REVIEW: AUSTRALIA’S SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS UNVEILED VIRTUAL FESTIVAL SPLENDOUR XR


The hyped-up virtual festival was from the creators of Splendour In The Grass & Secret Sounds.


Over the weekend of July 23rd, the Splendour XR festival hit the masses. If the name sounds familiar that’s because it is. The event is from the creators of the famed Australian music festival, Splendour in the Grass. It was truly an impressive and fully immersive online and VR concert event. The two-day event headlined by Khalid and The Killers combined fashion, art, music and more. Splendour’s tickets were at a pretty decent price range, especially in comparison to how much the IRL festival costs. The festival also offered a relive ticket allowing fans to rewatch the event for up to 7 days afterward. Now to the lineup...

Many of the major highlights weren’t just the headliners Khalid & The Killers. Although Khalid had a solid, hit-filled groove worthy set. It was slow to start for anyone that might be unfamiliar with his songs. The Killers who headlined on Day two kept to basics aka well-known tracks and their hits. For a festival that staked it’s claim on being easily accessible and having so many options. Sometimes that can wind up being it’s crutch. Having such a wide variety of acts to see was a tad overwhelming. So for music lovers similar to me who often want to see a bit of everything. Including faves, new raves, the artist that everyone is buzzing about, etc it’s a lot. Their relive ticket option was perfect and came in handy for situations like this. Or for those who often wind up suffering that post-concert depression the minute any show is over. This offering did cost extra but is a lifesaver if you don’t mind shelling out the extra money.

It was fun to create a avatar and watch the different shows in a more interactive way online. Although it was a bit tricky at first when trying to navigate the different venues and areas. Artists like Aurora & Charli XCX immersed themselves into the inventiveness of the experience. It worked well with Aurora’s fairy tale quirky brand. Unfortunately, this wasn’t Charli best outing. Many of the EDM/Dance acts performing like TERAMETH and SKRAM took to the unique unusual format with aplomb. Other acts of note were the high-energy sets from Denzel Curry, Black Pumas, and CHVRCHES. The ‘Astronaut in the OceanMasked Wolf set forth a surprisingly fun set. As did bright young songwriter Griff. Alt-Indie darling Phoebe Bridgers brought a bit of California cool with her beautifully pared back set. other offerings on hand there was much to behold. From the Plastic Free Mermaid, Rainforest Yoga, even The Space Cowboy, who ventured into the strange and macabre. You could even learn some African Dance or hear from the various talks held. Most notable one on the importance of consent. All occurred in the Splendour Forum along with a comedy club. For the first official virtual-only festival, it was mission accomplished.


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