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Molek FMThe Line Up
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Now that the camper vans are parked, and our foldable chairs are pitched up under the stars, I can peruse Splendour’s monster line-up, which the Air Asia X aka Splendiforous crew has kindly photocopied, laminated and stuck on the end of a lanyard for DJ Ribut and me, because it is that important. It is a blinder! For now my mind is whirring like a dervish on Red Bull and acid as I plan out the next few days and compare notes with Ribut and the rest of the crew.
There are 3 main stages: the Amphitheatre, the Mix Up tent and the GW McLennan tent. There are other spots too, like the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project, The Jager Cube, Ibeefa and Guzman Y Gomez but these are DJ affair joints and I’m here for the bands. Yes loyal JUICE readers, I guess that makes me something of a sellout, but in all honesty no one comes to Splendour for the DJs (or the hip hop, but more on that in another post).
The Amphitheatre is the big stage for the big bands and fuck off stadium sound – Florence Ad The Machine, The Strokes, The Pixies, BlackRebel Motorccyle Club, the Teper Trap, Woldfmother. Mix Up is a far dancier proposition, filled with small indie bands and electronic artists – Two Door Cinema Club, Delphic, Goldfrapp, Empire Of the Sun, LCD Soundsystem. GW McLennan is folky, more a singer- songwriter kinda deal, named after the Australian singer-songwriter of the same name from The Go-Betweens who died suddenly at age 49 – bands performing there include Kate Nash, The Magic Numbers, Grizzly, Bear Midlake, Band Of Horses, Broken Social Scene, Fanfarlo….
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There have been some cancellations to the originally announced line-up: The Ting Tings are out as they have promotional commitments following the release of their new album; and The Middle East have pulle dthe plug on Splendour as their still stuck in the studio recording. Nothing major then….
Still there are so many unbelievably brilliant bands and with only (scoff) 3 stages and 3 nights to pack them into, a lot of the performances overlap. Some clash with interviews. Gah! I feel like a bitch for complaining, especially given the sheer possibilities the next few days presents. Given the preciseness with which the bands start and end their performance (like clockwork!) I could run from one tent to the next and catch the start or end of some gigs. Unfortch from my limited skill at map reading it would appear the grounds are sprawling and the stages are spread out (unlike previous years as DJ Ribut tells me). And given the amount of alcohol flowing, and the chill vibes threatening to waylay my resolve…. Oh dear.
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Friday 30 July 2010
Amphitheatre
10.45pm-12mn Ben Harper + Restless 7
9.15pm-10.15pm The Temper Trap
7.45pm-8.45pm Angus + Julia Stone
6.15pm-7.15pm Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
4.45pm-5.45pm Little Red
3.30pm-4.20pm Yeasayer
2.20pm-3.10pm British India
1.10pm-1.50pm Violent Soho
12nn-12.50pm Frightened Rabbit
11am-11.45am Jinja Safari
Mix Up
10.45pm-11.45pm Scissor Sisters
9pm-10pm  LCD Soundsystem
7.15pm-8.15pm Hot Chip
5.30pm-6.30pm Miami Horror
3.45pm-4.45pm Foals
2pm-3pm  School Of Seven Bells
12.30pm-1.15pm Horror Show
11am-11.45am Tim + Jean alalal
GW McLennan
10pm-11pm  Grizzly Bear
8.30pm-9.30pm Lisa Mitchell
7pm-8pm  Midlake
5.30pm-6.30pm Sally Seltmann
4pm-5pm  Alberta Cross
2.45pm-3.30pm Washington
1.30pm-2.15pm Dan Sultan
12.15pm-1pm Joy Formidable
11am-11.45am Skipping Girl Vinegar
Friday looks to be a dancey affair. There’s a lot of buzz surrounding Frightened Rabbit, Violent Soho and School Of Seven Bells so I’m up for that. Yeasayer and The Foals, who I’m interviewing, clash, but as Yeasayer’s Ambling Alp is one of my favourite albums of 2010…. I’m nonplussed over Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, would rather guarantee my place down the front at Hot Chip. Temper Trap and LCD Soundsystem are on at the same time though, which is fucking tragic! But rumours abound that LCD could be breaking up, so this could be my one and only chance to catch them in action. I hadn’t planned on catching Grizzly Bear, despite the insistently rave reviews in the music press – that kid of plodding, angsty folk stuff isn’t my bag – but I’m interviewing them and nothing else is standing in my way. Plus after that I can still catch half of Scissor Sisters. Sorted.
Saturday 31 July
Amphitheatre
10.45pm-12mn The Strokes
9.15pm-10.15pm Florence + The Machine
7.45pm-8.45pm Wolfmother
6.15pm-7.15pm Tame Impala
4.45pm-5.45pm Operator Please
3.30pm-4.20pm Philadelphia Grand Jury
2.20pm-3.10pm The Drums
1.10pm-2pm  Band Of Skulls
12nn-12.50pm Jonathan Boulet
11am-11.45am Gypsy + The Cat
Mix Up
10.30pm-11.30pm Midnight Juggernauts
9pm-10pm  Art Vs Science
7.15pm-8,15pm Fat Freddy’s Drop
5.30pm-6.30pm Blue Juice
3.45pm-4.45pm Delphic
2pm-3pm  Two Door Cinema Club
12.30pm-1.15pm Yacht Club DJs
11.45am-12.30pm Levins
11am-11.45am Zennith
GW McLennan
10pm-11pm  Band Of Horses
8.30pm-9.30pm Paul Kelly
7pm-8pm  Laura Marling
5.30pm-6.30pm The Magic Numbers
4pm-5pm  Clare Bowditch
2.45pm-3.30pm The John Steel Singers
1.30pm-2.15pm Oh Mercy
12.15pm-1pm Earnest Ellis
Saturday is a day of two halves. First half in the Mix Up dancing it up with Two Door Cinema Cub and Delphic. The former clashes with The Drums at the Amphitheatre. Fron NYC the band are the most talked about band this year and even topped JUICE’s own Bands To Watch Out For List in the May 2010 issue, but I never got their surfer sound so I’m not too upset. The rest of the night I should be camped out at the Amphitheatre. It’s a straight set of raging Aussie bands from arvo onwards – Operator Please, Tame Impala, Worfmother…. Then it’s Florence and The Machine and The Strokes, with Band Of Horses sandwiched in between. Oh my!
Sunday 1 August
Amphitheatre
10.45pm-12mn Pixies
9.15pm-10.15pm Mumford + Sons
7.45pm-8.45pm Passion Pit
6.15pm-7.15pm The Vines
4.45pm-5.45pm Ash
3.30pm-4.20pm We Are Scientists
2.20pm-3.10pm Surfer Blood
1.10pm-2pm  The Mess Hall
12nn-12.50pm Money For Rope
Mix Up
10.45pm-11.45pm Empire Of the Sun
9pm-10pm  Goldfrapp
7.15pm-8.15pm Jonsi
5.30pm-6.30pm K-OS
3.45pm-4.45pm Space Invadas
2pm-3pm  Miike Snow
12.30pm-1.15pm Tijuana Cartel
GW McLennan
10pm-11pm  Richard Ashcroft + The United Nations of Sound
8.30pm-9.30pm Kate Nash
7pm-8pm  Broken Social Scene
5.30pm-6.30pm Whitley
4pm-5pm  Fanfarlo
2.45pm-3.30pm Last Dinosaur
1.30pm-2.15pm Cloud Control
12.15pm-1pm Boy + Bear
11am-11.45am Jac Stone
The energy doesn’t seem to let up even on a Sunday! The Amphitheatre is solid proposition after lunch with punk rockers Surfer Blood kicking it off. Then I’ll stick around for We Are Scientists before skipping out for Fanfarlo, small folky band but it’s become a firm favourite in the last few months – go listen! It’s when it gets dark that things get complicated. Goldfrapp vs Kate Nash, Empire Of The Sun v The Pixies … the rock gods have cursed me and are asking me to choose!! Why rock gods? WHY?!!
Oh and add to that at the Mix Up tent, a battery of predominantly Australian DJs and Dj crews are slotted to play between the bands: Van She Tech, Purple Sneakers DJs, Kid kennbi, Bag Raiders, Miami Horror DJs, Ana Lunoe, and UK fave Yolanda Be Cool among other. I’m tired just thinking about it….