TheVine's attempt at rolling coverage live from Splendour in the Grass 2011. Technological and on ground issues notwithstanding, this blog will be intermittently updated throughout the weekend with tidbits, hugely fascinating observations and mini-reviews live from the grounds of Splendour in the Grass 2011. Keep checking in for updates. Brought to you by TheVine's roving reporters, Andrew Crook and Bronwyn Thompson.

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SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS 2011 - DIARY (DAY 1)

Friday 29th July 2011

9:24am: Old Maroochydore Bus Interchange. Light drizzle, no sign of Kanye.

9:40am: Outside Maroochydore Court House. Random local asks TheVine for a lighter. No dice. "What the fuck's wrong with this generation?" he spits before storming off.

10:10am: A grand total of three people, including TheVine, on the 72 seater Greyhound bus to Splendour. Kawana Shoppingworld car park on the left, chockers.

10:55am: Waiting for World's End Press...in traffic outside the Caloundra sex shop.

11:42am: 40-year old hippie chick bus banter: "I'm meeting my long lost cousin up there. It's amazing, we've both lived parallel lives. Both had kids, both had abusive husbands, can't wait to meet her."

1:02pm: Guest camping area. Spanish girlfriends are everywhere. Adjacent tent full of XXXXX promotional staff has smuggled in 30 bottles of Smirnoff.

1:54pm: Good t-shirt watch, exhibit #1: dEUS - European tour 1998

2:25pm: There's a rumour going around that Jay-Z is on his way. Um...

2:33pm: Phrase seems to be riffing off Be Here Now-era Oasis on new album. Amazing.

3:07pm: Gözleme.

3:37pm: The Kills playing to a full amphitheatre at ground level, and having the unfortunate task of playing all in black as the last band before sundwon. Jamie Hince says he's always wanted to play at Splendour. Alison Mosshart doesn't look like she cares either way. So a normal Kills show then.

3:39pm: Dude balancing five mid-strength Strongbow cans in two hands: "You can tell I've been dating women recently, because I've gone from complete commando to usually fresh jocks on most days."

3:47pm: Guy with impressive looking SLR talking to two Kills fans. Fans: "What do you do?". Photoguy: "Yeah so like my current occupation is a photoblogger. I basically just take photos of randoms and upload them to the internet, yeah."

3:50: Gold Bar. Drummer from Powderfinger surrounded by at least 9 fans drinking Asahi.

3:52: A gratuitous Kate Moss close-up on the big screen during the Kills. Alison says: "Thank fuck the sun is gone."

4:41pm: Fashion watch: most people heading to Warpaint are dressed exactly like Warpaint.

4:50pm: Why do festival promoters always wear cowboy hats? Discuss.

4:55pm: Glasvegas singer coordinates his white and blue stripe Adidas with his nails. A few new songs before giving the crowd 'Geraldine'. Featuring (surely) the weekend's best stand-up drummer. And she's a girl: controversial. The best UK stadium band the Coldplay fans wish they'd seen. Glasvegas dedicate 'Gone Daddy's Gone' to the Kills. A pair of breasts on someone's shoulders on the big screen steals the show. Glasvegas seem happy about this.

4:56: Jerryi's Vegi Burgers. Clearly the most trusted brand in the festival food court (just got a free burger).

5:06pm: Glasvegas' singer may have one of the best voices going but he looks like a drunk Glaswegian forced to do karaoke; wandering the stage aimlessly in the same Beatles singlet and shades he did the sideshows in. Stadium rock with a side of awkwardness.

5:15pm: The unsold tickets to this year don't show. Way too packed last year to begin with. Although...only about 60 people dancing to Kato.

5:33pm: Sun disappearing. Many trapped with no jumper. Hypothermia pricks its ears.

5:47pm: Claudia Karvan holding court in the VIP as a weird mist descends on site.

5:52pm: Urthboy from the Herd tweets: the people's tell me Jay-Z is here #sitg

6:05pm: Opportunistic stall holders have a suasage sizzle and bacon and egg roll stand at guest camping. They also sell bags of ice. For all the alcohol no one is allowed to bring in, right?

6:35: Boy & Bear creating a rapturous applause echo in the GW McLennan tent.

8:02pm: Main arena is close to closing because of crowd on the hill, presumably for Kanye later on, now stuck with Modest Mouse. The people in the standing area seem to really like the reggae vibe of 'Bukowski'. Drummer teases with 'Float On' fills between songs as Isaac Brock says he was "cold" but "isn't now". Stange banter taken to a new level.

8:19pm: The main gate is now "shut" but security keep opening barrier to let people flood in. Feels like a Kanye waiting game.

8:21pm: 'Float On' impresses everyone; now with added bongo. Not worth the two drummer budget, though.

8:27pm: Modest Mouse are technically brilliant, but can't please one wanker who reckons they only have "two songs". Try five albums.

8:31pm: Black Joe Lewis seriously BRING IT in the GW tent. Joined by five blue-suited shriekers, 'The Relatives' for chugging version of 'Lying (About the Government)'.

9:00pm: Dagwood dogs. Officially the most disgusting retail item in the whole of Queensland.

9:15pm: The Hives claim to have created the Woodford Amphitheatre 50 million years ago because of lukewarm crowd reaction. "So we blew the fucker up and you were all left with this beautiful amphitheatre to watch us here tonight".

10:10pm: Kanye set up looking very Coachella.

10:13pm: Mogwai playing to a crowd reminiscent of Splendour 2001. Crowd is still but that means they're enjoying it.

10:25pm: Someone is headbanging to 'I'm Jim Morrison, I'm dead'.

10:30pm: Stuart from Mogwai says he heard Kanye loves fishsticks.

10:33pm: Dudes on the hill of the Amphitheatre are trying to start a wave.

10:39pm: "Someone said Kanye is coming on stage in a coffin. We're leaving in a coffin" - Stuart Braithwaite


(Pic: Claire Collins)

10:40pm: Kanye emerges in the middle of the crowd on a black lift device!

10:48pm: 'Power'. Kanye with the ballerinas...

10:55pm: Crowd going bonkers. 'Diamonds from Sierra Leone' causes Hives fan in front of me to utterly lose his shit. Kanye parrying with the crowd, impressed by the Amphitheatre. ("I'm at a loss for words right now").

10:59pm: Ridiculous Greco Roman imagery for Kanye. Everyone shows their hands upon West's demand that "I'ma need to see your fuckin' hands at the concert', during 'Monster'. (No Nicki Minaj...no Jay-Z.)


(Pic: Andrew Crook)

11:05pm: End of Act I. Start of Act II. Smoke cannons.

11:09pm: Mogwai finish up with 'Mogwai Fear Satan' condensed into about eight minutes.

11:16pm: DJ Shadow sounds much better on record.

11:35: Kanye killing it with 'Gold Digger'.

11:52pm: Chariots of Fire ushers in Act III. Giant white sheets across the stage, give way to Kanye in red jacket and pants, a jaunty change up from the white jacket, t-shirt and converse ensemble.

11:56pm: 'All of the Lights' into 'Stronger'. Not many egos that could pull off that double.

11:58pm:


(Pic: Claire Collins)

12:00am: No Jay-Z. Although no encore ('Hey, Mama' the down tempo closer), so I suppose we'll never know.


(Pic: Andrew Crook)

12:44am: That's it for our live coverage of the first day at Splendour in the Grass 2011—hope you've enjoyed it.


Saturday 30th July - 10am - Coverage continues next page!