Live Review: St Jerome's Laneway Festival

There’s usually hundreds of people lining up at the gates early for Brisbane’s Laneway Festival leg, however this year there doesn’t seem to be an awful rush to push through the gates. Walking into the festival, the entire mood changes, people are smiling, laughing and running down to the Good, Better, Best Stage to catch Ruby Fields' final soundcheck, and Laneway veterans walk their friends around, showing them the what and where of the RNA Showgrounds.

While festival-goers begin to flood in, people gravitate towards the Never Let It Rest stage where Brisbane rockers Sweater Curse have already taken the stage. Those who’ve seen the trio before are instantly recognisable, singing and dancing in the crowd. They play Fell Asleep and new material, including the recently released (Hear You). Sweater Curse close with Can’t See You Anymore, and it’s safe to say some people have already discovered their new favourite band.

The massive crowd that’s amassed by the Good, Better, Best Stage is made up of a majority of the under-18s audience, with a few older fans hiding in the mix. As Ruby Fields and her band take the stage, they’re met with an incredible roar, as if a headliner’s already taken the stage so early in the day. She opens with I Want, the crowd burning out every joule of energy their hearts can muster. The crowd scream out key verses and choruses: as Fields sings Ritalin, you can hear those assembled chant “Chronic masturbator, yeah, her parents fuckin' hate her!” from the very ends of the festival grounds – and quite possibly the surrounding suburbs.

Back on the Never Let It Rest stage, Sydney trio Mansionair take the stage to play electro-pop powered by an array of spectral-like drums, synths and guitar solos. There’s a larger crowd assembled, singing out every track including Falling and their latest single, Shadows.

Towards the entry of the Showgrounds lies the Future Classic stage. As a modestly large crowd gathers, Chicago’s Ravyn Lenae kicks things into a new gear – people are moving and dancing without being coerced by anyone on stage. She sings offbeat, but does this so brilliantly it ends up sounding incredibly beautiful.

As lo-fi sensation Clairo takes the stage, she’s met with an incredible roar from the crowd. She opens with BOMD and there’s a member of the crowd crying, saying all she wants is to be her best friend. She begins to dance around during tracks Drown, Sis and Bubble Gum – this is by far the sweetest, most enticing act of the festival so far. As soon as she announces that “The next song is about a snack," the crowd erupts into another huge roar as she begins to sing the hook of Flaming Hot Cheetos. Finishing with Pretty Girl and 4EVER leaves the crowd calling for more, but sadly the moment between Clairo and crowd had to end so soon.

The sad reality is that most people came back to the Future Classic stage to hear Yellow Days’ song Gap In The Clouds. But as the UK pop-soul artist takes the stage along with his band, the crowd realise they’re now in for a big treat. He opens with The Way Things Change, and every unexpected wail from George Van Den Broek pulls on the heartstrings in a seductive way. He continues the sensual slow-dance vibe with A Little While and Your Hand Holding Mine. He brings it back down for What’s It All For?. The second the first notes of Gap In The Clouds hit the mix, the crowd absolutely erupts, hands waving in the air, and phone cameras recording. The tempo’s bought down far from the studio version – but doing so creates a more pleasant experience. He finishes with How Can I Love You?, a little jangly, jazzy track.

A crowd has packed out the entire tent area of the Good, Better, Best stage, and the grandstands are beginning to fill out for Methyl Ethel, an act known for psychedelic rock reminiscent of Tame Impala and MGMT. The crowd inside the tent are singing along to every song, despite the performance itself seeming a little bland. Methyl are usually accommodated by beautiful visuals on the stage screens and backdrop, but without the presence of anything like this, we’re stuck watching a band that doesn’t move at all during their performance. Honestly, it feels like we’re staring at a navy-blue wall while listening to studio versions of the band – nothing stands out as being incredibly raw or powerful.

The crowd spills over to the Never Let It Rest stage for Miami’s Denzel Curry. Entering this crowd is a scary yet exciting experience, everyone jumping around at every feasible moment. There’s countless people crowdsurfing, and one of the first proper security presences of the entire festival. Even Curry himself takes a surf during his performance.

A few years ago, Skegss were just another trio of rockers from Byron Bay, but after winning the Splendour In The Grass Unearthed competition in 2015 they’ve continued to rise in popularity across Australia and the world, the new iconic festival act. Sweat’s taken to a whole new level at the Good, Better, Best stage, and the sunburns blossoming across people's backs are intense – but there’s a massive party for LSD and Got On My Skateboard. 

It’s hard, but not impossible to make it to the front of the Future Classic stage for Masego, a trap house-jazz artist hailing from Virginia. As he comes on stage shredding into a saxophone solo, the crowd goes absolutely wild. There’s a roar of excitement as Masego and band get into a cover of Fergie’s Glamorous. It’s sad to see so many people leaving the festival at this time. For many of us, it’s still only the beginning.

The sun has well and truly disappeared as English indie-pop artist Rex Orange County, aka Alexander O'Connor, and his band take to the Good, Better, Best stage. It’s emotional and beautiful: he truly owns the stage. The crowd sings along in key to Uno and O'Connor goes solo for A Song About Being Sad, before bringing the band back up again for a cover of Alicia Keys’ No One and Sunflower. He closes with Loving Is Easy, and once again it’s time to take off towards another stage.

Back at the Never Let It Rest stage, the biggest crowd to grace the tent so far is waiting for English singer-songwriter Jorja Smith. The stage lights up in hues of purple and blue as she takes the stage and the massive crowd roars. She opens with Lost & Found. As she gets into soul-like Teenage Fantasy, the crowd sings together. Even though Smith doesn’t use the full stage, the way she moves in front of the microphone is as graceful and beautiful as anything we've seen today. She dives into Lifeboats, and even begins an incredible freestyle on social issues. After introducing the crowd to the band, she covers TLC’s No Scrubs. After she finishes her set with Blue Lights and On My Mind, we're sad to see her leave, but hopefully we’ll be treated to more Smith sometime soon.

We’ve seen Courtney Barnett conquer stages both at home and abroad with her distinctly Australian lyricism, vocality and guitar style. Whether with slow anthems like Depreston or something slightly more upbeat like Need A Little Time, Barnett seems to settle the mood. Camp Cope’s frontwoman Georgia Maq comes on stage for Nameless, Faceless. Without her guitar in her hands she dances around the stage, swaying a quieter crowd. Barnett's stream of relaxed guitar lead lines mixed within a combination of singing and spoken word is quite mesmerising, and she closes with Pedestrian At Best.

Gang Of Youths are perhaps one of Australia’s biggest exports and greatest homegrown acts – in the last few years they’ve become quite the national treasure. They’re greeted by another roaring crowd, and open with Fear And Trembling. As expected from frontman Dave Le’aupepe, he’s already running across the stage. As the drums kick in, a light show spectrum accompanying it, the crowd are insanely excited so early into the set.

The set somehow seems to reach higher peaks with the bleating, roaring guitar chords that open What Can I Do If The Fire Goes Out?. With the crowd screaming along to The Heart Is A Muscle, we can’t help but melt and bask in the grace of their presence. As Le’aupepe dances around the stage during Go Farther In Lightness, Let Me Down Easy and crowd pleaser Magnolia, we cannot help but feel absolutely content with this performance.

They close with Say Yes To Life – possibly the greatest track to end Laneway Festival on. We’re still dancing, crying, moving throughout the crowd, but as the band leave the stage, it’s sadly time to call it a night and head on home.