After a 45-minute ride into the suburban heart of Melbourne city, we finally arrived at the Footscray Community Art Centre. As we walked out of the station with the crowds, the atmosphere and energy was absolutely brilliant.
The sun was out and people were exuding culture and fashion; the day already felt like it was going to be a cinch.
St Jerome’s Laneway Festival was held at the Community Art Centre and surrounding streets, with incredible access through avenues in the vicinity.
It really felt like Laneway enlaced itself within the buildings and architecture of Footscray. The Eat Your Own Ears Stage was in a parking lot; the food stands and toilets were on the edge of the Maribyrnong River; and the Dean Turner Stage was in the middle of a street framed by walls of onlookers in their apartments.
In all aspects Laneway and the punters who attended the festival were memorable: it will easily go down as one of the best festival configurations of 2013.
Snakadaktal
Snakadaktal was first band on at the Eat Your Own Ears Stage. I had never heard their music before but instantly became a fan 20 seconds into their first song. All five instruments and the main vocals worked together so well that you could say they set the tone for the day. The Triple J Unearthed winners of 2011, Snakadaktal are young but they gave the audience an indie pop musical experience to remember.
The Rubens rocked the crowd
The Rubens
The Rubens literally attracted half of the Laneway festival to the Dean Turner stage, including Maribyrnong Mayor Catherine Cumming and Seth Sentry who jumped in for a rendition of the classic Roots song “The Seed”. Keys vocals Elliott Margin wooed the audience and The Rubens had the crowd under a spell. To experience their music live was truly memorable.
Flume
The young and talented unearthed artist Flume took to the Eat Your Own Ears stage as one of the final performances of the day. An enormous crowd gathered more than half an hour before his set started, with punters vying for the perfect position. Flume, overwhelmed by the excitement and size of the crowd, began playing and built the tension skillfully between the drops of bass in each song. The crowd went wild. Flume was everything you’d want from a young up-and-comer. Definitely one to watch!
Alt-J
There was a brief interruption at the beginning of the Alt-J set because someone decided to swing off a high tree branch. Officers and medical personnel rushed to the scene (only two metres away from me) and demanded the show be stopped while they attended to this guy’s seriously shell-shocked ankles. As the man stood up and walked away with the assistance of some officers, thousands of voices demanded “We Want More Alt-J” as well as a true-blue Aussie chant dedicated to party poopers everywhere, “You are a wanker”. But no need to stress, not even 10 seconds later Alt-J were back on stage wishing the dude a quick recovery before launching into their hit “Breezeblocks”, one of the most kick-ass performances of the day.
Of Monsters and Men
Of Monsters and Men
When Of Monsters and Men came on the stage, the ecstatic roars of thousands could be heard from miles away. I was lucky to get close to the front of the Dean Turner stage and took full advantage of my great position. Of Monsters and Men encouraged sing-alongs and interacted well with the crowd who were pumped up and rocked out the stage Even the people on their apartment balconies were singing and dancing to the enticing rhythms of their hit songs “Little Talk” and “Lakehouse”.
Nicolas Jaar
Nicolas Jaar has been an inspiration for anyone interested in experimental music. A conjurer of beats and instruments, he has sampled music from around the world and turned those rhythms into something uniquely magical. When his set started, many people didn’t know what to expect but I was glad to see people around me connecting with the good vibes. Though most of the audience couldn’t fathom this genre of music, it went over well with music lovers anyway. It was the best grand finale for Laneway: Kudos to the St Jerome’s Laneway Music Festival crew for an extraordinary day and night.
