When I first heard about the stellar line-up for this year's Laneway Festival, I told myself I had to go. I'd missed the inaugural edition so I wasn't going to sit out on this one.
So on a sunny Sunday, we arrived at Fort Canning past 3, missing show openers
Cults, and caught a snippet of
Yuck's performance. By the time we settled on a shady spot and laid out our picnic mat, Chairlift took to the stage.
Chairlift
Chairlift were brought on to replace WU LYF, who had been forced to cancel their appearance at Laneway Festival. Caroline Polachek, the self-assured frontwoman, managed to charm the crowd with her airy vocals which she put to good use on offerings like "Sidewalk Safari" and "Amanaemonesia". When "Bruises" came on, everyone recognised it as the song that was featured in the iPod commercial, and started to cheer and sing along.
Austra
Austra hypnotised the crowd with their dark synthpop songs, while decked out in amazing costumes. Singer Katie Stelmanis and her band enthralled everyone as they flailed their arms and danced to the music, and the crowd responded with enthusiasm.
Girls
Christopher Owens of
Girls paid tribute to the late Whitney Houston, who passed away the previous day, by launching into heartfelt rendition of "I Will Always Love You", leading the crowd in a massive sing-along.
The Drums
Jonathan Pierce, the insouciant frontman of
The Drums, let his natural charisma shine through, encouraging the audience to dance to indie-pop numbers like "Let's Go Surfing".
Anna Calvi
Anna Calvi was decked out in fine livery, strumming her guitar and displaying her vocal prowess on stage. Though she didn't blow me away with her live performance, I felt her determination and passion for her craft.
Twin Shadow
Twin Shadow's show kicked off late due to a technical glitch. Thankfully, I was at the long-ass queue for drinks, so by the time I returned I was ready to soak up the performance. I was duly rewarded when George Lewis Jr. brought his songs to life, such as the nostalgic-sounding "Shooting Holes", with his smooth and charming delivery.
Laura Marling
I am a fan of
Laura Marling, the young folk doyenne, so it was brilliant to see her in the flesh. What was more surprising was when she emerged on stage, the audience let out a few hollers, that I realised she had a considerable number of fans in the crowd.
Despite being a woman of few words, she was assured and well-connected with the audience. Her voice was pure and ethereal, and she did a fresh take on "Alas, I Cannot Swim", one of my favourite hidden tracks off her eponymous debut album.
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart's performance was marred by another glitch, causing them to halt their show midway through their second song. Despite that, they managed to bounce back. Keyboardist Peggy Wang apologised for the delay and even thanked the audience politely after every song. I'd readily admit I'm not a big fan but it was a good performance from a very grounded band.
Toro Y Moi
Chillwave pioneer
Toro Y Moi, otherwise known as Chaz Bundwick, toned things down with his brand of soothing electronic pop. He preferred to let his music do the talking, peppering his show with some thank yous, so I relaxed and basically swayed to his music.
Feist
Feist was the undoubtedly the main act of the night, so when she came on, everyone rose to their feet. She was the seasoned, consummate performer: Charismatic and magnetic, playful yet charming. As she wound her way through new songs such as "How Come You Never Go There" and older ones like "Mushaboom", she had the audience transfixed. It was a solid performance, albeit a tad short.
The Horrors
By this time, a portion of the crowd had trickled out. Although
The Horrors put up a brave performance, unleashing a torrent of rock songs, most people were exhausted by then and were conserving their energy for the last act of the night.
M83
When
M83 bounded onto the stage sometime past midnight, the crowd sprung to life again. The massive, danceable numbers like "Midnight City" and "Reunion" had the crowd head-bopping, and banished all their tiredness. Anthony Gonzalez had great showmanship, and literally had the crowd eating out of his hands. It was a magical way to end the night.
