Words by Rob McAllister
Picture this: unleashing two 20-something girls upon Byron Bay and Splendour in the Grass 2009, then letting them run riot just to see what would happen. This is exactly what SMAC Magazine did, and the results were pretty interesting…
Ranee and Jorgia were recruited for the SMAC Magazine team and presented with the task of rocking up to Splendour 2009 and pushing the Splendour experience to its limits to see just how splendorous it can get.
With a reported attendance of around 17,500 people the event was sure to go off from the word GO, with a band line-up of Aussie legends THE LIVING END, HILLTOP HOODS, GRINSPOON, LITTLE BIRDY and BIRDS OF TOKYO as well as international acts and sideline entertainment. Splendour was on target to live up to its name… but would it live up to the expectations of our girls?
If we could answer that question with just two words, those words would be HELL and YEAH!
From the beginning the excitement was electric for the girls, landing in Brisbane and traveling to Byron via bus really helped build up the tension and excitement. The Splendour crowd were easy to pick out, and they could be seen everywhere pouring out of planes, trains and buses and flowing through crowds all around the Brisbane area. This was going to be big, and both the girls knew it.
The excitement really hit a high at the main entrance to Splendour as the realisation dawned that the girls were in for two full days of fun, music, culture in an electric atmosphere. Taking it all in at once was a massive rush, the girls both agreed, as they donned pink and red fluoro sunnies in true festival spirit and headed into a whole new world, passing under the massive colourful SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS banner depicting rolling hills and all manner of farm animals. There weren’t any real farm animals roaming the festival site… but there were plenty of colourful and crazy characters to be seen as people really got into the vibe of the festival!
Luckily for the punters the weather was reasonably tame over the two days, and apart from a little bit of mud across the grounds the event wasn’t spoiled by mother nature, and the two days were blessed with cool breezes and warm sunshine which really made the experience complete.
There was an overload of musical entertainment over the course of the weekend. Some of the main musical highlights that the girls enjoyed were; MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA, FRIENDLY FIRES, BIRDS OF TOKYO, CHILDREN COLLIDE, BLUEJUICE, GRINSPOON, THE LIVING END and MGMT. The disappointment of the unfortunate pulling out of JANE’S ADDICTION was supplemented by the crowd-wowing performance of Aussie rockers The Living End, and in consolation for the Janes Addiction fans let rip with a cover version of Jane Says with the vocal assistance of Grinspoon’s Phil Jamieson.
Another big highlight for our intrepid spies was the opportunity to be part of POWDERFINGER’s soon-to-be-released album Golden Rule - the crowd was more than happy to oblige when the band made a surprise appearance on stage and had the crowd sing along with the chorus of a song that will be on the album. Both Ranee and Jorgia listed that moment in their Top 5 Splendour Moments.
Another interesting part of the festival was the ‘Seagull Swoop’ initiative where festival-goers could hand in cans for recycling in exchange for free drink tickets. What better motivation to clean up and recycle than to drink for free during the festival? Over 260,000 drink containers were recycled over the course of the festival, a statistic that organisers were more than pleased with. Results like that really highlight the “green initiatives” that the Splendour organisers love to encourage. Another environmental victory was the successful sale of many “carbon offset” (green) tickets, which help to offset the carbon emissions created by the event.
Both of the girls were impressed by the dedication to environmental awareness that the organisers conveyed, and said the punters caught the vibe and really made those initiatives a raging success. The girls thought that all festivals should take a leaf out of the Splendour book and try to be a little more environmentally conscious when they organise their events.
There was more to Splendour than meets the eye this year, with more than just musical entertainment on offer. Between sets the girls found plenty of things to do, including checking out some of the modern art around the grounds, shopping at the many market stalls or just chilling out in the shade and soaking up the atmosphere.
Of course getting through two days packed to the brim with a killer band line-up and new and fun experiences works up one hell of an appetite, but not to worry because there were plenty of tempting treats being sold at a variety of different food stalls around the grounds. The girls particularly enjoyed the organic donuts, which were fast, warm and tasty plus easy to eat with one hand while shopping in between their favourite bands.
In fact, when it came to keeping entertained away from the main stages there was a huge range of other attractions in offer, from the soulful dancefloor grooves of the Tipi forest to the amazing and diverse experience of the Global Village and the funky bass beats of the Jagercube… and for those who wanted a little bit of culture in their festival experience Splendour in the Arts was on show. The girls loved all of these attractions and said they really made the experience feel like a lot more value for money.
The girls couldn’t really pinpoint any cons to do with the event itself, apart from the very long line up to go to the toilet which is always a hazard at these events and is pretty much an expectation.
Although bit of a kill-joy for the girls was the low quality of their accommodation. Their tip for anyone travelling to Splendour 2010 - book accommodation early, to ensure you get a comfortable place to rest your head at the end of a long day rocking out. And of course there is the dreaded ‘Splendour flu’, which the girls both ended up catching and took a couple of days to get over, but said it didn’t dampen the experience for them.
After two days of full-on fun and entertainment the girls barely had enough energy to explain just how awesome their time at Splendour was, but one thing’s for sure - it was a “do not miss” event for 2009, and for those who just couldn’t make it or didn’t get tickets before they sold out they suggest you get in early next year, because if this year was anything to go by it’s going to be without a doubt even bigger and better for Splendour's 10th Anniversary in 2010.
