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Our top picks for this year's Splendour In The Grass

17 July 2019 | 12:06 pm | Caitlin Medcalf

With Splendour In The Grass just around the corner, we scoured through this year's lineup to put together our top picks for the festival.

With another Splendour In The Grass set to take place at its home in Byron Bay this weekend, we're coming into the pointy end of things. Set times are out, bags are being packed and playlists being made for what is to be a weekend of good tunes, good mates and just a good old time.

This year's SITG will see a number of changes including an upped-capacity, allowing for a bigger crowd and in turn, a bigger lineup. With arguably the biggest lineup in the festival's history, there are some stellar picks in there ranging from huge international headliners to the lil local acts who are just getting their start.

In true Purple Sneakers fashion, we've done the hard yards and scoured this year's festival lineup for acts that we don't think you should miss. Times and places to check them out have been included too, so if you like what you hear, be sure to check out these up and comers.

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JESSB

Where: Red Bull Presents A Night With (Mix Up)

When: 19:20 - 19:50 Thursday, July 18

New Zealand rapper JessB is taking the world by storm with her heavy flow, unapologetic rap style and whole-hearted commitment to her community of friends and creatives back home in Auckland. Last year saw her take everything by the horns. She put out her highly-anticipated debut EP Bloom which saw her reflect on her journey as both an artist and woman of colour. Identity is a strong theme throughout, and the EP emerged as one of the most important releases of last year.

Since then, she's put out a new track, 'Mood', travelled to LA and she's currently readying her next EP. Don't miss one of the most important rising names in hip-hop.

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LASTLINGS

Where: Mix Up

When: 12:15 - 13:00 Friday, July 19

Gold Coast brother/sister duo LASTLINGS are gearing up for what's going to be a wild run. Last year, they announced that they were to be one of the first acts signed to RÜFÜS DU SOL's Rose Avenue Records. They've played a few sold out Australian headline shows this year, with a few festivals including Splendour In The Grass and Spilt Milk in the pipeline and some September dates over in the US with RÜFÜS DU SOL themselves.

On the release front, last year's 'Deja Vu' and this year's 'I've Got You' have marked their induction into the RAR family, and have seen the duo make some changes to their sound. Opting for cinematic, big-room sounds, these tracks are best heard loud and will no doubt be great to hear live.

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SKIN ON SKIN

Where: Tiny Dancer Stage

When: 17:30 - 18:30 Friday, July 19

Skin On Skin is the rave-ready moniker of emotional RnB master UV Boi. This year, he introduced us to the project with a few mixes, including his inaugural hour-length special for Steel City Dance Discs'Rinse FM takeover. He also shared his debut EP, Steel City Dance Discs Volume 9.

The EP saw him take us through with burning 909's, thrashy kicks and an unapologetic air about it that pretty much dares you to throw it on as loud as you can. The EP wants to fuck you up in the best way possible, and I can imagine that his upcoming set at SITG will embody this same spirit.

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THANDI PHOENIX

Where: Mix Up

When: 12:15 - 13:00 Saturday, July 20

Sydney's Thandi Phoenix is gearing up to release her debut EP this year. With her first full-length body of work looming, it's been a year of honing and learning for the singer/songwriter, her attention turning to big-room, UK-inspired pop jams that manage to find their place in both a commercial pop and niche pop crossover.

This year, she's given us two new cuts to ready us for the EP: 'Say It' with Sigma sees her lend her powerful vocals to a 90's-style house jam that's both dancefloor and headphone ready and 'Cleopatra', a chorus-heavy, energetic femme fatale fantasy. Look out for her EP, but for now, indulge yourself with her live set this weekend.

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WAX'O PARADISO

Where: Tiny Dancer Stage

When: 16:30 - 18:30 Sunday, July 21

Melbourne DJ collective Wax'o Paradiso aren't a new act by any means. Their contribution to Australia's electronic underground has seen them be at the forefront of a new generation of selectors and creatives. They've garnered international attention along the way, most notably through their smashing Boiler Room set for the BRSugar Mountain takeover in 2015 and have played some of the country's most obscure environments.

The trio, made up of Andy HartSimon TK and Edd Fisher, have a real penchant for Australian psychedelia and inject that deep understanding into their set. This year alone they've performed internationally in places like Indonesia and the Phillippines, performed all around the country, including shows as part of Vivid Sydney and had a load of fun along the way.

They've got the sunset set on the Sunday night and tbh we can't think of a better way to send out the festival than having a dance to Wax'o Paradiso.

Photo of JessB via Facebook

Photo of Wax'o Paradiso via Facebook

Words by CAITLIN MEDCALF

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