What in the mud …
Rainy days to lush blue skies, delays and cancellations to surprise guests, peaks to pits and back up to peaks, this year’s Splendour In The Grass certainly did not disappoint in the memory department.
We’ve all heard and read about the controversies surrounding the notorious Splendour In The Grass 2022 festival, so now we’re going to take a step back and relive some of the best and most memorable acts from the infamous 3 days.
The Chats
Serving as one of the first acts playing on the main stage after the disastrous first day, The Chats brought the energy that the crowd were missing. Running on stage asking the crowd if they thought the band could fit 24 songs in a 45 minute slot, the Sunshine Coast trio blasted a chaotic, rough, yet tight set. Filled with spitting, raw guitars, turbo-speed drums and a little call out to the New South Wales police force, by the end of the set the crowd were sweating as much as the band were up on stage.
King Stingray
Out of all the festivals that I have been to, I have never seen more people come to watch an act so early in the day. Kicking off as the first act on the GW McLennan Tent in the middle of the day, the crowd was main stage-esque watching King Stingray. Mixing native Australian roots with rock, the band had the sound the crowd were craving. Raw off their like a version performance, I had never seen more people in awe for a Coldplay song, as the group covered “Yellow”. The rest of the set was filled with emotion and energy, as the group’s touching, lively set mixed perfectly with the half hungover crowd, creating the perfect mix for the festival's final day.
Pond
Close your eyes, imagine Mick Jagger and David Bowie having a baby, that baby goes on to become a frontman for a dance based, euphoric sounding band that sound like they are playing on top of a raving cloud. What do you get? Pond. Wow. As the sun came out on the last day of the festival, so did Fremantle’s finest. On one hand you wanted to close your eyes and groove out, on the other hand you couldn’t keep your eyes off Nick Allbrook (frontman for POND). The controlled chaos mixed with lavishness brought by the group is unmatched, where their set made you lose track of time and finished after what felt like 12 minutes.
Genesis Owusu
Walking out, standing at 3 meters tall, I had never been more scared yet intrigued for anything in my life. Springing off his backup dancer’s shoulders, the light show began and the crowd bounced, almost forgetting they were slumped in a pool of mud. The genre-bending performance mixed elements of rap, gospel and heavy rock, leaving the crowd in genuine disbelief after what they had experienced. Shoutout to the person running Owusu’s lights, as the performance would have been as impressive if you had noise canceling headphones on.
Amyl & The Sniffers
Coming back to their hometown after touring around the world for what feels like years, the crowd's reception to the punks was unrivalled. When talking about mayhem, ear blasting instrumentals and a front-woman that does not give a shit about anything coming her way, you can’t help but feel starstruck by Amyl & The Sniffers. Amy’s unfiltered antics (front woman for Amyl & The Sniffers) made herself known all the way from the GW McLennan Tent, to make up for the unfortunate, limited presence of female artists performing at the festival.
Tyler, The Creator
Tyler was fkn dope