Splendour in the Grass

OK I know I said that I would post tomorrow on Monday but I was tired. And Sick. And lazy. Back off.

So now a few highlights from Splendour just like I promised...

First band of the fest was Bluejuice. They were Cra-zy. Jake, one of the lead singers (yes they have more than one), had a broken wrist and a broken leg but he still managed to chuck himself all over the Mix Up stage, whipping the sizable crowd into a frenzy. The only time he seemed to stop moving was when he paused so that I could take this picture. I was pretty shocked when he noticed me taking it and actually looked at the camera. Makes for a good memento.

Other Day One golden moments included the shouty, explosive Cold War Kids, and the insane Polyphonic Spree. 24 people in that band! A choir, string section, horn section, a harp! They even had a costume change! By the end of the set I wanted to be in that band, its like a cult. And I think the rest of the audience felt the same way. Here's some friends I made during the set-

Day two dawned with the same glorious weather that we had been experiencing all week. Stand-outs of the day included British India, The Panics and The Vines. Vampire Weekend were top notch in their first ever Australian performance. Completely living up to the hype, their "Upper-East Side Soweto" was delivered with enthusiasm and what seemed like more than a little surprise at the reception. The vocal crowd knew all the words. The Wombats had the Supertop packed out, belting out their infectious pop rock, leaving me hoarse from singing and physically wrecked from the brutal mosh pit. The most energetic set of the festival methinks.

Sigur Ros was a band I was desperate to see, and they definitely did not disappoint.

An atmospheric, epic, blissful, wall of sound filled the Supertop. Hard to describe the feeling actually. I was going to post some video that I took on my digital camera of their set but it wouldn't load. I'll try loading it again later.

So once Sigur Ros' set, which was a bit of a religious experience, came to an end, myself and about three thousand others headed for the Presets. I could not even get in the tent it was so packed, lucky I have seen them before, as for me The Presets at Splendour were just a ball of pretty light -

But that didn't stop us late comers enjoying ourselves.There was certainly a feeling of solidarity in they air. It felt as though everyone at Belongil Fields was singing when they played "My People".

And that was it. When the Presets wrapped, my mates and I rounded up and dragged our weary bodies back to base camp for a few hours sleep before we left for Canberra early the next day.

Seriously though - Best. Weekend. Ever.