THURSDAY:

Elsewhere Club | GL | Sampa The Great | Mansionair

Splendour In The Grass is back and bigger than ever! Arriving at the Festival’s home at North Byron Parklands it’s clear there’s a reason why it’s known as a temporary town. Over 32,000 punters (19,500 of which are camping) are surrounded by kilometres of temporary electrics/ fencing/ internet, multiple bars, and good vibes. Oh! I almost forgot, there’s also a shit load of glitter, approximately 50kg worth.

The three-day festival is set to host some of the best up and coming musos along with all our favourite artists. The likes of RL Grime, The Kite String Tangle, Peking Duk, Vera Blue, Mallrat, and many more are set to blow our minds.

Kicking off Thursday night was "the elsewhere takeover" at the Smirnoff Lodge with some seductive deep house and techno. 'elsewhere' resident DJs Stretch, Jimmy D, Tiafau, Latour, Auden, and Giv brought the house down with their jubilant style. Special guests Flex Cop, Luen Jacobs, Sunshine and Wongo all brought their ‘A-Game’, sparking energetic charisma into crowd.

Moving on in the evening, Melbourne duo ‘GL’ spun their magic, dropping a concoction of classic disco, funk, and electro soul. Following up was the magnificent Sampa The Great with her rhythmic beats, and vocals propelling the crowd into a euphoria. Closing out the night's festivities was the majestic men from Mansionair...

All in all, even though Thursday wasn't the official start to Splendour, it was one hell of an opening!

FRIDAY:

Day one (Friday), began with a solid feed of a bacon and egg roll paired with a filtered coffee from The Unicorn Hotel. The Unicorn Hotel is one of the many delightful eateries providing the goods for the 32,000 punters attending the festival this year. Along with the delectable food, there’s a concoction of bars dotted throughout the grounds suited for the spectacular acts.

A cracker of a set by Melbourne’s Lewis Cancut launched Friday’s musical adventure. Representing NLV Records with pride, Lewis mixed clean–cut, high-energy club tunes with luscious cosmic arrangements!

Vera Blue ensued Cancut’s chic set, delivering her trademark blend of dreamy folk and sultry electronica; enchanting fans.Vera’s stage presence was undoubtedly elegant, teased with a touch of flirtatious interactions with the crowd as she performed songs from her debut album, Perennial.

The distinct sounds of twins, Cosmo’s Midnight graced the airwaves with their niche of fashionable, yet unpredictable left-field electronic pop.

Our favourite chiller and Sydney sider, Swindail raised the bar with his playful production comprised of creamy synths, reverberating beats and jaunty percussion. Swindail’s chirpy, cheerful production is a refreshing and unique niche in the electronic scene.

The seductive, abstracted production by Banks was morphed into a hypnotising live show. A brooding ambience blanketed the crowd, as Bank’s subdued control of the Mix-Up tent rung clear.

RL Grime closed out the night at the Mix-Up tent with his dark, resonating aura. Textured soundscapes are RL Grime’s forte; as he pushes the boundaries of the electronic scene. RL Grime’s set was truly a captivating pageant of pure skill, and passion.

Day one was superb, bring on day two!

SATURDAY:

Mallrat x Oh Boy | Bag Raiders | Vallis Alps | SLUMBERJACK

Day two at Splendour In The Grass was when things really kicked off… The sky was clear, and the punters were out and about ready for some live music!

The marvellous Mallrat and DJ Denim opened the Mix-Up stage at the bright and early time of midday. Mallrat is truly the rising star of the rap game; mixing the best of indie pop, electro, PC vibes, and rap into a hybrid of hyperreal beauty. Special guest, Oh Boy joined the pair out on stage curating pure unadulterated fire… The crowd loved it! Over the past year, Mallrat has exploded both locally and internationally, featuring on a google advert as part of pride month. Myself and the team at Futuremag Music are super excited to see where she heads next. We highly recommend checking out her live show whenever she’s in your area.

Bag Raiders provided the goods with their signature feel good vibes. Of course, they closed out their set with their colossal hit ‘Shooting Stars’, which shot back into fandom after a series of memes took hold of the internet earlier this year.

Phenomenal vibes of 80’s influenced synth pop boomed from Vallis Alps as they took the stage. The Canberra/Seattle electronic duo blended their trademark piano driven melodies with turbulent trap beats and bonhomous vocals to construct a stunning soundscape.

A short meander down a hidden trail diverted me away from the main festival grounds delivering me, #ToTheMarkers party hosted by Samsung. It was a revitalising change of scenery compared to the hustle bustle of the main festival grounds.

Returning to the festival grounds, Perth legends SLUMBERJACK packed out the Mix-Up tent with their abstract bass. Morgan and Fletcher (SLUMBERJACK) invited KLP and Vera Blue onto stage to perform an ensemble of tunes from the Fracture EP. SLUMBERJACK continue to prove that they’re a force to be reckoned with!

The first couple of days of SITG 2017 were magnificent, stay tuned for the Splendid day three (Sunday).

SUNDAY:

Kuren x Austen | Willaris K | Mookhi | Enschway

Tired and sore punters descended onto the final day of Splendour In The Grass, 2017 with renewed energy, and passion. Thankfully the sunny weather held up, complementing the stunning Sunday lineup.

Sydney producer Kuren sparked the party vibes Mix-Up tent with rich, textured beats and sonic flavours; fashioning an emotive semblance. One of our favourite up and coming artists, Austen joined Kuren on stage to close out the set, by performing their hit collaboration, ‘Mon Amour’. Both Austen and Kuren are well on their way to becoming musical powerhouses in their respected fields.

Willaris K, brought his passion for synth driven techno, and amped it up tenfold! The producer boasts a talent of showcasing an emotional journey through mostly instrumental pieces. Residing in The Tiny Dancer stage, Willaris K captivated the crowd into a euphonic euphoria of brooding electro.

Mookhi is one of the most talented and exciting up and coming musos in the game. Through building lush tapestries of layered pads, and eclectic samples; Mookhi has developed a distinctive aura with her sound. Also playing at The Tiny Dancer stage, the Sydney based artist drew a modest, yet passionate crowd. Her beautiful brew of broken beats, and dark compositions were encompassed by sensual synths, and surreal brass ensembles. Mookhi’s set was without a doubt a massive highlight of whole weekend; where crisp and high quality production was melded with an extraordinary live performance. If you missed out on Mookhi's set be sure to catch her whenever she's in your area next, she's not one to be missed!

Where do I start with Enschway’s set? Just, holy shit… The Sydney based producer has quickly become one to watch, as his vivacious personality and signature future bass has exploded into newsfeeds and soundsystems around the world. Ripping up The Tiny Dancer stage, Enschway brought his A-game; with boisterous beats, and cleverly crafted mixes dominating the duration of the set.

LCD Soundsystem, and Bonobo officially closed out the final night of the festival, drawing massive crowds to the Amphitheatre and Mix-Up tents respectively.

Splendour In The Grass 2017 was an absolute blast! Patrons were treated to great weather, and an exquisite line-up. We can’t wait for the next “Splendour Bender” in 2018.