It’s all too easy to be blinded by the, uh, splendour of all the shiny international acts crammed onto this year’s epic Splendour In The Grass lineup. I mean, Mark Uptown Funkin’ Ronson is gonna be there, not to mention Royal Blood, The Dandy Warhols and Spiritualized giving their only Aussie performances of the tour.
Florence Welch will be bouncing back from a Coachella foot injury when her band of indie vikings Florence + The Machine return to Aussie stages for the first time since 2012. Oh, and who could forget a little band called BLUR, whose name will likely stand as an apt description of your entire Splendour experience.
But before you go getting swept away by the allure of these amazing internationals on the 93-act-strong lineup, don’t forget that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. A lot of the time, it’s home-grown. Splendour knows it, which is why they’ve booked the best and brightest up and coming talent Australia has to offer this year. It’s also why we’ve put together our list of fave Aussie acts you absolutely can’t miss when SITG comes to life in Byron this July. Look, listen and love below.
12 THINGS TO DO NOW SPLENDOUR TICKETS HAVE SOLD OUT
Ecca Vandal
Playing: Friday, 24th July
The enigma of South African-born Ecca Vandal should be enough to get Splendourheads excited to see this homegrown shooting star. With just a handful of performances under her belt, Miss Vandal has already been snapped up by a swarm of Aussie festivals this year, including Come Together, Groovin The Moo and, now, Splendour. We can attest — her presence and energy is something to behold, and we can’t wait to see what she’s got up her sleeve for the larger stage. Teaming pop sensibilities with fiery punk ferociousness, the Aussie-livin’ muso’s Splendour set is bound to be a banger.
Watch: Ecca Vandal – Battle Royal
#1 Dads
Playing: Friday, 24th July
Splendour 2015 will be one of the last times anyone will ever be able to see #1 Dads perform live. The intriguing side project of Big Scary frontman Tom Iansek will play their last-ever shows this July, so if you’re heading along to Splendour this year, make sure you make the most of it. Imagine if they drop their sweet FKA twigs cover and you’re not there to witness it.
Watch: #1 Dads – Return To (feat. Tom Snowdon)
George Maple
Playing: Friday, 24th July
Commanding airwaves in 2014 with her huge single Talk Talk, Sydney’s George Maple is set to take even bigger strides in 2015. Backed by her debut EP Vacant Space, which arrived through Future Classic back in October, the singer and producer has lined up her first-ever national tour, an appearance at Future Classic’s Vivid LIVE party, and, of course, what’s sure to be a super-impressive Splendour In The Grass set. Catch latest single Where You End And I Begin below.
Listen: George Maple – Where You End And I Begin Feat. Grande Marshall
https://soundcloud.com/futureclassic/george-maple-where-you-end
Eves The Behavior
Playing: Saturday, 25th July
Eves The Behavior (real name Hannah Karydas) is a 20-year-old Brisbane native whose mysterious pop tones first caught our attention back in 2013, thanks to her ear-worm of a single, Zen. Formerly known simply as Eves, the singer’s latest single, TV, was recently given a very Lynchian music video (below), which perfectly suits her twisted and often otherworldly lyrical themes.
Watch: Eves The Behavior – TV
Bad//Dreems
Playing: Sunday, 26th July
Adelaide outsider rockers Bad//Dreems are so quality, they were picked to support The Black Keys on their massive Australian tour for this year’s Bluesfest. And even though the Keys canned those shows, we’ll still get the chance to see the Bad//Dreems lads perform on a major stage, courtesy of their inclusion on this year’s Splendour lineup.
With upcoming spots also booked at the UK’s Handmade Festival, Live At Leeds, and The Great Escape, the foursome’s Splendour performance will be the crown jewel atop of their homecoming Cuffed & Collared tour. That’s how you know it’s going to be a good one.
Listen: Bad//Dreems – Cuffed & Collared
GL
Playing: Sunday, 26th July
Melbourne’s Graeme Pogson and Ella Thompson, otherwise known as the retro-futuristic “cosmic funk” duo GL, float along clouds of mid-80s synths, drum machines and radio-ready pop hooks. Having recently supported Chet Faker’s mammoth Australian tour, the pair are ready for bigger and better things, and a slot on this year’s Splendour In The Grass lineup is a sure fire way to keep the good times rolling. Catch GL’s 2014 single Take Me Back, below.
Watch: GL – Take Me Back
The Delta Riggs
Playing: Sunday, 26th July
Fresh from playing to packed out arenas alongside Foo Fighters on their monumental Sonic Highways tour of Australia, The Delta Riggs are here to add a shot of rock ‘n’ roll to the Splendour 2015 bill. Armed with their second album Dipz Zebazios, the Riggs’ genre-bending jams and ferocious live antics are sure to make them standouts on the Byron Bay stage.
Watch: The Delta Riggs – The Record’s Flawed
Mansionair
Playing: Friday, 24th July
Mansionair — that’s old mates Lachlan Bostock, Alex Nicholls and Jack Froggatt from Sydney — are catching more and more buzz. The band were amongst the Aussie contigent at South By Southwest this year, and are set to support English indie-rockers alt-J during their Australian tour in May. Cap all that off with a Splendour appearance and the only way is up. Watch the boys perform Hold Me Down live on triple j in the clip below.
Watch: Mansionair – Hold Me Down (live on triple j)
Meg Mac
Playing: Saturday, 25th July
With three tracks in the Hottest 100 and a US record deal freshly inked, Meg Mac is irrefutably an Aussie star on the rise. She’s also one of our favourites here at Music Feeds. Her performance at Splendour will follow stints at Groovin The Moo 2015 and international music mecca SXSW, and a finals spot in the Vanda & Young Songwriting Comp. Prepare for a Mac attack as Meg’s huge voice and future blues sound make their debut on the Byron Bay stage at Splendour In The Grass 2015.
Watch: Meg Mac – Roll Up Your Sleeves
Elizabeth Rose
Playing: Sunday, 26th July
Having just wrapped up her Discotheque Club Tour, Sydney producer/DJ/singer-songwriter Elizabeth Rose is preparing to release her long-awaited debut album later this year. She’s already shared the first taste of the release with recent single Another Earth (below), and might even road-test some more new tunes at Splendour In The Grass. If you’re a fan of shimmering synth-pop and catchy melodies, make sure to head along to her set.
Listen: Elizabeth Rose – Another Earth
https://soundcloud.com/elizabethrose/anotherearth
Harts
Playing: Friday, 24th July
One-man music-making machine from Melbourne Harts is, to quote Zoolander, so hot right now. After spending some one-on-one time in the US with a little artist called oh I don’t know PRINCE, the Aussie genre-bending magician has just released his debut album Daydreamer, which has been given so much praise from all over the world that conspiracy buffs might just point to the Illuminati being involved. The long and short of it is that Harts is really, really, ridiculously good so you’d be sillier than a centre for ants to miss his set at Splendour.
Watch: Harts – Red & Blue Live (Triple J’s Like A Version)
Alpine
Playing: Sunday, 26th July
Melbourne indie-poppers Alpine are surging up the mountain. The rejuvenated sextet have just let rip new track Foolish off their recently announced second studio album, Yuck, the long-awaited follow-up to 2012’s A Is For Alpine. The group’s performance at Splendour 2015 will come hot on the heels of their new record’s official release, putting festivalgoers in pole position to catch them in full flight.
Listen: Alpine – Foolish
The Babe Rainbow
Playing: Saturday, 25th July
Straight out of Woodstock via 2015, Byron Bay’s The Babe Rainbow are on a shaggin’ wagon joyride across Australia, cutting a swath through some of the country’s hottest lineups. After wowing crowds with their positive vibes at last year’s Panama Festival and Sounds of the Suburbs, and recently being added to the inaugural Gizzfest, the purveyors of all things good and right with the world will be bringing their 2014 psych-out Secret Enchanted Broccoli Forest to the Splendour stage, which will probably be the only chance you’ll get to see a sitar at Splendour. Probably.
Watch: The Babe Rainbow – Secret Enchanted Broccoli Forrest
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Splendour In The Grass 2015 takes place between Friday, 24th July and Sunday, 26th July at North Byron Parklands. See full details and the complete lineup here.
