Splendour In The Grass 2023

As I leave the office on Thursday afternoon, I have an extra spring in my step as I venture North to Byron Bay to tackle Splendour in the Grass 2023. However before I set off, I do a quick check to pack my poncho and gum boots as the PTSD from last year’s Splendour in the Mud hasn’t quite been dealt with. The weather forecast looks immaculate though and off I go in pure excitement and anticipation of what this year’s Splendour has to offer.

Day 1
The weather is immaculate and the excitement coming from the crowds rolling in droves from the day car parking is festival perfection as I await the famous Splendour in the Grass sign on the hill waiting for my tractor ride to the festival gates. There isn’t an inch of mud in site! The first thing for the day is to check out the “shop” and snap up some SITG23 merch along with laying eyes on this year’s “Pacman/2pac” art installation, before making my way to watch Gali rap at the mix-up tent. Following this was a race back to the amphitheatre while soaking in the likes of “Little Splendour”, a haven for the kids and families whilst laying eyes on the amazing display of food vans and pop-ups for dinner later this evening. I climb the famous and sometimes treacherous Splendour Hill to reach the Amphitheatre. just in time to catch Skeggs and their special last performance with their Bass guitarist, Toby Cregan . This was followed by the angelic tones of May-a and then by the heavy bass and violin strings of Sudan Archives. After these acts, it was time for a well-earned thirst quencher at the Byron Bay Brewery whilst soaking in a jam-packed rock set from The Grogans. As I cooled down and finished a cheeky 1 or 2 Byron Bay brews I was feeling peckish and raced over to grab some iconic dumplings from the Dum and Dumpling Bus! These were absolutely delightful but with no time to waste and with a special inside tip from a friend it was time to race off to Casamigos to wash the dumplings down with a margarita and a side of dance supplied by the one and only Keli Holiday (Peking Duk). I could’ve simply stayed here for the rest of the night but I knew there were plenty more amazing artists to see and so off I raced back up to the Amphitheatre to catch the coastal tones of Ocean Alley. Ocean Alley’s performance contained giant sparks and also a special rendition of ‘Confidence’ with punters treated to a special duet from lead singer Baden Donegal with his adorable baby! The crowd was stunned as the set finished, the stars were shining and there was a tank inflating on stage in preparation for the serenading party vibes of Colombian singer J Balvin. His set had it all from perfectly choreographed dancers, a laser beam shot from a tank, nun chucks and also a special song serenaded to 2 lucky fans. It was an incredible moment and J Balvin was correct in saying “it doesn’t matter if we can’t understand what he is singing, as long as we could feel it”. Before long there was one act left, one of the most talented and popular artists in the world, Lizzo! From the get-go she had the crowd buzzing and singing along as her whole set was filled with banger after banger all whilst giving punters the importance of self-happiness and positive body image. To close the night she finished by showing off her amazing flute skills and also by treating one lucky fan to a signed butt cheek which she promised to get tattooed post-festival. What an amazing day 1 and bring on day 2!

Day 2
We woke again to beautiful clear skies and rather the starting the day with music, decided to kick things off with Dr Karl in the Forum Tent, which also held various talks and comedy throughout the weekend. After talking science though it was time to head up to the Amphitheater via checking out the Merchandise Tent to see the latest band merch. I arrived in the beautiful sunshine to witness the amazing vocals of Meg Mac. What a start to day 2. It was then time to head over to the GW McLennan Tent to catch Shag Rock and Sly Withers, but in true Splendour fashion, always expecting the unexpected along the way I managed to catch a wedding hosted by Elvis at “The Chapel by Platypus”.  Once again a thirst had been earnt and it was time to check out the Stone and Wood on-site bar and was treated to some chill DJ beats whilst getting some ice-cold beers poured from the outdoor “beer troopy”. I couldn’t stay for long however as it was time to race back to the Amphitheatre to catch the amazing rock set of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. Their set had the amassed punters bouncing and head banging from start to finish and as the crowd rolled in I headed to the top of the hill to watch the end from the “bar with a golden view”. The name of the bar certainly delivers as you could watch the Amphitheater set’s looking down over the mosh whilst the sun sets and the skies turn golden. I couldn’t relax for long though as I knew I only had a small window to grab some dinner as there was a jam-packed selection of artists tonight so I ventured back down the hill to grab a burger from Bills Burgers at the famous double-decker bus, were we had a quick sit and a delicious burger! The sun had now set and it was time to catch the amazing riffs of Sam Fender before rushing back to the Mix Up Tent to catch the energetic flow of Tkay Maidza. Where had the day gone, I had only 2 artists left on my list so back to the Amphitheatre I went. The crowd had gathered on the hill and the stage was set for the incredible Yeah Yeah Yeahs to begin and they certainly didn’t disappoint. Energy and entertainment were at an all-time high with amazing vocals, confetti cannons and even inflatable eyeballs bouncing from hand to hand in the mosh. “Off With The Head” became an instant highlight of the weekend. It felt like I was losing Splendour hours far too quickly, it was now time to catch the highly anticipated 10 years of Flume set. From the moment Flume arrived on stage, he didn’t disappoint, taking punters on a journey from the start to finish of his career so far, all whilst being joined on stage by performers such as Kucka, May-a, Tove Lo, Vera Blue and Tkay Maidza. Not a single hit was missed and the crowd didn’t stop bouncing to Flume’s famous trademark bass all the while being blasted with catchy vocals and lasers. Unfortunately, though all good things come to an end and he closed out day 2 with “On Top” whilst literally being on top of the crowd in a special scissor-lift DJ deck.

Day 3

If my feet and legs could talk they would be asking why am I getting ready for another day of festival going as they have been put through the wringer the last 2 days. However, the adrenaline and the high of how good the last 2 days have been has made it quite clear that day 3 could possibly be the best Splendour day yet!

I arrive just in time to see Royel Otis as I missed them at the Byron Bay Brewery the day before and quite frankly they are a must-see! They will definitely be a later act next time they are on a festival bill. Up next was another climb back up to the Amphitheatre for the amazing vocals of Lastlings and then followed by the one and only Dune Rats. Their set had the whole crowd going wild with inflatable beer cans being launched from punter to punter. Then the rain started to sprinkle and flashbacks of last year started to haunt our minds. This was short-lived however and the Splendour gods were on the punter’s side and we were graced with a beautiful rainbow framing the entire festival! The rainbow was best enjoyed from the balcony of the Smirnoff bar while knocking down an ice-cold Seltzer. It was then time to move again and off I went to the GW McLennan Stage to see one of the most famous last names in the music industry, Noah Cyrus. She graced Splendour with her country undertones that the Cyrus name is famed for and was truly a delight to see live, but as the last day wasn’t waiting for anybody and time was flying by it was time to head back up the hill in time to watch Tove Lo. I knew I couldn’t miss her performance as she had already teased punters on how good of a live act she was the previous night playing with Flume. It was then that I went in search of some dinner. Some loaded fries and chicken schnitty did the trick from “Serious Snitty”…absolutely delicious. It was then that I started to get the ‘end of the festival blues” as I knew there wasn’t long left to enjoy the last remaining acts of SITG23. To lift my spirit I made my way to the Mix Up to see Young Franco but I travelled via the Aeroporto Del Tropical and the Red Bull tent to help pick me up. Then it was time for the amazing rappers, the Hilltop Hoods. They absolutely crushed their set as they always do and they seem to be ageing like fine wine as each song had the entire hill buzzing and singing along. The set was filled with smoke, fire and even a special game that had the crowd waving clothing off all descriptions. Then came the unfortunate time when I was torn on how I wanted to end my Splendour 23 evening as PNAU and Mumford and Sons were both closing their stages. I couldn’t decide so I put in one last mammoth effort to catch the start of the electrifying and high-energy beats and vocals of PNAU before gracing the hill one last time to listen and take in Mumford and Sons. A truly magical way to end and it was truly impressive to see the guys share an intimate quieter moment with the crowd and also the strength to wave that double bass around like it was a feather.

It was truly an amazing last few days and I already cannot wait to see how the festival organisers back it up for next year. My accommodation is booked and the countdown begins again for SITG24.

Casamigos Tequila Oasis and the Smirnoff Seltzer Bar are both worthy of a special mention with not only a great selection of delicious bevy’s on offer, but they also provided exclusive DJ sets by some the country’s best electronic artists such as Keli Holiday & Pat Stevenson, beauty bars and lounges to rest your feet. These were also the place to be and be seen, as most of the celebrities and TV personalities enjoyed their SITG experience from these locations.

Review By Ric Toshack

July 2023