Reviewed on Sunday February 7 (photo by Ashley Mar)
As the first weekend of February rolled by, so too did the annual Laneway Festival, held among the grassy greens and sandstone walls of Sydney University’s College of the Arts. With a brief appearance by Leichhardt Mayor Darcy Byrne and Federal MP Anthony Albanese, invited onstage by festival organisers between sets by Big Scary and The Internet, the day was – according to them – a celebration of Sydney’s cultural epicentre, the Inner West. All politics aside, it may well have been the best year for Laneway Sydney yet.
With the sun blaring down and the sky free of rain, the day started with an Aussie tone. Blank Realm had the dancers in the crowd moving early, their keytar melodies an unexpected yet welcome lunchtime soundtrack. Majical Cloudz were a more introverted presence, but their small smattering of fans was appreciative.
One of many artists playing upcoming material, DMA’s rolled out the first of the big sets to a monster headliner-sized crowd, with an additional two guitarists amplifying their new tracks. Californians Fidlar followed, belting out massive hooks and their relatable lyrics as beer was thrown across the crowd in appropriate style. Somehow a skipping rope even made it into the circle pit near the end of their set.
Armed with a host of fresh material, Big Scary graced the Park stage post-Fidlar, their stunning grooves shining. The Internet felt the blaze of the sun – albeit dressed unsuitably in beanies and long sleeves – but their smooth beats, moves and banter melted all discomfort away.
Taking the walk up to the smaller Mistletone and Future Classic stages, it was a pleasant surprise to see the addition of big screens for those stuck at the back of the pack. Royal Headache’s shirtless Shogun was probably the hardest-working frontman of them all, bright red with exhaustion and kneeling down to ask nobody in particular, “I’m fucked, can we stop?” Three songs later, he got his wish. The Smith Street Band and Goldlink both made lighter work of delivering with their big singles, with crowds at their respective stages taking over the reigns several times to the delight of the acts.
Back down on the greens, Hermitude welcomed the overflowing crowd setting in for the evening, moving through their comprehensive back catalogue and getting almost everyone, from top to bottom, on their feet. Circle pits aplenty formed with easily the rowdiest crowd of the day for Violent Soho, as brand new songs and festival favourites all garnered ample appreciation.
When it came to pretty, can’t-look-away visuals, the evening really took off once Grimes bounced around for her sunset performance. Almost a one-girl band, her impressive juggling act was made to look easy and dazzled the crowd. Chvrches, Purity Ring and Hudson Mohawke each performed sets that were hard to fault, nor keep your eyes away from.
One of the most anticipated acts of the day, Flume certainly returned to the Laneway stage a confident man. Explaining his five-year career trajectory symbolically through the festival – from delivering water backstage in 2011 to pulling a huge crowd early in 2013 and now returning as a headliner – the Sydney boy left little doubt he’s a certified festival closer. He tested the waters with brand new beat-heavy material, before new singles ‘Smoke And Retribution’ and ‘Never Be Like You’, and their vocalists Kucka, Vince Staples and Kai appeared during a set laden with old favourites and big remixes. Laneway was capped off by a young local legend showing us all how he’s grown in such a short space of time. It couldn’t have been a better fit.
