The Pilerats guide to Splendour In The Grass 2022's hidden line-up gold

The Splendour In The Grass line-up announcement is often a shouting match of opinions and excitement - "why is this band billed so high?", "where the f**k is ______?", "why is ______ on the bottom line?!" - and we know more than anyone that often, there's a tonne of gold hidden amongst the line-up every year that is missed because you're so caught up on everything else.

This year is no different - in fact, it's probably more prevalent than ever. This year, Splendour In The Grass announced their 2022 line-up, which if it indeed goes ahead in July next year, will mark the festival's first major show since their mid-2019 affair; their 20th anniversary being three years in the making. Obviously, we've known the trio of headliners for a few months now - Gorillaz, The Strokes and Tyler The Creator - but now, they're joined by a league of internationals and locals that join them, and there's a lot to be excited about.

Obviously, there are the big drawcards. The first day boasts Yeah Yeah Yeahs making their return, alongside long-time international favourites such as Yungblud, Jungle, Sofi Tukker and Dillon Francis. Then, there are the hallmark local acts that lead the charge: DMA's, Ruel, Cub Sport, Baker Boy, Hooligan Hefs, Confidence Man and more. The second day is a little lighter on the familiar internationals - Glass Animals arguably being the only - but is heaving with locals: Violent Soho, The Jungle Giants, Ruby Fields, Methyl Ethel, Stella Donnelly and so on. The third day is a good balance again, with Liam Gallagher, Duke Dumont and Mura Masa amongst the internationals, with Amyl & The Sniffers, G Flip, Julia Stone and ARIA-dominating Genesis Owusu leading the international mix.

However, as always, there's a splattering of gold amongst the undercard that we think are well worth keeping an eye on, and that's what we want to draw your attention to today. They're a range of acts - both local and international - that we think are worth circling on your schedules whenever they come out; sets that we think are going to be all-time and festival-best - ones that might surprise you in being so.

Without further adieu, presenting the Pilerats guide to Splendour In The Grass 2022's hidden line-up gold:

Friday: Kacey Musgraves, Orville Peck, Miiesha, 1300, Still Woozy, Joy Crookes, Wet Leg, renforshort, flowerkid:

The opening day of Splendour In The Grass is arguably the biggest of the lot; the festival seemingly keen to start things with a bang. Of course, a lot of that comes down to acts such as Gorillaz leading the charge, but there are a couple of Pilerats favourites amongst the mix that we'd like to draw your attention to.

The first is the pairing of Kacey Musgraves and Orville Peck, two admittedly big acts on the line-up - Kacey in particular, being the third-billed act on the line-up - but considering their sound sits more in the alt-country-esque world, we have a feeling they might be overlooked compared to the other acts amongst their billing. This will be Kacey's second round of shows in Australia - the first since her 2021 delight of an album starcrossed - and Orville Peck is country's next masked prince; a pandemic sensation who has become one of music's most fascinating names.

Aside from the country music heavy-hitters, Friday at Splendour In The Grass features some other big drawcards too. The Australian line-up for the Friday is mammoth, but Miiesha and 1300 are our not-so-obvious picks of the bunch: Miiesha - still relatively new to live performances, relishing in her breakthrough amongst the pandemic - is one of Australia's most enchanting live performers, while Korean-Australian genre-crossers 1300 are pure energy - and we can't wait to see how that comes to life on the Splendour stage.

And finally, there's Secret Sounds New Music Present: a low-billed off-shoot on the Friday line-up which interestingly, includes some of the festival's best picks. Included amongst this line-up are a couple of acts that we haven't been able to shut up about all year, including viral alt-pop breakthrough Still Woozy, UK R&B storyteller Joy Crookes, British indie-rockers-worth-watching Wet Leg, bedroom-pop break-out renforshort, and Australia's flowerkid - one of the year's best local acts.

Saturday: Tom Misch, JPEGMafia, Stella Donnelly, Biig Piig, Myd, Mildlife, MOKTAR:

Wedged in the middle of Splendour's festivities is a day all about Australian favourites both new and old, from Violent Soho and The Jungle Giants right down to acts like Tim Minchin, relatively fresh from his returning album Apart Together in late-2020. However, it also has some of the weekend's most brilliant internationals - including a couple of long-awaited debuts and ones-to-watch that we can't get enough of.

The first is obviously Tom Misch. The genre-blurring king is one of alternative electronic's hallmark names, but despite his status as a pioneer of modern-day electronica, he's never made it to Australia before - until now. Splendour In The Grass will also witness the return of JPEGMafia, someone who was making a rumble pre-COVID but has grown exponentially in the last few years, becoming one of hip-hop's most experimental and forward-thinking visionaries. Don't count out Biig Piig either - someone also making their Australian debut, following a pandemic rise that has thrown them into the heights of our most anticipated.

Then, there's Stella Donnelly - someone who doesn't need much of an introduction to the Australian market. The Fremantle-raised favourite has been quiet the last few years, extensively working on her long-awaited sophomore record - the follow-up to her defining Beware Of The Dogs. We're not big betters, but we'd put our money on Splendour In The Grass happening sometime around the emergence of her new album - the festival undoubtedly bound to be one of the album cycle's key performances.

Finally, we'd like to draw your attention to the Astral People takeover of the Smirnoff Tent; another line-up offshoot that similar to Friday, features some of the festival's most brilliant names. Included in the mix are French electro-house favourite Myd, recent ARIA success stories and jazz-electronica icons Mildlife, and 2022 act-to-watch MOKTAR, who has been quick to sell out their debut shows over the last week or two. It's going to be so good.

Sunday: Mura Masa, Amyl & The Sniffers, Parquet Courts, Tierra Whack, Genesis Owusu, Holly Humberstone:

Finally, comes the Sunday - and Splendour are ending things in a big way. The Sunday festivities feel particularly international-heavy, with Amyl & The Sniffers being the only top-line-billed local act of the day, but several of the internationals feel like Australians at heart nowadays: long-time festival favourites including Liam Gallagher and Duke Dumont sitting pretty alongside headliner Tyler The Creator. Here's a couple of others worth watching on the day though:

Mura Masa and Amyl & The Sniffers are two key acts of the Sunday, but we think they're worth pointing out regardless. The former - British producer Mura Masa - has come a long way since his entrance as one of electronic music's defining voices of the new generation, and while his latest music has proved a little less accessible, it's some of the best stuff he's ever done - and Splendour is going to show it off. Oh, and who can forget Amyl & The Sniffers? They're a favourite of any festival stage they play on, and with a new album under their belt, Splendour is going to be much the same.

Then, there's Tierra Whack and Genesis Owusu. The latter is someone who needs no introduction; the multi-ARIA Award winner bound to treat Splendour as somewhat of a victory lap after an unstoppable 2021, with the performance bound to showcase his debut album Smiling With No Teeth on its biggest level yet. Tierra Whack is someone you might not be as familiar with however, but she's definitely on her way there - the US rapper known for her short, yet incredibly sweet bursts of cutting-edge hip-hop that is sure to light the stage for her Australian debut.

Finishing things off with a bit more guitar, we'd also like to draw your attention to the pair of Parquet Courts and Holly Humberstone. The former - Parquet Courts - is an obvious pick of the bunch, and the Splendour stage is sure to treat them super nicely. Holly Humberstone, however, is someone worth watching - an act of alt-pop's bright future that has a long and exciting journey ahead - by the time Splendour comes around, she might just be your new favourite act.

Pre-loved tickets - i.e. tickets refunded from 2020's cancelled Splendour In The Grass - go on sale December 6th via Moshtix. 

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