Laneway 2013

The bare essentials

The festival as it reached nightfall

The legacy of St. Jerome returned with vigour to the open arms of Singapore's indie crowd in its best form yet. Amid weather that refuted the existence of shade, bustling throngs of moshers and sprawling bivouac of  recumbent music-lovers, twelve hours of indefatigable good vibes transpired and stayed for good. As follows is a review of most of the lineup

Kings of Convenience

With a long-standing prominence in the world of (slightly) off-the-grid musicians, Kings Of Convenience are a folky duo with adorable stage presence, beautiful intonation and an undeniable chemistry as both musicians and friends. At their best they sounded just like Simon & Garfunkel. A couple of songs in they started to bore me a little, and showed slight signs of self-indulgence that heightens this sort of dullness. With roughly fifteen minutes to go an immediate change in style took place, as two became five and naturally the songs became more electric and upbeat, in many respects reminiscent of their association act The Whitest Boy Alive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Poliça

One of the many acts that I did not have adequate knowledge of prior to the performance.  However, due to my friends' love of the band I was right at the front - and as per usual I was right to have faith in their music tastes! With their unusual setup of two drummers, bass player and female vocalist, Poliça's dense electronic instrumentation and virtuosic vocals dominated the venue, perforating eardrums and interests alike. (Being at the front, there were certain parts of the bass that felt like they were going to deafen me, so I had to adopt the technique I use to combat pressure changes when I'm flying. If you ever find yourself at a concert where the bass is impossible to cope with, yawn! But unless you're at the back and/or not enjoying yourself I would recommend that you do so with discretion.) ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Of Monsters And Men

I absolutely love Of Monsters And Men, but will quickly jump to the defence of this review's impartiality. Full of energy, anthemic vibes and their idiosyncratic ability to make the word "Hey" musical. Their ability to create variation within each song by great diversity of layering and spared repetition, which -in their lack thereof- some other good indie bands can become monotonous for. I personally perceive this charming Icelandic sextet as the younger brother of Mumford & Sons that always supersedes the latter with simple yet beautiful lyrics and a child-like understanding of the power of imagery. And in order to make Mumford & Sons look like they're full of angst, you must be doing something incredibly right.  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Japandroids

Music steeped in an undeniable energy and the engaging stage presence deemed these two Canadian rockers more than good enough for the Laneway crowd, in spite of the slight deviation from the musical styles that typically pervades the lineup. Vocals flecked with (surprisingly lyrical) screams and cleverly angsty track titles/chorus hooks kept them fully submerged in a genre they clearly stayed true to whilst conveying a kookiness that Laneway's audience was forever capable of falling in love with. Enjoying their performance was more than a relief as the artwork on their t-shirts was an irresistible purchase. ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Kimbra

Kimbra gave us an absolutely electric performance. I see her as a great amalgamation of the free-spirited style of Régine Chassagne from Arcade Fire, and the typical diva-esque stage presence of Marina And The Diamonds. I enjoyed her entire performance, and though I had no previous knowledge of any of her songs I found myself giving her the (pseudo-) connaisseur-of-music nod and occasionally singing along to the catchier of her melodic hooks. She was exceptional at entertaining the crowd, regardless of their prior perception of her. ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Alt-J

To put it simply, they were phenomenal. The audience was engaged throughout in complete recital of the lyrics, and there was not a single moment of dullness. After a ten-minute delay that such a loving audience couldn't even begin to blame them for (what's more, the crowd was appeased by the ever-nostalgic Sweet Disposition, and, if I remember correctly, The Drums' Money) technical difficulties were amended and their performance resumed what was to be a transcendant performance. Tracks such as Hand-Made, Dissolve Me, Tesselate, Matilda and Taro rendered the audience spellbound in a well-chosen setlist adaptation of the album that got them the Mercury Prize. I was by no means a skeptic in prelude to the festival, but I was far from being the emphatic fan that their performance has converted me to. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Bat For Lashes

Captivating as ever, Ms Khan graced the stage in all her white-clad glory. Unfortunately I was towards the front of the second stage in anticipation of Tame Impala, and by nightfall movement towards or away from the front proved impossible, so my view of her alternated between 'imperceptible dancing figure' and 'neck-straining close up on the LED screen to my right'. Her choice of set list was great, and from what I could recall at the time she opted for a good mix of earlier and later works. Practically every song was punctuated with words of gratitude -said in an adorable accent that admittedly took me by surprise- and she followed the typical formality of commenting on Singapore's humidity (something that the audience finds unfailingly endearing). As a sucker for a well-known ballad at concerts, my personal highlight was Laura, Khan's flawless performance of which had the whole venue swaying and singing in chorus.  ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Tame Impala

With psychedelically immersed riffs and a chilled yet dense tone, Tame Impala gave a performance that satiated the thirst of an expectant audience. They brought grunge to the beach in a style that is both light and substantial, and the vocals of Kevin Parker never fail to remind me of John Lennon (I have a mad theory that they are the Beatles extrapolated into the 90s - alas, to be discoursed another day). Yet again I found myself in the humbling presence of true lyric-belting fans, which surprisingly raised my spirits, and - on regular intervals - the burden of gravity on my legs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Gotye

Stunning visuals, songs that where not entirely guileless and the promise of Somebody That I Used To Know definitely heightened the enthusiasm of an audience fatigued by twelve hours of music appreciation. There was a palpable sense of desparation about him that wasn't exactly concealed by the coercion of audience involvement, nor was it broached with tact when he flat-out asked everyone to stay for one last song. Having said that, he was very good live and he did have hundreds of self-proclaimed indie music lovers screaming along to the infectious tune that made this man something of a one-hit wonder. And, as Laneway's Facebook page announced, there was a strong sense of adoration for Kimbra, who naturally made her appearance when the time called for it. At a push I'll give him a slightly generous rating. ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆