Splendour in the Grass 2011

[cobl04]

My two previous posts were overreactions. Definitely not regretting not trying for a ticket. Half a grand for a top heavy line up is a joke.

 

[LemonMelon]

I'm curious to see if Golden Plains ever expands its lineup. Dinosaur Jr. and Pavement reunion last year was nothing to sneeze at, and this year, they randomly pulled Os Mutantes (!!!!), Joanna Newsom, Belle and Sebastian and the fucking Clean out of their asses. Acts like that don't play American festivals.

The Hold Steady is there too but they'll play any venue that sells beer.

 

[Axver]

Half a grand for a top heavy line up is a joke.

Psh, the best band there is playing at 11am on Sunday.

I'm curious to see if Golden Plains ever expands its lineup. Dinosaur Jr. and Pavement reunion last year was nothing to sneeze at, and this year, they randomly pulled Os Mutantes (!!!!), Joanna Newsom, Belle and Sebastian and the fucking Clean out of their asses. Acts like that don't play American festivals.

For which I am forever grateful. Their sideshow at the Corner was awesome.

Point That Thing Somewhere Else, people.

 

[cobl04]

Supposedly he lost the crowd at points. 808 material.

 

[bono_man2002]

Still shattered that Ms Spektor didn't do any side shows Unlike Danny, I think it'd have been worth it

 

[cobl04]

2012 lineup is out.

Jack White
Bloc Party
Smashing Pumpkins
At The Drive-In
The Shins
Hilltop Hoods
The Kooks
Gossip
Miike Snow
Dirty Three
Lana Del Rey
360
Azealia Banks
Tame Impala
Explosions In The Sky
Ladyhawke
The Afghan Whigs
Missy Higgins
Wolfmother
Metric
Kimbra
Mudhoney
Band Of Skulls
Spiderbait
Django Django
Gypsy & The Cat
San Cisco
Last Dinosaurs
Electric Guest
Muscles
Angus Stone
DZ Deathrays
Howler
Lanie Lane
Fun.
Big Scary
Michael Kiwanuka
Seekae
Friends
Yacht Club Dj’s
Bertie Blackman
Jinja Safari
Blue King Brown
Youth Lagoon
Pond
The Beautiful Girls
Tijuana Cartel
Ball Park Music
The Rubens
Ben Howard
Bleeding Knees Club
Zulu Winter
The Medics
Shihad
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
Husky
Kate Miller-Heidke
Father John Misty
Emma Louise
Chet Faker
Here We Go Magic
Parachute Youth
Mosman Alder
The Cast Of Cheers
Wolf & Cub
Gossling

Shit headliners (not that they're bad, just that there should be bigger names) but there's a hell of a lot of depth. It's also not half a grand a ticket this year, but I still won't be going. Definitely going to be smashing up some sideshows though. Can't wait to see Bloc Party.

 

[Axver]

Splendour is Bloc Party's only Aussie show. Same goes for EITS, which is disappointing for me, but then they toured in December so I'm not too annoyed.

Very impressed they got At The Drive-In. It's not billed as their only Aussie show, so a tour? Low enough ticket prices at a small enough venue and I may be keen for a Melbourne gig.

Anyway, solid lineup but not much that made me really sit bolt upright. It's cold comfort as all these amazing US and Europe festival announcements are being made.

 

[Imperor]

Not bad. Not bad at all.

 

[cobl04]

It and Harvest are the only Aus festivals with lineups that can come close to matching Glastonbury, Coachella, Lolla, every fucking weekend in Austin, etc.

Only Aus shows for Bloc, ATDI, Kooks, Dirty Three and Explosions it seems.

Now I'm depressed.

 

[LemonMelon]

Average. The headliners are so weak, but it's got a decent undercard. I'm always jealous of people who get to see EITS.

EDIT: Hahaha I didn't notice Lana Del Rey and 360 were next to each other. I think that's where I lost interest.

 

[cobl04]

I tweeted AJ Maddah about Destroyer. He's my only hope.

 

[Axver]

It and Harvest are the only Aus festivals with lineups that can come close to matching Glastonbury, Coachella, Lolla, every fucking weekend in Austin, etc.

Only Aus shows for Bloc, ATDI, Kooks, Dirty Three and Explosions it seems.

Now I'm depressed.

I'd say Laneway is consistently better than Splendour (Meredith too), and Harvest's sole lineup was profoundly underwhelming.

And damn, just saw FasterLouder (where I read the lineup) has updated to say it's ATDI's only Aussie show. Well, potential money saver, if nothing else.

Also, announcing Dirty Three's set as their "only Aussie show" is pretty funny when they literally just finished a national tour that even went to fucking Castlemaine. If anybody wanted to see them and missed them, they've got NO excuse.

 

[Axver]

I tweeted AJ Maddah about Destroyer. He's my only hope.

Who would've thought the Soundwave guy'd be your potential saviour?

Though a couple of years ago, you'd have been at this year's Soundwave screaming along to Limp Bizkit's set, I'm sure.

 

[cobl04]

There's no point us debating because I thought Harvest last year was close to the best this country's ever seen whereas you did not. You couldn't have paid me to go to Soundwave, you frothed that stuff.

Laneway is great, yeah. Meredith & Golden Plains bring it too but they're much smaller lineups.

 

[cobl04]

Who would've thought the Soundwave guy'd be your potential saviour?

Though a couple of years ago, you'd have been at this year's Soundwave screaming along to Limp Bizkit's set, I'm sure.

Oh when I was 16 I would have bought a ticket the second they went on sale.

 

[monkeyskin]

The wife really wants to go, so I'm in. Would love to see all the headliners and plenty of names further down caught my interest.

 

[cobl04]

You'll be paying about $470 a ticket, be warned. $350+bf for event, and their website kindly jumps around with the wording, it doesn't say +camping this year. That's a separate $99+bf ticket

 

[Axver]

There's also this at Splendour on the Sunday, not in Cobbler's earlier post:

50 Years Of Dylan – Kav Temperley, Kevin Mitchell, Holly Throsby, Patience Hodgson and “an array of surprise Splendour guests”

Surprise guest appearance by Dylan himself via hologram?

There's no point us debating because I thought Harvest last year was close to the best this country's ever seen whereas you did not. You couldn't have paid me to go to Soundwave, you frothed that stuff.

Laneway is great, yeah. Meredith & Golden Plains bring it too but they're much smaller lineups.

I think Harvest was one of the weakest, most boring festival lineups I've ever seen. Still don't know what you saw in it, outside of a couple of bands. And Laneway is the festival I "frothed"; at Soundwave, dredg and Thursday were the only two huge draws for me. The rest was just a good lineup with a bunch of bands I wanted to see, but not necessarily for the prices of their respective sideshows, so the festival was cost- and time-effective. I originally ridiculed the first Soundwave 2012 lineup ... thank god the later announcements improved things.

Been following Sleepmakeswaves' updates from their first jaunt to Europe and I'm still getting over the obscenely good festival lineups they've been playing in. God I'd be broke if I lived anywhere in Europe.

 

[cobl04]

What do you mean?? Portishead, Lips, TVOTR, CYHSY, National, Walkmen, Family Stone, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Mogwai... I would masturbate to that!

 

[Axver]

What do you mean?? Portishead, Lips, TVOTR, CYHSY, National, Walkmen, Family Stone, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Mogwai... I would masturbate to that!

Mogwai kills, yeah, and I'm pissed they didn't do sideshows. But apart from that, I'm largely or entirely unfamiliar with Portishead (I know, how that can be when I live with Charlotte is slightly baffling), Walkmen, or Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, and as for the others? No thanks. Couldn't pay me to go to Flaming Lips or Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.



But let's keep talking past each other, because I'm looking at the lineup of this festival that Sleepmakeswaves just played in Belgium (dunk!festival), and OH MY GOD. Pelican. This Will Destroy You. Omega Massif. If These Trees Could Talk. Beware Of Safety. 65daysofstatic. And, duh, Sleepmakeswaves. Why don't we have that sort of stuff in Australia?!

 

[cobl04]

That line up definitely makes sleep waves in my brain.

 

[Axver]

Witty.

 

[LemonMelon]

Wait, wait, Axver hasn't heard any Portishead? What the fuck

 

[bono_man2002]

 

[Axver]

Wait, wait, Axver hasn't heard any Portishead? What the fuck

Heard a few songs when Charlotte's put them on, but that barely counts. Haven't properly listened to them.

 

[intedomine]

Very poor Splendour line up given previous years. Bloc Party, Tame Impala, Gypsy and the Cat and Lana Del Rey are all quality... But the rest can go and shove it.

 

[cobl04]

I don't know. I'd go see all these guys

Jack White
Bloc Party
Smashing Pumpkins
At The Drive-In
The Shins
Miike Snow
Dirty Three
Tame Impala
Explosions In The Sky
Ladyhawke
The Afghan Whigs
Missy Higgins
Metric
Kimbra
Django Django
Gypsy & The Cat
Muscles
Big Scary
Seekae
Yacht Club Dj’s
Pond
The Beautiful Girls
The Rubens
Zulu Winter
Shihad
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
Husky
Kate Miller-Heidke
Father John Misty
Emma Louise
Chet Faker
Here We Go Magic

Bloc Party are the only ones on that list that I really love though.

 

[bono_man2002]

Side shows? I'm planning on seeing Jackie boy, so long as its not a weeknight.

 

[LemonMelon]

Typically, if there are 7-8 acts a day that you like, that's a decent festival to go to. But bear in mind that the number is going to drop once conflicts are taken into account, as well as trips for food, etc. It'll probably be more like 5-6. Assume you're paying $10 an act, multiply that times three days and you can be justified paying $200. The problem, of course, is that Splendour is fucking double that. It should be a crime what they do to you guys.

I will say that one very underrated aspect of festivals is that they open you up to a lot of great music you would never even hear about online. Research those bands and maybe you'll find a few obscure new favorites. I doubt you'll get your money's worth at Splendour, but maybe you could come close. It really gives you incentive to get out to the grounds early if you've looked into the smaller acts.

 

[monkeyskin]

A typical sideshow is $70-80, so money wise it's good for us butt fucked Aussies. Jack white will charge $100 easy.

By itself it's a pretty good line up, it just pales to ones we would have to pay thousands in travel to attend.