Itâs a noble goal, but one immediately drowned out by dissonance: Splendour XR was clearly meant as an alternative to the drudgery of pandemic life, but the internet is unfortunately the exact site of anxiety many are attempting to break free from right now. Unlike Splendour in the Grass, where oneâs phone may die or lose reception, during Splendour XR I can flick to my inbox or my Instagram at a secondâs notice (try as I might not to) â and after months spent inside, a weekend on the internet feels like no escapism at all. Itâs a perverse blessing for the organisers of the festival that, due to lockdowns in parts of Australia, much of Splendour XRâs key audience would have been spending this weekend online anyway.