His Review: Splendour In The Grass 2011 Day 3 (Sunday July 31)

Posted by Dave Callaghan in Latest, Reviews | 0 comments

Local Brisbane boys Hungry Kids of Hungary were first cab of the rank and they did not disappoint. These guys keep making a bigger and bigger name for themselves and rightfully so. They lay their balls on the stage for all to see and then threw them into the crowd as they watched thousands play with their balls… blow up beach balls of course. Great show and great performance to boot.

Cloud Control was next on the agenda. Their take of the Circle of Life from the Lion King was different, thrown into the middle of their hit single Gold Canary. The crowd responded with a running hill moshpit (for lack of a better expression) whereby hoards of people would sprint down the grass slope of the Amphitheatre only to turn around and run back up: interval training at its finest. I surmise a few calories would have been burnt in the crowd during their set making them the most exercise friendly band of 2011.

International act Elbow brought with them a professional air of calmness to the Amphitheatre which was a great wind down from the day and weekend. It was a flurry of singles from albums gone by to kick off the set, the crowd seemingly too mesmerised to move. As the Amphitheatre stood still, the obligatory lighters were held in the air to be rocked side to side in beat with the music, lead singer Guy doing a great job of engaging the entire audience, including folks on the grassy hill. This truly was an enjoyable show and one of the standouts of the weekend.

Just as quickly as Elbow had a calming influence on us, the Kaiser Chiefs brought the energy level straight back up in an instance. Whether it was because of people beginning to secure spots for the Pulp/Coldplay back-to-back afterwards or simply because the Chiefs were a larger crowd-puller than expected, people were streaming in to the Amphitheatre; so much so that the bottom entrance was closed off. This was probably the most energetic performance of the weekend. I was exhausted just watching them. It’s good to see some Brit-rock getting a good play at Aussie festivals and they did not disappoint.

 

Australian electronic band Cut Copy was run of the mill but that is the genre they are playing in. There are only so many samples and electronic beats/ riffs you can play until it literally sounds like you are playing the same song. This reality did not seem to stop them or the thousands of people ignoring the pending Coldplay storm about to hit the Amphitheatre. Solid electro-pop that kept the Mix Up crowd jumping and sweating in unison as their weekend daze continued.

Whilst the majority of Splendour goers were at the Amphitheatre being swept away in the Coldplay wave, I laid low in the Mix Up finalising my weekend with some Bliss n Eso. I had seen these guys earlier in the year at the Big Day Out and was less than impressed. I find it hard to watch guys who are just holding mics and standing in front of desks swearing at each other. It’s like being back at work. But I have to say I did get caught up in the atmosphere in the Mix Up. Deservedly the reigning kings of Aussie hip hop, Bliss busted out all the hits, Down by the River, Family Affair, Addicted and the list goes on. Great way to end the weekend.

Reflecting on the weekend on Monday morning whilst packing up our tent and saying goodbye to Woodfordia, I couldn’t help but think that overall, the line-up did not reflect the inflated price of tickets this year when compared to last year. Yes they had arguably the two biggest ticket names in the world in Kanye and Coldplay, but other than that the line-up was pretty conservative. Don’t get me wrong, the weekend was jam packed with great music form beginning to end, but perhaps the organisers will re-consider their pricing methods in future years.