Auckland's Laneway Festival is in the bank
...and I would hope people are happy.
By that I mean the artists, the promoters, the audience...
I was there. And I enjoyed it. I'm not a huge fan of festivals, as a rule, and I'm certainly not a fan of the Big Day Out. I'd rather see a band I really like than too much of an average thing: loads of bands at a perceived discount rate...
But Laneway NZ delivered the goods. Mostly.
And it was nice to feel like part of a crowd that was there, first and foremost, for the music. Sure, there was a bar area and there was certainly plenty of people lining up (constantly) for drinks but the stages were full of concert-goers; the acts felt appreciated. And the music was great.
Highlights:
Headliner Florence & The Machine: I've been a fan of Florence since I saw this clip. And then I had the chance to interview her for this blog. And her debut album, Lungs, made my Top 10 of 2009. So, in a way, all of that prepared me for her gig - but seeing her live was really amazing. Better than I anticipated. Her voice is sublime and her energy incredible. She didn't stop moving. The band was great - particularly her drummer/backing vocalist. And the live harp was a great addition - and was (surprisingly) never lost in the sound mix. Florence's album, Lungs, takes on the feel of a greatest hits album - the more you listen to it the more you realise how strong each song is, picking new favourites each time. To hear her live is to see Florence pick her own favourites, moving the songs around - changing the arrangements slightly - reconceptualising the flow.
Daniel Johnston was another major highlight - for me it was Johnston and Florence that were the reasons for travelling up to Auckland to check out the Laneway festival.
Johnston played plenty of "hits" from his early albums. His brutally honest lyrics spilled out like torn diary pages. The crude guitar skills - his hands shaking as a result of the cocktail of medication it now takes him to make it through a day - are part of the honesty in the performance. I'm not sure I've been involved in anything more beautiful, heartfelt and real than the audience singalong in support of Johnston's cover of The Beatles' You've Got To Hide Your Love Away (the lyrics were so perfect for Daniel to sing). His own song Grievances was the perfect set-closer.
Dirty Three were amazing. I interviewed Warren Ellis (posted just yesterday) and he is certainly a character. Live, he takes on a cheeky role as frontman for the group. Whipping the air with his violin bow, offering drunken karate kicks and messianic poses, Ellis is unpredictable and his shamanistic tendencies are part of the appeal of seeing Dirty Three live. Jim White's drumming is another reason the set was so great; White lets it all fall to pieces, then calmly rebuilds. And Mick Turner's guitar is the calming balm; weird in its own way with loops and strange chords, Turner's playing is the glue - he is the straight man - allowing White and Ellis to rumble and tumble with the tunes.
The 3Ds were magic - far better than I a) expected them to be and b) remembered them being.
David Mitchell still wrangles his guitar as much as he does play it. And the band played a great range of material; cherry picking from a ripe back-catalogue. Roll on their national tour.
Echo & The Bunnymen also delivered in what was the band's first show in NZ for 29 years. Apparently. Reaching back to 1984's Ocean Rain for The Killing Moon was definitely a highlight. And from the previous year's Porcupine, a great version of The Cutter.
It was a great day of music - and a great day for music.
Here's hoping the festival continues to happen in New Zealand - I heard a whisper there'll possibly be a 2011 Laneway Festival for Wellington.
So, did you go this year? And if so - what was your highlight/s? And if you didn't - what did you want to see?
And if Laneway were to take place in your town or nearer your town would you go? Will you make the trip next year if the lineup looks good on paper?
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iWish. I'd take that festival ahead of the love child of a phone and a laptop any day. Lots of stuff I'd have loved to have seen but have other things to do over the next few months. Though I need to say this: I think Daniel Johnston (and even more so the cult of celebrity that revolves around him) is awful. Can't listen to the guy and it worries me that so many people adore his work... am I missing a gene?
only would of been really worth the trip to see florence. but i'm locking a trip to coachella in april, so I'll check her out there. coachella falls into your "loads of bands at a perceived discount rate..." category. but i dare you to say you don't get your moneys worth after looking at this years lineup: http://www.coachella.com/event/lineup
Or is it a bit too "mainstream" for you?
I also enjoyed it more than the BDO, and the bands that I wanted to see all exceeded expectations - mainly the Dirty Three and the XX, but also Echo & the Bunnymen and the Phoenix Foundation. Chris Knox and Daniel Johnston were also impressive for different reasons. I wasn't there for NASA so left before them, but I had my money's worth. I'm not sure of the venue - nowhere to chill out, not enough food stalls, folkies like Daniel Johnston getting blown away by the other stage, and the general exposure to the wind straight off the water. But because the music was so good, it didn't seem too big an issue.
Yesterday was a great day. I was disappointed to miss Dear Times Waste and Naked and Famous (we stayed away due to rain potential) but arrived to Luke Buda announcing 'We're Phoenix Foundation from Los Angeles California!!'.
Standouts for me were Florence by far, the XX were great but could have done with a later timeslot and Sarah Blasko and Cut Off Your Hands had solid sets. Dirty Three are mental.
The biggest downsides were the queues for food and booze. Maybe a couple more stalls next year. Otherwise a great way to spend Anniversary Day. I hope it goes to Wellington next year too, share the awesomeness around.
Fantastic blend of the up and coming and those firmly cemented on the music radar. Florence has been one of my album's of the year too and boy did she deliver! I also really enjoyed Dear Times Waste, the Family Cactus and the xx.
I loved how intimate it felt and how you could keep bumping into people you knew throughout the day, and I agree with your comment Simon, that this was a festival where people came for the music. It was certainly a very mixed bag, crowd-wise.
All in all, it was a great day - a long day, I only hope they have better food facilities next year. I will be there with bells on.
Laneway festy in smellies, that wud be aws!, full of idiotic but nice hipsters old and new alike, booze shud b banned or u can only have 3 drinks or someit otherwise people with too much money act like bigger dorks than usual aha, u forgot to mention that cut of ya hands crap band played over the top of daniel even though nobody else had this issue and it was daniels first and perhaps last time he'll be here, ah thanks can i have my muny back, i herd this from others also, thats a jip and u don't mess with me, no really, teething issues i guess but four organisations can't organise food better? it seemed to be organised on an ad hoc case by case basis with no maleability on merchandising ummm, it was noice and great to see the asaid bands, def worth seeing the bands, travelling to ak no, hit and miss, if the 3d's hadn't played which i've been waiting my whole life it seems to see i might have run round naked screaming and yelling with arrogance and ruined 'the vibe', tottally marbo, wud i do it differently, i wouldn't but they should, i praise the 'security' and thats not like me, 'I saw you there'...i'm on the run...
For me to go to a festival it either has to have at least one band I love, or several bands I really like. I'm afraid Laneway didn't fall into either of those categories. I wouldn't mind seeing the 3Ds, but the rest of it was uninteresting as far as I'm concerned.
@guy - Coachella looks awesome. You bastard!
ha ha ha!!! Coachella... $269 seems fair enough to me but a few people might be up in arms about the extras: "+ $3 charity + service fee".
Would have loved to be there but I'm a poor student these days now - great to hear the 3D's were on form - I've always rated them as one of NZ best guitar bands (and I just love Mitchell's guitar work). Would have also been great to see Echo and the Bunnymen.