A Splendid Splendour Announcement

The great American poet Walt Whitman has a poem called 'Splendour in the Grass'. It's about the fleeting nature of youth, and the pain and suffering of old age, and the acknowledgement that all good things must pass.

What though the radiance
which was once so bright
Be now for ever taken from my sight,
Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendour in the grass,
of glory in the flower,
We will grieve not, rather find
Strength in what remains behind;
In the primal sympathy
Which having been must ever be;
In the soothing thoughts that spring
Out of human suffering;
In the faith that looks through death,
In years that bring the philosophic mind.

Unlike old Walt, though, our hour of Splendour in the Grass is only just beginning. And there's sure to be a little somethin-somethin for everyone, with Frank Ocean headlining, festival favourites like Of Monsters and Men, Mumford & Sons, a topnotch Aussie contingent (including You Am I performing their classic albums, Hi-Fi Way and Sound As Ever in full!), exciting newcomers like Haim and Fidlar. And when you add to that Polyphonic Spree performing The Rocky Horror Picture Show, you just know this is going to sell out faster than you can say 'It's just a jump to the left'. Here's the lineup in full:

Mumford & Sons (Only Aus show)
Frank Ocean
The National (Only Aus show)
Of Monsters & Men
Empire of the Sun
Bernard Fanning
The Presets
TV on the Radio (Only Aus show)
Klaxons
Flume
Babyshambles
Passion Pit
Birds of Tokyo
James Blake
Architecture in Helsinki
Laura Marling
Matt Corby
Drapht
Mystery Band
Flight Facilities
Polyphonic Spree (Performing Rocky Horror Picture Show)
Boy & Bear
Fat Freddy's Drop
Cold War Kids
The Rubens
Sarah Blasko
Darwin Deez
You Am I (Performing Sound As Ever & Hi-Fi Way)
Hermitude
Haim
Airbourne
The Drones
Ms Mr
Gurrumul
Everything Everything
Clairy Browne & The Bangin' Rackettes
Cloud Control
Portugal. The Man
Daughter
Something For Kate
Wavves
Chet Faker
Snakadaktal
Robert Delong
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Whitley
Fidlar
Jake Bugg
The Bamboos
Surfer Blood
Deap Vally
Palma Violets
Alpine
Little Green Cars
Vance Joy
Jagwar Ma
Villagers
Violent Soho
Dune Rats
PVT
The Jungle Giants
Cub Scouts
Art of Sleeping
The Growl
Twinsy
The Chemist
Songs
Mitzi

Splendour takes place from July 26-28, 2013, at North Byron Parklands, Byron Bay (its permanent home), and get ready to pounce on www.moshtix.com.au when tickets go on sale at 9am on Thursday, May 2. With this calibre of acts, there's no reason for misplaced excitement, a la these fans (of nonexistent bands) caught out at Coachella.