Splendour In The Grass 2011 - Wrap Up
By Sean Lynch
Splendour In The Grass festival wrapped up at
Woodfordia last night after three glorious sun drenched days of music,
arts, discussion and sweet times shared with old and new friends.
Splendour took the music to the people for the 11th time, with the
30,000 strong crowd taking in over 90 of the hottest acts that
Australia and the world has to offer. Better yet - the traffic problems
of last year were a distant memory with movements an absolute breeze!
Friday night delivered an eclectic mix of talent including an amazing set from
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears (which featured an epic
closing number that involved some of the brightest matching suits a
soul band has ever seen).
There was also Boy & Bear who obliterated the crowds minds with
a Crowded House cover before they left the stage, while Gotye delighted
the GW McLennan audience when he invited Kimbra on stage to perform
"Somebody That I Used To Know" during his set. Without question, it was
the loudest I have ever heard a crowd roar - the noise was deafening and
visibly took Wally DeBacker by surprise.
However Friday was all about headliner Kanye West, who took Splendour’s
Ampitheatre crowd to "a whole other level" with a "monster" set that
ran for 90 minutes and included over 20 ballet dancers, pyrotechnics
and an absolute killer performance by the man himself.
Using the excellent Splendour iPhone / Android phone app (let's hope
all festival have one just as good) to program my weekend, I was able
to timetable and set aside Saturday as a "wandering day". One where a
bounty of food would be ingested, drinks shared in the Gold Bar and
hopefully discover some new acts.
And boy, was it glorious.
The great thing about Splendour is it's sheer size and scale.
There are
too many types of food to count - so let's try some Thai, some curry,
some Portuguese Chicken... how about a donut or two!
Why not jump on
the deck of the Strongbow boat bar... yeah, you heard me! This free
flow feeling allowed me to discover a few bands I had not initially
considered.
Foster The People pleased plenty of folk at the Mix Up Stage, however
it was the epic tunes of Sparkadia (including a crowd pleasing
rendition of "Mary") that called upon my ears.
A quick pop into the uber impressive Jagermeister Hunting Lodge,
followed by a Burrito while watching short films at the Temple Stage
and finishing up with a bit more dancing to a killer set from the boys
from Trump at the Smirnoff Cocktail Bar and the night quickly found
itself to be incredibly packed.
Before we knew it, the night was almost over and we'd missed The Mars
Volta, Pnau and the (according the the few who attended) high energy
Jane's Addiction set.
Geared up, hungover and raring to go - Sunday reared its ugly head. A
quick rest in the shade of side stage was needed watching Hungry Kids
Of Hungry in the early afternoon, which
helped rejuvenate the soul in time for Liam Finn's blistering set over
at GW.
I've been a fan of Finn for years, and while he has removed the "one
man band" element of his show - the inclusion of his brother Elroy on
drums (Elroy, of Betchadupa song "Elroy" fame) made me remember why I
love music again. He is incredibly unpredictable and familiar at the
same time - it's an unbeatable mix.
We stuck around for Oh Mercy (who slightly overstayed their welcome)
before heading to see a new and improved The Vines (with it's lead
singer actually singing and playing his instrument this time).
There was also the final ever set from The Middle East who, visibly,
self imploded on the stage. If there were tensions between the band
before getting on stage - I'd hate to think what it was like
afterwards. However, it all led into an emotional set full of angst,
anger and melancholy that made it one of the most unique musical
highlight of the festival.
Then the trek to the main stage for the big finale!
Kaiser Chiefs, Pulp and Coldplay.
I could try and explain the truly sublime nature of these three sets
back to back - but there are simply no words.
It's moments like this
you can only utter the words that all Festival Organisers and PR folk
want to hear - "I guess you just had to be there".
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