Review: Splendour XR Brings Virtual Music Festivals To A New Level
CREATING A TRULY SPECIAL VIRTUAL MUSIC FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE - Splendour XR showcases the best a virtual concert has to offer. Featuring The Killers, Khaled, CHVRCHES, Charlie XCX, Band Of Horses, Denzel Curry and more the stacked lineup did not disappoint. At the intersection of tech and music, the festival was experienced via mobile, tablet, browser, desktop and VR. Splendour XR combined technology, art and over 50 of your favorite music artists over the course of a two day festival. With the success of this virtual festival we’re excited for what could come next. Read below for our review of this unique experience.
Day 1
Splendour XR excited me when I learned about the event - normally, virtual events depress me as it is a reminder of how things could have been or what I would have the opportunity to experience live. However, seeing an array of artists coupled with a cool and slightly trippy poster was enough to get me excited to attend one of five personally allotted virtual events of this year. Over the course of a day with 8 stages, artists like Khalid, Tayla Parx, Pink Sweat$ and The Chats were able to curate performances for online viewers.
A part of the festival that made me smile was the shop. A tab on the platform where you could buy looks and scenes for your avatar to experience the festival, it merged everything I loved about My Scene and Polly Pocket video games with everything I hope to one day experience from Coachella or Afropunk.
I’ve pitied people working in event organizing since the Fyre Festival Documentary but this year I can imagine it must have been so much harder to pitch “Coachella but Sims”. Yet, Sansar, the platform Splendour XR was thrown on, shifted in the last year to fulfill this exact purpose. Linden Lab, the developer of Sansar, sold what was originally a social VR experience when artists and record labels approached them as a live events destination. Splendour XR worked well to shift a usual live experience to accurately represent the haunting but encapsulating landscape that is the internet.
On day one, I readily watched performances from little simz where a series of colourful moving lights matched her high-energy performance. The band was a great addition to songs like Pressure, Venom, and Selfish over the hour-long set. Meeting Tayla Parx in a blue and green dreamscape, her energetic performance showcased her dancing and vocal skills with songs like System and Bricks and finishing with a sweet rendition of Dance Alone as bass guitar strummed along to her velvet voice. Other artists that visualized their music for the Splendour stage like Pink Sweat$ with warm lights and large teddy bears, Griff in what felt like a sunshine filled studio and Khalid who transitioned from stage to couch with multiple cameras to take us through his tracklist.
Day Two
With a phenomenal line-up, multiple stages and an enthusiastic audience, Spendour XR managed to expertly recreate the feeling of being at a music festival, despite the virtual nature of their event. Using Sansar — the world's leading social virtual reality program — festival-goers get to experience the thrill, excitement, and sense of community while watching their favorite artists perform.
Following the first day, Splendour XR had a lot to live up to — however, it magnificently succeeded in living up to, if not boosting the hype from the preceding day. The line-up included a range of talents: from Ziggy Ramo, Black Pumas, The Snuts and Amyl & The Sniffers to Charli XCX, Vance Joy, Of Monsters and Men, and Grimes. With the freedom to pre-record their performances anywhere they feel comfortable, artists reached their highest potential. Some, like Ocean Alley, chose homely rooms in pretty houses, while others chose dazzling sets and grand stages.
Every artist brought with them a different mood and energy. Navigating through different stages — Amphitheatre, Mixup Stage, GW Mclennan Tent, Global Village, Tipi Forest, and more — was a rollercoaster of emotions, fluctuating from high energy to emotional ballads. Spacey Jane, amongst others, performed their hit tunes “Sunlight” and “Good for You” against a stunning backdrop of the blue sky. Crooked Colours brought a psychedelic twist to the event, as did the stunning Grammy-nominated Black Pumas. The Snuts, Ocean Alley, and Of Monsters and Men showcased a softer, gentler side to the event with indoor sets and captivating tunes. Surge performed haunting instrumentals and Ziggy Ramo held the crowd's attention with brilliantly performed songs, while The Avalanches, Jungle and 2MANYDJS lifted up energy levels with lighter tunes.
Performing in front of a futuristic green screen, Charli XCX performed hits like “Boys” and “I Don't Care (I Love It)”, while also covering others' music, including the classic “Wannabe” by Spice Girls. Vance Joy — one of the last performers of the event — was charming and down-to-earth, opening with “Mess is Mine” and performing several sweet ballads, including Coldplay's “Green Eyes”, before closing with his smashing hit “Riptide.”
-
weekly tunes playlist has been updated! new tracks from @furtradeband, @pecqband, @garryfool & more! check it out! https://t.co/ToFU0R6YGo -
-
RT @oliviaborch: new @LunaCollective out todayyy shot by @alltookev ✨ @P1H_official editorial design by me ! https://t.co/cvSCKsWB5D
-
RT @rlyblonde: @AnnieDirusso for @LunaCollective shot by me #35mm #portra800 https://t.co/0UUJSCBGcH