:: Splendour In The Grass 2007

By: Anna Dawson and Angela Dewan

The streets of Byron Bay were pulsing with people from all around the country. Not a hotel room was empty, not a spot to pitch a tent was free. The cafes were packed, the bars were full and the beach was shimmering in the winter sun. The heart of this commotion was Belongil Fields, home of the 7th Splendour In The Grass Festival.
This year’s Splendour in the Grass festival was bigger and better than ever. With a stellar line up, a friendly crowd and the best weather you could ask for in August, it would have been difficult to find anyone who wasn’t touched by Splendour’s charm.

Operator Please opened the festival with just a song…just a song…just a Song About Ping Pong. With youth and spark on their side these kids have a promising future and may be the next big thing in the rock scene.
After a beautiful warm day, the sun began to set and Sneaky Sound System took to the mix-up stage. Having sold over 70,000 copies of their new album, they were loving every minute of their crowd pleasing set, reveling in their home-grown success. Fronted by the talented Connie Mitchell, the group unfortunately seemed to loose its identity when she sat a few tracks out. Their big hits, such as Pictures and I Love It, commanded roars from an audience who sang along with every line. Their latest hit, UFO, received the biggest response sending the whole tent jumping.

For those who liked it a bit more electro, Hot Chip put on an interesting but slightly intense dance set as the Kaiser Chiefs took to the Supertop stage. The Kaiser Chiefs have always seemed to be just another naff grumpy English band. But on this splendid evening they were able to work their gruff British charm with a surprising amount of energy, perking up and preparing the punters for the night ahead. It may not have been a life changing performance but lead singer Ricky Wilson undeniably gave the crowd everything he had. Crowd favourites like Everyday I Love You Less and Less made for an infectiously enjoyable performance. Finishing with a stirring pub-like version of Oh My God, which was quite the song of the day (with a later rendition from Lily Allen), the Kaiser Chiefs used their impressive sound to put on a very entertaining show.

The large crowd that Powderfinger had attracted eventually migrated to Lily Allen’s set after they had finished. Closing the night with plenty of sass and attitude, Lily put on a great show with lots of laughs with songs Not Big and Alfie. Known for her distinctive half singing, half-whining, she impressed the crowd with a soulful and sturdy voice in Littlest Things. The big brassy sounds of Smile and LDN made for fun and light-hearted highlights of her set.

OK Go, all suited up, impressed the crowd with their upbeat, fun tunes. The lead singer, Damian Kulash, gave his all to the performance with a touch of rock star arrogance as the band kept the set in line with a tight sound. With a career spanning decades, every song the Hoodoo Gurus played was a hit. Favourites such as Miss Freelove and What’s my Scene surprisingly set the young crowd into a frenzy, proving that any good song will stand the test of time. As veterans of Australian music, their performance was flawless and their energy rivaled any band half their age.

Bloc Party - could there be a better suited band to this evening at Splendour in the Grass? The tall slender figure of Kele Okereke took centre stage and within moments of the first driving beats Bloc Party had the crowd captivated. Okereke’s rich and sonorous vocals sailed effortlessly across pulsating guitar riffs and relentless rhythms. The tightly packed in crowd went crazy with hits Banquet and Positive Tension, whilst songs Like Eating Glass, Waiting for the 7.18 and Hunting for Witches echoed through the wintery fields with a haunting beauty.

The band has stated that their Splendour performance in 2005 was one of the best shows they’ve ever played. And in 2007, watching Okereke take a few moments to gaze out upon the crowd, you couldn’t help but feel that he was just as inspired by the crowd as it was by him. Such mutual respect is rare in the world of indie rock (take heed Sydney scene) but it made this performance unforgettable. Bloc Party was undoubtedly the show of the festival; it was puzzling they weren’t chosen to close the weekend.

That honour was left to the Arctic Monkeys and, put simply, they didn’t cut the mustard. Sure, they’ve got a few catchy numbers which got the kids dancing blah blah blah, but their performance was ordinary. It was a competent performance but who wants competence? The band, particularly front-man Alex Turner, looked bored which made for a boring performance. There were a few words to the crowd and Dancing Shoes and I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor were clear people movers. But overall the performance lacked energy and the bang which you would expect the festival to have gone out on. Yes these monkeys were rather frozen.

Thankfully the electric performance of Bloc Party and the memories of a great weekend were enough to keep everyone buzzing on their long journeys home from the festival.