Laneway aptly marked it’s humble beginnings in a Melbourne laneway in 2005. It has since built a reputation as a festival with it’s finger firmly on the pulse of the music industry, despite canning one of Australia’s foremost up-and-coming artists from the bill this year (cc: Kirin J Callinan).
Nevertheless, we savour the release of each lineup with intense anticipation because the event delivers a solid slew of talent from around the world every single year; from artists who we don’t usually see in this neck of the woods, to absolute crowd favourites we can’t get enough of.
Part II had us at Mac DeMarco, who is and always will be a festival favourite with his random tangents, on-stage quirks and warm adoration for his fans. We caught the enigmatic Moses Sumney next who walked out in a black cloak, surrounded in mystery. Anderson .Paak and his band The Free Nationals were arguably the most anticipated act of the day and they delivered in droves. BADBADNOTGOOD served up some sonic smoothness before we caught Father John Misty changing guitars several times due to technical difficulties. “I think ODESZA has, like 60 acoustic guitars. How can I compete?” And, on cue, the Seattle producers took the Garden Stage with their shiny new drumline (sans the guitars) and gave us a taste of their impeccable live show.
Then we headed over for POND who never fail to amaze, with manic frontman Nic Allbrook fawning over the stage and amongst the crowd all at once. Thirsty for some heavy electronica, TOKiMONSTA’s set was exactly what we ordered before we rounded out the night the only way one should, with a wall of hot shoegaze and Slowdive came correct. Another hectic time full of unforgettable moments.
Until next year, Laneway.
Photos: Dani Hansen
Mac DeMarco
Moses Sumney
Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals
BADBADNOTGOOD
Father John Misty
ODESZA
POND
TOKiMONSTA
Slowdive
Photos: Dani Hansen/Howl & Echoes
I discovered Moses Sumney at Justin Vernon‘s music festival Eaux Claires, in Wisconsin earlier this year. He came out on stage to perform with James Blake (he’s now opening for him on tour) and his own full set the following day (which was entirely solo save for a guitarist on a couple tracks) was one of the most gripping, impressive live shows I have ever seen in my life.
Sumney has this incredible knack for using and manipulating his stunning voice, with a range and tone that reminds me of Jeff Buckley, injecting it with wild emotion, and surrounding it with resoundingly compelling loops, harmonies, beats and production.
Seeing him construct these multi-layered pieces in front of my eyes was phenomenal. On record he managers to capture that intimacy, almost painful in its magnification of every sound, every word, while still stretching out the soundscape with added layers and production.
Lonely World sees him really open up his soundscape a lot wider than much of his earlier output, using bigger instrumentation and percussive elements. In particular is that sprawling, frenetically tumbling bass, courtesy of none other than Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino and Erykah Badu collaborator Thundercat.
In a nutshell: If you want to be blown away, listen to Moses Sumney.
https://youtu.be/9dhBNQ25fqE
Sumney will be releasing a new EP, Lamentations, on September 30.
Read more: Moses Sumney Channels James Blake & Blood Orange on Worth It
Image: Supplied
Moses Sumney is an interesting guy. From Tweeting about memes to delighting audiences with his sultry voice, the Californian singer seems to be taking things pretty chill. His latest single Worth It dropped a few days ago, but it’s taken this long for me to get around to writing about it because, well, I’ve been listening to it non-stop.
Mixing his beautiful voice with purposefully heavy auto-tune, Worth It is an ode to the little mountain of anxieties and self-doubt we all keep within. Burning imagery layers with lyrics of humanity and pain to contrast perfectly with his robotic voice, creating a stunning juxtaposition. It will have you humming along before you know what you’re doing.
Sumney hails from San Bernardino, California, but he moved to Ghana at age 10. He describes himself as a shy and nervous person, something that he clearly drew upon in Worth It. Yet you wouldn’t pick it if you heard him. His vocals are both strong and mellow, capturing an almost holy feeling of wonder. His songs draw heavily from folk and gospel influences and, while he keeps the structure simple, the emotional impact is great.
He’s worked with a bunch of big names, including Sofjam and Solange, both of whom he’s shared a stage with. He’s a big fan of Hundred Waters, and worked with them and Chance The Rapper on their Show Me Love. Often utilising looped and ethereal sounding pads, Moses Sumney is close to James Blake and Blood Orange in his sound, but takes it to a more experimental place. You’ll want to hear more of this guy.
Image: Nina Corcoran/Consequence Of Sound