The 12 Best Artists Announced for Splendour in the Grass 2017
The Aussie Festival Has a Pretty Fantastic Lineup
This year’s lineup for Splendour in the Grass was just released. Previous years have seen headlining artists as diverse and spectacular as OutKast, The Strokes and Lorde. Then again, we’ve also had Mumford & Sons, so there’s always some cause for concern in the leadup to this announcement. As it stands, 2017 looks to be one of the strongest collections of artists in recent years. For the full lineup and ticket info, check out the site here but, for our money’s worth, here are the twelve acts we’re most excited for, in alphabetical order.
Cut Copy
Australia’s quintessential synthpop band, Cut Copy have long been coasting off the success of 2007’s In Ghost Colours. Thing is, it’s such an indelible and crisp distillation of dancefloor tropes – the gauche strobing and affectless singing; the sweaty, pulsing joy – that I’m pretty sure they’ll be able to keep this going at least another ten years.
Father John Misty
King of the sardonic one-liners delivered with the angelic croon of a true believer, Father John Misty is the lounge jazz artist for our generation: snarky and derisive, yet unable to fully maintain his emotional remove. Both showman and conman, what he’s selling might not be real but it’s clear even he needs something to fall for these days.
Future Islands
With 2014’s sleeper hit “Seasons (Waiting On You)”, Future Islands firmly established themselves as an indie act prime for arena status. Their warm, sweeping sound is one of communal celebration, encouraging you to dance and sing like a fuckhead specifically because everyone’s watching and now, right now, is your moment.
Haim
Haim’s breezy Days Are Gone from 2013 has yet to see a follow-up, but that album was such a pristine mix of Fleetwood Mac-style soft rock, clap-and-stomp anthems and summery melodies that there’s not a doubt in my mind they’ll be the perfect band for a festival aimed at combatting wintertime blues.
Julien Baker
Earlier this year, Julien Baker’s “Funeral Pyre” fucking ruined me and, if her latest songs are anything to go by, that’s basically her M.O.: harnessing her soft coo and crystalline guitar to render you a shambling sack of emotion. It’s not what everyone’s looking for in their festivals but, I’m just sayin’, if you are then now you know who’s got your back.
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
Australia’s answer to, “Hey, what if Tame Impala and The Flaming Lips had a baby they raised on LSD and kale?”, King Gizzard are perhaps the most exciting band on this list based purely on the unpredictable, live-wire nature of their music and the spectacle that will no doubt ensue. You may be required to have a safe word to enter this show.
Lil Yachty
Stop laughing. Yes, Lil Yachty may look, sound and act like a stoned clown, but the dude’s style kinda insists that he does. On his own music and on features with Chance and D.R.A.M., he sing-raps like a human jello shot: with a stupid grin and colourful language, arm around your shoulders, insisting you join in. How are you gonna not?
Queens of the Stone Age
It’s been a little while since QotSA released a solid new LP, but their back catalogue is rife enough with classic stoner anthems and psychedelic thrills to keep any set of theirs fresh, consistent and surprising. And look, at the end of the day, regardless of how you feel about ’em, you know you’ll lose your shit when they play “No One Knows”.
Real Estate
Much like Haim, Real Estate’s blurry, sun-dappled aesthetic may seem better suited to a summertime festival. Still, perhaps their laidback suburban ballads will be exactly what is needed, especially if (as is typical) the weather cracks up and leaves us all pining for the sun again. They’re like a lowkey salve, a reminder of what we forgot we were missing.
ScHoolboy Q
One of four rappers that makes up the hip hop collective Black Hippy – along with Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul and Jay Rock – ScHoolboy is a modern-day gangsta rapper, protecting his neck and looking for a cheque but, y’know, he’s got a daughter and doesn’t wanna get shot. His style is brutal, but his ideals sensible, a potent dynamic for a live setting.
Topaz Jones
There’s little more exciting in hip hop than a young-arse rapper who’s actually as good as he thinks he is and uses that momentum to propel his music. It worked for Chance and Earl, and now the 22-year-old Topaz Jones is making waves, with last year’s single “Powerball” proving nothing if not that confidence is key, so long as you utilise it well.
The xx
Purveyors of the quiet storm movement of R&B, The xx have always seemed like the sort of band more suited to play a set in your living room than as headliners of a major, outdoor festival. Of course, the signature, teasing vibe of their sound, that draws you in instead of playing to your comfort, may result in the most intently transfixed crowd in Splendour history.