The 2013 edition of the St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival didn’t disappoint at all, with a brand new venue and a stellar lineup. Add that to a stunning new venue and lots of spontaneous dancing, and you got everything necessary for a magical music festival experience.
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As I’m typing this, I’m nursing a stubborn sunburn acquired last Saturday, from being under the sun for a good six hours or so. But all that is worth it for the Laneway experience, and I’m sure many who went for it will agree wholeheartedly.
Now in its third year, the Laneway Festival found itself a new location at Gardens by the Bay, a nice change from the previous venue at Fort Canning Park. It provided a lot more breathing space for the thousands who turned up at Laneway (and as experienced the last two years, Fort Canning was getting a little congested from it). Also, there is something surreal about looking at the stage framed by the imposing MBS and office buildings, as well as the futuristic and unnatural-looking ‘Supertrees’, yet at the same time being exposed and subject to the weather elements –sun, sun, and more sun, with the lush cool grass providing comfort. Nature and technology intertwine.
Norwegian duo Kings of Convenience kick-started the festival, playing familiar folk-pop songs such as Boat Behind, 24-25, and Me in You. With Eirik Bøe randomly reciting a poem in the middle of their set and Erlend Øye’s endearing dancing during the popular I’d Rather Dance with You, they exude boyish charm and awkward charisma. Their vocals and instrumentation blend seamlessly together and their laid-back, yet catchy, minimalistic acoustic tunes provided a cooling hue to the unforgiving noon sun. This is picked up by the appreciative audience, who clapped, tapped their feet and sang along with them.
Keeping to the schedule, Poliça took the stage next. A testament to the diversity of acts that Laneway brings, Poliça was a big contrast to Kings of Convenience. The powerful drum beats (the band has two drummers!), drenched with heavy bass and Channy Leaneaugh’s (from Poliça) ethereal and haunting vocals combined to create an unforgettable sound, ranging from electronic to R&B. However, the scorching heat didn’t go well with the heavy beats and rhythm, although Channy was a delight on stage, dancing around and filling the area with her powerful vocals.
Cloud Nothings was next, amping up the energy with their raw, driven and no-nonsense noise rock. With Dylan Baldi’s raspy vocals, belting out the lyrics with emotional conviction, accompanied by the fast-paced and heavy guitar-lines and drum beats, they led the audience through a song after anthemic song, laden with angst and interspersed with extended jam sessions. The highlight for me was Stay Useless, with the audience screaming along to the lyrics and Wasted Days, with its drawn-out, epic jam section. The downside for the fans might be that they only played songs from their latest album, and nothing from the previous ones.
As the temperature continued to increase, indie supergroup Divine Fits took the stage, comprising of Spoon’s Britt Daniel, Wolf Parade/ Handsome Furs’ Dan Boeckner and New Bomb Turks’ Sam Brown. Just by the first song, one can tell the amount of experience and talent the band has. Melody, rhythm, beat and vocals amalgamate to produce a tight synthesis, striking the perfect balance, with songs such as Civilian Stripes, For Your Heart, and My Love is Real. They are definitely one of the best acts of the day, so much so that they managed to momentarily make us forget about the heat and groove to their tunes instead. Indeed, Supergroup is an apt tag for them.
Japandroids took the stage after Of Monsters and Men, and it is impressive to see how big (and loud, in a good way) the band sounded with just two men – one on guitar, and one on drums. They kept the energy level up during their 45-minute set, with guitarist/vocalist Brain King leaping around onstage and drummer/vocalist Daniel Prowse’s energetic, driven drumming. Their chemistry is also evident as well, and this contributed to their seamless and tight set. The audience lapped it up, with moshing and wild dancing to songs from both their albums, Post-Nothing and Celebration Rock, and another crowd-pleaser, The House that Heaven Built. The band said that they will be back in Singapore again, and after that class performance, that gig is one that I will definitely not miss. Japandroids is old-fashioned, no-fuss punk rock at its finest.
Just nearing dusk, Nicholas Jaar was next onstage. Armed with a Macbook Pro, and a backing band made up of a saxophonist and a guitarist, his deep-house/ electronic act provided a welcomed breather after the previous acts. His set comprised of song flowing continuously unto another, soaked with down-tempo beats and layered with delicious saxophone and guitar elements as well as his mellow sensual vocals. Judging by how hard the crowd was dancing and grooving, one can tell how immersed the audience was in his unique and dynamic sound.
No stranger to Laneway Singapore, Yeasayer came on during the night, and although this was already almost 9 hours into the 12-hour festival, they nevertheless got the crowd going with their infectious psychedelic pop that makes for great dancing and feet-tapping music. With the charming frontman Chris Keating, the band maintained a high level of energy throughout the set. The audience was treated to a mix of songs from their new album, Fragrant World, as well as the classics and crowd favourites from Odd Blood and All Hour Cymbals, such as O.N.E. and Ambling Alp. They gave a breathtaking performance and I’m sure the Laneway crowd wouldn’t mind if they were to come again!
There was a buzz of excitement as Bat for Lashes took the stage. Looking absolutely ethereal and bewitching in her white flowing outfit that matched her dreamy and haunting music, Natasha Khan took the audience on a magical journey through her three albums, with songs such as Daniel, Lilies, Laura, and All Your Gold, with the glittering night sky and the occasional breeze providing the perfect backdrop to these whimsical tunes. Throughout the set, she displayed her impressive vocals, pitch-perfect and laced with emotion. She exudes great stage presence too, enthralling the audience with her graceful (yet flirtatious!) dance moves and warm personality.
Personally, the highlight of the festival was Tame Impala, coming on after Bat for Lashes. The minute the first song, Solitude is Bliss started, one could tell that their set was going to be an unforgettable one. Playing songs such as Feels Like We Only Go Backwards and Desire Be, Desire Go, I was spellbound by the soundscape they managed to create, with their fuzzy psychedelic tones that blended with Kevin Parker’s vocals. This is evident in the audience too, as they grooved and danced to the songs (and especially to Elephant, with its delightfully driving bass-lines). Parker also captivated me with his introversion, and there’s something beautifully dissonant between the lush and expansive sound Tame Impala creates and the introspective lyrics of the songs (one can see a hint of this through their album titles – Innerspeaker and Lonerism). However, the set felt too short, as the band launched into extended jam sections for several songs. Ending with one of their earlier songs Half Glass Full of Wine, Tame Impala was definitely the best act of the festival for me.
Other acts of the festival include the popular Of Monsters and Men, Kimbra, Real Estate, Alt-J and Gotye.