Joining the blur on the bill will be very special guest Jamie T, one of the most distinctive voices to come out of the UK in the past decade. Announcing their arrival with debut album ‘Leisure’ in 1991 and follow up release ‘Modern Life Is Rubbish’ (1993), blur revolutionised the sound of English popular music. Five successive UK #1 albums followed – with Parklife (1994) and The Great Escape (1995) helping to propel the band to mass popularity around the world with tracks like  ‘Parklife’, ‘Girls & Boys’, ‘Country House’ and of course hit single Song 2’.

It’s been 16 years since blur’s last album as a four piece and 27th April sees the release of the band’s critically acclaimed eighth studio album ‘The Magic Whip’. The recordings, which began during a five-day break in touring in Spring 2013 – at Avon Studios in Kowloon, Hong Kong – were put aside when the group finished touring and returned to their respective lives.   Last November Graham Coxon revisited the tracks and, drafting in blur’s early producer Stephen Street, he worked with the band on the material. Albarn then added lyrics and the 12 tracks of The Magic Whip are the result.

In 2013 Blur toured across Europe and South America – also taking in a headline set at Coachella that resulted in rapturous reviews – proving to Blur fans around the world that the English lads still have what it takes to put on an explosive live performance.

“Blur left festivalgoers with arguably the night’s most poignant moment” – LA Times
 
“The night’s best performance” – Rolling Stone
 
“Triumphant” – NME

One of the most distinctive voices to come out of the UK in the past decade, Jamie T, will be joining Blur to open the arena shows. His infectiously catchy hit ‘Zombie’ came in at number 43 in triple J’s Hottest 100, he picked up three NME Awards and announced a new EP ‘Magnolia Melancholia’.

Its been almost five years since the spiky, globally-informed, occasionally grisly and proudly Clash-influenced “Kings And Queens” album reached No.2 in the UK charts, inspiring the critics to anoint the then-24-year-old Jamie ‘a rare, cocksure talent’ (BBC) and ‘a national institution’ (NME), and almost four since he last graced a concert stage. Spending his hiatus from the scene refining his songwriting, we welcome Jamie T back to the stage with open arms!

“By the time Mr T is manically grinning through Sticks and Stones and young men are forgetting themselves enough to clamber up on the stage to hug and kiss him, this feels like the triumphant return of a modern original.” The Guardian

“More sticky bodies swirl in the pit and more crowdsurfers leap onstage and convivially manhandle Jamie as he surveys the messy scene and smiles again, well and truly back in the game.” Vice

blur 2015 Australian Tour
25 July 2015 – Qantas Credit Union Arena, Sydney
26 July 2015 – Splendour In the Grass, Byron Bay
28 July 2015 – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne
30 July 2015 – Perth Arena, Perth
www.blur.co.uk

In 2015 Splendour’s Amphitheatre, Mix Up, GW McLennan and Tiny Dancer stages will bring you over 100 of the most awesome acts touring the planet right now. And with a program that spans the full three days of the festival, Tiny Dancer will be jumping to the tune of Australia’s preeminent DJs! From revered internationals to the freshest homegrown acts of today, they’re on their way to Byron Bay!

At some point though you’ll need a break from stage hopping, and when you do….

Flex your head at the incredibly topical and intellectual SPLENDOUR FORUM presented by The Guardian where you’ll find a super impressive list of clever and witty guests discussing myriad topics and contemplating the big philosophical questions.

Life is all about the yin and the yang, especially in Byron, so each night we throw out the festival academics and transform the Forum space into SPLENDOUR LATE NIGHT COMEDY CLUB where you’ll find a bunch of the hottest comedians Australia has to offer!

Find your balance at The GLOBAL VILLAGE where you’ll discover a heady mix of Australia’s leading burlesque performers, conscious theatre, jam bands, live art classes, yoga, healing, massage, tarot, circus acts, indigenous elders & dance workshops. The Global Village is to Splendour as Byron Bay is to Australia.

Bands? What bands? We all know the punters are coming to Splendour for the uptown craft! SPLENDOUR IN THE CRAFT is back with more workshops, beard embellishment, impromptu body painting, glitter, hot glue guns, Of Monsters & Mending and more Florence & The Sewing Machine fun than ever before! Splendour In The Craft loves you like Kanye loves Kanye!

THE TIPI FOREST is a Splendour institution, a rite of passage, a wormhole and an unmitigated awesome fun time! Head to The Tipi Forest across the Splendour weekend for a mammoth mash of underground sounds and alternative beats from an array of Byron’s best electronic Producers and DJs!

Every year since the inaugural event SPLENDOUR ARTS has pushed the Splendour experience further! With a program that spans the length and breadth of the site, its unexpected installations delight, confound and sometimes just look really cool. Who could forget Patricia Piccinini’s magnificent Sky Whale soaring over the site last year! Splendour Arts makes memories! Stay tuned for details about what they’ll dream up this year!

Tiny Dancer is not Splendour’s only new addition! In 2015 Splendour is reconfiguring the onsite campgrounds to include The Meadow a family friendly camping zone where you can set up your kit with your kids, surrounded by other young families. In addition to this our festival for the littlest punters, LITTLE SPLENDOUR, will be going totally ham this year with a tipi area for parents and babies, mega sandpit, music garden, a story telling tipi with character visits from fairies, pirates and princesses, littlies’ jumping castle and an art and craft zone called the Artie Fartie Partie. The bigger kids will also be kept busy with a climbing wall, ropes course, sports and games, a jumping castle and giant board games. Plus during the day there’s also arts, craft, music, dance, clowning workshops, balloon twisting, juggling, facepainting and a huge circus tent with performances, comedy acts, magicians, puppet shows and more fun than you can poke a pogo stick at!  What’s that? You wanna go to Little Splendour too? You can’t! You have to be 0 – 15 years.

Plus there’s RED BULL MUSIC ACADEMY, MISS SAIGON KARAOKE, SING FOR YOUR SUPPER (buskers stage), eclectic MARKETS and a vast array of CULINARY DELIGHTS including no less than three food halls and The Truck Stop featuring a bunch of Australia’s best food trucks. Keen for a tipple? Why not hit the SMIRNOFF COCKTAIL BAR with a different club each and every night. Or if you’re feeling a bit fancy you can head along to the MOET CHAMPAGNE BAR. More details to come soon!

Onsite camping is available for up to 5 nights – with early entry into the campgrounds available from Wednesday 22 July – so bunk in for an easy and affordable way to experience Splendour.  Remember you will need to purchase a vehicle pass for the day you want to arrive available 1 June!

While you can’t park your vehicle next to your tent, the campers’ carpark is adjacent to the campgrounds and we’ll have carts on hand to help ferry your gear to your digs. We also have an RV area, to cater specifically for vans, camper vans, camper trailers and caravans. Check the Event Info and FAQs on our website for more info.

Splendour has long been at the forefront in developing new and effective ways to lighten event specific carbon footprints. Our army of committed enviro-savvy punters has offset thousands of tonnes of carbon via carbon-offset tickets and on site recycling programs. Stay tuned for info about how you can help to keep SPLENDOUR green!

Okay. Time to cut to the Chevy!

SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS is proud to present the artists that will grace the Amphitheatre, Mix Up, GW McLennan and Tiny Dancer stages this July!

BLUR • FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE • MARK RONSON • OF MONSTERS AND MEN • THE WOMBATS • TAME IMPALA • PEKING DUK • RYAN ADAMS • FLIGHT FACILITIES • ROYAL BLOOD (ONLY AUS SHOW) • DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE • EARL SWEATSHIRT • BOY & BEAR • PORTER ROBINSON (LIVE) • THE DANDY WARHOLS  (ONLY AUS SHOW) • XAVIER RUDD & THE UNITED NATIONS • AZEALIA BANKS • THE RUBENS • JAMIE T • POND • SPIRITUALIZED (ONLY AUS SHOW) • ALISON WONDERLAND • THUNDAMENTALS • BEST COAST • EVERYTHING EVERYTHING • SAN CISCO • MS MR • JARRYD JAMES • PURITY RING • ALLDAY • CARMADA • THE GRATES • THE SMITH STREET BAND • TKAY MAIDZA • JOHNNY MARR • LAST DINOSAURS • MEGAN WASHINGTON • THE VACCINES • #1 DADS • THE CHURCH • KITTY, DAISY & LEWIS • THE KING KHAN & BBQ SHOW • ALPINE • CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN • PAUL MAC • DUSTIN TEBBUTT • MØ • YEARS & YEARS • JENNY LEWIS • C.W. STONEKING • SEEKAE • GEORGE MAPLE • ELLIPHANT • CLIENT LIAISON • PALMA VIOLETS • SAFIA • HAYDEN JAMES • DUNE RATS • WOLF ALICE • MEG MAC • COSMO’S MIDNIGHT • MARMOZETS • OH MERCY • MANSIONAIR • THE DISTRICTS • SHLOHMO • ELIZABETH ROSE • THE DELTA RIGGS • CIRCA WAVES • NANCY WHANG • EVES THE BEHAVIOR • URBAN CONE • ART OF SLEEPING • JAPANESE WALLPAPER • GENGAHR • BAD//DREEMS • ECCA VANDAL • HOLY HOLY • VALLIS ALPS • UV boi فوقبنفسجي • THE BABE RAINBOW • HARTS • GENERIK • YOUNG FRANCO • MICKEY KOJAK • GL • BENSON • HARVEY SUTHERLAND • TOTAL GIOVANNI DJ’S • DUGONG JR • I’LLS • AKOUO • NOISE IN MY HEAD • TRIPLE J UNEARTHED WINNERS.

PLUS JOYRIDE • POST PERCY • ARA KOUFAX • CC:DISCO! • ADI TOOHEY • SET MO • EDD FISHER • MIKE WHO • SHANTAN WANTAN ICHIBAN.

Splendour in the Grass 2015
North Byron Parklands
www.splendourinthegrass.com

Everyday Robots, an album which “underlines that Albarn is an artist of originality and depth, a master of melody, and a gifted, inventive musician” (MOJO), features guest appearances from Brian Eno and Natasha Khan of Bat For Lashes, and is the first record to be released under his own name.

Joining Albarn onstage is his new live band The Heavy Seas, including guitarist Seye Adelekan, drummer Pauli The PSM, guitarist Jeff Wootton and Mike Smith on keyboards.

Albarn’s eclectic musical style and observational lyrics have made him one of the world’s most influential and consistently interesting contemporary musicians. He was first heard alongside Blur bandmates Graham Coxon, Alex James and Dave Rowntree through the band’s wry commentary on English life on classic albums Modern Life is Rubbish (1993), Parklife (1994), and The Great Escape (1995).

The 46-year-old Grammy Award winning singer, songwriter, producer and composer’s career also encompasses the massive global success of virtual band Gorillaz; two full length opera compositions (Dr Dee and Monkey: Journey To The West); Africa Express, the collective of African and Western musicians founded by Albarn and Baaba Maal in 2007; and writer and producer credits on Bobby Womack’s acclaimed The Bravest Man In The Universe (2012). Other releases include Mali Music (2002), The Good, The Bad & The Queen (2007) with The Clash’s Paul Simonon; and Rocket Juice & The Moon (2012) with Tony Allen and Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

No further dates will be added to Albarn’s Australian visit, so be quick to get tickets to this iconic musician’s first ever Australian solo show

Damon Albarn Solo Australian Tour
Friday 12 December  Melbourne | Palais Theatre (All Ages)
Monday 15 December  Sydney | Opera House (All Ages)
Tuesday 16 December  Sydney | Opera House (All Ages)
www.damonalbarnmusic.com