St Jerome's Laneway Festival @Alexandria Street, Brisbane(28/01/12)

Tue 31st Jan, 2012 in Gig Reviews

St Jerome’s Laneway Festival is hardly the kind of festival where patrons turn up mid-afternoon with a bottle of vodka shoved down their pants. Judging by the huge early crowd, amount of DIY timetables and men actually wearing shirts – the main attraction here for fans is the music. This is, of course, the same festival that top billed artists like Florence and the Machine and Mumford and Sons before Glastonbury and Coachella came calling. It’s the buzzing atmosphere that gives this festival spark, not just because the line-up of artists have been plucked right out of the indie-sphere, but because people are excited to be here. Despite much speculation that the festival wouldn’t go ahead after predictions of heavy rain, the Brisbane stop of the Laneway tour moved indoors, and despite some unfortunate technical issues, it was a day for music fans, put on by music fans.

Kicking off the Zoo and Big Sound Stage were triple j unearthed winners Cub Scout, who looked nervous to be playing to such a large crowd. They shouldn’t have been as their earnest indie pop worked really well. The crowd happily swayed along as the five-piece introduced us to the material off their forthcoming EP, and finished nicely with tropical hit Evie.

Melbourne folk outfit Husky put on a striking performance at the Eat Your Own Ears and Young Turks stage, which would retain the best sound quality of the day, benefiting no band more than it did this one. Their set was full of rich, brooding melodies that glowed with such cohesion and depth it was extraordinary to see them belted out with such urgency. Moving through material from their debut Forever So, everything about Husky suggested there’s something more hiding beneath the surface. For a band so young, their presence on stage was bursting with confidence. The crowd whistled, chanted and cheered for more, except during a gorgeous piano interlude from Gideon Preiss, which sounded so tender and sincere it even managed to out-perform the rain thundering outside.

EMA (the moniker of singer-songwriter Erika M. Anderson) was definitely one of the must see artists of the day. She may not have looked it in denim cut offs and a singlet, but on stage she showed off more style than any outfit could provide. Having released two albums since her sorely underappreciated band Gowns parted ways in 2010, she’s become a much more aggressive lead singer, embracing a darker, emotional sound. The material from Past Life Martyred Saints , including the folk driven Grey Ship and psych-rock charmer Milkman, felt even more raw and energetic live, and together the band played so intensely, it almost felt like they’d forgotten we were there.

Meanwhile London band Yuck were fully embracing their reputation as the greatest nineties band not to have actually been around in the nineties. Yuck don’t have this reputation because they kind of sound like Nirvana, or Dinosaur Jr, or Sonic Youth, but because their fast guitars, furious drumming and amazingly catchy hooks are layered with so much diversity that they manage to capture an entire decade in only a few songs. Luckily their live set was even more enthralling. The amount of timetable clashes forced most people to dash between stages, but very few seemed to be able to tear themselves away from Yuck’s loud, powerful set. Shook Down, The Wall and the incredibly drawn out Rubber were easy highlights, but their entire forty minutes on stage didn’t miss a beat.

Canadian electro act Austra were determined to make an impact on the Eat Your Own Ears and Young Turks Stage. The Kate Bush inspired vocals of Katie Stelmanic were enough on their own, but unfortunately their set was plagued with sound problems which disrupted the flow of the performance. The band moved through it and provided a mesmerising show full of heavy synths and sinister pop with strong echo’s of Fever Ray. Singles Beat and the Pulse and Spellwork were both well received by the crowd, who also chose not to let the technical issues get in the way of their time with the band.

The festival organisers did an amazing job making sure all four stages were undercover from the heavy rain, but unfortunately the weather still took its toll on some of the performances, particularly those outside on the main stage. One victim was Laura Marling, whose quiet and elegant vocals had to compete with the thundering rain surrounding her on stage. Her slightly delayed set still managed to wow the audience, who naturally hung on her every word. Surprisingly her show was evenly focused on all three of her albums rather than just her latest release A Creature I Don’t Know. Early songs Ghosts and Alas I Cannot Swim from her record number one, were both greeted with delight, as was the darker brooding ballad I Speak Because I Can from her second album. On stage Marling was a presence to be felt, the deep connection she held to her material concurrently connecting the audience to her. Had it not been for the rain Marling’s performance would have been the strongest of the day.

By the end of English singer and guitarist Anna Calvi’s set the crowd watching her had tripled. I can only imagine passers-by were caught off guard by the incredible energy bursting from the stage, courtesy of the mind blowing guitar solos Calvi was producing. In only forty five minutes Calvi created an atmosphere of truly inspired raw, emotional and poetic intrigue. Her performance was sexually charged without ever feeling forced or contrived, but rather magnetic, and encompassing of the fast-paced, rhythmic sounds swelling around her. Already a master of her craft and with a compelling and mysterious voice, Calvi’s performance proved both moving and promising.

The most disappointing set of the day came from internet buzz duo Cults, whose live set did not compare to their gorgeous debut record. Again, sound problems may have been largely at fault, but lead singer Madeline Follin’s vocal performance was mostly off pitch, and at times almost unbearable to listen to. Fleshed out into a five piece band, opening track Abducted completely lacked the incredible energy it exudes on record, and tracks You Know What I Mean and Go Outside were far from engaging. Cults had barely been playing together for a few months when their band camp profile won them internet praise and a record deal, and this lack of experience showed on stage. Their set never came together, and for a band with so much potential the disappointment was sorely elt amongst the crowd.

Festival patrons wanting to dance headed straight for the Zoo and Big Sound Stage where Brooklyn based indie-pop band The Drums put on a loud set full of energy and pure joy. Any sound problems that tried to kill the buzz were drowned out by the overwhelmingly enthusiastic response from the crowd. Lead singer Jonathan Pierce danced and played off the buzzing audience, making the Drums set one of the most enjoyable performances of the day. Newer tune Money was well received, and the sheer ridiculous delight of Let’s Go Surfing even had those packing up market stalls singing along.

People didn’t seem all that worried when M83’s set was running ten minutes late. It was unsurprising since the main stage had been a little behind schedule all day. But by the time thirty minutes had passed, people were starting to worry. A few audience members slowly trickled out to catch a few minutes of dub-step producer SBTRKT’s exploding set on the Eat Your Own Ears and Young Turks Stage, or chillwave act Washed Out as his sublime performance came to a close. But even as they returned ten minutes later, M83 was still nowhere to be found.

As someone standing right in the middle of the angry ‘Bullshit!’ chants at the Kanye West Gold Coast Big Day Out debacle just last week, it was all too familiar. To my surprise, no one made an announcement to the crowd at any point, leaving some people to decide they weren’t performing and make their way to the gates. Of course a lot of people in attendance would have been checking twitter and facebook, but to assume that every single person was glued to the internet rather than the stage was a real let down.

Fifty minutes after they were supposed to start, M83 mastermind Anthony Gonzalez made it to the stage. They still provided a set of smooth electronic shoe gaze pop, but unfortunately they struggled to win the crowd back with their shortened set. Gonzalez seemed more disappointed than angry, apologising to fans and promising a strong show. Monster hit Midnight City was clearly what the people had waited to see, and after its final beat most of the crowd headed for the exit. After only two more songs M83 left the stage following what was a disappointing end to an otherwise great day of music.

This final hiccup will no doubt give critics more fuel to add to the argument that the music festival business is a struggling one. But for fans in attendance, St Jerome’s Laneway Festival was exactly the kind of event that will keep festivals alive and kicking. Let’s just hope that it’s the positive and enthusiastic response from music fans that continues to grow, and not the headline act set delays. Soundwave, we’re watching you.