Seven Splendour Acts That Will Blow Your Mind And Also Are Not The Cure

OK, we know that everyone's excited about The Cure heading to Australia for the first time in what seems like forever for the 2016 Splendour In The Grass festival in July.

But, moving past the headline acts — an admittedly difficult process, when they include the likes of The Strokes and resurgent Aussies The Avalanches — this year's festival is an absolute treasure trove of emergent talent well worth the price of entry.

While it's absolutely important to make time to try and get within spitting distance of Robert Smith or jam out to Frontier Psychiatrist for the first time in a decade, your Splendour dollars will be well spent — and your musical palate well served — by venturing down the bill a little bit.

Here are the acts we'd be making time for who are known to put on excellent live shows, and also are not The Cure.

years & years

Infectious, glorious electronic pop served piping hot from the minds of UK trio Olly Alexander, Mikey Goldsworthy and Emre Türkmen. Their 2015 album Communion was lauded by all corners upon its release last year, yielding chart-destroying singles such as King and Shine, and cementing themselves as a force to be reckoned with on the international touring circuit. 

Renowned for their high-energy live performances, Years & Years are a must-catch act if any part of you has a penchant for irresistable grooves and whirlwind euphoria.

high tension

Wait, really? Have you still not seen High Tension live? Man, your loss. Frontwoman Karina Utomo is a living, breathing embodiment of the punk-rock spirit, an evergreen well of surprise and style as she richochets between rough-hewn melodies and bestial roars, while the band's instrumentalists always go the extra mile to put on an unforgettable show.

They're unmissable stuff live, so we'd highly recommend eking out a space in your timetable to make the effort in kind. 

sampa the great

It's not just a clever name. Sampa The Great, currently turning heads from coast to coast with her irresistible brand of soul-heavy hip hop, her debut mixtape sent Sampa The Great's rise into a meteoric upswing, gaining the attention of triple j and winning the Unearthed The Plot competition, which took her to the festival's Atomic stage back in December.

Like Tkay Maidza before her and her contemporary Jess Kent, Sampa The Great is yet another forceful woman smashing glass ceilings both within her genre and the wider industry, and you'd be foolhardy to not take the opportunity to get on board at the ground floor when she hits Splendour this July.

jess kent

Speaking of Jess Kent, the Sydney muso is already having a massive year off the back of significant support from triple j, proving herself an act to watch keenly as she establishes herself as an accomplished purveyor of slick, catchy electronic/hip hop/indie-pop tunes. Her debut single Get Down is a super-fun, synth-heavy slice of intelligent electro-pop, and the expertise with which she's already arranging her compositions — and the soundscapes in which she's making her mark — speak to the massive potential lying within this up-and-coming artist.

Her Splendour spot is sure to be the start of something really special, so it'd serve you well to be a part of it.

wafia

Brisbane up-and-comer Wafia Al-Rikabi, also known simply as Wafia, is another young Aussie doing ridiculous things at an age that will make most people depressed about their own achievements. Already welcomed into the arms of renowned label Future Classic, Wafia has been steadily growing her reputation over the past four or so years to have emerged as a considerably respected act on the scene, having even toured alongside and collaborated with Ta-Ku.

Festival spots and her own national tour (just this March gone) followed, with no sign of the momentum letting up from here.

leon bridges

So. Much. Soul. Hailing all the way from Fort Worth, Texas, Leon Bridges was in the country pretty recently for the year-end Falls Festival, and proved one of the easy highlights of the entire shindig with his endearing demeanour, professional performance standard and all-round rollicking sense of joy. His backing band are an absolute wonder to behold, and the singer's easygoing manner, affable banter and attention-grabbing narratives make for an unusually rounded performance, especially in a festival setting.

He mightn't be as "cool" as your Gangs Of Youths and your Ball Park Musics, but he's an incredible performer out to make the most of the opportunities the Good Lord has afforded him. It'd be a waste not to pay attention.

gold class

We love Gold Class. We are not ashamed about the fact that we love Gold Class. We think very highly of this Melburnian four-piece, who have seemingly single-handedly reignited an interest in post-punk with their world-renowned live show.

No, seriously, it's world-renowned now — Gold Class were one of those bands who emerged from this year's South By South West event in Texas buzzing heavy on everyone's lips, and we'd be hugely surprised if their appearance at Splendour In The Grass doesn't end up being one of the smaller things these dudes end up taking on over the next 12 to 18 months or so. Be a part of it.

The 2016 Splendour In The Grass festival runs from 22-24 July at the North Byron Parklands. See the event's website for more information.