fantasy. From there the backdrop was lifted and a mural of Greek Goddesses was revealed. From then on it was the kind of fantastic performance that everyone had expected from the man dressed white. With an infamous reputation for his large ego, it was surprising when Kanye first addressed the audience with, “I’m lost for words, this crowd is amazing”. The massive crowd brought a fantastic atmosphere to the gig as hit after hit were rolled out including Stronger, Gold Digger and an extended version of Runaway. Leaving the stage briefly, Kanye returned for a contrastingly subdued encore of Lost in the World and finished with a moving tribute to Amy Winehouse of Hey Mama.
It was a fantastic ending to an awesome opening day of the 11th Splendour festival, and proved why it has turned into one of Australia’s premier live music events.
Sebastian Betten