Photos L to R: Ian Laidlaw, Bianca Holderness, Jess Gleeson
From the music to the weather, there's a pretty universal sentiment that this year's Splendour was one of the best ever and the final day, arguably the biggest contributed heavily to that. Here's why:
LCD Soundsystem's Marathon Headline Set
While it wasn't quite as long as the three hour set The Cure delivered last year, LCD Soundsystem's headlining set was a massive one. Over an hour and 45 minutes, LCD delivered a career-defining set that hit the beat from the get-go and rarely let it go. I Can Change set the pace, Yeah created the fury and Dance Yrself Clean swelled the dancefloor. Even new cuts Call The Police and American Dream had people swaying and dancing. It was a no thrills set that's strength relied on the band's love for what they do. James Murphy is an unlikely but alluring front man who looks like a businessman on the weekend but commands like one of the greats.
Tina Arena Joining Client Liaison For Sorrento Moon
This will go down as an unforgettable Splendour moment. Tina Arena stormed the stage during Client Liaison's set just while it was heating up and delivered a pop classic that reached for the nostalgia within everyone in the Amphitheatre. Tina is a true queen and Splendour, we were not worthy.
Stormzy's Biggest Moshpit
Stormzy pulled one of the biggest crowds of the weekend and not only were the big but they were also rowdy. Even in the back of the tent, we were caught in the midst of moshpits as Big For Your Boots thundered through the crowd. At one point he commanded the crowd to make the biggest moshpit ever and they obliged, creating a chaos that we haven't seen at Splendour for a very long time. Easily one of the greatest to take to the stage all weekend.
The Smith Street Band's Nirvana Cover
The Smith Street Band's Splendour set was always going to be a big one given that their career keeps going from strength to strength but no one could have anticipated quite how big it got. Despite the blistering sunshine, the energy levels kept rising peaking with a cover of Nirvana's Territorial Pissings featuring Dune Rats' Danny Beusa.
Schoolboy Q Describing His Set As One Of The Greatest Of His Career
Schoolboy Q has a massive profile all over the world but he's starting to develop one of his most loving fanbases in Australia. In his only Aussie performance this time around, he pulled a mammoth crowd at the Amphitheatre, one that was willing to forget it was the final day and give it everything they had. That Part lifted the non-existent roof off, a cover of Kendrick Lamar's m.A.A.d city sent everyone wild and Collard Greens created a Splendour-defining moment. When it all came to an end he called it one of the greatest moment of his career.
