Does Fuji Rock’s Announcement Give Any Splendour Hints?

As fans wait patiently for this year’s Splendour In The Grass line-up to land, they can look at the 2024 Fuji Rock festival in Japan for some potential Splendour-sized hints.

How are Fuji Rock and Splendour In The Grass related? Splendour takes place from 19 July until 21 July this year, while Fuji Rock happens from 26 July until 28 July. With the closeness in dates and Japan’s proximity to Australia (especially compared to the likes of the UK or US), we may have some hints about who’s coming down under for Splendour In The Grass.

Sharing the first artist announcement on Friday (9 February), the 2024 edition of Fuji Rock will be headlined by the one and only Kraftwerk. The German electronic music pioneers would be a highly unlikely pick for Splendour, with the band having recently headlined the Meredith Festival and performed a string of accompanying sideshows.

Other artists on the bill include Girl In Red, Turnstile and Fontaines D.C. – three acts who appeared at the Laneway Festival in 2023 and played some sideshows. It’s not unlikely for these artists to return to Australia after a year and a half, and with Girl In Red recently announcing the release of her new album, she might be a lock for Splendour.

Elsewhere, Fuji Rock has booked Eyedress – who pulled out of this year’s Laneway; will he make it up to fans who missed him? – shoegaze legends Ride, Angie McMahon (who just played at Laneway 2024) and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram (who appeared at Bluesfest 2023).

Also on the bill is Rufus Wainwright, who last toured in Australia in 2019 and 2020 – perhaps an unlikely get for Splendour when last year’s line-up leaned heavily on current-day pop, R&B, indie rock and more – and The Last Dinner Party, triple j sweethearts who are the most likely Splendour lock of the lot: they’d be making their Australian tour debut, are popular on Aussie airwaves, and the schedule fits.

Splendour In The Grass returns in mid-July to the idyllic North Byron Parklands in Ngarindjin country. After a somewhat messy (and muddy) bout in 2022, last year’s Splendour was an incredible celebration of music, mates and memory-making. Reviewing it for The Music, Emma Newbury wrote that the event “re-solidified why we make this festival one on the bucket list”.