With a revamped location and one of the busiest rumour mills in the Australian scene, this year’s Splendour In The Grass festival is shaping up to be one hell of a weekend.
Set to be held at its new home at the newly renovated North Byron Parklands, the 13th edition of the three-day festival has music lovers awaiting its lineup announcement with baited breath, as more and more acts are speculated to be added to the 2013 bill.
All rumours will thankfully soon be put to rest with official 2013 lineup to be announced before the end of the month. Regardless, anticipation is getting the better of many fans as the list continues to grow, but two more major international names have now been attached to Splendour 2013.
The first is Brooklyn brooders, The National, who according to Triple J, are headed our way “for a certain winter festival.”
Speaking to Samantha Clode for Triple J Magazine‘s upcoming June/July issue, frontman Matt Berninger apparently “let slip” their plans to tour Oz in line with the release of their forthcoming new album, Trouble Will Find Me. Clode writes in a tweet – that has since been pulled, “their new album is excellent & Matt Berninger tells me they’ll tour Oz for a certain winter festival + more dates late 2013: @the_national”
The frontman has previously called The National’s sixth studio album, an “immediate and visceral” record, self-produced by the quintet and recorded at Clubhouse Studios in their native New York, and the first results of the album have already turned up online, including lead single ‘Demons’ (featured in our Mixtape).
The Brooklyn band are also the subject of a forthcoming documentary directed by Matt Berninger’s brother Tom, entitled Mistaken For Strangers as Pitchfork reports. The trailer for the new film has been released, showing footage from the movie, which follows Tom Berninger’s trials as the band’s ill-fated tour manager.
While The National are all but confirmed, also joining the potential Splendour ranks are French indie rockers, Phoenix, who released their fifth album, Bankrupt!, this week.
In an interview with FasterLouder, guitarist Laurent Brancowitz reveals that Byron Bay may be in the garcons’ sights once again saying that touring Australia in the near future is “a priority because we’ve always enjoyed it a lot there … we’re working on it right now.”
Having recently blown the top off the crowd at Coachella 2013 with their live mash up of “1901” and R. Kelly’s “Ignition”, featuring a surprise performance from the man himself (watch it here), Phoenix are also gracing the stages of major mid-year festivals, Spain’s Primavera in May and Chicago’s Lollapalooza in August (and a billion others), leaving a conveniently-timed Splendour-shaped hole in their touring schedule to promote their latest album.
Touring Australia in the near future is “a priority because we’ve always enjoyed it a lot there … we’re working on it right now.” – Laurent Brancowitz, PhoenixThe band were last in the country in 2011 for the Good Vibrations Festival, and in fact the brainchild for their latest album was born in Splendour’s very own Byron Bay. In the same FasterLouder interview, Brancowitz says the first recording sessions for Bankrupt! were held in Byron with noteworthy local composer and percussionist, Michael Askill – whose son, Daniel, directed the clips for “Consolation Prizes” and “Rally”, both from the third Phoenix album It’s Never Been Like That.
“[Askill] is a very good percussionist,” Brancowitz said. “When we were touring Australia in 2011 … the first thing we did was begin working on the new album, and that happened in Australia, in Byron Bay.” Askill appears with a host of percussionists on two songs on Bankrupt!; lead single “Entertainment” and the title track, in the hall of St. John’s Primary School in Mullumbimby, NSW.
Phoenix and The National are the latest in the list of new names that are popping up almost every day as one of Australia’s arguably best music festivals draws closer.
The most recent leak being Warrnambool hard rock act Airbourne, while others that are likely are James Blake, all but confirming his appearance when he made a fleeting visit to our shores ahead of his new album, Overgrown last month; Scottish synth-pop group Chvrches look likely in the wake of their recently announced Australian tour dates for early August, just a week after the festival’s July weekend.
Icelandic troupe Of Monsters and Men are also all-but confirmed with tour dates in July, Big Boi has also tweeted about tour dates around the same time. Then there’s likely Splendour appearances from Californian indie rockers Cold War Kids, the 40-strong Texan outfit The Polyphonic Spree are also coming, according to ringleader Tim DeLaughter, and Wavves are also a good lock, confirming a visit to Japan and Australia.
There may be a return from Californian female rock duo Deap Vally, who have just completed a two-date run in Sydney and Melbourne – a Splendour warm-up perhaps? And Jake Bugg is another likely candidate for the bill, with his track ‘Lightning Bolt’ being used as the soundtrack in a recent Splendour trailer.
Alternately, acts – perhaps sadly – definitely not appearing at Splendour 2013, despite hitting Japan, include 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.
Though heavily rumoured, The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, Björk and Postal Service have also been ruled out, primarily due to already scheduled tour commitments, or in the latter’s case because they aren’t interested in an Australian tour, according to Harvest Boss AJ Maddah who allegedly tried to book them for the November festival.
Rumours or no, all will be revealed with the Splendour 2013 lineup drops before the end of the month.
Splendour In The Grass 2013 Dates & Location
Friday 26, Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 July
North Byron Parklands
