Friday 24 July

Having arrived in Byron we checked into our epic little hostel the Art Factory, home to all manner of oddities including the famous Buddha Bar which now came complete with a brewing facility. After sampling some delicious pizza at that same bar, myself and my three comrades headed to the Splendour grounds to check out some of the food on offer, some of the DJ's playing, some of the setup this year but mainly to get our wristband early and avoid the rush. In the end, it was quite pointless as we had to wait in more of a line that night than we would have when we arrived the next day to get in. And whilst it was good chilling at in the Buddha Bar afterwoulds and meeting some of our Teepee roommates, I know I would've much preferred to be watching Bloc Party rip through the whole of Silent Alarm at an intimate little Byron pub gig :'(

Food of the Day: Burrito @ Gomez Y Guzyman or something like that
Drink of the Day: Byron Beer @ Buddha Bar

Saturday 25 July

Now after this long winded diatribe about our first day, I'm going to keep it short and sweet describing the two actual days of the festival lol. Which probably defeats the purpose of this review but so be it!

Glass Towers: Pretty standard Aussie rock band. The kids could hold a tune but looked barely out of high school (if at all). Good to see Splendour supporting local talent as always and kudos to all the school mates and family members that obviously got out there to support them. They were fun, had me nodding my head and tapping my feet. Could be one to watch.

Moment of the Set: Their schoolmates moshing like there was no tomorrow in front of them!
Rating: 5.5/10

Manchester Orchestra: I got into these American indie rockers just before Splendour, but not sufficiently to know their songs off by heart, nor even the name of most of the tracks. They delivered a ripping performance but admittedly they were much "harder" in their sound than I expected. I was informed after by my learned colleagues that they hadn't played most of their softer songs which was a shame. Still, impressive and will be seeking out more of their stuff.

Moment of the Set: I'm not too sure on this but i think it was The River. A ripping long jam.
Rating: 7/10

Art vs Science: Had an average spot for these guys which was disappointing because there set was CRANKING. They looked absolutely at the top of their game and I can't wait to see them at Parklife. That said I still got in a cheeky dance, especially to the song that everyone knows!

Moment of the Set: Speaking of whichhhhh, it had to be using your flippers to get downnnn!
Rating: 7/10 (much higher if closer)

Bridezilla: Saw these foxy wenches before Stars last year and wasn't THAT impressed. I must say, this time around I had a much better time. I think their atmospheric sounds suited the GWM tent perfectly. And damn are they fine. Australian's should get behind this sort of music and I'll be giving them more of a go from now on.

Moment of the Set: Staring gobsmacked at a bunch of hotties playing ethereal otherworldy music, what more can a red blooded aussie male want?
Rating: 6.5/10

Gravy/Kaliba (TIPI): Had to have a cheeky dance in the tipi forest at some point! It's mandatory!! And i think these were the DJ's on at the time and they did a damn good job of keeping the good times pumping. Shame we never made our way back to the area over the next two days. Just too much damn good alcohol, food and music to tempt us.

Moment of the Set: They dropped some Bloody Beetroots and everyone went offffffffffffff!
Rating: 6/10 (it is just a DJ after all)

Yacht Club DJ’s: Some more DJ's to keep the good times cranking at the Mix-Up Tent before Yuksek came on. I don't remember much of this set because I was peaking at this stage in terms of alcholic goodness but suffice to say I know I had a good dirty dance and lost my shit a few times!

Moment of the Set: It was all a blurrrrrrrrr
Rating: 6.5/10

Yuksek: The first act I'd REALLY been looking forward to today. Took awhile to build into his set but once Tonight came on I was well and truly feeling his groove. From that point onwards I was floating and dancing and just generally having a damn good time. Wish he had've thrown in a few more of his well-known remixes especially his Lisztomania one!! Ahh well.

Moment of the Set: Take my hand, tonightttt (Contender for moment the day as well)
Rating: 7.5/10

The Specials: Had my reservations about this but by golly the put on a fun show. Bunch of crazy old white and black british blokes up on stage just doing their SKA thing. It was just plain old unadulterated fun. The old british skin head beside me doing the same one-two shuffle for the entire set seemed to love it too!!

Moment of the Set: The rapid-fire opening that convinced me these old codgers still knew how to party
Rating: 7.5/10

The Living End: I've never really been a massive fan of the living end, I've rated a fair few of their songs but never listened to an entire album or been than enthused about seeing them on a festival lineup. So when I learnt that Jane's Addiction had withdrawn (tragedy) and the replacement was these guys...I was less than impressed. However, in the interest of getting a spot in the D-barrier this year (yes, they TRIED to control the crowd) we decided to get in early and have a crack at these guys. I was truly impressed. The energy they displayed ripping through that set HAS to be respected and full credit to them for turning out the performance they did under the circumstances. They played every song I knew and possibly wanted to hear...including one that I was absolutely stoked to hear! ;)

Moment of the Set: Phil the lead singer from Grinspoon coming on stage to sing JANE SAYS with the band. (MOMENT OF THE DAY) Closely followed by Prisoner of Society which I first remember singing with all my teammates on a bus to footy training in year 5 or 6!
Rating: 8.5/10

Bloc Party: I'll preface this review by saying Bloc Party are my favourite band. Moving on! This was what today was all about for me really, I had absolutely amazing memories of seeing them at Splendour in 2007 and was hoping that this time the crowd would be kept under control. Alas, the introduction of the D Barrier DID NOTHING! Squeezed in like sardines it seemed like everyone who came to Splendour awaited the arrival of Kele, Matt, Gordon and Russel! And they arrived with a bang, cranking out a mix of their best known songs from their three albums. Not too many surprises among them and every single one delivered with power and energy. Was stoked they came back for an encore of Like Eating Glass. It's truly a masterpiece.

Moment of the Set: Song for Clay transitioning directly into Banquet. Larry and I went absolutely insane up until that point then halfway through Banquet we just lost it. Completely dead. Zombies for the rest of the set just sitting back for the ride.
Rating: 9.5/10

Non-Musical Moment of the Day: Some clown tripping acid as we waited in the MOST RIDICULOUS BUS LINE EVER (SERIOUSLY SPLENDOUR CLEAN UP THAT ASPECT OF THE FESTIVAL AND YOUR ON A WINNER). Some choice words from the man who dubbed himself "a young Rob Stewart": "Wendy (his mum) is a good egg, she loves it" "MUMSYYYYYY BRING US SOME ACID" "I don't speak spanish...YOU ATE A WHOLE CHEESE WHEEL?" "WHERE YOU GOING NAPOLEON?" (actually that was said by someone else).

Food of the Day: Cheese, Chips and Bacon. It was deplorable but we had to do it.

Drink of the Day: Jägerbomb at the end of a MASSIVE DRINKS QUEUE due to stupid ticketing system and lack of drink facilities

PHOTOS BY LARRY HEATH