Five Subcultural Influences to Look for at Splendour
The best music festivals are the ones that leave no genre excluded. That’s one of the things which makes Splendour in the Grass such a pilgrimage for Aussie music fans across the country. It’s our largest festival and the one which often boasts the best lineup, from rock to electronic music, indie and rap. Subcultures are forged at the nexus of music and fashion, meaning Splendour is more than just a music festival – it’s a melting pot of different styles. Here are five subcultural influences to keep your eyes peeled for at Splendour.
Punk: Yungblud
Channelling a rowdy Northern English sensibility and polishing it up to create a post-punk-pop-infusion, Yungblud is readying to release his upcoming self-titled studio album in September. It’s his first time in Australia since releasing his 2020 album, Weird!, driven by the mass psychosis we all experienced during the lockdowns. He has since collaborated with Willow and Machine Gun Kelly on singles released earlier this year. His unique sound has resulted in an aesthetic that is a mix of football hooligan and punk.
Give a subtle nod to the Black Hearts Club by wearing a pair of pink socks, platform Dr Martens and a Fred Perry tee.
Retro Rave: SOFI TUKKER
Musical duo SOFI TUKKER best known for their first full-length electronica albumTreehouse are set to play Splendour on Friday. Mixing Portuguese with English in their lyrics as well as incorporating Brazilian instruments, SOFI TUKKER have long set the bar high for innovation in dance music. With their latest album,Wet Tennis, still hot off the press their set is likely to be a blend of fan favourites and new material.
Give a classy nod to purple hat cheetah print by incorporating animal print into your outfit along with a bucket hat. Channeling the style of 90s club kids, colours will be bright bordering on fluorescent, with a healthy dose of bumbags and dungarees.
Rock n Roll: Starcrawler
If you haven’t heard of Arrow De Wilde you have been missing out. As the frontwoman of L.A band, Starcrawler, she has defined the hyper-specific look of the new wave classic rock genre. Heavily influenced by punk rock, as well as classic rock legends like Ozzy Osbourne, they have adopted country western motifs in their look while performing music about the seedy glamour of Hollywood. Lugged boots with skirts and jackets with graphic tees are quintessentially rock and roll.
Cowboy: Orville Peck / Kacey Musgraves
This one is for rhinestone cowboys, cowgirls and cowpeople. With that comes Orville Peck’s high and lonesome croon and Kacey Musgraves’ lofty soubrette which are likely to send you into orbit on Friday when they hit the stage at Splendour. It’s cowboys and rainbows, what more could you ask for? Orville Peck first made waves with his debut album Pony, combining traditional country music with shoegaze effects, resulting in an otherworldly album which took us to soaring sandy deserts and rusty rodeos.
Wranglers and Levi’s tucked into cowboy boots will be worn among those honing the likes of Merle Haggard and Dolly Parton. Denim shirts with pointy western collars and yoking will finish off the look.
Britpop/Indie: Liam Gallhager
Liam would probably swear at me for classing him as “Britpop”, but I mean it as a compliment. The former Oasis front man gave life to the music which soundtracked our late-night drives in the 90s and made anoraks and circular sunnies cool to wear at all times. Gallagher released his third solo album this year,C’mon You Know, which is his most experimental sound yet. You can’t go wrong with a parka at a winter music festival, and in subtle homage to the man himself pair it with sunglasses.
