Reviewed: Splendour in the Grass 2010

It is with gumboots and anticipation that many walk through the gates of Splendour in the Grass 2010.  Relocated from its usual home on Belongil Fields in Byron Bay to the rolling hills and leafy surrounds of Woodfordia, the 10 year anniversary event is, for many, THE festival to attend on this year’s calendar; so big that a third day of performances have been added and the usual allocation of tickets has been doubled to 30,000.

The sheer size of the crowd makes travelling between stages - particularly before and after the headline acts play - an exercise in patience, and on a couple of occasions even causes access to Woodfordia’s vast amphitheater to be cut off while organisers attempt to make additional room on the hillside overlooking the main stage.  As frustrating as festival crowds can be though, very little compares to watching some 10,000 fans jump along with Florence Welch or hearing a vast tentful of people adding the oooh-oooohs to Grizzly Bear’s 'Two Weeks'.

With over 100 musical acts playing over the long weekend it’s impossible to catch every moment, let alone catalogue them here, however - like every festival - there are highlights, lowlights and fascinating eccentricities that can’t go unmentioned:

The Good:

1.  The quantity and quality of emerging Australian bands on the bill:

From Brisbane rockers Violent Soho to Melbourne electro-popsters Gypsy & The Cat, Blue Mountains indie darlings Cloud Control and Sydney’s Jonathon Boulet (and his band’s outstanding percussion work) it is great to see so much homegrown talent on display.

2.  Saturday night in the amphitheatre; Wolfmother, Florence & The Machine, The Strokes:

As fashionable as it may be to poke fun at the boys from Wolfmother, there is no denying their on-stage ability. In a set full of familiar songs, every single solo packs a punch and their big hits like 'Woman' and 'New Moon Rising' ignite the huge crowd almost effortlessly.

It’s just as well everyone is warmed up too, because between encouraging the entire audience to leap in the air and dropping their jaws to the floor with her spellbinding voice, Florence really could cause some injuries.  Dressed like a cross between a Celtic bride and the Ice Queen from Narnia, Flo lets fly with a tempest of light and sound that, upon the finish of 'Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)' leaves everyone either awestruck, dumbstruck or lovestruck.

There is only one way to snap out of a state like that, and that’s to be reminded that, no matter how hard you try, you will probably never be as cool as Julian Casablancas.  Walking on to the intro of Queen’s 'We Will Rock You' is more than a little cocky, to be sure, but The Strokes have faith in their abilities.  They begin by blasting their way though 'New York City Cops', then have the entire crowd singing the refrain to 'Last Nite' before producing a live version of 'Juicebox' that should go down as one of the best rock moments of Splendour 2010.  If anyone was wondering beforehand, it is quite clear why they were chosen to headline a huge Saturday night.

3.  Jónsi

Splendour 2010 is the first opportunity for Australian audiences to hear Sigur Rós frontman Jónsi’s solo material performed live, and expectations are high.  From the smoke-shrouded stage comes music that starts off painfully beautiful and builds to a crescendo of sheer exuberant hope.  Largely acoustic, guitar or keyboard driven, and frequently employing two (incredibly adept) drummers, the sound rises up in a mesmerising post rock wave of looped melodies and vocal lines before finally crashing down in feedback, white noise and animal howls.  Given the general quality of the acts at Splendour 2010, it would seem difficult for any one act to truly stand above and apart from the rest - somehow Jónsi manages.

Honourable Mentions:

Philadelphia Grand Jury; not only do they prove that they can rock a big festival crowd, their cover of Jay-Z’s '99 Problems' is a surefire a crowd favourite.

Bluejuice; those homemade yeti costumes must be roasting hot, but that can’t stop the boys from entertaining the hell out of a packed Mix-Up Tent.

The Food Vendors; while the music was the main attraction, the range (and deliciousness) of the food on offer can’t go without mention.  The menu includes Thai, Jamaican, Yemeni, Malaysian, Portuguese, French and a good old-fashioned Aussie BBQ just to cover a few - there just aren’t enough meal times to try them all.

The Bad:

1.  Richard Ashcroft:

With a majority of the festival’s attendees at the amphitheater watching Pixies, Richard, feeling slighted by the half-full GW McLennan tent before him, storms off-stage after playing only one song.  It clearly hasn’t occurred to him that the people who did show up to see him were probably genuine fans keen to hear his new material.  ‘Were’ being the operative word.

2.  The idiots who attempted to start a riot outside the amphitheater:

Having reached near-capacity prior to Florence & The Machine’s set, organisers have barred entry to the main stage to try to free up a bit more space for additional audience members. Some in the crowd waiting outside think the approach of “There’s more of us than there are security guards” is an intelligent one.  They are incorrect.

3.  The rubbish:

At Splendour 2009, it was possible to trade in empty bottles and cans for drink tickets - which seemed to work a treat.  Rather than simply throwing their empties on the ground, people would keep them, or surrender them to those trying to collect enough to ‘buy’ another beverage. The result was a huge reduction in the amount of rubbish lying around. This program hasn’t been repeated in 2010, and consequently (despite the best efforts of the groundspeople walking around picking up trash) the ground is littered with empty drink containers.

Dishonourable Mention:

$10 programs - Given the $350 or so spent on a ticket (that’s before paying for a campsite), you would think that something like a program, even a nice glossy magazine-style program, could be included.

The traffic - With only one road in and out of Woodfordia, the one hour trip from Brisbane for some unlucky campers stretches up to eight hours from front door to campsite.  Unfortunately, there’s not a lot you can do in these situations except stock up on mix tapes.

The Eccentric:

1.  Scissor Sisters frontman Jake Shears:

As if their own brand of risque disco pop tunes isn’t enough, Jake brings their set to a climax by getting his kit off.  What happens in Woodford stays in Woodford....

2.  The Tipi Forest

Whether it is the dancers on stilts twirling a large round sheet while colourfully dressed jugglers dance around them, the late night raves, or some of the even more esoteric goings-on, it takes a certain frame of mind to fully comprehend what happens amongst the tipis.

3.  The costumes

Festivals are fantastic places to see folks in costume, this year there are starfish, french maids, cows, the occasional superhero and all manner of other weird and wonderful creatures.  Then there are the lads (and they all seem to be lads) sporting the brightly coloured, skintight lycra bodysuit.  Sometimes it would be nice to have something left to the imagination.

The End:

Many were initially a bit skeptical about the move to Woodford and the significant size increase that Splendour 2010 would undergo - and while there are definite inconveniences associated with accommodating larger crowds, the flipside is that the festival is able to provide more bands, more performances and more things to see, do and buy.  In short, more of the festival experience.

While it is expected to return to Byron Bay next year (albeit to a new site in North Byron), the supersized Splendour 2010 will likely go down as one of the best festivals of this year, and has given the organisers some serious work if they plan to top it for 2011.

by Nils Hay

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