It's just shy of 2 pm, and a pleasantly warm 33°C envelops the Sydney Showgrounds. The scene is a sea of young people sporting baggy shorts, slip dresses, frosted wraparound sunglasses, and, unfortunately for me, my Docs are already causing discomfort. Laneway festival, over time, has morphed into the Big Day Out, slowly at first, and then suddenly.
Throughout the 2010s, the Sydney edition of this Melbourne-born event unfolded at the expansive outdoor Rozelle compound, home to the Sydney College of the Arts. Now, for the second consecutive year, it has found its way to Homebush. The vibes persist, for the most part, albeit altered. Much of the festival is housed in three nearly identical cavernous tin sheds, one of which is divided by two side-by-side “main” stages mimicking the BDO's setup but lacking its impact. This setup ends up overshadowing the performances. For a festival that originated on small stages tucked into literal laneways, the peculiar, sterile, and anonymizing effect of these colossal metal boxes leaves much to be desired.
The sheds make it challenging to cultivate any atmosphere, a feat only achieved once by the exceptional talent of Stormzy on Sunday. Sweat poured off the grime superstar like an overflowing dam, whether during swooning slow jams or high-octane hits like "Know Me From," which brought the house down. It's regrettable that many had to leave two songs into the set to catch suburban trains that ceased running before his performance concluded.
For those attending the festival next weekend (lineups vary slightly in Adelaide, Melbourne, and Perth), a valuable tip is to arrive early for emerging local stars. In Sydney, Yorta Yorta/Kalkadoon/Yirendali rapper Miss Kaninna (performing at each stop) and Novocastrian pop eccentrics Raave Tapes (absent from the Sydney lineup) displayed an in-your-face charisma destined to resonate in sunset slots in the years to come. Another early local standout was Friday*, a pioneer of western Sydney’s incredibly rich, thriving, and underrated pop scene. While the younger audience might have taken until the chorus to recognize his crunchy, rocky cover of Amerie’s 2005 cult hit "1 Thing," there were screams of delight when he brought out fellow Westie pop sensation Dylan Atlantis.
Numerous main-stage acts received equally enthusiastic responses, from the dreamlike spell of Atlanta singer-songwriter Faye Webster to the return of R&B star Steve Lacy and the deadpan future-sex ravers Confidence Man. Unknown Mortal Orchestra, the quirky Kiwi American indie rock collective closing the second-largest room, successfully energized a heat-exhausted crowd with a flawless set at the end of the night. However, perhaps it's time to retire the overused gig move of having the entire crowd crouch down as a song builds up and then leap to their feet for the climax; by the breakdown of Confidence Man’s cult hit "Boyfriend," even the twentysomethings were struggling a bit.
One thing that hasn’t changed is the fact that Laneway crowds, especially in cities like Sydney this year, are among the nicest and least chatty at any festival. Most attendees are there for the music rather than the party. This is evident in acts like the jazz pianist-drummer duo Domi and JD Beck, whose precise, goofy, gorgeously unpredictable compositions left remarkably little empty space in the echoing metal dome housing the Everything Ecstatic stage. The crowd was not only respectful and attentive during the welcome to country ceremony but also enthusiastically applauded the short, stirring songs featured in it, including one titled "Mosquito Biting Me."
For those without a specific destination, the dance- and beats-oriented Everything Ecstatic stage is the place to be, despite the aggressive reverberation noted during Beck's set. The controlled chaos of rap-rock trio Paris Texas threatened to be the highlight of the entire day—a moshing, pogoing alchemy of performer and crowd, with shirts optional and mischievous grins obligatory. Berlin-based DJ HorsegiirL, donning a horse-head mask, kicked off with Bomfunk MCs’ 1999 breakbeat hit "Freestyler" accelerated to about 200bpm and only intensified from there. UK jungle producer and vocalist Nia Archives kept the crowd more hyped than a sugar-crazed toddler, delivering a party-ready mix of her own live tracks and the occasional indie-sleaze classic. For those seeking a thorough sonic experience, the DJ stage in the old woodchopping arena, last year's Everything Ecstatic location, provided relentless sets under the scorching sun.