So I'm just going to cut straight to the chase, Laneway Festival was absolutely magnificent! I had quite a few bands on my list to see, but also a few surprise acts that got me up dancing & jumping throughout the day as well. Truly the essence of Laneway no matter what time of the day or what stage you head to, Laneway Festival showcases a number of local & up & coming bands who are most likely going to take 2016 by storm! I still have fond memories of last years Laneway, my mate Vita surprised me on our way to see another band. There was a pop up signing tent so I got the chance to meet & greet Courtney Barnett & the Barnetts (whom I had been fangirling about a few months beforehand)
& what a rocking band that they were & how they are now!
Grins all round below:
Here's a list of bands that I saw at Laneway this year:
DMAs - Previously a featured song, DMAs remind me of Oasis if they grew up in Sydney. Think runners/jumpsuits/bum bags/ UK grunge/90s Fidlar - Fidlar made me think of Violent Soho, they had an impressive moment where they got everyone in the mosh to sit down & then we had to jump up when we felt it was necessary. Not something you see everyday! Big Scary - Big Scary have been on my wish list for a while & they delivered. I love the mix of classicial piano between the drums, absolutely kick ass. Shamir - Packed to the rafters, everyone wanted to get a glimpse of the fabulous Shamir. Clearly the stage they picked wasn't big enough! Japanese Wallpaper - Japanese Wallpaper won the Triple J Unearthed Artist of the Year in 2014. Collaborating with the likes of Airling & Wafia The Internet - Vita's pick of the day! I've never actually heard of The Internet & they were surpringly funky & fresh. They drew in a large crowd & definately got me clapping & dancing.
Hermitude - Hermitude have definately come a long way, I was lucky to see Hermitude at Come Together Festival a few years ago. This year they drew in a massive crowd which was awesome to see! Health - My vote for most versatile band of the day, they jumped from heavy metal to electronica. Kudos to the bass player for his awesome hair swishing skills, absolutely kick arse! Violent Soho - Managed to reach the stage in time for "Covered in Chrome" & to shout a good "Hell F*** Yeah", so glad I didn't miss it. Violent Soho truly rocked the socks off everybody, there was heaps of crow surfing too. Grimes - Grimes has the most interesting voice out of all the acts on the day, she also had really awesome ribbon welding back up dancers, who actually at times stole the show from her but a great act none the less. Chvrches - My pick for the day! Chvrches was my favourite act of the day & my most anticipated act to see. Funnily enough they were at laneway 2 years ago & I don't even remember seeing them. Anyway they put on a cracking show & the whole time I had goosebumps. They played everything I wanted even my favourite "We Sink" Beach House - Dreamy & cloudy, Beach House delivered a mystic & wonderful set. Perfect act to lead us late into the night. Flume - Flume since the last time I've seen him, has clearly gotten bigger than anticipated. There was a giant glow cube, sorta EDM style. But good o'l flumey still had time to bring out his great remixes. Purity Ring - A great finish to a wonderful day, Purity Ring gave me goosebumps for their whole set. They sound live exactly how they sound recorded. My favourite was the light up crystals they had to play the chimes. So my favourite acts for the day were of course Chvrches & Purity Ring, in my eyes they absolutely smashed it! Inspired by Laneway here is this weeks song, from one of the most versatile bands, you can check it out below:
Health are a noise rock quartet from California. As Vita told me on the day, Health are well known from their cover of Crimewave by Crystal Castles (another favourite band of mine) in 2007. What I loved about Health was that every song was different, at times it was electronic, dark & then it would jump with a mix of heavy metal. The bassist would go from one spectrum to the next by headbanging & swinging his hair around. L.A Looks is a track listed on their third album "Death Magic" which was released late last year. I could liken this band the same darkness as Crystal Castles, Vita also made a good guess that the main guy sounds like Neil Tennant the lead singer from the Pet Shop Boys where as I could hear Placebo. They had their own sound though & it was amazing!
There was an attachment string on the lead singers electric guitar, which helped him switch between different tones each song, going from heavy bass to electric in a matter of tuning. They drew in quite a crowd & I think if I could pick a crowd favourite it was them! Their album released in 2015 Death Magic, is the latest album & third album from Health. The other tracks on the album also display dark electronica but each a slightly different style. Definately a new favourite band of mine too! Cheers Amy