Adelaide called. Spin Off Festival answered. Yes, we’re well acquainted with big name artists and festivals passing us by (and no, we haven’t forgiven you quite yet) but with the weather surprisingly sunny and a slew of big names hitting the stage at the Wayville Showgrounds, Adelaide festival goers ready to get their taste of Splendour in the Grass were in good spirits.
Spin Off Band Competition winners Bad//Dreems started the festivities, proving why they took home the title weeks prior at Ed Castle. Following on were local indie-dance lads Messrs, giving some serious Cut Copy vibes (and that’s a big compliment from this writer), with offbeat hit ‘Moroccan Boy’ raising the roof. Punctuating each break between acts early on in the day were Adelaide’s own Transmission DJs. Thankfully missing some of Transmission’s signature Friday night shenanigans (last time there, I had three drinks thrown on me – I won't get into it), the Transmission crew were the perfect mix off indie, electro and nostalgic dance beats for a festival akin to Spin Off.
Away from the main stage, the underrated Silent Disco had boys and girls dancing, shimmying and shuffling on the spot. The copious amounts of Red Bull on hand nearby probably didn't hurt either. Electric Circus' failsafe Stuart Duckworth aka Stubanga, Oreo Bass, The Swiss' synth wizard Luke Million and triple j's Nina Las Vegas were my personal picks – and hey, isn't it great being able to yell as loud as you like without the person dancing next to you hearing? Kudos, Silent Disco.
Yacht Club DJs had the distinction of being the only DJ act on the main stage, rest assured, anyone who has seen them at Parklife (or will catch them at Big Day Out 2013) knows why this duo fit any festival lineup perfectly. Mixing Beyoncé and Azealia Banks with post-grunge and frenetic dance beats made me almost forget the lack of sunshine and beach balls skimming across the crowd from when I last saw them.
Friends earned the title of 'Band I Never Really Listened To But Now Love After Seeing Them Live'. Isn't that always how it goes? Lead singer Samantha Urbani, decked out in her 90s acid wash finest put on a powerhouse vocal display, weaving in and out of the band's bass-heavy indie-pop tunes effortlessly. Debut album Manifest! was shown off in all its glory, no doubt going down a treat at their Splendour performance too.
The band responsible for that ever-so-catchy tune 'I Know What I Am' from that Nissan Micra ad, Band Of Skulls kept Spin Off loud and sweaty with songs 'Sweet Sour', 'Bruises', and yes, the song I mentioned earlier. I caught a sneak peek at the band backstage, just a bit nervous for their first-ever Adelaide performance with drummer Matt Hayward drinking a decent amount of red wine. Funnily enough, leading lady Emma Richardson took his wine bottle and started using it as a cowbell halfway through their set. Best Spin Off On-Stage Improvisation? I think so.
Now, enter Spin Off heavyweight Lana Del Rey. Without offending the previous acts, it’s safe to say that a good portion of the Spin Off crowd were there for the blues artist formerly known as Lizzy Grant. Her album Born To Die going #1 and platinum in Australia with tearjerker ‘Video Games’ reaching #6 on triple j’s Hottest 100, the lass has a nice fan base set up in Australia, and with good reason. Moving away from the heavy beats and hip hop-lite of her debut album, Lana’s set was both haunting and striking in its minimalism.
With just a pianist, acoustic guitar and string quartet accompanying Del Rey, tracks like opener ‘Blue Jeans’, unreleased ‘Body Electric’ and ‘Without You’ transformed into eerie noir-esque torch numbers. Her audience engagement was light at best, but anyone walking into the Wayville Pavillion with preconceived ‘Lana Del Rey can’t sing, I saw her on SNL’ notions rightfully ate their words.
Ending with ‘Video Games’ and ‘National Anthem’, Lana, in a custom blue lace dress and Balenciaga heels (thanks to her stylist Johnny for the heads up) had the crowd eating out of her hand. Speaking to Lana backstage, the unusually-chipper singer was infatuated with her Adelaide crowd response, saying that she'd waited so long to perform in Australia. Word is that her sell-out shows in Melbourne went down a treat too. Haters to the left.
In the last 8 months, I've seen Kimbra three times (it would have been four if I had snagged tickets to her show at The Gov), and the Kiwi popette literally gets better each time I see her. Her voice was stronger, her strut was sassier, her outfits even more colourful and joyous (not to mention the cleverest and most strategic use of ribbons I've seen thus far).
Proving that she's now definitely her own artist and not simply riding Gotye's coattails to success, she finished the night with her own flavour of zany pop, treating us to an encor of 'Cameo Lover' and Prince-flavoured 'Come Into My Head'.
Touring for almost a year now, it was nice to hear Miss Johnston shake things up a little, mixing an acapella 'Settle Down' into a full-blown electro-rock number, and injecting favourites 'Call Me', 'Old Flame' and 'Good Intent' with just enough quirk to make them shine even brighter than the first time I heard them. Playing the same songs and making them sound new and exciting each time? No easy feat, but Kimbra has it covered.
We may have been missing a few of Splendour’s heavy hitters, but Spin Off hit the spot, and for a music festival that didn't try too hard to be hip (despite the overabundance of hipster attendees), I know I wasn't the only one impressed by it's laidback vibe and smashing tunes. Just quietly, I love the juxtaposition of writing this while everyone else readies themselves for Splendour. Here's hoping that Spin Off returns next year. We shouldn't have to miss out on all the fun.
Photos by Olivia Franco
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