Splendour Unveils Mystery Act: ‘It’s Going To Be Hard To Live Up To This Hype’

Splendour In The Grass has unveiled its 2019 “Mystery Oz Act”, with Sydney outfit Ocean Alley joining the likes of Chance The Rapper, Tame Impala and Childish Gambino at the July festival.

After weeks of speculation, it was confirmed Ocean Alley would play the Byron Bay event, with guitarist Mitch Galbraith telling The Music “it’s going to be hard to live up to this hype”.

“We’re a bit nervous about it, but we’re stoked to be able to play that slot,” Galbraith said.

“We’ve known for a while… we tried not to tell too many people.”

The 2019 Splendour line-up was announced in early April, and exclusivity agreements around the band’s Bluesfest appearance – which happened later that month - led to them being announced as “Mystery Oz Act”.

“There’s a whole bunch of Aussie artists that play multiple festivals a year, and I think the festivals and the organisers of events like that do really well in working together to make sure that everyone can see their favourite acts all over the country, all throughout the year,” Galbraith said.

Galbraith expected the response following today’s reveal to be “mixed”.

“But we’re just really grateful that we get the chance to prove ourselves again,” he said. “All we want to do is play good music for our fans and try get some more fans and let as many people as we can hear our music.”

The band performed at Splendour In The Grass 2018, prior to their Hottest 100 win, so it’s safe to assume their response this year will be vastly different, especially when it comes to fan favourite Confidence.

“You get nervous before those big shows, but we’re always up for the challenge. It’s always amazing playing up in Byron as well.”

Splendour In The Grass 2019 takes place at North Byron Parklands from 19 - 21 July; check out theGuide for more details.