Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Laneway Festival - 4 February 2011, Fortitude Valley

First off, I have to mention how freaking amazing this festival line up is! I couldn't even begin to comprehend it when I first found out the line up. And with such a stellar line up I was literally wetting myself in anticipation of the set times to be released, praying that there wouldn't be too many clashes. Thankfully there were only a handful, and well, it was bound to happen. Thankfully it could have taken a worse turn than it did.

So my annoying habit of running late to gigs has returned it seems. Aiming to be at the gates at 1 was achievable, but alas... I was after 2 before I arrived. This actually frustrates me! I don't like making a habit of being late to anything, and this made me miss Inland Sea, who I'd been hoping for another chance to hear since their Powerhouse show late last year. Ah well. I know there will be another time in the near future to see these youngsters. After taking a turn about the grounds, I settled on Stornoway as a good place to start the festivities. Taking on the big stage they drew a reasonable sized crowd considering the early set time, and the smouldering heat that embraced the sun exposed viewing arena. Can I just add that this heat was relentless! There was absolutely not getting away from it, even in the shade. And as the sun went down, it didn't ease up all that much, which was much to my disappointment! Just so sticky and gross! Anyway. Stornoway. They have a good thing going on. I would like to hear more of them. They have made me curious.

Taking a perch at the New Alexandria St Stage, we all waited for what I hoped would be one of the highlights of the day. Local Natives. And what an act they are! I will admit, I have maybe over-indulged myself in their record "Gorilla Manor" but nothing can really prepare you for a live experience. They were stunning, with their three part harmonies soaring above the textured underlying riffs. They brought out all the stops especially with 'Who Knows Who Cares' which really brought out the life in the crowd. This band really have something special going on, with a kind of simplicity that is actually mind blowing in it's complexity, if that even makes sense...

Again staying put at the Alexandria St Stage we were blessed with the touching tunes of Beach House. This wasn't the venue, nor the time of day for these guys. Not at all. I believe they would have been much better on a smaller stage. But this is just me. They pulled a huge array of people, but something just didn't feel right to me. I don't know. Their melancholic tunes were truly incredible. And no matter how hard I tried to accept it in my brain, it just would not let me remember, nor accept that it was a chick singing. Her voice remind me so much of a guys voice, with its inflections and turns, but alas, I am obviously daft! Haha! She is quite the talented.

Now this is a big call, but I do believe that the next act up on the big stage Two Door Cinema Club were my pick of the day. For this one it was a must to be in amongst the action as opposed to sticking to the outskirts like I had been, and I would not have changed this decision for the world. They played hit after hit, and just kept on going! And where this band went on this excruciatingly disgusting afternoon, the whole crowd went with them. 'Undercover Martyn' went off. 'Eat That Up, It's Good for You' also went off. 'I Can Talk' went off also. You know what? They didn't really do much wrong at all. Not even someone bursting the fire hydrant could dampen the spirits of this crowd. (:P) In fact it was actually very welcome! Nothing like getting soaked to reset the energy levels on a hot day.

Allons-y! Zoo/ Big Sound Stage! Arriving in the middle of the John Steel Singers it was a surprise to see Mel from Little Scout on stage also. Don't think this has ever happened before... Deciding not to stay too long into their set, I thought it would be a better idea to take the opportunity to find food, maybe a drink among other things. And lucky I left when I did. Because to do all of this, I still didn't make it back in time for the start of Hungry Kids of Hungary's set. I don't think I need to say it again, but this band really do have something special, and I believe that they have a great future ahead of them. Not only do they sound good on record, but they also look and sound phenomenal on stage!

At this stage of the night I was pretty low on energy. Saw a bit of Cloud Control from the very back of the crowd (and that little laneway stage they were playing on was full beyond capacity.) Also saw a bit of Foals from the back of the crowd on the Alexandria Stage next door. I wish I could have been apart of the crowd instead of lingering on the outskirts of it! It would have been amazing. But alas, due to set times and unavoidable clashes at this time of night, that was impossible due to the fact that Gotye was set to play starting half way through their set. And it would have been an unpleasant mission to find a route out of that mosh.

Gotye - the final act of the night for me. Holy shit. Mind blowing!! As a whole, his set was so flawed and actually a bit of a failure, but despite all that, so so awesome. I do feel for his sound guy! I have never seen so much gear on stage for just three people to play with. And that's where his troubles started. When things were working what he produced was beautiful! When they weren't... His main synth was an electric xylophone, not a keyboard, and aesthetically, that made all the difference. Yeah you can stand in front of a keyboard or a set of pads, but having a xylophone made it look that much more extravagant and cool. But enough with the aesthetics. This man is so talented, and is a born performer. When things were going oh so wrong, he managed to keep the crowd in his hands by creating a "song" based on crowd participation until the problem was... resolved? Also the music he makes is so full and complicated on so many levels it is a mission to listen to. I mean that in the best possible way. On each listen to the record you hear something you had missed the time before. And live it just creates a whole new level of appreciation for this complexness. Mmmm. :)

There are so many more bands that I would have loved to have seen, but time and energy can only let you do so much. I wish I could have a do-over of the day, see everything I wished I could have seen. But alas. One day.

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