Saturday at Splendour kicked into high gear early, with phenomenal sets by NGAIIRE and Harts being laid down at the beginning of the day. NGAIIRE’s show at the mix up tent was easily a top festival pick, with a diverse and euphoric crowd loving every groove and note she and her brilliant backing vocalists doled out.
Much of the afternoon was a celebration of Australian music, with both King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and Gang of Youths performing to huge crowds at the amphitheatre. The In Loving Memory of Szymon performance just prior to King Gizzard’s was a beautiful way to honour the late Newcastle artist – packed with focus and emotion. Hip hop duo The Meeing Tree also performed what is said to be their final show.
Elsewhere in the festival during the earlier stage of the evening, Michael Kiwanuka and Crystal Fighters delivered strong as the temperatures cooled down, as crowds embraced the different types of music on offer as we hit the guts of the festival.
Of course, The Cure‘s three hour set at the Amphitheatre was a draw card formany, though it also provided a good opportunity to duck out after a solid hour and a half to check Santigold out up the other end of the site near the end of the night. For those of us who stayed throughout The Cure’s set, we were treated to a mammoth run of their hits and lesser knowns. Not quite playing the entire three hours, The Cure’s 30+ set list was bookended by “Plainsong” and of course, “Boys Don’t Cry”. With Robert Smith’s voice still on point, the crowd who remained at the Amphitheatre fed off his energy and the nostalgic vibes ran high as we hit midnight.
Check out the full setlist here:
Splendour in the Grass concludes in Byron Bay tonight. Photo by Andrew Wade.
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