Splendour In The MUD (Grass) - 22nd July to 24th at North Byron Parklands in Yelgun
PHOTOS BY: MONIKA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH
REVIEW BY: TAYLOR KEMPNICH
Splendour in the sludge
Let’s take it back to Thursday 21 July, 2022. Monika kicked off her journey north to Byron in her parents Campervan, arriving at my place around 1pm. We ducked out to guest services to pick up our media passes, grabbed some last minute supplies and set off for North Byron Parklands. We were brimming with excitement knowing this was Rawing in the Pit’s & Monika’s first ever Splendour In The Grass and one of the first festival experiences in a “post” Covid era. Nothing was going to stop us from having the time of our lives…. or so we thought…
We were on the road by 3pm and although there was a great deal of festival traffic, it seemed as though we would be setting up in the campgrounds in no time.
Gosh, were we wrong.
After a few hours, we were finally on-site, waiting in a crawling queue to be allocated a space to camp with the pot holes making my car bounce around, and Monika’s campervan rattle. The volunteers and staff were kind and patient (special mention to Hamish for trying to help us find out where we were supposed to go, which ended up being way way way back, and far from where we currently were) despite clearly being in a very trying situation. Heavy rain, crazy winds and thousands of festival goers to usher in the volunteers who braved the mud, torrential rain were high in spirts and extremely helpful.
Eventually we were allocated a space to park my car and Monika’s camper, on the side of the road albeit on a bit of a lean but we were able to stop and we bunkered down for the night. A 7.5 hour drive to travel from Byron had seemingly flashed by in a daze, with Monika and I on the phone with one another for most of the time during the journey trying to keep each other sane.
Anticipation is one hell of a drug.
We woke to howling winds and pouring rain, and saw the sea of tents with water lapping at their doors. Making the decision to put a mattress in the back of my car just days before was beginning to feel like a saving grace.
It was now mid Friday morning and despite the rain, we were buzzing. After grabbing one of our wrist bands, we had to head to the other side of the festival to grab our camping passes as the location we were at did not have any of our passes. As we walked through the quiet festival we noted that the ground was a bit squishy and sopping wet.
After grabbing the correct wrist bands we had to trudge back to our vehicles, and move them back to the media area. Helped by the incredible team (Thanks Rose and other legends!) to set up our sleeping quarters the we prepared the camera gear, our cosiest gumboots, our best singing voices and wandered on into the festival grounds.
First on the must-see list was George Alice. The ‘Stuck in a Bubble’ pop queen was due to kick off the GW Mclennan stage at 12:15pm. We waited patiently, listening to the warm up music and watched Alice peer out from the side of the stage, waiting for the call. The crowd begged loudly, yelling and yahooing for her to come out. Thirty minutes went by - the time allocated for her set - so it was assumed that she was not coming to play and confused as to what was happening.
Hoping for better luck, we braved the sticky mud that entirely surrounded the nearby Parklands Stage to hopefully catch part of The Buoys set. When we got there, there was no music, no gear on-stage, no official staff. It wasn’t looking good for the one thing we came for…. Live music!
A call from my brother who was off-site waiting to catch a bus into the festival resulted in the discovery of the Friday cancellation. A lot of confused faces, a lot of punters asking Monika what was going on and all she could do was politely shrug her shoulders and tell them she did not know. Bummer! Soon after, Splendour released a statement online to say all main stages had been cancelled for the Friday, yet no official announcement was made at the festival itself, but the remaining bars will stay open for the punters who were already on-site. This was due to a huge storm front predicted to hit later that afternoon, adding to an already water-riddled site. The police and SES apparently had told the festival to cancel due to this reason. The sludge was up to the top of my gumboots in some parts as we made our way back to our cars to dump Monika’s 13kg+ gear to save her back, and we headed to Gold Bar to have some drinks, have a boogie and enjoy the company of other punters.
Friday was disappointing, although there was one silver lining due to Monika’s previous purchase at the pizza joint, a bit of a chat with the boys and we got a free pizza to chew on in Monika’s dry camper. An early night’s sleep which was quite welcomed as we were a bit exhausted from lack of sleep from the night before, as we drifted off we held on to hope the festival would kick off the following day…
THE LAZY EYES PHOTOS BY: MONIKA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH
On Saturday we woke to the very welcome notification of “DAY TWO IS A GO!” from our Splendour app. It was time to get this show on the road.
We braved the sludge and waded out to the GW McLennan tent to catch the first set of the day. The Lazy Eyes members graced the stage right at 12:30pm and the crowd screamed as the lead singer lifted his arms to the ceiling in celebration. It was clear they knew they were kicking off the festival. The set started with a bang; a loud drum, followed by harmonious guitar riffs.
All three frontmen flicked their shoulder-length hair in a synchronised manner, bopping in time with the melody, hip thrusting to the beat. Impressive! This was my first time hearing of the four-piece band and they felt somewhat influenced by The Kooks vocals, Tame Impala hypnotic bass lines and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard guitar riffs. Like paint swirls, the purple, red, green and blue graphics on the backdrop put the crowd in a trance, clapping along to the beat. “Everybody, keep it going” the lead chimed in.
Their second song “The Island” came in with dreamy vocals and light guitar chords, slowly building to heavier guitar riffs and the lights dimmed to build intensity. The boys played their guitars vertically and the crowd squealed with excitement. “They’re great performers”, I overheard one punter say. They brought a lot of energy to the tent and had great stage presence. Crowds of people flocked to the tent to check out the tight psych-rock seasoned performers and were not disappointed.
PUP PHOTOS BY: MONIKA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH
By the time we left GW McLennan, the sun was out and beaming. We were ready to hit the Amphitheatre to catch Toronto four-piece punk rock band, PUP. At 1:15pm, in the heat of the afternoon sun, the boys rushed out on stage clapping with their hands in the air. The blue backdrop contrasted against their white T-shirts and black skinny jeans. Very punk.
As any good punk rock band has, among the four of them there was plenty of hair to flick around when thrashing their heads to the songs. This fashion was also mimicked by the crowd with lots of long hair, black clothing, fishnets and lace, proving punk very much alive and well.
“Let’s fucking rock” the lead singer exclaimed, following on to say they weren’t going to do much talking and instead just play loads of songs. The band was tight. The drummer did not miss a beat. By the fourth song, beers were flying everywhere in the mosh, punters were head banging and a long-haired yahoo was lifted up high and began to crowd surf. Even the festival goers sitting at the back of the amphitheatre were getting into it. PUP clearly knows how to get a crowd going.
At the end of one of the heavier songs, the lead singer asked “You guys sure about the circle pit for the next song?” implying it might get a little heated. The crowd responded with “100%” and PUP went on to say “It’s a pretty mellow one”. Mellow? The song came in with heavy guitar riffs but it was maybe slightly more mellow than the previous tunes. I got a good head bang and a giggle out of it at least
BUDJERAH PHOTOS BY: MONIKA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH
Wow! What a well-rounded, diverse group of performers; was the first thought I had when the band members came out from behind the velvet red curtains of the GW McLennan tent. Dressed in all white, the band carried an angelic presence which drifted out to the crowd.
Local Bundjalung musician Budjerah, took the stage with a glimmer in his eyes.
“HIGHER”, Budjerah sang this lyric directly into my soul. Within seconds, goosebumps covered my body and tears fell from my eyes. I don’t often have full body reactions to vocals but this was a moment in time I wished I could capture and play on repeat. The tent echoed as he began a call and response with the crowd. His soul-eque tones and runs seemingly darted in and around the heads of every person in the crowd. His energy, along with beautiful harmonies sung by the two back-up vocalists captivated the audience.
A funky bass player, keyboard player with long beautiful brown hair, suave guitarist with slicked back hair and sunglasses, drummer with groove. This tight-knit band was well worth the trudge through the sludge. It was quite endearing to see a crowd of people moving only from the waist up, swaying and grooving while their feet were stuck in the mud.
THE CHATS PHOTOS BY: MONIKA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH
The sun was shining bright and The Chats were on fire, belting out their direct, earnest lyrics to a packed inner amphitheatre. I’ve seen The Chats play a handful of times before, mainly pre covid at small pub gigs in Byron, but it was pretty special to see the boys playing one of Australia’s biggest festivals. This was also echoed by the boys when they said “thank you to Splendour for having us, our drummer was back here 5 years washing dishes in one of the food trucks and now he’s playing the amphitheatre.”
I decided that the top of the hill was the best spot to view the set, looking over an amped up crowd dancing and thrashing about. They always know how to get a crowd riled up. Of course the song that sent them to stardom, “Smoko” popped off with the crowd and garnered a huge response. Beers flew in the air and punters threw themselves against each other.
The boys were very clear about their political stance “fuck the NSW police force” and repeated it “fuck em”. The crowd roared. On the screen behind them, cartoon versions of the band members acted out the movements to the songs. As always, their high energy, deep bass riffs, heavy guitar strums and spoken word vocals were well suited to the late afternoon punk rock crowd of Splendour. With rosy cheeks and sweat dripping from them, they ended their set with absolute banger “Pub Feed”.
THE JUNGLE GIANTS ft SYCCO PHOTOS BY: MONIKA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH
After the crazy cancellation of Friday, The Jungle Giants were the perfect potion to cure the dampened spirits. They allowed for a change of moods of the punters, looking around at their amphitheatre show, everyone seemed to have a smile on their face. The long time festival favourites seemingly levelled up during this set. The sun shone down, drying out our muddy souls and a rainbow appeared out of nowhere. The Brisbane band really turned it on and brought out Sycco to duet “Treat You Right”, a crowd favourite. They were on fire and made the most of space on stage, running around and having fun which was heavily contagious.
Another notable moment was when they handed out 5 disposable cameras to the crowd, hoping they would capture the feeling. It was very sentimental. And we can’t wait to see how those photos turned out!
One of my favourite parts about seeing Cosmo’s Midnight play, is the ever-changing array of talented vocalists that join them for their sets. Originally not having been on the ‘22 Splendour lineup, they received a last minute call as the replacement for Tom Misch. The boys were on an emergency flight from Portugal and showed up with fires in their bellies ready to bring the disco to the Mix-Up tent.
The boys noted that this was the first time playing a live set for us as a band instead of a dj set, and boy did it exceed all expectations. One by one, the bangers played and more stunning vocalists appeared. After having been one of the cancelled acts the night before, Ruel came on-stage and sang his tune “Down To You”. The crowd bellowed with excitement and sang along to the dance track. With a nostalgic, yet funky feel, the set brought the tent alive and the energy was magnetic.
8:30pm at the Mix-Up tent was fairly momentus for this Sydney duo. I recall Cosmo’s playing in the Red Bull tent way back in 2014 on the Thursday night before the festival had even kicked off. They’ve since played much bigger shows and toured far and wide, but seeing them play Splendour this year really felt like a full circle moment.
OLIVER TREE PHOTOS BY: MONIKA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH
JACK HARLOW PHOTOS BY: MONIKA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH
THE STROKES PHOTOS BY: MONIKA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH
As soon as The Strokes came on, everyone was injected with a hit of energy. The band came in hot, opening with their head bopping track, “Bad Decisions” and got the crowd singing from the get go. The packed amphitheatre now torn up from punters dancing all day long, saw flocks of people moving in time with the music, under the lights spilling off the stage. A wave of movement that looked almost choreographed.
With hit after hit, the songs kept the energy high and punters warm as they danced and sang along to some of the New York City band’s tracks. Lead singer Julian Casablancas stumbled around the stage, mumbling his grungy alt indie lyrics as he does best. Although, his behaviour left some punters with questions on their lips. “Is he drunk?” I overheard one punter say. I suppose that’s the life of a rockstar, eh?
Despite this, they still put on a great show and the crowd seemed elated to have seen The Strokes headline the Saturday. “Brisbane, Gold Coast, Byron, whatever… Thanks for having us” Casablancas chimed in before playing “Last Nite” and the crowd roared.
ANDY GOLLEDGE PHOTOS BY: MONIKA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH
Since Splendour finished, I’ve often been asked who my highlight of the festival was. I’d never heard of Andy Golledge before but Monika dragged me to Parklands at 1:10pm to catch a glimpse (her friend Josh Piltz was the drummer). I was boot-scootin, kicking up mud and twisting my hips within seconds of the first chords playing. This 6-piece band of cowboy/girl rockstars were a sight to be seen (and heard). As a bit of an Americana, alt country fan myself, these guys really tickled my fancy. I’d been living in the US and getting into the likes of Rayland Baxter and Shakey Graves, in which Andy gave off similar macho alt country vibes. It was captivating.
Releasing his debut studio album just a few months earlier, it was great to see him getting the stage time he deserves. With his handlebar “pornstar” moustache, tight blue denim jeans and a red biker cap with “red neck” written in white writing on the front, he certainly stood out. Andy had big rockstar energy as he leant in towards the second guitarist, back facing the audience and the two played their instruments and laughed together, clearly enjoying the performance.
They cracked open a bottle of 1400 tequila and shared it amongst the band members. Caitlin Harnett on banjo (Aka Caitlin Harnett And The Pony Boys), in a full denim one piece sang along with stunning harmonies. Andy finished off his set by jumping down off the stage, walking into the crowd and singing in the middle of punters filming the excitement. This was the set I danced the most, smiled the most, laughed the most. Andy Golledge was the highlight artist of the festival.
An early afternoon amphitheatre set introduced me to Irish band, The Snuts. Originally I went to see them for the quirky band name, but ended up staying for the good times. The indie rock band had a modest audience show for the set but there was no shortage of boogying. “These guys are really cool”, I overheard one punter say. And they were. With the lead singer in all black, he was looking very rock ‘n’ roll, but maybe not equipped for the Australia afternoon sun.
A couple of times throughout the set, the singer flipped the audience the bird in a joking manner and everyone joined along. It was quite the sight. Contrasting that, someone in the crowd blew bubbles into the air paired nicely with their indie rock tunes. The audience sang along to “Glasgow”
G FLIP PHOTOS BY: MONIKA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH
G Flip always puts on a hell of a show. This time was no different, apart from playing with only one working hand. Georgia had broken their hand just weeks prior to the biggest show of their career. So what did they do? Learned the entire set one handed. And…..they didn’t miss a beat!
From Melbourne, now living in the US to further their career, the multifaceted musician took the stage of the amphitheatre at 4:30pm, glistening in the afternoon sun and showing off their hot red plaster cast. Opening the set with “Get Me Outta Here” set the mood on fire.
The set was very energetic and got the audience moving and grooving. Speaking with punters, many said that G Flip was the highlight of the festival for them (including Monika). A particularly moving moment was when they played their newest release “Waste of Space” after asking the audience if they’ve ever been told they’re a waste of space. There was distinct chatting, arms reaching around the people next to them to hug them. The song was a moment that brought people together.
Another sweet moment was when Georgia’s Dad came out on stage and did a shoey. Then their Uncle did a Akubray (for those that were not there he drank from his Akubra) Did I say sweet? Maybe more rock n roll than sweet. G also succumbed to the audience begging, took their shoe off and drank a crisp beer straight from her sneaker. Very talented all-rounder artist.
POND PHOTOS BY: MONIKA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH
AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS PHOTOS BY: MONIKA OBERSCHEVEN-SMITH
Hailing from the UK, Holly Humberstone was in awe to be playing at a festival in Australia. Her angelic presence was welcomed by a loving audience in the GW McLennan tent. Everyone who was there to watch her, was there to watch her. And sing along to all the lyrics. And swoon… It was hard not to swoon over such a kind hearted, dreamy singer-songwriter.
“You guys are so nice I wish UK crowds were like this” she repeated throughout her set. Holly, the love is mutual. She was a classy act, with the chandeliers and red velvet curtains adding an extra layer of softness to the set. It was almost like her vocals were feathers, drifting around the tent waiting to fall gently on someone’s shoulder to comfort them after having had their heart broken by the lyrics. It was beautiful to have lots of feelings about heartbreak, loss and love in a tent with strangers. It felt somewhat nostalgic and collectively brought us all together.
The first song Duke Durmont played, to the crowd’s delight was “Red Light, Green Light” and the audience played along like it was a game. When the beat dropped, everyone went crazy and squashed in closer together towards the fence. Glancing around, we saw plenty of smiling faces and excitable characters. The light show was incredible. The English DJ was hidden towards the back of the stage and digital art lit up all around him. Characters spoke outwards to the audience instructing them on their next movements. It was an extremely unique visual and audio experience that sent vibrations throughout the amphitheatre.
Mura Masa got nuggets. When I tell you I ran to the Mix-Up tent from the Amphitheatre to catch this Guernsey born producer, I may be lying, because running through that mud was near impossible without slipping and sliding and ending up covered. But let’s call it a fast wade and glide movement, like walking across ice. So I waded intently to catch one of my all time favourite artists.
Back in 2017 when Love$sick hit spotify and soared to the top of the viral charts, I was living in Melbourne and my friends and I would play this song on repeat any time we needed amping up. Pre soccer matches, ahead of nights out or during peak hour traffic, blaring and dancing trying to get onlookers involved. This song sent me down the Mura Masa rabbit hole. With an array of vocalists joining him for the set, the crowd spent every last ounce of energy cramming the mosh and dancing their achy feet off after the 2-day music mud marathon.
Rounding out the Mix-Up tent for the festival, Mura Masa gave punters an experience worth raving about. We really never wanted it to end. The spicy, lively set was the perfect way to keep the energy flowing before catching the end of Tyler, The Creator’s set back at The Amphitheatre. The night cap of the festival.
Running (swiftly wading) back to the Ampitheatre with a good friend Stu, saw us catch the remaining 45 minutes of Tyler, The Creator, the highly anticipated final headliner of the festival. In festival terms, the time artists play their most well known hits. By the time we got there, the crowd was roaring. Many people were sitting on other punter’s shoulders. When the camera would pan across to them, many would lift their shirts for all to see - a common feat for Splendour goers throughout the years. Once the camera operator caught on, the scene on the big screens would change abruptly. Oops!
The American Rapper has a cult following of over 13 million Instagram followers, by far the highest followed performer of Splendour ‘22. He engaged with his devoted audience regularly throughout the set, checking in to see how we were all doing. Talented AND compassionate, what a combo. With his big, cheesy grin and flamboyant character, Tyler majestically made his way across the stage singing and rapping all of his popular tracks. His hit “EARFQUAKE” went off with a bang and the crowd rapped along. The digital sign heading the main stage, which had previously read SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS, was now reading SPLENDOUR IN THE MUD. Fitting. Golden pyrotechnics littered the stage in light and the audience were deafening once more.
A huge props to the set designer who transported us to a faraway land, with grass, mounds and mountain ranges in the background. It was stunning and really emphasised his creative flare. We were all a little envious below, wallowing in the mud while he had lush grass underfoot on stage. Maybe it could’ve been re(re)named Splendour in the Grass after all.
Tyler, The Creator, the perfect festival nightcap.
Photo above and photos below provided by Scrabble PR - not taken by Monika Oberscheven-Smith
