Music’s leading miserable muses The Cure have just been announced to headline the third and final date of Japan’s Fuji Rock Festival, providing the closing performance on Sunday 28th July day after what will be a stellar day of music from indie darlings the xx, nu-folkies Mumford & Sons, the reformed Rocket From The Crypt, veterans Yo La Tengo, and Australia’s own Tame Impala.
Given the close proximity of the already announced dates for July’s Splendour In The Grass festival, and given the fact that previous years’ lineups between Fuji Rock and Splendour’s have overlapped, there’s a chance that The Cure could be playing Australia’s leading music event on the winter calendar, and the gothic group would make a perfect fit for Splendour headliners.
The dates for Splendour 2013 – which is returning to its permanent home at a site in North Byron – run concurrently with Fuji Rock, namely from Friday 26th July to Sunday 28th, meaning that it prove logistically difficult for many of Fuji’s acts on the first two days – such as Saturday headliner Björk and the recently added Skrillex and Jurassic 5 – to make the trip to play both festivals.
As previously speculated, the clashing dates also puts Nine Inch Nails out of contention for Splendour, especially considering Trent Reznor’s recently reunited lineup are due in South Korea again on the 28th for the Ansan Valley Festival.
But a Sunday night performance from Robert Smith and his not-so-merry men gives them a day or two’s breathing space to play Splendour before jetting off to sate Japanese fans. Other acts playing the Sunday festival could also be a possibility for the heavily rumoured 2013 edition of Splendour In The Grass, and Mumford & Sons would be a good fit, considering their hugely successful Australian tour last year (despite their gear being nicked). There’s a chance that The Cure could be playing Australia’s leading music event on the winter calendar, and the gothic group would make perfect headliners…
Also featured on the Sunday Fuji Rock lineup are another folk-styled group who are Australian favourites, Icelandic collective Of Monsters And Men, with singer Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir already confirming an Australian tour for later this year, insinuating the possibility of a Splendour presence, which would make it two for two for the ARIA-topping group.
On top of the poorly kept secret of James Blake’s return, another new name being tossed about is LA’s Deap Valley; the female rock duo are performing a two-date Australian stopover this April, presented by Secret Sounds, who regularly book acts for Splendour and have just down the same whistlestop promo for James Blake.
Other strong contenders for the Splendour 2013 lineup include celebrated English four-piece Alt-J(∆), who are headed back to Australia for their third visit within a year, playing three dates that line up suspiciously well with the July dates, while Twitter has provided a bucketload of possible Splendour bean-spilling. The rumour mill also has a whole host of names added to the mix with the announcement of another Japanese music festival, Summer Sonic 2013
Including San Diego surf-wave kings Wavves, who are visiting Japan and Australia sometime this year, Big Boi (the active half of Outkast), tweeting he’ll be in the country in July, while The Polyphonic Spree’s Tim DeLaughter confirmed the cult-sized psychedelic pop ensemble would be heading to Australia for Splendour this July.
Jake Bugg is also likely for the 2013 lineup after his track ‘Lightning Bolt’ was used as the soundtrack in a recent Splendour trailer, then there’s the juicy – but really iffy – rumour that Bob Dylan could be headlining the festival.
The rumour mill also has a whole host of names added to the mix with the announcement of another Japanese music festival, Summer Sonic 2013, which bookends Splendour’s dates in early August – namely the 10th and 11th.
Some of the big names are obviously out, such as Metallica, Linkin Park, and Bullet For My Valentine who were already in Australia for Soundwave, Muse – who have confirmed an Aussie trip for December, and The Smashing Pumpkins, who played Splendour last year. Everything else on the Summer Sonic bill however, including Pet Shop Boys, Beady Eye, Fall Out Boy, Cheap Trick, M.I.A., Stereophonics, Earth Wind & Fire, The Weeknd, John Legend, Chvrches, Palma Violets, and Cyndi Lauper (!) – are all up for speculation.
As Splendour organisers warned on their official Facebook last night, last night was the cut off for Splendour Member applications; “No exceptions, no appeals, no mercy,” in Splendour’s words. “For those of you who have already applied, check your email to make sure we have not responded asking you to resubmit due to errors.”
Considering Splendour 2012, featuring the newly reformed At The Drive-In, Bloc Party, Jack White, Smashing Pumpkins and many more, sold out in record time last year, it seems both festival-goers and bands will be flocking to the festival’s homecoming at North Byron Parklands come July.
Splendour In The Grass 2013 Dates & Location
Friday 26, Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 July
North Byron Parklands
