Live Review: Day Two - Splendour In The Grass 2018
#TheMusicAtSITG
Pic by Markus Ravik
The temperature dropped but the good vibes continued to roll as punters tried to fight their day two hangovers.
Opening the Amphitheatre, triple j unearthed winners Seaside were a revelation. Hailing from Byron Bay, they started playing to an empty theatre due to some political nonsense preventing punters from descending down the hill. When they finally allowed people down, a loyal smattering of fans and those intrigued by the quartet were treated to a set of hazy, dream pop magic. And a cover of the Pixies’ Hey. Swoon.
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If you found a more fun way to kick off Splendour day two than seeing Haiku Hands at Mix Up stage, than you did well my friend, because these four ski suit clad ladies were epic. What could only be described as a dance concert on steroids, Haiku Hands had the coordinated choreography on lock. The four-piece were bouncing around like nobody’s business, and the crowd were equally happy to join in. Streamers were thrown, a megaphone was literally screamed into and contemporary dancers were even thrown in the mix. Get down to see these ladies, stat - you won't regret it!
When the frontperson of a band is playing on the drums it makes for an interesting introduction to the artist. G Flip; drummer, guitarist, singer and songwriter has been a sensation in the last year and kicked off proceedings on day two at the GW McLennan tent. "This is incredible! It's been a big dream for me," declared Georgia Flipo. For an artist with only two released songs, the crowd almost filled the tent and seemed keen to hear more. Flipo switched it up and changed to guitar at the front of the stage, belying her age, performing confidently on both instruments. Scooting back to the drums again, she introduced us to her kit, which she built herself (another talent!), called Jeromo. Phones were whipped out for Killing My Time and the crowd adulation visibly overwhelmed the young star. It's a set that captured most of the audience as quickly as it lost some of them, but the talented musician (including the backing band of 'Ferntree' and 'Toothpick') has plenty more time to hone a stage show with more songs on hand. A new song, I'm Not Afraid, showed a more developed writing side of G Flip and includes her very own pretty damn sick drum solo. About You closed out an exciting set and a moment to remember for the young talent and the adoring fans.
missed day one?
It hit 1pm down at the Amphitheatre, and The Babe Rainbow came running out on stage, kicking a football into the crowd. Opening with Peace Blossom Boogy, the crowd gathered in front of the stage began to dance around vividly. At first it was upsetting to see so few people along the hillside, but as the set progressed, a massive group of people began to head down the hill to watch the rest of their beautifully magical set. Getting into Love Forever generated perfect feelings for the sunny afternoon.
In what was basically the complete opposite of Haiku Hands, No Mono were up next in the Mix Up tent. The duo made up of Big Scary/#1 Dads’ fame Tom Iansek and Tom Snowdon chose Splendour as the launch pad for their new project, with this being the first time they had performed live. Pulsating synths temper Snowdon’s spine-tingling falsetto as new layers of sound were introduced and taken away as the set slowly rolled on. An unpredictable turn was taken to introduce trap beats and Snowdon took a turn at rapping, before a chilling cover of Unchained Melody closed the set.
WAAX were quiet? Well, quieter than you would expect. But once the guitars were turned up and the band found their groove, hoo boy… Bookended by long hair and thrashing guitars, Maz DeVita paced around the stage and delivered a measured ferocity that quickly filled the GW McLennan tent. With dust clouds circling overhead and a crowdsurfing man in a moon boot, the band tore through a blistering set that could only be topped by the addition of a very special guest. Joined by the one and only Mr Bernard Fanning for a cover of Don't Wanna Be Left Out. WAAX are everything your mother warned you about in the best way possible and while they shredded under a banner reading "I’ve Been Disappointed Lately", we don’t think anyone witnessing this was disappointed. Not one bit.
She dived straight into the title track from her album, I Love You Like A Brother. Alex Lahey didn't waste time with banter. It's ok though because, seriously, every single track is a damn tune. Think of Perth Traumatic Stress Disorder, Let's Call It A Day and Awkward Exchange. Two years after winning the triple j Unearthed competition and opening this very festival, Lahey was playing to a packed dance floor along with a decent number on the hill of the Amphitheatre in the warm afternoon sun. Let's Go Out, from her first EP, still gets the crowd bouncing. Announcing that this is the last show of the I Love You Like A Brother chapter, the crowd responded with enthusiasm and even though she's toured this album extensively and played every major Aussie festival, plus with the feeling that new tracks are around the corner, hearing the old ones one more time was not a bad thing. She's relatable, she's honest and she gives her all on stage. "This is probably one of the best experiences of my whole life," gushes Lahey. We can't wait for the next chapter.
Superorganism were literally the most fun. It’s very hard to put their set into words but basically we just want to be best friends with Orono Noguchi. Choreographed dance moves, a host of weird and cool shit on the screen behind them and a packed out Mix Up Tent all grooving along with them. When presented with the opportunity to do shoey (side note: can someone enlighten us as to why that is still a thing?) Noguchi responded with the correct response of "You want me to drink out of that? That’s fucked up" before eventually taking the bait and placing her cider can inside the shoe for maximum effect, minimum tinea. Thanking the crowd for letting her live out her dream of becoming Florence + The Machine, Noguchi is cool. The set was cool. Superorganism are cool.
Alex The Astronaut was channelling innocent, angelic vibes dressed in all white at GW McLennan. Alex Lynn was in the company of friends, having enlisted Lindy Morrison from The Go-Betweens on drums and Jen Boyce of Ball Park Music fame on bass to play a delightful set. Commentating between songs with cute charisma, Alex informed us that her mum and dad were here to see her, before she brought out Stella Donnelly to do an acoustic cover of Jimmy Eat World’s The Middle. A new song was debuted called Waste Of Time, which she wrote about her girlfriend (awkward). Before playing Already Home, the song that got her here, she graciously thanked her manager and congratulated them on their wedding anniversary.
They may call it the Tiny Dancer stage, but Sydney’s B Wise generates applause surely loud enough to reach even the Amphitheatre. While the bass levels of some tracks were a little too beefy for the mix to handle, there were so many people dancing and rapping along that the issue resolved quickly without too many noticing.
Amy Shark took to the Amphitheatre stage staring into the lowering sun. With a fresh debut album, Love Monster, under her belt, she took the opportunity to perform Don't Turn Around and I Got You early. "It's 4pm on a Saturday afternoon. I think we should dance," she told the crowd. Blood Brothers inspires a wave of singing and dancing, but it's definitely just low-key swaying to the majority of her songs. Announcing that her track, Psycho, is a very personal track and that she “did try” to get her duet partner Mark Hoppus to come to Splendour, she performed it solo on an acoustic guitar beautifully. After performing with her full band on a couple more album tracks, she reaches for the acoustic again and treats the crowd to a very cool version of Teenage Dirtbag. Grinning widely she reveals, “I have a guitar tech now… that's pretty cool!” The moment that captured the entire Amphitheatre was the announcement that Shark found out, just before coming stage, that her debut album had reached #1 on the ARIA Albums Chart. Holding back tears and visibly emotional, she performed, as she described, “The biggest fuck you song I’ve ever written", I Said Hi. From obscurity to a huge stage within four years. A setting sun, thousands of people singing your lyrics and inflatable sharks; these are the Splendour moments that artists and fans will never forget.
Lewis Capaldi was all self-depreciating humour and Scottish charm over at GW McLennan. Only a small crowd turned out to hear his self-described "depressing" songs, which was criminal, as this Scot was excellent. Informing us that he was suffering a sinus infection and lack of sleep due to a fear of spiders, Capaldi performed Rush like it was on record. A new upbeat track was thrown in to break up the sad songs, but it was Bruises that really solidified his superstar potential. The chorus left us and him a little bit breathless – his vocals were magnificent, transcendent, as the sun set. The band broke away and a crowd singalong embellished the end of the set perfectly. Capaldi told us to tell our friends if we enjoyed his set, and to tell no one if we didn’t – we think we know which we’ll be doing…
Once the sun set, it started to get cold, really cold. Over at the Mix Up tent, one of Australia's best DJs, Anna Lunoe, was doing her part in warming up the crowd. Selecting her own tracks, including Stomper and collab track, I Can’t Hold On, and a pulsating mix of house and trap numbers, Lunoe clearly has a knack for delivering festival-ready bangers. Combined with her venturing to the front of the stage to hype the crowd, there was a real feeling of euphoria going on, setting the scene for a huge night of music. A guest appearance from Nina Las Vegas on stage for a dance encouraged the crowd even more, but ultimately it was good to see such a great reaction to a DJ that is going gang-busters overseas and hasn’t received the same sort of attention in her own country. Non-stop beats, bangers and breathtaking drops; night two had arrived.
There was huge anticipation for Methyl Ethel along the hillside of the Amphitheatre stage, they’re the act known for bringing the weirdest out of people on the dance floor, and damn could they do just that. With distorted camera visuals accompanying the layers and layers of modulation through each instrument of the band, the crowd uplifted the excitement with every bar. And as frontman Jake Webb delved into a fuzzy, chorus-y guitar solo, the cameras flick to a gorgeous distorted yellow. They generated the crowds voices with Twilight Driving, and as they sung the words “Why’d you have to go and cut your hair?” in 2017 single Ubu, the crowd’s dancing and jumping around was in perfect sync.
Running in between sets to The Forum, comedian Tim Hewitt brought the realities of Splendour into a humorous analysis of “glitter girls” and how disgustingly easy it is to find an undercover cop in a Dune Rats moshpit. Even staying in the tent to watch a few minutes of this set brought the audience to tears of almost uncontrollable laughter, a sure great way of passing time between other events of the day.
Melbourne duo Ara Koufax were a hard sell at Tiny Dancer, competing with Anna Lunoe right next door at Mix Up. However, they didn’t seem to mind, and were happy to do their own thing while festival-goers moved in and out of the tent. The duo were set up facing each other, collaborating to produce a spacey, pulsing club mix, with a graphic backdrop to match. En route from Anna Lunoe to Gang Of Youths people stopped by to have a boogie.
Fresh off the road of an American tour, All Our Exes Live In Texas opened with a casual, “Hey mates, are you ready to feel some shit?” And we were indeed ready to feel it. Folky, wholesome worldly goodness, complete with an accordion, the harmonies of the four singer-songwriters are just plain gorgeous. We don’t know what happened in Texas but we sure are glad it did if this is the end product.
For those who were not interested in ogling David Le’aupepe and preferred to cut shapes on the dancefloor, Carmada By LDRU & Yahtzel were tearing up Mix Up stage. The competition with Gang Of Youths was fierce, and coupled with Drew Malcolm’s recent spinal cord injury, the duo could have been in a better position. But they took it in their stride, not wanting to disappoint on their first and only time they performed a live showcase of all three individual projects. The set was solid and wall to wall with danceable tracks. It was definitely getting sweaty in the tent, despite the icy temperatures outside.
Whenever people were asked who they wanted to see on day two, the repeated answer seemed to be Gang Of Youths. The Sydney band, who reside and tour overseas more often than not recently, returned to Splendour with double the songs and double the crowd to go with it. A fresh hair-style for Dave Le’aupepe may have disappointed some of his fans, but the music certainly did not. Starting with the frenetic What Can I Do When The Fire Goes Out?, Le’aupepe traversed the stage like a wild man, banging his chest and yelling out to the crowd. Atlas Drowned is a little more subdued for a second song, but when we found out the Le’aupepe’s father, who was supposed to be there, was unwell in hospital, The Heart Is A Muscle took on extra special meaning. Let Me Down Easy saw thousands of people trying to remember all of the damn amazing lyrics, but for the few that knew them out, they belted them out with gusto to match the lead singer’s baritone. Magnolia saw Le’aupepe jump off the stage and fall into the crowd, letting dozens of hands carry him as he continued to sing. A song that the band debuted at the same festival two years earlier took on new meaning for Le’aupepe, revealing that embracing fear and battling the real-time terrors of life are still a regular challenge, before playing a stunning rendition of The Deepest Sighs, The Frankest Shadows. The set was tight, although sadly a little short and the band didn’t miss a beat. The crowd response was simply massive and evidenced the fact that the Gangers are stepping up to the mantle of Australia’s biggest band very quickly. Say Yes To Life completed the show along with massive spurts of streamers and snow-like confetti. A big national tour awaits the band and the promise of huge high-energy shows.
They’ve gained immense popularity over the last 12 months, and within minutes the GW McLennan tent completely packed out and beyond for Ocean Alley. Opening with The Comedown, the crowd began to dance and sing slowly along. The production of the set was a marvel too, with lights flickering with every big beat, especially during Yellow Mellow, there were consistent captivating sights. One thing that ruined the beauty of this set though were several fans acting severely inappropriately. Whether it was unwanted physical contact or fans pushing and shoving to get to the front row, they really let down both the band and people trying to enjoy the set.
Franz bloody Ferdinand recently made news after getting the ol’ noise complaint, courtesy of Massive Attack at a recent festival in Europe. Safe to say, that only worked to increase our expectations exponentially, and boy, oh, boy were we not let down. A crowd member quipped that frontman Alex Kapranos either looks really good for his age if he’s in his 40s or a bit worse for wear if he’s in his 30s. He’s 46 and this isn’t Franz’s first time at the rodeo. As Glaswegian mod-art-rock found its home in the Amphitheatre, we all stomped along with Kapranos as the iconic riff was broadcasted out live in stereo. Just take me out already, Kapranos.
As the temperature started to plummet, staying warm with bodies was the best bet to avoid hypothermia in your (sometimes skimpy) festival getup. Luckily the GW McLennan provided a massive amount of bodies to share heat with. The Jungle Giants started with a newer one, On Your Way Down, before jumping right into an older crowd favourite She’s A Riot. The hands were now warm, the legs were getting there with all of the bouncing and the crowd’s voices were certainly heating up. The set transitioned between old and new and despite there being a few lulls in the hour-long set, the crowd were willing to wait them out for the bangers. "Let's fucking party tonight!" declared the freshly balded Sam Hales before kicking into Used To Be In Love. It was worth noting that the crowd numbers of the band were simply enormous, prompting questions as to why they were performing on the smaller stage. With clearly a huge fan base and a late timeslot, they proved to be the group that made walking past the GW McLennan tent a challenge. Feel The Way I Do closed out a triumphantly joyous set for the Brisbane group.
Running over to the Mix Up tent, Los Angeles rapper Lil Xan was welcomed on stage by a fairly big audience. He exclaimed proudly that he loves Australia, and showed off his several packets of Skittles alongside the decks. Even if people within the crowd didn’t know the lyrics, there was still an overwhelming sense of enjoyment, and a spectacular display of lights and sound effects to go along with it.
Scottish synth-pop sweethearts CHVRCHES didn’t disappoint. The not-so-secret weapon, Lauren Mayberry, took charge of the stage, delivering each line with enthusiasm and power. Choosing to suffer like much of the crowd with our poor planned, unwarm outfits, she removed her jacket and warmed us up with Miracle and Recover. Newer tracks went off without a hitch, and Mayberry’s voice soared across the Amphitheatre, with the adoring crowd singing and dancing along in worship and awe. Older tracks Leave A Trace and The Mother We Share were definite highlights, but Never Say Die resulted in a triumphant singalong to end to the glistening, glitchy set.
When the same tent was full to the brim with young punters just half an hour earlier, it’s hard to believe that they’d all departed to allow a more senior collection of fans, of which there were considerable, to assemble with a lot more space in between for a very different sort of Splendour show. Ben Harper, usually accustomed to playing at another festival down the road, was accompanied on this show by the legendary blues musician, Charlie Musselwhite. Harper started off with Movin’ On and we straight away got the feel for what to expect from the show. This was a blues show, pure and simple. No Ben Harper tracks to be seen, but very well performed songs from an outstanding band. "We've got the blues out here tonight, I ain't lying!" announced Musselwhite as he proceeded to take over the reins with The Blues Overtook Me. The harmonica playing master was a wonder to behold and his solos were out of this world. The set was something really different for Splendour In The Grass, and it was an excellent alternative for the more contemporary crowd to indulge in.
The curtains were opened early to reveal the production setup for South Australia’s Hilltop Hoods at the Mix Up tent. With several screens in place in different parts of the stage, it was obvious this was one set that’s about to blow minds. As the lights faded to black, the crowd lifted in an applauding roar as the drum and wind section kicked in. And then something amazing happened, the familiar tunes of both Chase That Feeling and The Nosebleed Section kicked in, and everyone – literally everyone – is dancing and rapping along as Hilltop Hoods emerge onto the stage in a huge display of lights, and the firing of confetti cannons. Before getting into tracks, and even stopping a few midway, the Hoods got the crowd along the security barrier to move back so that everyone could safely enjoy the show. And while they were waiting for things to look better, a few members of the crowd decide to ridicule the moment by singing the chorus of Bruce Channel’s Hey Baby. After the crowd stops, Hilltop Hoods finally got back into their set with I Love It. No headlining stage set would have been completed without a feature of some kind, and coming out on stage to join them for Won’t Let You Down is Ruel to sing the hooks. Having the crowd finish the song themselves with the chorus created a wondrously precious moment. And then straight afterward, Hilltop Hoods announced their next guest Montaigne for 1955, and just like the studio track, the act delivered the track so incredibly, and even let the crowd have their moments. They called out yet another guest, Adrian Eagle, to join them for Clark Griswold, Live & Let Go and Higher. There was a pause for a moment, and as lighters and phone torches filled the tent, Hilltop Hoods dropped it down to a somber level with Through The Dark and I’m A Ghost. Getting the crowd to chant along to the tune, they got into their final track Cosby Sweater, and played the chorus several times as several guests come out to freestyle – including Adrian Eagle, Montaigne, Ruel, Drapht, AB Original and a few others too hard to see from the jumping crowd. But after getting into that chorus at least another six times, the set that should’ve gone on forever had finally come to a close.
The turnout for Canadian singer songwriter turned Byron Bay local, Garrett Kato, was small but devoted at World Stage. With a full band in tow, this folk singer had some toe-tapping earworms to give. Most of his tracks could be described as groovy yet calm, and in a live setting they were slick but warm – just what was needed if you weren’t crammed in the Amphitheatre.
Working through a set of classics with an adoring crowd serving as a drunk backing choir, Vampire Weekend had such a clean, natural sound in the Amphitheatre. It’s impossible not to be transported back and relive all the hype their debut carried, as a set full of enduring and absolute classic indie tunes was delivered with such charming precision. Swooning over Ezra Koenig’s New York cool, each track was met with adoration from the crowd; another “I love this song”, another mass singalong. Oh, Ezra. Oh, Vampire Weekend. Oh, Splendour In The Grass.
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