News feed
Just as I was beginning to think that perhaps I would sit out Splendour in the Grass 2018 (on account of having attended the past five years of Byron Bay’s beloved festival), the announcement today of a lineup that effortlessly straddles the divide between top tier international acts, nostalgia inducing favourites and ascendent local talent has well and truly reeled me back in.
Receiving top billing is, of course, none other than Kendrick Lamar, an artist nonpareil whose inclusion has given rise to a great deal many exclamations of ‘DAMN.’ Returning to Australia after a phenomenal series of live shows staged in the Opera House forecourt last year is Lorde, whose last appearance at Splendour coincided with both her sudden rise to global prominence and Frank Ocean’s eleventh hour withdrawal from the festival in 2013, when she was just 16-years-old. It will be the New Zealand artist’s only Australian show for the year; her ‘Homemade Dynamite’ collaborator, Khalid, will also make his only Australian appearance at the North Byron Bay festival, as will the long dormant Vampire Weekend.
Returning to the festival for what feels like the umpteenth time are The Wombats, who will also be joined by CHVRCHES, Franz Ferdinand, MGMT, Miguel, and James Bay. An established local contingent of return festival favourites includes PNAU, Hilltop Hoods, Angus and Julia Stone, Gang of Youths, Dune Rats, The Avalanches and DMAs. As always, there is an extensive roster of emerging Australian talent, including Wafia, Middle Kids, Baker Boy, Jack River and Stella Donnelly. The full lineup is included below.
This year’s festival takes its visual cues from the work of Sydney artist Brooklyn Whelan, whose work featured prominently at last year’s festival in the form of a virtual reality collaboration with Samsung. You can read more about Whelan and his involvement in last year’s festival here.
Splendour in the Grass will take from from Friday July 20 until Sunday July 22 at North Byron Parklands. Tickets go on sale at 9am sharp on Thursday April 19 through Moshtix or by phoning 1300 GET TIX (438 849). More information is available here.
KENDRICK LAMAR • LORDE (ONLY AUS SHOW) • VAMPIRE WEEKEND (ONLY AUS SHOW) • KHALID (ONLY AUS SHOW) • THE WOMBATS • HILLTOP HOODS • CHVRCHES • MIGUEL • GIRL TALK (ONLY AUS SHOW) • ANGUS & JULIA STONE • GANG OF YOUTHS • FRANZ FERDINAND • MGMT • BEN HOWARD • DUNE RATS & FRIENDS • BEN HARPER & CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE • PNAU • JAMES BAY • THE AVALANCHES DJ SET • CHROMEO • DMA’S • BALL PARK MUSIC • HENRY ROLLINS (ONLY AUS SHOW) • SAFIA • THE JUNGLE GIANTS • LIL XAN • METHYL ETHEL • AMY SHARK • THE BRONX • OCEAN ALLEY • CARMADA BY L D R U & YAHTZEL • DZ DEATHRAYS • LORD HURON • MIDDLE KIDS • HOCKEY DAD • TOWKIO • CUB SPORT • TOUCH SENSITIVE • SAMPA THE GREAT • DEAN LEWIS • SKEGSS • ALBERT HAMMOND JR • MALLRAT • MARMOZETS • ALEX LAHEY • RITON & KAH-LO • JACK RIVER • SUPERORGANISM • ANNA LUNOE • LEWIS CAPALDI • ALL OUR EXES LIVE IN TEXAS • ALEX THE ASTRONAUT • YUNGBLUD • CROOKED COLOURS • NINA LAS VEGAS • SOCCER MOMMY (ONLY AUS SHOW) • ELDERBROOK • ROLLING BLACKOUTS COASTAL FEVER • TIM SWEENEY • STELLA DONNELLY • BULLY • BAKER BOY • WAFIA • NO MONO • WAAX • ANGIE MCMAHON • WEST THEBARTON • EVES KARYDAS • G FLIP • THE BABE RAINBOW • HAIKU HANDS • DIDIRRI • ALICE IVY • AMYL & THE SNIFFERS • ZIGGY RAMO • FANTASTIC MAN • LO’99 • HUMAN MOVEMENT • MANU CROOK$ • KASBO • MADAM X • ANDRAS ALTA • ARA KOUFAX • TWO PEOPLE • B WISE • MADE IN PARIS • JENSEN INTERCEPTOR • WOODES • TEISCHA • ANTONY & CLEOPATRA • MUTO • ELK ROAD • TRIPLE J UNEARTHED WINNERS
PLUS MIKE GURRIERI • LOVE DELUXE • LAUREN HANSOM • POOLCLVB • GODLANDS • NYXEN • EMMA STEVENSON • EBONY BOADU
Tile and cover image: Courtesy of Splendour in the Grass
