Oztix | News | 10 Splendour In The Grass First-Timers Worth Making Time For

There are more than 100 artists on Splendour In The Grass's crazy-packed line-up this year.

It can be hard to know where you should be at any given time, especially given the spread on offer, so we've taken a bit of a dive through the ranks to pick out some debutantes at this year's festival who would absolutely be well worth spending some time with come this July's event.

Here are 10 Splendour first-timers we think that you should absolutely squeeze into your schedule.

A.B. Original

It seems kind of unnecessary to even introduce the acclaimed duo of Briggs and Trials — collectively A.B. Original — at this stage. You know who they are. You know they're excellent songwriters, performers and all-round legends. That their talents run wide and deep. You probably also know that they're big-money winners. Prize-winners. Australian Music Prize winners. And, importantly, you know that their song January 26 charted in the Hottest 100 and makes racists super uncomfortable.

They represent excellence in basically everything they do. Why would you not want to go and see their first date with a Splendour crowd?

Bishop Briggs

No, this isn't the aforementioned Briggs donning papal robes and getting overtly religious; Bishop Briggs is actually the pseudonym of LA-based British musician Sarah Grace McLaughlin, a prodigiously talented singer and instrumentalist with deep creative roots and a worldly disposition (she's lived in London, Japan, Hong Kong and LA).

She's had a swift ascent since making the leap to America, where she released her debut single, Wild Horses, in 2015. She's released a further four singles since, and has ridden that momentum to go on to support Coldplay, have her music featured in the Scream TV show and in xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage, and release her self-titled debut 12" EP. Most recently, she performed a guest spot on Cold War Kids' track So Tied Up.

Good Boy

Another young act — in multiple senses — that has made a big splash in a short period of time, Splendour serves as the beginning of a new chapter for beloved Brisbane trio Good Boy. Having well and truly established themselves as a next-gen favourite of the live scene both within and outside the borders of their hometown, the QMA-winning band are all set to spread their tendrils ever wider, and Splendour is a prime place for them to be experienced by a whole raft of people who've never had the pleasure of seeing them perform live.

The boys recently followed the success of their excellent tune Poverty Line with the recently released Braap, which appeared on a split 7" with Melbourne artist Jarrow. Although they've been on a festival stage before — they won the triple j Unearthed Laneway competition in January last year, mere months into their career as a band — but this is a whole new level for Good Boy, and you'll kick yourself if you miss it.

Julien Baker

All the way from Memphis, Tennessee, troubadour Julien Baker has taken to solo performance with such a natural elegance and effect that you'd be forgiven for thinking she was born singing. Armed with her trusty six-string, she commands a massive amount of talent and pours it into her heartfelt, introspective songs. Even more astonishing/frustrating (depending on your viewpoint, I guess) is that she's managed to reach such accomplished heights at the tender age of 21.

Having cut her teeth for several years with alt-rock outfit Forrister, Baker stepped out on her own following a move to attend university and started work on her solo material, ultimately releasing debut album Sprained Ankle in 2015. Now, nearly two years later, she's set to make her maiden appearance at Splendour and win over a whole new group of listeners.

The Lemon Twigs

It's a year of debuts for Long Island pop-rockers The Lemon Twigs, who are not only making their first appearance at Splendour In The Grass this year but also Bonnaroo and Coachella, not to mention the fact they're just finishing up their debut US headline tour and last year even knocked over performances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, CBS This Morning Saturday and Conan.

In other words, they're one of the buzziest things going, a status only aided by the arrival of their debut full-length Do Hollywood in October last year. With an acclaimed album behind them, and a year filled with ever-broadening horizons ahead, The Lemon Twigs stand at a rare and special time in their career, and that means that you should definitely do what you can to make yourself a part of it.

Lil Yachty

In a year that stands as first-time appearance at Splendour for several young acts, 19-year-old Atlanta rapper Lil Yachty stands out as an artist for whom it would absolutely be worth making room in ye olde schedule. Breaking out in 2015 with singles Minnesota and 1 Night, Lil Yachty released two mixtapes — Lil Boat and the lauded Summer Songs 2 — the following year.

He's leveraged his songwriting prowess to multiple high-profile appearances and collaborations, including with the likes of Chance The Rapper and D.R.A.M., and has even been in commercials for Target and Sprite. The man knows how to get paid, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't give it his all when he steps out in front of a crowd, and — with debut album Teenage Emotions due for release later this year — it's safe to say that Lil Yachty will be making to look an impact in a big way.

Maggie Rogers

Brooklyn producer, songwriter and performer Maggie Rogers is many things. In her own words, she's an "optimist", a "feminist", "loud when I laugh" and more besides, like triple j Hottest 100 placer, SXSW alum and The Tonight Show performer. Suffice to say, she'll be an unmissable prospect when she makes her debut appearance at this year's Splendour In The Grass.

Rogers drew wide attention — notably, including that of Pharrell Williams — with her debut track Alaska (#64 on the Hottest 100), going on to release her debut EP, Now That The Light Is Fading, which also features Hottest 200 charter Dog Years (#173) and latest cut On & Off, in February this year. This is an artist who has already created a significant wave of interest in her music — and she's just getting started.

The Murlocs

Melbourne five-piece The Murlocs have been entrenching themselves in our hearts for more than a few years now, but they're only just making their Splendour debut this year, which is actually not a bad thing. Rather, it's all the more eclectic material for the stalwart garage/R&B outfit — which features King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard's Ambrose Kenny-Smith handling vocalist duties — to draw on to make it one to remember.

The most recent of that material is 2016's sophomore full-length, Young Blindness, which followed 2014's debut album Loopholes and came pre-packed with lip-smacking cuts such as Adolescence and Rolling On, as well as the Richard Kingsmill-approved Compensation amid its ranks. No doubt they'll pick a broad selection of tunes to echo their rambunctious outing at the recent Boogie Festival and continue to only further their reputation for rollicking live shows as established on jaunts alongside the likes of Thee Oh Sees, Graveyard Train, Dave Graney and more.

Nite Fleit

Sydney DJ/producer Alysha Fleiter, aka Nite Fleit, is quickly making a name for herself in the electronic music community as a reliably great beat-maker, a fact that should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with her older work as one-half of duo Lady Shave.

Her distinct blend of techno, acid and house tunes — and her reputation for superlative remixes, having worked on rejigs of tracks by Rainbow Chan, Huntly and more — has steered her to impressive stages around Australia, including Let Them Eat Cake, Melbourne Music Week, Dark Mofo and more, as well as overseas, and now she's set to bring her infectious vibes to the good punters of North Byron Parkland.

Tove Lo

It actually seems somewhat improbable that Swedish electropop songstress Tove Lo would only just be making her debut appearance at Splendour In The Grass in 2017, but lo (ha!) and behold, that's truly the case. Breaking out in 2014 with debut album Queen Of The Clouds, Tove Lo has achieved so much in the ensuing years that it seems like she's been around a lot longer than she has.

Two more full-length albums — 2016's Lady Wood and this year's Lady Wood (Phase 2) have followed that celebrated first record, not to mention a junkload of award nominations and wins for her artistry and successful single Habits (Stay High). More recently, she's seen nods for her later tracks Love Me Like You Do, Close and Scars, which featured in The Divergent Series: Allegiant. She's undertaken two headline tours (2015 and 2017) and has supported the likes of Katy Perry, Maroon 5 and Coldplay. And now she's coming to Splendour. Be there or live in regret.