[Live Review] SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS 2012

Belongil Fields, Byron Bay
July 27 – 29, 2012:

Splendour In The Grass returned to its spiritual home at Belongil Fields, Byron Bay, in 2012. But following a two-year sojourn in Queensland’s magical forest, Woodfordia, one of Australia’s most loved music and arts events was also back in the climate that rains upon it each year with eerie consistency. So much so that Splendour In The Grass is affectionately known as “Splendour In The Mud”.

This year’s weather threatened to break the trend, with a radiant sun beaming over the early crowds on Friday. But as revellers crowded into Splendour’s Mix Up Tent to hear the minimal and haunting lo-fi pop of Californian artist, Youth Lagoon, a rain cloud appeared. Forty minutes of torrential rain and hail stones turned the festival site into a deep and unforgiving quagmire of thick black mud and pools of water. The magnificent sun returned, but the damage was done.

It was boom day for gumboot purveyors. The festival crowd rushed up the road to Byron’s shopping district and snagged every pair of boots available. With appropriate footwear donned, they then turned to Splendour’s main focus – three days of world-class music.

Friday was jam-packed with big acts. The Shins delivered robust versions of their timeless folk anthems. Led by original singer and songwriter James Mercer, the new line-up of the group opened with ‘Caring Is Creepy’ and played many singalong numbers including ‘Know Your Onion!’, ‘So Says I’, ‘Australia’, ‘Phantom Limb’ and ‘New Slang’.

The highlight was the one-off Australian performance of revered Texan post-hardcore band At The Drive-In. It was a reunion that their fans never thought would happen. The five-piece split acrimoniously at the height of their powers in 2001, but recently re-formed for a limited number of shows – California’s Coachella and Splendour. Opening with ‘Arcarsenal’ and ‘Pattern Against User’, At The Drive-In appeared to relish this nostalgic trip. Closing with ‘One Armed Scissor’, they whipped the giant Supertop crowd into a frenzy. A once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Jack White closed Friday’s proceedings with an impressive array of his hits, both solo and from other projects. Opening with the White Stripes tune ‘Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground’, and accompanied by two different backing bands – Los Buzzardos and The Peacocks – White commanded the stage. The set list featured songs from his other projects, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather, but finished with his most famous song, ‘Seven Nation Army’.

Saturday’s line-up was capped off with British rock band Bloc Party’s third visit to Splendour, previewing songs from their upcoming record Four, as well as playing crowd favourites – ‘Song for Clay (Disappear Here)’, ‘Positive Tension’ and ‘Banquet’.

Swedish synth-pop group Miike Snow also drew a large audience to the Supertop. And another of Saturday’s highlights was a colossal performance from Seattle grunge legends Mudhoney. Even though some of their music is nearly 25 years old, their blisteringly raw performance sounded as fresh as ever. There is no denying their influence on modern music.

It girl, New York’s Lana Del Rey, appeared on the GW McLennan stage in a wedding dress, backed by a string section, guitar and a white grand piano. She strolled seductively around the stage, daintily smoking on a cigarette and crooning her Nancy Sinatra-esque ballads, including a smouldering cover of Nirvana’s ‘Heart-Shaped Box’.

Sunday’s pick was Fleet Foxes’ bearded alumni Joshua Tillman, aka Father John Misty, who swaggered and gyrated through his alt-folk rock set with an aloof charm. Closing with a rocky version of his song ‘Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings’ – an instant classic – Father John Misty gave one of the most memorable performances of the festival.

French electronic artist Yuksek got the Mix Up Tent pumping, as did British rock band The Kooks. The hottest new lady in hip-hop, Azealia Banks, arrived at Splendour amid a wave of hype. It was difficult to squeeze into the Mix Up Tent to see her perform. But while Banks seemed genuinely happy with her deafening reception, and her rapid-fire raps sounded fantastic in the crowd, the superstar kept mentioning “sound difficulties”. These issues weren’t apparent to the audience but proved too much for Banks, who stormed off stage after only 20 minutes, leaving the crowd dumbfounded.

But one diva could not spoil the day’s proceedings. Beth Ditto of The Gossip provided enough feel-good grooves for those who wanted to dance. And final act, The Smashing Pumpkins received a rapturous roar, as Billy Corgan appeared onstage. The group opened with a cover of ‘Black Diamond’, by Kiss, and then ploughed through a hit-laden set-list that included ‘Today’, ‘1979’, ‘Tonight, Tonight’, ‘Cherub Rock’, ‘Zero’ and ‘Bullet With Butterfly Wings’. The material from their new album, Oceania, was equally impressive. Despite some foldback issues early in the set, the mercurial Corgan, who normally doesn’t enjoy playing his older material, couldn’t hide the smile from his face as 10,000 people sang along with him. Even iconic artists can be swept up in the Splendour.

Reviewers: Amanda Bevan & Nick Milligan
Photographer: Ian Laidlaw

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