Sportsgirl loves festivals and Splendour in the Grass is one of our all-time faves. 

Splendour brings the entire east coast of Australia to life as the pilgrims descend on Byron Bay to kick off the new festival season. We aren't quite sure whether it's the travel or the fresh Byron air but your typical Splendour attendee is a cut above your usual festival goer. All smiles, laughs and killer festival fashion. 

With a lineup that included Bloc Party, MGMT, The Flaming Lips, The Friendly Fires, Midnight Juggernauts, Jack Ladder, Dappled Cities, Bridezilla and Bluejuice there were *squeals* aplenty.

Day one of the festival saw us tromp over to watch Bridezilla kick off proceedings. In a festival lineup lacking girl power Bridezilla brings it in masses. Four powerful, talented, gorgeous girls and one super cute drummer boy in tow they continued to tease us with cuts from their brooding and atmospheric debut album. Definitely a band to check out if you want to be inspired: their average age is only 18!

We then hung around for Sydney indie kings Dappled Cities whose new single The Price became our soundtrack for the rest of the festival. If you want to indulge yourself in some contemporary Australian music that is pushing boundaries while still keeping a melodic edge Dappled are your Ticket to Ride. 

As living proof that age is no barrier to rocking or making a crowd shuffle their feet You Am I and the reformed Specials laid down some lessons for the younger bands on the bill and did it in style. 

Speaking of style closing off day one Bloc Party showed us why only 3 albums into their career they're one of the biggest bands on the planet. Their set traversed between the skittish nervy indie rock of their debut album to their newer material that at times leans towards early 90s dance music. Regardless of whether you think their old stuff is better than their new stuff the Bloc Party are here to stay and their phenomenal live show left a lot for day two of Splendour to live up to. 

A two day festival brings with it a number of challenges. How much energy do i expend on the first day so that i can still make the most of day two? What makes up my ultimate festival capsule wardrobe? And in the case of Splendour: to gumboot, or not to gumboot?

After much deliberation we decided on gumboots and brought in day two of the festival with Jack Ladder. At six foot four inches Jack cuts quite the commanding presence on-stage as he guided us through experimental renditions of tracks from his latest album Love is Gone. 

As with all festivals a combination of making new friends, bumping into old friends and just generally soaking in the atmosphere can sometimes mean missing out on an act you'd planned to see and would later kick yourself for missing out on. On day two that act was The Friendly Fires who despite a reported case of swine flu brought their pop brilliance to life with moves reminiscent of a young Mick Jagger, or so we hear!

The day closed with the one two punch of MGMT and Flaming Lips. MGMT though somewhat lackluster in their performance proved why their trifecta of singles Time To Pretend, Kids and Electric Feel are modern classics and score a perfect 10 in the sing-a-long category.

On the other hand Flaming Lips' mix of giant balloons, confetti cannons, psychedelic visuals and animal costumes create a performance that is so cathartic and unforgettable that it will leave you talking about it for years. Lead singer Wayne Coyne looking dapper in a 3 piece suit leads the parade and helps create the perfect finale to two perfect days of music, friends and fun in the byron sun.

See you next year xo

Pictures courtesy of Splendour in the Grass