Hypothesis: partying with Beck, Justice and The Libertines is the most ideal way to kick a new festival off the ground. By all calculations, it turns out that reality lives up to the theory.
Sydney City Limits is Australia’s answer to the renowned Texas event that has become a cornerstone of America’s festival circuit. Like Austin City Limits, SCL is set to make its mark on the industry here at home. The event came out swinging in its inaugural year with a glittering lineup that echoed festivals past (Big Day Out, Soundwave), beckoning some big acts who haven’t been this side of the shoreline in a while (what we like to see).
Brit punk icons The Libertines, the infinitely talented Grace Jones, mastermind Beck, and French electro/indie powerhouses Justice and Phoenix all joined a rich and diverse bill of local and internationals acts. Aussie wares like Gang of Youths, Stella Donnelly, Winston Surfshirt, Alex Lahey and The Avalanches sat alongside comfortably showcasing staggering talent.
The kick-off was a one-day affair set to four stages and was peppered with boutique food, beverage and retail stalls, including The Grove VIP section, for anyone malcontent with the sweaty mosh life. While around 14,000 turned up to muzz, the Centennial Park space was easy to navigate between stages and the lines for food and drinks were spread out and moved quickly, thanks to the abundance of vendors. It was a jam-packed schedule which meant that we weren’t bored for a second. We’ll definitely be back next year.
Photos by Dani Hansen.
LDRU
Stella Donnelly
Tkay Maidza
Sigrid
The Head And The Heart
Allday
The Libertines
Car Seat Headrest
Photos: Dani Hansen/Howl & Echoes
Another year around the sun, another Laneway Festival loaded with unforgettable moments we’ll be recycling until the next one rolls around. The 2017 edition saw another leading lineup take on 7 shows across 3 countries – quite a far cry from the festival’s humble beginnings 13 years ago. The Sydney leg of the tour started out with some choppy weather, which soon gave way to blue skies and sweltering heat. Rain or shine though, the weather wasn’t going to stop punters taking the day by storm.
First up on the main stage was Melbourne three-piece Camp Cope, setting the tone with some high-energy noise and 0% tolerance for rowdy hecklers. Next we moved over to Spinning Top for the always incredible/ completely hilarious Koi Child to take in our fill of that jazzy Hip Hop. This was shortly followed by the infectious NAO, who is all but the name to watch right now. The long awaited Whitney took to the stage afterwards, their gorgeous brand of country soul drawing an enormous crowd who were all too keen to experience the Chicagoans. All-time favourite Nicholas Allbrook wasted no time in jump-starting things – by jumping straight into the crowd that is. Legends Dune Rats on filler duties for an absent Young Thug came to the party and then some, with every single person chanting every lyric to every song that they belted out. Then, in stark contrast to the Dunies, the incredible Mick Jenkins took the the Future Classic stage and pelted us with some seamless lyrical finesse. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard followed back on the main stage – a consistent crowd pleaser and a sure mosh riot, they slay every time. Seattle native Car Seat Headrest followed up his sold out Sydney sideshow with a choice set at the Spinning Top stage, with Tash Sultana then rounding out a massive crowd as the sun sat over hill, lighting up the late afternoon. A.B. Original brought a resounding “fuck you” to their stand-out spot, and Glass Animals sowed some contagious fervour around with their star stage presence as the sun started to set. Mr. Carmack was next over at Future Classic, and things got weird when the crowd overran the barrier and started dancing in the photo pit and on top of speakers, even the stage – a testament to his music and infectious style. Grammy winner Tourist shortly followed with some face-melting tunes, and then it was a quick rush back to the main stage for the one and only Tame Impala, who sprayed the crowd with confetti and delivered a truly memorable live set. Wrapping up our Laneway experience was local psych-electronic guys Jagwar Ma, who brought a hypnotic end to an enormous day of amazing live music.
We managed to capture some of the vibes that went down. Peep the shots below.
Part II continues here, feat. Glass Animals, A.B. Original, Tame Impala & more!
Read our Laneway 2017 review!Camp Cope
Koi Child
NAO
Whitney
Nic Allbrook
Dunerats
Mick Jenkins
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
Car Seat Headrest
Photos: Dani Hansen/Howl & Echoes
Setbacks seem to be plaguing Will Toledo of late, but the guy sure knows how to roll with the punches. Toledo’s acclaimed solo-turned-four-piece, Bandcamp-come-studio project Car Seat Headrest are currently on their debut Australian tour and took to the stage at the Oxford Art Factory in Sydney last week, but the show almost didn’t go ahead. “Hello Sydney! Want to give you a heads up… the three men I admire most [his bandmates] ended up having to catch a later flight for the coast than expected, and are currently scheduled to arrive in Sydney around 9pm tonight. If anything goes wrong, I’ll still be here to do a semi-impromptu solo set. Exciting, isn’t it?” This was the PSA he sent out via Facebook before the show. Not to worry though. CSHR was born out of Toledo first recording songs into a laptop in the back seat of his family’s station wagon in the parking lots of suburban churches and Targets. Only recently has it turned into a fully-fledged band, so Sydney punters were sure of one thing – this gig would be epic regardless of flight delays.
In a similarly unfavourable situation, the physical release of their latest studio album Teens of Denial was delayed an additional two months after some legal breaches (cc: Ric Ocasek/ The Cars) and the extensive CD and vinyl recall that followed. Needless to say, after 13 albums in about 7 years, Toledo’s artistry is evident and he simply responded by re-recording even better tracks (see cover within a cover Not What I Needed).
The lo-fi indie rock Gods have been smiling down on CSHR though, because not only has Denial gone on to herald massive praise, and Toledo as a talent to be reckoned with, but the rest of the band did make it into Sydney for their gig with mere minutes to spare. Much to the delight of the sold-out, fanatical crowd (cue mass choruses to Fill in the Blank and Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales) and the subsequent humbled surprise of Toledo and co who I don’t think were expecting such an adoring response. It was certainly an experience we all needed.
Photos: Dani Hansen/Howl & Echoes