Live Review: Laneway Festival

The first year of Laneway in its new, more roomy digs, 2014 definitely proved the national festival in Perth is a long way from dead.

Triple j Unearthed winners Crooked Colours kicked things off on the Ferris Wheel Stage, working the early punters with big slabs of stabbing synths and catchy beats. In similar fashion, Path to Laneway winners The Flower Drums were the first to grace the Park Stage and rubber-stamped their credentials with their distinctive blend of dream-pop, reeling in wandering patrons throughout their set. People were flocking back over to the Ferris Wheel Stage for The Growl's set to not only enjoy the tunes but to signal support to the group's recovering comrade in Marc Earley. Nick Allbrook was a fantastic fill-in and the band still sounded incredibly tight, despite the band having to rearrange everything at the last minute. Drenge followed The Growl and produced one of the stand-out performances of the day. The amount of noise the two men created was staggering, but amidst the loudness was a set consisting of some fantastic lyrical content and insanely catchy hooks.

Over on the much-anticipated Future Classic stage, things were heating up, if the tightly packaged crowd was any indication; Killer Mike and El-P, as Run The Jewels, provided a high energy and funky set to get the dance side of things going. As Earl Sweatshirt and his Odd Future-lite posse began, the crowd level became ridiculous in the claustrophobic area the stage was placed in (we were hoping that was a lesson learnt from last year). But, amid various moments of onstage chicanery and crowd interaction, Sweatshirt managed to keep the momentum rolling. King Krule fittingly ruled the Ferris Bueller stage, ambling up and down the gangway, arms swinging, and delivering his emotive tunes in that droll, undulating tone of his. He was a hit, and the crowd responded equally.

Dick Diver was a hoot on the Park Stage – their songs covered a range of topics only Australians would understand and their jokes between songs were great. The vocalist even had the nerve to wear a Hawks t-shirt and give them a cheer of support upon finishing the set. Vance Joy was just as patriotically inducing, pulling the biggest crowd so far, and probably for the whole fest: everyone wanted a chance to sing along to that song. He was warm, receptive and thankful to the crowd. Meanwhile, back at the Park Stage, all security guards in the area were on call for Parquet Courts' set, but even they couldn't prevent the chaos that erupted in the form of a circle pit as the indie-punk rockers from Brooklyn powered through hits Light Up Gold, Borrowed Time and Stoned And Starving. Thankfully, it was all in good taste and nobody was seriously injured. Even so, it was a welcome change of pace.

Surprisingly, Danny Brown pulled in the biggest crowd of the Park Stage's day – unsurprisingly though, people were either swooning over him or scratching their heads over his vocal style. He unfortunately cLashed with another act pushing for Best Act: Mount Kimbie lit up the Future Classic Stage with a three-piece electronic/live assault, powering through tracks from Crooks & Lovers, as well as older material, with passion and ease. There's a reason they're in demand internationally. And, of course, there was the obligatory King Krule cameo.

Haim were another massive stand-out: their studio recordings don't do them justice in comparison to their live show at all. The girls played through their catalogue of hits with ease and their demeanour was just cool as shit, with a big 'ol drum-along tying everything together nicely. It seemed to be the block of the best: Unknown Mortal Orchestra were equally as impressive, punctuating the mellow, summery notes of II and Blue Record with explosive jams wherever possible; Ruban Nielson was in fine, shaven-headed form.

Chvrches were another group whose live performance was an amplification of their studio-recorded material. The electro-pop trio were made for the big stage and didn't put a single foot wrong as they played through their critically acclaimed material. Savages, who shared a timeslot with Lorde, were unfazed by the number of people in front of them – dressed in business attire, they made sure we were the lucky ones and did so in style, procuring a commanding set pulsating with energy and self-affirmation. Lorde herself managed to pull a big late crowd, with some of the expected energy diffusing heavily in the spaces, both in the crowd and on stage. Warpaint rounded things off appropriately on the main stage, winding everyone down with a masterful display of atmospheric shoegaze. Kieran Hebden, aka Four Tet, unsurprisingly wrapped up things ably; he is, after all, one of the most in-demand DJs in the world. A particular highlight was Love Cry, which was gradually stepped up to an epic bassy danceathon.

The result? A slight amount of annoyance at the cramped Future Classic stage, but the sore feet, big smiles and exhausted lungs proved that, again, Laneway is here to stay for a reason.