Live Review: Splendour In The Grass

FRIDAY

Boy & Bear were clearly getting comfortable with the festival stage, and complimenting that fact was the positive Australiana folk vibe they sent via several new tunes from their forthcoming album, Harlequin Dream. Feeding Line is made for the festival stage.

You Am I have been doing this for a while, and what better way to continue their 20-plus years as a band than to revisit the iconic songs of their hallmark debut album, Sound As Ever, before a contingent of loyal fans and a surprising smattering of kids (who would have been born around the time the album first came out). Pete Doherty of Babyshambles was a delight to behold, and so were the songs his rotating roster of bandmates played along to. TV On The Radio proved they still have what it takes to get the party started and their opener, Halfway Home, was a splendid way to begin a near flawless set, the bass a bottom-end well rounded and as big as Kyp Malone's afro/beard combo.

SATURDAY

Palma Violets frontman Sam Fryer is either a 'screamy' dude, or the sound guy was a bit tone deaf, but the London-based band's early slot didn't prevent them from generating a very positive response from the crowd gathered, and their indie rock was a great way to kick things off for the day. Violent Soho showed they still matter, playing a set that sounded great on the main stage. Thrashing it out from start to finish, Jesus Stole My Girlfriend was of particular note during a set that was a heap of fun. Something For Kate are another band not afraid of the festival stage and they proved they can still control the stage and the souls of their fans, thanks to a great rendition of Hallways.

Visiting from their current base in London, Cloud Control played the mud-soaked GW McLennan stage and looked like they were glad to be home. The band seemed to be enjoying their mini-homecoming in the lead-up to the release of their second album, Dream Cave. Despite sound issue complaints, Cold War Kids still owned their slot, with frontman Nathan Willett showing why he is one of the most talented (and angry) musicians currently active.

Empire Of The Sun are the closest we will ever get to another Sleepy Jackson album and so one has got to make do with Luke Steele's other band. Flamboyance and flair ruled the night and the crowd relished the electro pop from start to finish. The National were a very fitting way to close things out on the main stage, with their morose, melancholic music sounding equal parts dark, but great all the same. Singer Matt Berninger also looked like the songs his band plays, embracing the foreboding frontman tag he had come to the festival to play.

SUNDAY

Surfer Blood made a welcome return to Australia and their first Splendour show was a heap of fun, despite there being a patchy crowd, which slowly filled out midway through a heavy set. Some vocal problems again marred the sound on the main stage, but that didn't prevent front guy John Paul Pitts squeezing his way through the crowd during the song Twin Peaks, to get on touching terms with his people.

Fidlar were the surprise band of the festival and one of those finds you will be remembering for a while. The band's own type of garage was mixed with California punk and lo-fi surf. Irish newcomers Little Green Cars received a very warm reception thanks to some grandiose, layered pop and the indicators are they will be soon moving on to bigger and better things judging by the warm fuzzies that the audience were giving one another.

Underrated, but still kickin', The Bamboos were pleasing to the ear, with a show that was a notable departure from their funk roots, but still fun if you've managed to travel with them to this point. A couple of guest vocalists, which included the well-respected Kylie Auldist, was a fine afternoon treat. Airbourne are still valid and frontman Joel O'Keeffe's one-vocal-volume during and between songs (extreme) had fists in the air. The novelty started to wear off after a while, but it's hard not to appreciate a bunch of sweaty, hairy Aussie pub rockers.

Lorde was on many people's lips as the act to watch and, at 16-years-old, she has the stage-presence of a seasoned veteran. Surpassing expectations, her haunting and beautiful performance will surely be one of the most talked-about acts at any Splendour show for years to come. Gurrumul was exceptional as expected. His backing band complemented his performance perfectly and one couldn't help but feel the love generated by this amazing and very humble Indigenous musician.

Hermitude played one of the better electro/dub sets of the festival and were rewarded with an euphoric reception, particularly for the single, Speak Of The Devil, late in their set, which sent the crowd into a flurry. Another national treasure, The Drones have never played a shit set and it was the same for their Splendour show. Songs like Laika and Shark Fin Blues were both mesmerising in their delivery and the entire set proved Gareth Liddiard to be drunkest man who ever played guitar like the devil.

Passion Pit were engineered to perform for big crowds, and they delivered on several levels, showing their appreciation at every opportunity and the crowds in return embracing their music. Their set was a great way to see out an otherwise successful festival.

Adam Wilding

The weather gods were listening as the first day dawned with brilliant sunshine for the 13th annual Splendour In The Grass Festival. Flower garlands adorned multiple heads as gumboots did feet and the promise of delights to come was sweet. It was a rocky start for those relying on public transport to get to the new site at North Byron Parklands, as a 45-minute trip turned into three hours with epic queues and a severe lack of staffing saw the police manning the bus lines.

Despite this, spirits were high and the fresh mud glistened. Daughter was a warm welcome to a massive and appreciative crowd with progressive guitar-driven tunes and dreamy vocals. Unknown Mortal Orchestra upped the notch with their cruisy surfer rock that had a packed tent grooving. The spongy ground made dancing a treacherous sport, but there was always a friendly hand ready to help.

The day was a slow burner, with a relatively chilled vibe that built as the sun went down but never really exploded. HAIM were a daytime highlight that had a sea of arms in the air with their bouncy rhythms and driving bass. The three-lady front line blended nicely in harmonies and fiery energy. Clairy Browne & The Bangin' Rackettes oozed sass as they dished up some delectable soul and funk. Voluptuous in a sequined corset, Browne impressed with her diva vocals but it was the back-up singers who stole the show as they let loose with an array of saucy synchronised moves. The icing on the cake was the deep growl of some earthy bass-sax solos that had the crowd dirty dancing like it was going out of fashion. Portugal. The Man delivered a seamless set as each song melted into the next and a slow head-banging pulse had the crowd moving as one. Darwin Deez were entertaining with their stomp-the-yard style body percussion, but their music seemed to lack vigour, which was disappointing, particularly for the dinner time slot.

You Am I performed their first album, Sound As Ever, to the delight of some hardcore fans that spanned all ages. The rest of the crowd seemed to take a little longer to warm up, but eventually the infectious energy of the guys on stage won out. The Mix-up tent became a fast favourite for those looking to dance the night away as Flight Facilities filled the space with soaring vocals, pumping beats and a sparkly lightshow thanks to some giant disco balls. Foreign Language and Clair De Lune came to life as guest singers took to the stage and the crowd burst the seams of the tent to dance in the fields.

TV On The Radio were a hands-down highlight with a ferocious energy that was unrivalled across the day. The tent was seething with rocking bodies and Repetition was an excellent closer. The Klaxons set got progressively heavier as the distortion ramped up and the drums thundered; however, the crowd was surprising, a little thin on the ground. Architecture In Helsinki were relatively chilled for most of their set, with a small pick-up at the end that was too little too late. However, their reggae cover of Tame Impala's Feels Like We Only Go Backwards was fun. Closing day one were English folk rockers Mumford & Sons. The crowd was jam-packed and enthusiastic but some long delays between songs let the momentum slide. Despite this the crowd jumped in unison and belted out the lyrics to I Will Wait amongst a number of other hits.

Unfortunately a great first day was severely dampened by a completely inadequate transport system. The morning's bus woes were repeated as thousands of people queued in the cold for up to three hours to get a bus offsite. There were moshpit-style crushes as people fought desperately to get on the sporadic buses and there was also a notable lack of security to manage the increasingly frustrated crowd. It was a disappointing fizzer to end the day. Thankfully some lessons were learned overnight and transport ran much more smoothly on day two. Sydney boys Jagwar Ma were an excellent intro into another sparkling day. Their cruisy beats and reverb-drenched vocals were the perfect grooving soundtrack. Jake Bugg also had the people moving with his country-flavoured indie-rock, which was energetic and uplifting. Chet Faker pulled a massive crowd and did not disappoint. Hit after hit saw a unified chorus of voices and bodies grooving in the afternoon sun.

MS MR raised the intensity with thundering drums and Lizzy Plapinger's powerful vocals. The energy and admiration flowing from the crowd seemed to overwhelm Plapinger, who lost herself to fits of giggles more than once, but her smile and dance moves were infectious. Cloud Control were also impressive and inspired a mass singalong to Gold Canary and There's Nothing In The Water We Can't Fight. Their harmonies were tight and their melodies joyous. Flume was the highlight of the day with a golden set that had an insane dancefloor and light show to match. Steam was pouring out of the tent as lights and lasers whipped the crowd into a frenzy and fat beats had bodies pulsing. Sleepless and Holdin On had the crowd singing along, but when Chet Faker joined Flume on stage it took the cake and the cheer was deafening.

Overall, apart from the transport teething problems the festival was a great success. Although Frank Ocean's surprise absence was a shame, young New Zealand songstress Lorde was great late addition and wowed the crowd with her confidence and sleek delivery.

Alex Hardy