All of the rumours about this year’s Splendour line-up
With the line-up for this year’s Splendour in the Grass set to drop in a matter of days, rumours are flying thick and fast over who might headline.
If you haven’t booked your annual leave yet, now’s the time to do it: the line-up for Splendour in the Grass’ 20th birthday is dropping in a matter of days.
And if the rumours are anything to go by, this year’s festival will be an absolute ripper.
While attendees usually have to wait until April to see who’ll be gracing the Byron stage come July, organisers are dropping this year’s bill early, on Wednesday February 18.
Tickets will then go on sale just over a week later, on February 27.
As expected, rumours over who might headline – as well as a few “leaks” – are flying thick and fast, with everyone from Travis Scott to Kylie Minogue potentially set to celebrate the festival’s 20th anniversary.
Below, we’ve rounded up the artists most likely to appear on this year’s bill.
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POWDERFINGER
The likelihood of Powderfinger reuniting for the festival’s 20th birthday is actually pretty high. Considering it is a big anniversary for Splendour, they’re likely to recruit a big homegrown act to headline.
Further increasing the odds of Powderfinger returning to the stage is the fact that they headlined the first two Splendours way back when – so making an appearance this year would be full circle for the band.
While the band parted ways in 2010, they did briefly reunite on the Splendour stage in 2017 when Bernard Fanning performed, proving that anything is possible.
FLUME
The odds of this happening are also pretty high – and not just because one of his songs came in at second place on this year’s Hottest 100.
Again, considering it’s the anniversary of an iconic Australian festival, an equally as iconic Australian headliner is needed. Flume, who has become a household name both nationally and abroad, is no stranger to a music festival stage, and first graced the Splendour stage back in 2016.
He’ll be playing a few festivals in the coming months, including Coachella, but that still leaves him with plenty of space in his calendar to appear on the main stage in Byron when July rolls around.
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
The one thing festival goers are hoping for on this year’s Splendour line-up is a reunion of some variety, and when a fake line-up circulated with Rage Against the Machine on it, Australians lost their minds.
While it was quickly revealed to be a dud leak, don’t rule RATM out just yet.
The band are headlining Coachella this April – and the hype surrounding that fake poster could very well be the reason Splendour promoters are jumping the gun and announcing the line-up so early.
LANA DEL REY
The grand, dark pop ballads of Lana Del Rey seem purpose-built for a cold night at the Byron amphitheatre.
While Australians have been speculating about her appearance at a Splendour since 2012, it’s never come to fruition – but 2020 could finally be it.
Del Rey’s Norman F*cking Rockwell tour wraps up around the beginning of June, giving her ample time to recoup before headlining this year’s festival. And considering her previous tours down under – rare as they may be – have sold out at a rapid rate, there’s no doubt she’d draw the kind of crowd worthy of a 20th anniversary celebration.
TRAVIS SCOTT
If US rapper Travis Scott were to headline Splendour 2020, it's safe to say many Australians would lose their minds.
Scott, who has had a whirlwind past few years, last graced an Aussie festival stage in 2016 at Listen Out, and fans have been eagerly awaiting his return ever since.
The likelihood of the festival having some kind of rap artist among their headlining acts is pretty high – having used Kendrick Lamar to draw a crowd in 2018 – and while Scott is touring London at the beginning of July, his calendar remains free (so far) for the end of month.
No doubt if Scott is announced, tickets will sell out in a matter of minutes.
THE STROKES
American rock band The Strokes, who’ve recently taken to performing at rallies for Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders, crop up on the Splendour stage every few years, usually to celebrate the release of new music.
Their last time gracing Byron was in 2016 alongside Flume, and with a new album out in April and a number of tour dates pencilled in for the coming months, there’s still a Splendour-sized hole in their schedule.
However, the likelihood of Splendour booking two rock acts to headline is pretty slim, so if RATM are in, The Strokes probably won’t be making an appearance.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
As expected, sometimes the rumour mill can move in an unlikely direction. And because it’s the festival’s 20th anniversary, people truly are letting their imaginations run wild about who might perform.
Artists like Chance the Rapper – who bailed on Falls Festival 2019 at the last minute despite being a headliner; Nick Cave – who is yet to announce an Australian tour for his newest record; and The Weeknd – because if Splendour have proven anything in the past few years with the likes of Khalid and Lorde, it’s that they like a pop artist – have all had their names thrown in the ring for a spot on the Splendour 2020 line-up.
As for Frank Ocean, Robyn and The Killers, their appearance seems more like wishful thinking than reality.
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