Thanks to the delightful Gemma and Amber of the Festival Ladies we have a series of reviews to accompany the riveting podcast that i'm sure you've already listened to.
Anyway.... here goes... Part 1.
Splendour in the Grass is Australia’s largest winter music festival and in 2011 and for the second year in a row was held at Woodford, QLD over 3 days from 29-31 July. The ladies made the trip to the festival this year. See what they thought about the happenings of the Friday.
Jebediah
Gem: I’m a long term Jebediah fan. They were one of the first bands I ever saw. It was an U18s gig and it was at Sutherland Entertainment Centre. It’s amazing how much this band has not dated. Kev, Vanessa, Chris and Brett look exactly the same as I remember them and they sound better now than ever. As an old school fan, of course, I was really looking forward to hearing the older songs again and I wasn’t alone. There was a massive sing-along to the 1997 hit ‘Leaving Home’ and the “Screw up your life again” lyrics of ‘Please Leave’. They also played ‘Animal’ and my personal highlight, ‘Harpoon’. The songs from their new album, Kosciuszko, have brought new energy to the band and, after a bit of air play on Triple J lately, have a certain level of familiarity that results in the whole crowd dancing along to them. Great set, my only disappointment is that they didn’t play ‘Teflon’ (I later learned that they very rarely play the song live).
Glasvegas
Amb: Glasvegas were a bit disappointing, not enough chat for my liking (what’s the point in having a great Scottish accent if you’re not going to share?), however they earned points back for having a bass player with several missing teeth. I’m not sure why, but it kept me enthralled.
Does It Offend You Yeah?
Gem: Does It Offend You Yeah? mash many different genres of music into their songs – dance, electronic rock, punk, indie, and pop. Throughout their set they quickly jumped from big beat dance tunes to slow acoustic songs in such unpredictable fashion that I found myself questioning their identity. This is precisely the band’s intention. They don’t want to be predictable, they don’t want to fit into some preconceived genre, and they don’t want to follow the formula. They want to be interesting. I was mesmerised throughout the performance, wondering what they would play next. Song highlights included ‘Pull Out My Insides’ and ‘Epic Last Song’, as well as a cover of Nirvana’s “Aneurysm”. Their last song ‘Funky Monkey’ got the whole of the mix up tent dancing.
The Hives
Amb: Raise your hands in appreciation of The Hives!!! Howlin’ Pelle RULES. He spent the entire set prancing and strutting across the stage, blowing kisses, scolding the crowd and generally hamming it up and pouncing about the way he does best. Plus The Hives have the best stage backdrop I have ever seen. And matching outfits. I LOVE matching outfits on a band.
Gem: It was my first time seeing The Hives. Not sure how, considering my friend's obsession with the band and in particular the lead singer. It didn’t take me long to understand the obsession. The lead singer was fabulous. His continuous and highly infectious stage presence and interaction with the crowd is mesmerising and it’s not long until he has us all eating out of the palm of his hand. For the final song ‘Tick Tick Boom’ he got the whole crowd to sit on the floor before a massive dance off. Other highlights were ‘Walk Idiot Walk’ and ‘Hate to Say I Told You So’.
Kanye West
Amb: I was hoping for a ridiculously grandiose entrance from Kanye and he didn't disappoint. He emerged from a thick cloud of smoke, being lifted above the crowd on a platform set up in the middle of the moshpit. What a dick. But a thoroughly entertaining dick, so he’s forgiven. Lots of fun.
Gem: Kanye was so much fun, let’s face it his songs are catchy. On the stage there was always so much going on – dancers, giant white sheets. I didn’t understand it all but it kept me entertained. I was a bit disappointed that the rumour that Jay-Z would make an appearance didn’t eventuate.
Check out the offical Splendour website for replays of webcasts and the official photo gallery.
