Relive The Magic: Here's What Went Down At Splendour In The Grass 2018

As the nation puts on their sunglasses to hide the collective hangovers and shame as they venture back to reality, we thought we would recap our favourite musical moments from this year’s Splendour In The Grass. For those that were there, think of it as an internet version of a Bloody Mary. Gifted directly from us to you, to help regain some of that dignity you lost and bring clarity back to the haze. For those who weren’t, here’s what went down at North Byron Parklands over the weekend.

Friday

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Pic by Markus Ravik

"The first act of the festival on the GW McLennan stage was the up and coming singer songwriter Didirri. His velvety smooth voice and personal and thoughtful songwriting (along with the billboard advertising on the way into the festival) attracted an unsurprisingly solid group of punters keen to witness the wunderkind wearing all white."

"Stella Donnelly took to the GW McLennan tent stage acknowledging the elders and the country on which we stood. Armed only with a guitar and coming straight from imparting her wisdom and experiences at an important #MeToo panel discussion about consent, Donnelly quipped with the crowd about being branded a “political artist” with Alex The Astronaut. “Alex wrote a song about being gay and I wrote a song asking not to be raped and apparently that’s political” — cue roaring applause."

"It was then a mad rush to get to the barrier for DZ Deathrays’ set at the amphitheatre, there was a huge crowd pouring in from every single point of the hill. And running out onto the stage in Adidas tracksuits, the welcoming roar of the crowd was deafening."

"Air sirens blasted as Baker Boy took to the stage, solo, with that gigantic smile of his. He started with Black Magic before exposing a whole new generation to his updated version of Yothu Yindi's legendary track, Treaty. There was a real feeling of synergy in the crowd and watching him before thousands of people was exciting to be a part of."

"Back to the Amphitheatre, we were in for another time warp, this time back to the ‘90s for an ode to Britpop — Adidas tracksuit compulsory. From the number of punters crammed on the hill you’d think the Gallagher brothers had gotten their shit together, kissed and made up but DMA’S were more than up to the task, taking the crowd on a journey across their two releases."

"Weaving his way effortlessly through Trump’s America, spraying an audience with chewed deer eyeball goo, being in LA's hottest power couple with RuPaul and fanboying over Bowie, Henry Rollins is pure energy and makes those in attendance believe we can change the world."

"The layout of the Mix Up tent allows for easy food and drink access in between sets before sticking around to experience the new album track from The Presets. Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes have crafted an album in Hi Viz that is pure festival fodder and right from the second track of Martini, the crowd seem to have been digging it."

"The Dunies ran out to an incredible crowd roar, and with their intro track set to The Rembrandts’ I’ll Be There For You, the crowd joins along in one big singalong. They got right into their set with Bullshit, Six Pack, and Dalai Lama, Big Banana, Marijuana, and if there’s one thing anyone should know – if they’ve dished out their best tracks straight away, something big is about to happen."

"Miguel launched with a bombastic opening on Criminal before asking the crowd, "Are we gonna get weird tonight or what?" His provocative dance moves were enough to evoke Beatles-esque screaming from the audience up the front but it was his vocal dancing that really stands out."

"A cover of Powderfinger’s My Happiness (one of her favourite songs) was received with as much love as you would expect but the set reached its climatic glory as Green Light started and all of Splendour channelled their heartbreak into a moment of collective, cathartic release. Green confetti rained down onto the crowd and we think Lorde has found that Splendour is one of those perfect places she was searching for…"

Saturday

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Pic by Clare Hawley

"If you found a more fun way to kick off Splendour day two than seeing Haiku Hands at Mix Up stage, than you did well my friend, because these four ski suit clad ladies were epic. What could only be described as a dance concert on steroids, Haiku Hands had the coordinated choreography on lock."

"WAAX are everything your mother warned you about in the best way possible and while they shredded under a banner reading "I’ve Been Disappointed Lately", we don’t think anyone witnessing this was disappointed. Not one bit." 

"Alex Lahey didn't waste time with banter. It's ok though because, seriously, every single track is a damn tune."

"Superorganism were literally the most fun. It’s very hard to put their set into words but basically we just want to be best friends with Orono Noguchi."

"Amy Shark took to the Amphitheatre stage staring into the lowering sun. With a fresh debut album, Love Monster, under her belt, she took the opportunity to perform Don't Turn Around and I Got You early. "It's 4pm on a Saturday afternoon. I think we should dance," she told the crowd."

"There was huge anticipation for Methyl Ethel along the hillside of the Amphitheatre stage, they’re the act known for bringing the weirdest out of people on the dance floor, and damn could they do just that. With distorted camera visuals accompanying the layers and layers of modulation through each instrument of the band, the crowd uplifted the excitement with every bar."

"Whenever people were asked who they wanted to see on day two, the repeated answer seemed to be Gang Of Youths. The Sydney band, who reside and tour overseas more often than not recently, returned to Splendour with double the songs and double the crowd to go with it."

"Franz bloody Ferdinand recently made news after getting the ol’ noise complaint, courtesy of Massive Attack at a recent festival in Europe. Safe to say, that only worked to increase our expectations exponentially, and boy, oh, boy were we not let down."

"Scottish synth-pop sweethearts CHVRCHES didn’t disappoint. The not-so-secret weapon, Lauren Mayberry, took charge of the stage, delivering each line with enthusiasm and power."

"Swooning over Ezra Koenig’s New York cool, each track was met with adoration from the crowd; another “I love this song”, another mass singalong. Oh, Ezra. Oh, Vampire Weekend. Oh, Splendour In The Grass."

Sunday

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Pic by Markus Ravik

"The Sunday church of Amyl & The Sniffers is off the chain. "Wake the fuck up, Splendour!” declared Amy as the band launched into another two minute tunefrom their EP."

"It takes a special kind of artist to pull enough people from their tents and third day hangover misery at 1pm to fill the front Amphitheatre mosh pit. But there was a lot of hype about this wee English lad named Yungblud and we were totally on board."

"Just a few years ago, they opened up the festival, and now, with a huge crowd accompanying them, Skegss were back at what they do best. Running out to Waka Flocka Flame’s Hard In Da Paint, the boys then opened up with the ultimate festival theme song Spring Has Sprung."

"'We're so happy to be back with you. You look beautiful!' Middle Kids are taking over the world but they know where their bread is buttered."

"If there's an artist that attracts both indie and commercial fans, it's Dean Lewis. The artist gains more and more fans with each release, so Splendour is a logical place for him."

"It is PNAU’s world and we are just living in it. As Nick Littlemore took to the stage in a LED coat and colourful mask, we knew we were going to be in for a trip - destination unknown."

"Hockey Dad, the duo from Wollongong, have been pacing themselves. Playing at seven on the last night of Splendour is a long time coming when you're itching to play and that's exactly how Hockey Dad seemed — impatient!"

"One of the most brutal decisions of Sunday night was deciding where to be at 8.30pm, and to those who made it to the GW McLennan stage, they made the right choice as Brisbane’s Ball Park Music took the stage as their own. The crowd were incredibly friendly, and for the first time possibly all festival, there isn’t a single person who’s shoving or pushing to get to the front row."

"Much has been made of the regular Australian tours of The Wombats, but seriously, are we complaining about overseas acts coming too often now? In what is surely one of their biggest headlines to date and with another successful album released, the band continue to perform at their peak."

"There is no one in the world who can do what Kendrick Lamar is doing and as we were to soon find out he is damn. good at doing it. "

the music podcast @ splendour

The Music Podcast were backstage at Splendour 2018 talking to a number of the line-up acts including The Wombats, PNAU, Hilltop Hoods, Amy Shark, Angus & Julia Stone and more!

Check out the full interviews below and keep an eye here as new episodes drop daily.

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