(Above - Dune Rats)
It is day two, and it’s even muddier than the first…after the mess that was day one, I didn’t think it was possible - unfortunately my worst fears were confirmed. Hi-fives to the Splendour organisers for the constant addition of mulch on the areas with thick mud, it makes for a better festival experience - though mud can be fun too. Many ‘mud slugs’ were seen walking around drenched from top to bottom in mud. Personally, I can't think of anything worse.
Circa Waves hit the Amphitheatre before 1pm with an eager crowd awaiting. The lads from Liverpool showed why they were much more deserving of a later time slot, filling the mud-pit (see what I did there). People were seen rushing towards the Amphitheatre so they could catch their set, some even resorted to sliding to get down the hills much more quicker. Circa Waves were here for Splendour in the Grass last year, and it’s obvious their fan base as grown massively in Australia within the last 12 months. During ‘Get Away’ they made the crowd get low, then getting them to jump when the beat kicked back in. They closed their energetic set with crowd favourite ’T-Shirt Weather’, leaving many wanting more.
An observation i’ve made within the last few days is that when a local act plays the GW McLennan Tent, they fill it almost beyond capacity as opposed to when an international is playing in there - a real credit to our amazing homegrown talent. At 1:45pm it was Art Of Sleeping’s turn to bring they’re magic. With hits like ‘Above the Water’, it’s hard not to fall in love with their sounds. Art Of Sleeping are destined for big things, with their support constantly growing with every live performance, anything is possible fo
Let’s be honest, if the sniffer dogs were let loose at the Amphitheatre at 2pm, there would have been problems. Stoner gods Dune Rats brought inflatable blow up people causing havoc on the stage, beach balls, as well as inflatable hamster ball all in a days work. Legends. Absolute legends.
If I had to pick todays highlight, the winner today is Palma Violets at GW McLennan Tent. The GW McLennan tent has been delivering the goods at this years SITG, and in all honesty, I probably found myself going to sets there then the the big stage as the quality in the tent has been sublime. Palma Violets have it all - they’re badass, have incredible confidence and they’re tunes are killer. Though most festival goers were probably at The Smith Street Band who were playing on the big stage at the same time, it didn’t stop the lads from England. The vocals of Samuel Fryer were perfect, as was the attitude of bass player Chilli. Their performance of ‘Best Of Friends’ was the one of the many highlights during what was a solid and dominating set. They played over time, which nobody in the audience was complaining about - except their sound techs who gave them the signal that it was time for them to make their exit. If you ever have the opportunity to catch Palma Violets live, do it, you won't regret it.
The Grates are legendary - their set at the Amphitheatre at 4:45pm further proved it. Opening with ‘Wild One’ and playing such hits as ‘Call Me’ and ‘Like You Could Have It All’ it’s hard not to love them. There is nothing more refreshing than super front-lady Patience Hodgson who is not only incredibly talented, she's honest - what’s not to love about her? She also changed midway through their set in an eye catching rainbow poncho/coat number that she could only pool off.
Montreal’s The King Khan & BBQ Show at The GW McLennan tent in the evening wins the award for the most quirky act to appear at the festival - thus far. Any act that has a band member simultaneously playing a guitar and drums like BBQ does, deserves a statue in their name - King Khan is pretty remarkable too. If you didn’t catch a glimpse of these legends for whatever reason, you missed out, they’re remarkable.
It was Pond’s turn to bring their psychedelic powers to the Amphitheatre. They even admitted that they were surprised with the amount of people they were playing in front of. Their set even contained a cover of Brian Eno’s ‘Baby’s On Fire’. The track from the 70s probably left many festival goers thinking it was an unheard Pond track.
Even though they haven’t released an album since 2012, neo-psychedellia legends The Dandy Warhols brought an aura of nostalgia to the main stage. Though the only fault I could make is the microphones could of be turned up a little higher. I'm not sure what happened there but I doubt much of the crowd even noticed. Midway through their set someone let off a flare, setting the mud-pit alight - dangerous, but it was a sight to be seen.
Florence Welsh’s appearance at the festival has been highly anticipated - she’s a true icon and it’s easy to understand why. Without doubt, she gathered the biggest crowd of the festival so far. Her stellar appearance is a sure guarantee that her upcoming tour in November is going to be the hottest ticket in town. The queen, who rocked the stage barefooted, showed off her spellbinding vocals throughout her entire set, including during such tracks as ‘You’ve Got The Love’ and ‘Cosmic Love’. If you’ve ever had doubts about her, they would have been shut down after her set.
Though much of day two was dominated by mud, the music was pretty special two. When planning my Splendour schedule, it was the day three lineup that had me excited - with Blur, Royal Blood, The Delta Riggs, and Tame Impala all coming up, I just know tomorrow is going to be a good one. Bring. It. On!
POLAROID GALLERY:
SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS 2015 | DAY 2
SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS 2015 | DAY 2
