Indie By The Bay

Back for its third run, the St Jerome’s Laneway Festival drew a crowd with a die-hard energy that matched the blazing heat. Reviews Editor Charmaine Ng experienced it first-hand.

RELENTLESS, crazy and energetic. And this was despite the scorching weather.

For over six hours on 26 Jan, the boisterous crowd at Gardens by the Bay braved the afternoon sun for 14 indie acts from Norway, Iceland, New Zealand and UK.

Many showed foresight by arming themselves with sunblock, while bikini tops and bare torsos were fashion statements of the day.

Others who didnít anticipate the intense weather improvised by cutting up cardboard boxes into environmentally-friendly headgear for some shade.

Such was the level of dedication exuded by thousands of fans who turned up that day.

The St Jerome Laneway Festival was founded in 2004, in one of Melbourneís back alleys. This year, the evolved event makes its way to Singapore and six Australian cities.

So forgoing the sunburnt skin, crowds were rewarded when Icelandic band Of Monsters And Men ó the obvious crowd favourite ó took the stage at 5pm.

The band rightfully attracted the largest and loudest crowd, who went shrilling mad when they played their first song Dirty Paws. Occasional strumming mistakes and off-key vocals were hardly an issue to the audience.

The five-piece band demonstrated superb live-playing abilities, together with session trumpeter Ragnhildur Gunnarsdottir.

The group was even brought back on stage for a brief encore, enchanting the crowd one last time with their song Numb Bears.

It appeared their charm was unparalleled throughout Laneway. Not even closing act Gotye, one of the most well-known acts at the festival, could stop part of the crowd from scrambling to leave before taxi queues became absurdly long.

Nevertheless, the Belgian-Australian came on at midnight to a sizable crowd, performing his renowned single Somebody That I Used To Know with New Zealander Kimbra.

Following closely behind Of Monsters And Men in terms of popularity was Kings Of Convenience, who opened the festival with their relaxing folk tunes and mellow, baritone voices.

Many couldnít resist dancing along to the Norwegian duoís closing song, I’d Rather Dance With You, including singer-guitarist Erlend ÿye (pronounced ìoy-yayî) himself, who teased the crowd with some sensual moves.

The music event also played host to two eclectic solo acts: Kimbra and UKís Natasha Khan (aka Bat for Lashes). The two indie divas ruled the stage in their own right while dressed in flamboyant outfits.

In a flowy all-white ensemble, Khan showed off her trademark falsetto vocals in All Your Gold, while dancing along to the songís upbeat and catchy rhythm.

Despite a few technical glitches, the event was admirably well-organised for the 12 consecutive hours of performances.

Even the one that forced British rock band Alt-J to stop their act for almost 10 minutes didnít dampen the mood. Instead, the crowd had other issues to contend with.

With a crowd this massive, the problem wasnít only the neverending taxi queues. Inside the venue, the snaking queue for food and drinks also meant long waiting times.

That aside, the music event drew a diverse crowd of all ages, from teenage indie music junkies to 50-year-olds soaking in the fun.

The concert even attracted foreigners from nearby countries, such as 25-year-olds Ping, Mhee, and Chompoo from Thailand who were here for only a day.

The blistering heat was indeed persistent, but nothing compared to the devotion displayed by fans, artists and organisers alike.

THE LINEUP
Kings of Convenience
Polica
Cloud Nothings
Divine Fits
Japandroids
Of Monsters And Men
Nicolas Jaar
Kimbra
Real Estate
Alt-J
Yeasayer
Bat For Lashes
Tame Impala
Gotye

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