Splendour Day Three: Another Chapter In The Book Of Revelations

Thoughts on the final day of Splendour In The Grass 2013.

Mitch Knox: Revelations Of Splendour

Camping festivals really do bring out the best in people. For the most part, everyone you come across is likely to be super friendly, really helpful and just ultra stoked to be there. Friendships are forged that can last for a beer, a set or, if you're really lucky, the entire festival and beyond; armies of strangers unite to aid cars that have become painfully bogged; ties form with your temporary neighbours as you all seek shelter from the afternoon sun back at your tents and bond over the day's adventures… It's really a reaffirming experience.

I have to say, I have felt firsthand the fundamental goodness of other people multiple times throughout the past few days. After an overnight downpour left my tent more floating than standing this morning, and the (empty) threat of more rain from dark clouds above hung over my head, I decided to make early, short work of pulling down shop. Once I'd emptied the tent and deposited my gear in the car, I started deconstruction only for a random passerby to offer to help me with dismantling my sodden shelter. That's what I mean – he didn't have to; there was absolutely no obligation for him to pitch in and get dirty, but he saw someone who looked like they could use a hand and hooked right in. And, in hindsight, I really didn't fairly describe the drunken good Samaritans who did exactly the same thing when I was setting up on Thursday night. Yes, they were borderline paralytic, but the gesture was sincere, and greatly appreciated, and I feel bad that I didn't give them the credit or appreciation in print that I did to their faces and that they honestly deserve. It's amazing how a shitty day and mental and physical exhaustion can unfairly colour your recollections. But now, in a much better frame of mind, I wanted to take this chance to make amends for it. So, to the three really very wonderful people who lent this grouch their much-needed services on that dark, rainy night (and the guy who pitched in today): thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

With my campsite all packed up, I headed in to the festival grounds to grab a coffee to help properly jolt me into the final day of festivities. I love walking through Splendour early in the morning. Sure, it really doesn't come alive until the place is almost bursting with people, but there's something incredibly serene and rewarding about walking easily through tree-lined thoroughfares, seeing the Very Small Mall wake up as shipping containers transform into mobile commerce outlets, and being one in a crowd of a few hundred instead of tens of thousands. It's also a good opportunity to get some piping fresh food with minimal line waits. And, boy, if Splendour does one thing even better than bands, it's food and (non-alcoholic) drinks. Tastes and aromas from around the globe abound: Hungarian, Turkish, pan-Asian, Mexican, Indian, German; coffee, chai, homemade ginger ale, sweet life-giving coffee, Belgian hot chocolate, coffee, fresh lemonade, iced coffee… you name it, it's there to consume, and so much of the food side of things is not your typical festival grease feast. It's such a welcome, comforting feature of these three days, away from any real kitchen of your own and nightly screenings of MasterChef.

Now, before we talk music – since it was kind of a subdued day on that front from my standpoint anyway – I have some terrible news: those Amish folk, with their goats and barn and working of the land, turned out not to really be Amish folk. Do you know how gutted I was to find out they were actors/performance artists? I had a real, humanising moment yesterday watching those guys. I felt things about it, but I also got played by a little girl. If I'd known it was all just a big performance (I see you on your smartphone, you gloriously-bearded fraud), it wouldn't have been anywhere near as affecting. But I'm determined not to let this development cheapen the experience. And, in my defence, those guys were method as shit. You'd have bought it too, I swear to God.

The patient wait. Pic by Mitch Knox

On the bands front (check our reviews for a full rundown), my personal highlight came early, in the form of Sydney/London electronic rock trio PVT. And while it truly was a great set, and the members gave it everything they had, the crowd simply lacked the energy to make it something really special. Such is the peril of playing late in the festival and early in the day – we were all so spent, recovering from the previous day's excitement, that we couldn't give them what they deserved in terms of a respectable vibe. I'd have liked a little more material from O Soundtrack My Heart, but I know that was just wishful thinking. It was a top-notch performance nonetheless.

Irish harmony-toting folk-posters Little Green Cars put on a decent show, though have probably been thrust into the spotlight a little bit before they were really ready for it; the same could be said for The Rubens. But both bands, despite their relative greenness, mustered up the kind of atmosphere PVT probably would've killed for. Aussie hard rockers Airbourne were downright hilarious, for all the right reasons. Big ol' windmills of hair, OTT vocal style, every metal – sorry, ROCK 'N' ROWWWWLLLLL – cliche in the book… they were classic, though not in the way they probably meant to be. During their set I got so caught up in the histrionics that I got locked into an epic metal-tongue-flick-off with a dude standing nearby – as in we stood there madly lashing our tongues into the air while flashing the horns until we broke down in laughter. Someone else filmed it on their phone. I really hope it doesn't come back to haunt me. Believe me – it was all in the name of fun.

Airbourne. Pic by Stephen Booth

And, ultimately, that's what Splendour is about: forgetting the real world exists for a few days and getting well loose in the name of good, dirty fun. After a shaky start, the festival found its usual groove and settled into its new home nicely, and one suspects as the teething issues that plagued this year's event are planned for and neutralised in future installations, the North Byron Parklands will have no problem in accommodating this hedonistic, musical celebration of the wonderful, bizarre, beautiful human condition for years to come. Bring on 2014.

Global village. Pic by Mitch Knox

Benny Doyle: A Tale Of Endurance

For many, the spring in the step of the last two days has subsided; now, it's a battle of endurance, taking the body to the brink and back again. Luckily for those that struggle through the gates early to take shelter under the great big Supertop, they're given a sunny shot of indie pop from The Jungle Giants. Playing easily the biggest show of their young career, the Brisbane four-piece give it their all on stage, and the bouncy beats and digestible riffs are just the ticket.

You can hear the roar of Airbourne from about 300 metres away. And then as you walk closer you see the Marshall stacks lining the stage. It's formidable. The Warrnambool boys mean business. Ready To Rock comes at you with the force of a hurricane and the rest of the set proves to be equally as destructive. Shirtless with a mess of hair littering his face, Joel O'Keeffe pumps his fists, kicks his leg out and shreds his vocal chords with glee, while on either side of him David Roads (guitar) and Justin Street (bass) run sprints back and forwards relentlessly. By the end of it all, most faces in the crowd have completely melted off.

Alt-J. Pic by Stephen Booth

Keeping the 'Mystery Band' joke up by walking out to Daft Punk's Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger, Alt-J emerge and dot the stage beneath banners reflecting the futuristic molten of their debut's cover art. We couldn't ask for much more from the opening stanza, with Intro, Tesselate and Something Good linking to create a captivating first 15 minutes. Joe Newman's voice sounds as awkwardly divine as you hope for and the rhythm patterns that get put together by drummer Thom Green practically pop from the skins. The British quartet's cover mash-up of Kylie Minogue and Dr Dre (Slow Dre) further endears them to an already enraptured audience, while other singles Matilda and Breezeblocks only stand to remind you further just how special their An Awesome Wave record was – and still is.

Washes of blue offset three glowing bulbs, with the light bouncing off the keys, guitar body and drums used by James Blake and his two-piece backing unit. The young Londoner truly has a voice from the heavens, and when he holds those long notes during tracks like The Wilhelm Scream and Overgrown it makes your heart swell. Freaky dance moves are being thrown in all corners of the tent, with people trying their hardest to match the weird and wonderful lounge/soul/dub/future bass collisions happening on stage. A full kit for the drummer to work on means the tracks sound a lot musclier than they did during Splendour 2011, but as the night air cools, Limit To Your Love still holds enough majestic nature to swim around without interruption.

Passion Pit fill the Supertop with a positive energy unrivalled across the whole weekend. Their music arcs above the crowd like a rainbow, and arguably they would have provided a more fitting end to the festival than Of Monsters And Men. But we digress. The band doesn't miss one cue throughout, and the trust on the back-end means that frontman Michael Angelakos can roam the stage with his now typecast double-handed microphone clutch and crouch. The Reeling explodes into the night sky thanks to a crowd screaming the hook back at the band, while other hits like Take A Walk and To Kingdom Come radiate warmly. The Massachusetts band give Splendour a big musical hug, and we happily nuzzle into their shoulder.

Electro's not dead, it's just been getting abused in The Presets' basement. Their latest record Pacifica might not have shaken our landscape like Apocalypso but it's still an absolute stormer of an album, and in a live setting new tracks like Ghosts and Promises take on a whole new level. Julian Hamilton sends out electronic pulses and layers textures while crooning with his trademark dark tone, and right behind/beside him running partner Kim Moyes keeps the beat like a metronome. The intensity levels gradually rise towards the red line, before a packed tent then goes into full blown meltdown with linking segues that join the minimal pump of Youth In Trouble to the bold statement of party, My People. By the time Are You The One? is unloaded, red lights are slicing the sky, smoke machines are spewing clouds and the whole Mix Up space has descended into a rave cave free-for-all.

Thanks to Frank No-Show and his tender ol' vocal chords, Icelandic folkies Of Monsters And Men have been handed the keys to Splendour, locking the gates one last time to sign off on a fantastic first year at North Byron Parklands. And as humble as you expect, the rugged-up group of friends seem blown away and honoured by the responsibility laid on them. The vocal balance of Nanna Bryndis Hilmarsdóttir and Ragnar Pórhallsson channel the full spectrum of human emotion, but although there's moments of longing and reflection, for the most part it's a celebration of happiness through song. From Finner brings with it a pounding, jaunty rhythm, while Mountain Sound dances like no one is watching. The biggest response, though, is saved for current single King And Lionheart, and the tune that really shot the band's star into the stratosphere, Little Talks. So delightful it almost makes you forget about the rain that's dumping down once more.

Buskers. Pic by Mitch Knox

INDIVIDUAL REVIEWS

PVT

Sydney/London trio and Splendour debutants PVT do a commendable job of bringing their appreciative but somewhat flattened crowd out of their shells, no easy task this late in the festival and yet so early in the day. But they nonetheless pull out all the stops performance-wise as vocalist/guitarist/bassist/keyboardist Richard Pike and laptop/electronics whiz Dave Miller groove their hearts out while skinsman Laurence Pike does his animalistic best at the kit. Old material is scant – only the jagged churn of Didn't I Furious represents their seminal sophomore O Soundtrack My Heart – but their layered, nuanced, vocaled-up newer material, such as standout effort Nightfall, is so strong that it doesn't really matter. They move to their finish in style with Richard Pike leading the audience in an energised clap-along for the truly excellent Window before rounding out with the aurally lush Homosapien. A valiant effort from an incredibly musically intelligent band; arguably the same performance would have generated a wholly different, entirely more palpable vibe among the punters even a few hours later in the day. MK

Tyler Touche

It was a surprisingly confident and able introduction to the world of festivals from the 17-year-old rising star behind the kind of infuriating, but nonetheless respectable, Baguette. He certainly has a penchant and obvious knack for infectious disco, and between this and his DJ set later in the day, he displays remarkable versatility as an entertainer, especially given his pre-legal-drinking-age status. Still, you can't help but feel that he's really yet to fully come into his own both as a performer and, moreover, composer. Not that it matters either way to his audience – they came to dance, and dance they do. It's an uplifting, energetic scene, and Touche can go home proud of a job well done. MK

Little Green Cars

Lush harmonies, rich and sweet melodies, and a folksy Irish likeability are the sum of indie outfit Little Green Cars' parts. But in their debut Splendour performance, they capably achieve musical synergy, delivering a polished and assured set filled with vocal swells, cascading dynamics, thoughtful introspection and joyous extroversion, all to the audible delight of the buzzing crowd. Their response is never so big as for triple j mainstay Harper Lee and fan favourite My Love Took Me Down To The River To Silence Me, though Big Red Dragon also stands out among a uniformly solid performance from these certified Next Big Things. MK

The Rubens

A huge throng of people are super excited to see The Rubens, and both opener The Day You Went Away and the bluesy organ and easy pace of Elvis elicit a spirited cheer from the crowd, who sing along with hearty glee. The melancholy Look Good, Feel Good marks another technically strong showing, as do new song Cut Me Loose and wildly popular closer My Gun – in fact, it's kind of hard to fault the set of harmless pop from a performance standpoint, but there's still a persistent feeling that a show this size, on the main stage of Splendour on the Sunday night, is (or should be) still a little beyond their ambitious reach. They're fine songs, but they're not really main event-level good. That said the appearance of Chewbacca, the Mayor of Splendour, on tambourine is inspired. The kids seem to love it, too, but if these really are the best days that The Rubens have got, then surely it's all downhill from here. MK

What So Not

What So Not? So what? This is a DJ set, like every other DJ set this weekend, one that is – although there's nothing inherently wrong with this, and despite the high-profile names behind the hype – is basically just meaningless filler for people raving so hard all they can feel are the bass drops and the primal pulse of otherwise utterly forgettable music. You could see this at a club on any night of the week. MK