Splendour In The Grass Unveils Mammoth 2014 Forum Program

1 July 2014 | 2:14 pm | Staff Writer

With a line-up like this, who even needs the bands?

More Splendour In The Grass More Splendour In The Grass

The already-massive Splendour In The Grass festival has officially just got even bigger, with film and culture buffs being treated to the announcement today of the mind-bending wealth of non-musical entertainment on offer at this year's Splendour Forum.

With two enticing debutant programs – the Forum Twilight Film Festival and Splendour Late Night Comedy Club – the Splendour Forum stands as an oasis among the festival chaos where punters can take things down a gear and listen to panels, discussions, debates, interviews, Q&As, philosophy and heaps more courtesy of some of our time's foremost personalities in such fields.

This year's keynote Forum interview will see triple j's Lindsay “The Doctor” McDougall question TEDx veteran Paul Gilding on the subject of Life On Earth In 2030: Fun, Frazzled Or F%*ked?, while Q&A host Tony Jones will stop by to mix music and politics, because that never ends badly.

In addition, NSA officer-turned-whistleblower Thomas Drake will speak alongside attorney Jesselyn Radack, Greens communications spokesman Senator Scott Ludlam, academic Dr Suelette Dreyfus and award-winning security journo Patrick Grey discuss the importance and implications of the recent Edward Snowden/security leak saga.

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Perennial favourite Women Of Letters is back, with stalwart hosts Marieke Hardy and Michaele McGuire returning to chair another celebration of the lost art of letter-writing alongside guests such as Lauren Mayberry of Chvrches, Courtney Barnett, Gossling, Jennifer Boyce (Ball Park Music), Saskwatch's Nkechi Anele, Liz Drummond of Little May, and musical comedians Alice Fraser and Genevieve Fricker.

On a less rib-tickly note, Aussie songwriters Dave Faulkner (Hoodoo Gurus), Rufus, singer Wafia and 17-year-old ascendant producer Gab Strum, aka Japanese Wallpaper, chat to the ABC's Robbie Buck at the annual Songwriters Speak event, while journo Andrew McMillen offers up the chance to have some Honest Conversations About Drugs and Dominic Knight leads a panel of the country's leading climate, social, political and economic activists for a bit of back-and-forth on Changing The World With Beer, Toilet Paper And Mouse Clicks.

Your satirical bone should be tingling, too, as A Rational Fear makes its return to Splendour, guided by incumbent host, writer and producer Dan Ilic, alongside triple j's Lewis Hobba, Greg Fleet, Gen Fricker and James Colley.

The Forum Twilight Film Festival will occur each evening at dusk, and showcase a series of head-scratchy socio-politically charged docos and biopics for some less-taxing entertainment. The selection includes Father Bob Maguire biopic In Bob We Trust, the introspective How To Lose Jobs And Alienate Girlfriends, and Big Name, No Blanket, the story of indigenous musician George Rrurrambu Burarrawanga.

In addition, the twilight films program will stage A Taste Of Tropfest, which highlights some of the best picks from Australia's finest short film festival.

The Late Night Comedy Club, meanwhile, boasts a line-up of nearly 30 of the country's premier joke-tellers, including triple j personalities Matt Okine, Tom Ballard and Mel Buttle, as well as appearances from Claire Hooper (Good News Week), Spicks & Specks host Josh Earl, veteran funnyman Greg Fleet and more.

The 2014 Splendour In The Grass festival will be held Friday, July 25, to Sunday, July 27, at the North Byron Parklands.

Have a stab at the Moshtix ticket re-sale facility, available till July 25, if you've missed out on a pass so far. You never know your last-minute luck.

Full Late Night Comedy Club Line-Up

Tom Ballard
Matt Okine
Josh Earl
Claire Hooper
Bedroom Philosopher (aka Justin Heazlewood)
Greg Fleet
Mel Buttle
Daniel Townes
Michael Hing
Bart Freebairn
Cam Knight
Anne Edmonds
John Conway
David Quirk
Amos Gill
Becky Lucas
Gen Fricker
Alice Fraser
Jack Druce
Greg Larsen
Henry Stone
Susie Youssef
Tommy Dassalo
Damien Power
Alex Ward
Sam Campbell
+ Special Guests

Late Night Comedy Club Opening Hours

Thursday: 5pm-8pm
Friday: 6pm–9pm
Saturday: 7pm-10pm
Sunday: 8pm-11pm