Written for Vibewire
@ Belongi fields, PHARMACY (AKA. ROBOBUGGIN) @ Great Northern, TOTAL SCIENCE @ C-Moog, Byron Bay: In the festival world, the ‘No Moshing, No Crowd Surfing’ sign is universally ignored. Not so at Byron’s music festival ‘Splendour in the Grass’ where the punters are far too mellow to disagree. That’s not to say the predominantly Sydney/Brisbane crowd of hot, young bods (where have all the hippies gone?!) weren’t enjoying the extraordinary lineup the festival offered at only $99 for a two day pass. Let’s just say the festival name is apt: Splendid tunes floating amongst a lot of grass.
While rain stayed away for much of the event, it had showered the day before, hence the muddy ground – but it was all part of the fun. Lines to the festival and on the buses to return to town were quick. All in all it was well organized, and minus the aggro ‘see how many faces I can push into the dirt’ fans of Big Day Out, Splendour is rapidly becoming a far nicer alternative. And what else are you going to do in the winter anyway? With most of the big names being reviewed elsewhere or heading to a town near you I’m putting the spotlight on a particular few interesting acts.
On Saturday the Supertop was kicked off by The Re-mains and the Bumblebeez. The Bumbleez, relatively new on the scene sound unpolished and unpracticed. On the flip side their erratic sound is raw, explosive, unexpected and refreshingly spontaneous. Two groups who would make AC/DC proud include The Casanovas and Jet. If put head to head Jet would come up on top, with their repertoire being far more varied and each song consolidating their impressive rock sound.
Other highlights included witnessing the much talked about ‘return to rock’ for Powderfinger, the exquisitely sensual delights of Goldfrapp at the Mix-Up tent as well as hearing the legendary ‘Seether’ by Veruca Salt. The Sleepy Jackson, Magic Dirt, The Music, The Living End also shared the Supertop while the Mix-Up tent saw Overdub, Sarah Blasko, Decoder Ring, Gerling and Alpinestars with Ajax and James De La Cruz filling in the DJ spots.
On Sunday The Fergusons and The Mess Hall featured early on the main stage. The Mess Hall seem determined to prove that country isn’t all Dixie Chicks and Shania. Each song attacks the crowd with their driving, hard country rock with the pace rarely dropping. Later in the evening John Butler Trio delighted a packed crowd with a set that would kick Jack Johnson’s ass any day of the week and bringing out Ben Giles (Silverchair) as a special guest on the bongo drums. Screamfeeder, Sunk Loto, Frenzal Rhomb, The Superjesus, Placebo and Coldplay also taking to the stage.
The Mix-Up tent could have been renamed the Hip-Hop, with acts such as Downsyde, Katalyst and 1200 Techniques showing why Ozzie hip hop is becoming such a force in the Australian music. On the American front were Motion Man and KutMasta Kurt as well as the tongue-in-cheek humour of Ugly Duckling. Also, a hand should go to Goodwill and Adam Freeland for an excellent dosage of breaks between the acts. The musically cosmic wanderings of Death In Vegas managed to draw a decent number away from headlining Coldplay. Their meanderings through ambient progressions of dark and light textures, ending with the violently sadistic sounds of ‘Hands Around My Throat’ made for a wonderful end to a wonderful festival.
Other non-Splendour acts seen in the week at Byron include Total Science, an impressive drum and bass act from UK dropping in at the club with the best sound system in Australia: c-moog. Friday night Pharmacy showcased his eclectic set of brakes at the Great Northern hotel. Hailing from Brisbane, this one-man electronic act will soon go under the name of RoboBuggin and hopefully release an album later this year.
It was an amazing week, which only makes the return to retail-whore work all the more painful. Thanks for the memories, and until next year I bid you farewell, Byron!
