Top 10 Acts We’re Absolutely Catching At Splendour In The Grass
Here at AAA we’ve been frothing for this year’s Splendour ever since the lineup dropped! With just a few days before our favourite event on Australia’s live music calendar we thought we’d share who we’re most looking forward to catching across Splendour’s four main stages…
Sub Editor Max’s Top 5 Splendour In The Grass 2016 Picks
Boo Seeka – SAT 2:45pm @ Mix Up Stage
If you haven’t caught this Hunter Valley duo live yet then you need to change your tune…and get into theirs! The indietronica pair have already had some big gigs, from their own headline tours both in Australia and overseas, as well as sets at Groovin’ the Moo and Yours & Owls. They have an exceptionally chilled stage presence but still manage to get the crowds moving, and their cover of Eurythmic’s Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) gets very dancey…
Green Buzzard – SUN 12:00pm @ Amphitheatre
Green Buzzard will be taking on Splendour with a whole stack of their I Oh You label mates, like DMA’s and Violent Soho, so you know they have to be a quality time! The Sydney band swayed hearts and minds with a show at Brisbane’s BIGSOUND conference last year and their own headline gigs. If you like the kind of guitar-pop the DMA’s or The Lulu Raes have been putting out, then you’re sure to be a Green Buzzard fan. Remember to wear your best double denim for this set…
Spring King – SAT 3:00pm @ GW McLennan
These British indie-surf-fuzz rockers only recently dropped their debut album ‘Tell Me If You Like To’ and it’s already been getting a whole heap of attention. Tracks like Who Are You? and Rectifier have been on repeat on a lot of playlists at AAA and probably a lot of yours, too. Their fun and danceable guitar sound will get you shimmying and shaking during their Saturday afternoon set (which is an unfortunate clash with Boo Seeka), and the perfect follow-up to their American counterparts, Beach Slang who play just an hour earlier.
Harts – SAT 12:50pm @ Amphitheatre
Melbourne’s Harts knows how to make a fun and funky track. Even better, he knows how to make it even more fun and funky when he takes it to a live performance. He brings a certain cool strut to his riffing that will get even the whitest boy dancing, and just about everyone in the crowd will throw a sneaky air-guitar at some point. Keep your eyes peeled for those blistering solos, and keep your ears peeled for favourites like Peculiar and Breakthrough, or new track Power.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – SAT 3:00pm @ Amphitheatre
There is a whole different dimension of human comprehension that can only obtained through a portal that opens up during a King Gizz show. It’s like your mind goes “nah, f*ck it, I’m out” and you just transcend to a new level of genre bending musical appreciation. It’s already been a huge year for King Gizz, and they’re sure to step out with their very best when they hit the Amphitheatre on Saturday. Be there, be ready, be amazed.
Check out our Photo Gallery of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s Brisbane show HERE
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Chief Editor Jack’s Top 5 Splendour In The Grass 2016 Picks
Montaigne – SAT 12:30pm @ GW McLennan
Sydney songstress Jess Cerro a.k.a Montaigne has one of the most interesting and versatile voices I’ve heard. You may recognise her voice from Hilltop Hoods’ 1955, and her recent singles In The Dark and Because I Love You (one of my favourite songs of 2016 so far) have been receiving plenty of love on triple j. The pint-sized vocalist will soon be releasing her debut album ‘Glorious Heights’, so I fully expect her Splendour set to showcase the best of her quirky alt-pop sound and some interesting fashion…
Jack Garratt – FRI 4:00pm @ Mix Up Stage
For those unfamiliar with Jack Garratt, I describe him as the beard-and-hat-wearing electro-soul version of Ed Sheeran. This guy is an incredible one-man band capable of producing epic dance tracks such as Breathe Life and Far Cry, and spine-tingling modern-soul anthems like Weathered and Surprise Yourself. Here at AAA we gave his 2016 debut album ‘Phase’ 5 stars, and with an amazing vocal range, plethora of synthesiser and percussive tones, and whispers he can shred on a guitar, he’s probably THE unmissable act at 2016’s Splendour.
Read our interview with Jack Garratt HERE
Tired Lion – SUN 1:45pm @ GW McLennan
There are always plenty of mosh-worthy bands on the bill at Splendour, and this year throws up Violent Soho, At The Drive-In, and (depending on your alcohol consumption) DMA’s. But Perth’s Tired Lion are quickly rising through Australia’s rock scene off the back of winning a triple j unearthed comp and dropping consistent killer punk-ish pub-rock. Their tracks I Don’t Think You Like Me (not to be confused with Alex Lahey’s song, which is also awesome) and Not My Friends are instant headbangerz, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised how intimidating their pocket-rocket frontwoman Sophie Hopes is onstage!
Jagwar Ma – SUN 5:15pm @ Mix Up Stage
The Sydney duo was hot property back in 2013 with the release of their debut album ‘Howlin‘, which spawned classic groove-hits Uncertainty, The Throw, and That Loneliness (one of my all-time favourite songs). They’re finally back from…I don’t know taking over the world, with their new single O B 1 from their forthcoming sophomore album. The new song carries their signature rolling-groove underneath plenty of layers of unique production. They may be a ‘dance-act’ but there’s definitely a lot more going on that just a bass drum, snare, and deep synths…
Also, if you dig Jagwar Ma you should also check out World Champion, who unfortunately clash with Jack Garratt.
The 1975 – FRI 6:00pm @ Amphitheatre
Fronted by the love-to-hate-him Matthew Healy, British 80s guitar-pop revivalists The 1975 are one of the biggest bands playing at this year’s Splendour without having the backing of significant airtime on triple j (who’d they piss off??). The quartet are currently touring the world in support of their sophomore album ‘I like it when you sleep for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it’, and are sure to play their twilight set to a mostly female audience (if their 2014 Splendour set is anything to go by).
With a sound that features plenty of catchy guitar work, glossy production, and some seriously insightful lyrics into Healy’s (unhealthy) relationship with women, it’s sure to be a set that’ll be talked about until Flume blows everyone away on Sunday night.
Read our Splendour Survival Guide HERE
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