The glitter is out in full force, today on day two of Splendour In The Grass, the sunnies hide the hangover from yesterday and there’s more flower crowns than you’ve ever seen in your life.
Ngaiire proved to be the perfect remedy for my thumping head. Her vibe was lax yet inclusive, and she is a massive contender for best-dressed artist by far. She hit the Mix Up stage with a mix of old and new bangers, and a huge crew that included a full live band and a couple of resplendent backup singers. Like a mini Beyonce she was Calming and powerful – lifting the entire audience with her sublime, charming voice providing the perfect bass tonic to kick on day two.
Montaigne opened up the G.W. McLennan tent, and she showed off a bunch of new music from her debut record that drops in a couple of weeks. Flexing elastic melodies akin to Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. It felt like a shame that her set was only 45 mins as the tent was packed and she’s soon to unleash her next beautiful secret.
Then came the onslaught: it started with Harts, who did his best Hendrix, twisting his guitar behind his head for some spine-tingling guitar hooks. Drawing in a massive crowd, the Melbourne shred king and multi-instrumentalist came complete with horns and had the amphitheater completely stunned.
I smashed a pizza and some beers and continued the musical pilgrimage catching a joyous set from mosh wizards King Gizzard, who rocked out with ‘Gamma Knife’ to some supercharged punters.
I had to run to check the last of Lido, making it to the Mix Up stage just in time for his thumping track ‘Crazy,’ a light-filled masterpiece courtesy of the Norwegian producer.
Over to the Tiny Dancer stage to see Paces roll out his tropical jungle party with a surprise guest performances by TKay Maidza and Aussie Idol Guy Sebastian. Paces welcomed Sebastian on stage mid-set as the 2003 Idol winner recreated his Like A Version performance of ‘Keeping Score,’ which was a surprise hit for Triple J back in May.
Spending the best part of the day commuting between stages I caught a rabid froth courtesy of Sticky Fingers, then onto the What So Not experience. A heavyweight performance of the highest degree – audio-visually next level and complete with George Maple for their track ‘Burried’.
Caught a few tracks of The Cure, who delivered their impressive back-catalogue to varying degrees of reception. But nothing will compare with the closing act of Santigold. Her set was full of afro-beats, thick bass, and future-facing lyrics, backed by a couple of female dancers who began the set sitting down, on inflatable banana chairs, eating potato chips which no doubt is a baller move if ever there was one. She had some of the most compelling visuals of the night, from a surreal, Liu Bolin-esque supermarket shelves to a set of golden trophies, with Santigold’s head atop them. Joined on stage by dancers and drunk punters, this proved to be more lit than I’d ever expected.
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