LOOKING FOR THE 2012 LINEUP ANNOUNCEMENT? HEAD OVER HERE!

Last week, Splendour in the Grass devotees learned that the three-day gathering will be returning to Byron Bay this winter after a couple of years in Woodfordia, Queensland. With the move locked in, now attention has turned to who we might see on the line-up for 2012.

Splendour traditionally shares some acts with Japan’s Summer Sonic Festival, which is happening this year on the weekend of August 18–19 in Tokyo and Osaka. Its 2012 line-up was announced last week and includes possible Splendour bookings like Sigur Ros, Passion Pit and SBTRKT (after the success of his current Laneway Festival run, such a speedy return could work).

While the Mix-Up Tent always boasts a strong dance contingent, Splendour’s promoter Jessica Ducrou has revealed that the move from Woodfordia to Belongil Fields rules out the possibility of acts as big as 2011 drawcard Kanye West headlining the festival’s mainstage in 2012.

In an interview with Noise 11, Ducrou explains: “Moving from Woodford to Belongil Field the venue is smaller. 17,500 is what we run at there. [The capacity at Woodfordia was 32000.] That obviously effects how much you can spend on your talent. No, we won’t be having acts like Kanye and Coldplay who are some of the biggest acts in the world. We have some great bands people will be very happy with. We thought maybe we could have a new strategy and every week release who is not playing. Then by process of elimination people would work it out by the time we normally announce.”

Our friends over at FasterLouder have already all but ruled out the likes of Hot Chip, Little Dragon, La Roux and Underworld who have shows in the UK to attend to on the same weekend as Splendour.

The 2012 line-up will be announced in late April.