Splendour in the Grass is over for another year, after taking over the sleepy northern New South Wales town of Byron Bay.
The only major Australian music festival to take place in winter was a complete success, with minimal rain (unless you were unlucky enough to be camping and stuck in those early morning/late late night downpours), too much mud and a crowd too young to appreciate Sonic Youth, Brian Wilson and even You Am I, allowing plenty of room for "cutting sick" (as one punter put it).Wolfmother pulled the biggest crowd of the festival, with the main stage overflowing into the mud and deafening cheers following their awesome jam-inspired set.
Early afternoon slots were good for bands, with Swedes Dungen winning over an eager crowd who had just arrived at the festival for the first day, while The Zutons eased the audience's hangovers with their irresistibly fun guitar pop.
The highlight of the entire festival however (apart from Brian Wilson, who was as to be expected in a world of his own, even if he was a little grumpy) was the amazing Matisyahu. The vibe amongst the decent sized crowd was that they were there to see a novelty act, but that idea was lost within seconds of this amazing performer hitting the stage.
Brian Wilson's set had the audience in an uproar, with much of his set leaning to fast paced rock 'n' roll numbers, like 'Surfin' USA' or 'Barbara Ann'. The audience sang and danced - a nice contrast to his previous tours in sit down theatres.
Splendour's might take over that sleepy town of Byron Bay for a few days, and sure, the locals might hate it, but it is the epitome of wonderful festival life and one of the top festivals in Australia.
