Spring in my step

Maybe Melbourne isn't so bad? Although the Winter has been S-T-R-E-T-C-H-I-N-G on forever it looks like its finally coming to a close. The last few days have been lovely. We've had the windows open, I've been taking lunchtime walks under blue skies...

Which is lucky because I need something to cheer me up with all this studying! Two weeks until my management accounting exam, and then I can relax a little.

Splendour in the Grass

Hayley and I were just about to give up on music festivals. The Falls Festival was okay, but you know you have a problem when you are made to feel old at 22, and the campers next to you don't go see any of the bands, but just seem to be popping pills the whole time. This time I think Hayley and I really meant it about the Big Day Out when we said "never again". In Adelaide it is unbelievably hectic, in Melbourne it was just crap. So, despite the killer lineup we were both apprehensive about Splendour.

The weekend started badly for us both. I drove to the airport, and although this move was supposed to save me time I ended up missing my flight, and spending four hours at the airport (two notes here: 1) I am never booking a flight with Jetstar again, because if I had been flying Qantas or Virgin I would have booked in online and been allowed to board, and 2) The wait at the airport wasn't all bad- I bought and read in the time I was waiting 'The Memory Keepers Daughter', by Kim Edwards, as I left my CA notes at home thinking I would have no time to read them...). I ended up arriving at the hostel at 6pm, 12 hours after I left the house in the morning.

But things got better and better after that. We had a great counter meal and cheap cheap drinks at a local pub (we stayed in the quiet Ballina, as there was no accommodation left at Byron) and had a good catch up, whilst being picked up by the local old men at the bar. If only guys our own age would buy us drinks! But a free drink is a free drink.

Splendour itself was awesome. The setup was great and the vibe was good too. The bands were absolutely awesome. So who did I see...

Saturday

• Old Man River
• Editors
• The Beautiful Girls
• The Cat Empire
• Grinspoon
• Kaiser Chiefs
• Powderfinger

(Best sets of the day: Powderfinger, Kaiser Chiefs and Cat Empire. Best looking front men: Felix Riebel of The Cat Empire, and Mat McHugh of The Beautiful Girls).

Sunday

• Expatriate
• Kisschasy
• Ok Go
• Spiderbait
• The Hoodoo Gurus
• Bloc Party
• Arctic Monkeys

(Best set of the day- and weekend hands down for me: Bloc Party. Best looking front man: Kele Okereke from Bloc Party)