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| Splendour In The Grass Belongil Fields, Byron Bay Sat 19 July - Sun 20 July
Powderfinger headlined Saturday night and took the opportunity to test new songs from their 'Vulture Street' album which kept the crowd from singing themselves hoarse to favourites such as These Days and the current release On My Mind. Despite Bernard Fanning feeling a little lack lustre (which he assured us was not rectum related) and the mix being a little harsh on the bass, Like A Dog - dare I say it - rocked. The Music had gained a huge following after they impressed many a punter at the BDO this year. Saturday night they continued to win over the audience with their young, vibrant energy and deluge of swirling guitars and strong beat (or alternatively, insert your own Led Zep comparison here). Many would be forgiven for thinking that Robert Harvey's hair was now the lead singer with his tiny frame being lost in his erratic stage movements. Headliners aside, Jet didn't let their afternoon slot slow their pace, delivering a set that slammed their 'hype du jour' tag. Their opening song brought the drummer to the mic for a ballad of sorts before assaulting the crowd with their home brewed, pure rock 'n' roll. Desperately trying to shake the backpack image of yesteryear, Gerling were as rock-dirty as they come with their latest guitar ridden single Get Activated receiving an enthusiastic response. One thing Gerling hasn't lost is their ability to excite the crowd and this energy provided James de la Cruz with a crowd that would have danced to silence. Unfortunately the Mix-up tent wasn't as full as it deserved to be as Gerling almost totally overlapped with The Music - a rare problem in what was essentially a well planned timetable. It was unfortunate that the calf-deep mud compounded the predicament, turning the journey between tents into an Indiana Jones-style trek, reminiscent of Artex's struggle in The Never Ending Story. Mind you, others resolved this problem by wearing gum boots. Sunday saw many a tired face in a thankfully shorter line, eager to embrace the mud after the overnight rain. The surprise pick of the day was The Mess Hall duo showing how it's really done. Donning only a guitar and drums they make The Living End look soft. I was not alone as I walked away from their set with a swagger in my step, headed for the merch tent to buy a t-shirt. The Mix-up tent was similarly packed for Katalyst's set but it was always hard to tell who was there to watch and who was just getting out of the sporadic showers, interrupted by brief rays of sunshine and a double rainbow. I managed to catch the end of the black clad Screamfeeder set but was not impressed by their 'rock' antics and the crowd seemed a little stagnant. Meanwhile in the Mix-up tent Adam Freeland was creating an inferno of sweaty bodies with his nu-break version of Smells Like Teen Spirit. By the time Californian hip hop trio Ugly Duckling took to the stage everyone was ready to Turn It Up and 'Taste The Secret'. To be honest, when the shaggy haired MC Andy sauntered on stage I thought it was just some roadie messing about, and DJ Einstein looked like the kid that was picked on at school. Appearances aside, UD put on one hell of a show. They were one of the only bands that actually spoke between songs and MC Andy even took the time to dance to WHAM!. The John Butler Trio drew a mixed crowd from rainbow bead adorned hippies to country-twang kids all enjoying the politically thick tunes. 1200 Techniques leached the beat driven fans away from Butler to the Mix-up tent for their second Splendour appearance. Many new tracks fell on more than accepting ears as well as old favourites, but their set lacked a certain element of fun and I found myself nodding along rather than dancing. Nothing says 'Placebo' like strobe lighting, and there was plenty of it during their set. I'm not a professed fan but their sound transferred well through 10ft speakers and satisfied the androgyny in all of us. For those willing to forfeit the magical experience of Coldplay, I'm sure Death In Vegas were trumps, but I couldn't resist the lure of Chris Martin. The infamous photographer incident was barely a rumour when Martin embraced the audience with his on stage pleasantries and the set was smashing despite piano technicalities and Martin's 'professional' coughing fit during The Scientist. When most thought the weekend could not be more complete the boys returned with a rendition of Louis Armstrong's What A Wonderful World - nice one gov, lovely. Cassie Hilditch | |||
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