Laneway Festival
College of the Arts, Rozelle
February 4
★★★★
Some things do not make sense from a distance, or even the morning after.
More Entertainment News Videos
- Video duration
- 01:40
Laneway Festival joins Camp Cope for ...
Laneway Festival joins Camp Cope for ItTakesOne
We want Laneway Festival to be fun and safe space for everyone. If you see or experience any disrespectful behaviour at #Laneway2017 please call our hotline 1800LANEWAY to report it.
Up Next
Steve Price skewers John Laws
- Video duration
- 02:01
- Video duration
- 02:01
Steve Price skewers John Laws
Steve Price skewers John Laws
Describing an ongoing feud with fellow radio announcer John Laws, Steve Price entertains his fellow contestants on I'm a Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here.
Up Next
Pregnant Beyonce to headline Coachella?
- Video duration
- 01:26
- Video duration
- 01:26
Pregnant Beyonce to headline Coachella?
Pregnant Beyonce to headline Coachella?
Beyonce's announcement that she's pregnant with twins has blind-sided Coachella organisers, as she's set to headline the festival in April.
Up Next
Bruce Springsteen supports women's march
- Video duration
- 00:52
- Video duration
- 00:52
Bruce Springsteen supports women's march
Bruce Springsteen supports women's march
Bruce Springsteen pledges his allegiance on stage to those at the women's march protesting Donald Trump's presidency.
Up Next
Beyonce pregnant with twins
- Video duration
- 00:49
- Video duration
- 00:49
Beyonce pregnant with twins
Beyonce pregnant with twins
Having already said she wants more children, Beyonce announces she is pregnant with twins.
Up Next
Tziporah opens up about James Packer
- Video duration
- 01:46
- Video duration
- 01:46
Tziporah opens up about James Packer
Tziporah opens up about James Packer
Usually tight lipped on the subject I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here contestant Tziporah Malkah talks about her past relationship with James Packer.
Up Next
Karlie Kloss' secret code
- Video duration
- 02:02
- Video duration
- 02:02
Karlie Kloss' secret code
Karlie Kloss' secret code
One-on-one with the American fashion model on life on and off the catwalk.
Up Next
Jon Stewart takes aim at Trump
- Video duration
- 01:52
- Video duration
- 01:52
Jon Stewart takes aim at Trump
Jon Stewart takes aim at Trump
Making an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart lambasts US President Donald Trump.
Laneway Festival joins Camp Cope for ItTakesOne
We want Laneway Festival to be fun and safe space for everyone. If you see or experience any disrespectful behaviour at #Laneway2017 please call our hotline 1800LANEWAY to report it.
How is it that at times during his highly entertaining, penultimate main stage set, Nick Murphy – the producer/singer/electronic soul artist formerly known as Chet Faker – sounded more rock 'n' roll than Tame Impala – ostensibly a psychedelic rock band but often enough a trippy, quasi-electronic dance band – which followed him?
Was anyone not there going to believe that agit-prop hip-hop duo, A.B. Original, whose cracking 2016 album Reclaim Australia was anger personified, had the most entertaining, sometimes even light-hearted, set of the day?
What would sensible folk say if told that the none-more-Aussie Aussieness of Dune Rats ("thanks for sticking around to watch us you c----," were the exuberant first words to the milling/moshing/munted crowd) made deliberately dumb – but deceptively smarter – cartoon punk rock plenty more enjoyable to people no longer popping pimples than the oh-so-cool pop groove of English press darlings Glass Animals?
And really, is there any way to explain how DD Dumbo, who mixes '80s high bass funk jazz, '70s art pop and a voice like a much-mocked, seriously uncool former singer of The Police could pull an even larger crowd than the indie rock all-ticked-menu of Car Seat Headrest? And deserve it.
It all may be as hard to explain as how a long, long day and night of high heat, thick humidity, understrength Mojito in the Cuban bar/overpowering ganga at the Future Classic stage, and more glitter on faces and bodies than a five-year-old's disco princess party, was a seriously fun time.
More successfully varied and more consistently rewarding than last year, Laneway didn't just balance the shouty charisma of White Lung and the heartland rock of Gang Of Youths with the developing hip-hop soul of Sampha The Great and the neuroscientist electronica of Floating Points. Or just give the polite pop and efficient musicianship of Whitney as much room as the esoteric rock and flamboyant musicianship of Tash Sultana.
In a sense that's music festival 101, the least we can expect.
What Laneway does for extra credit though is make that balance as comfortable, as natural, as the balance in the crowd, which you might assume is the home of 20-somethings but actually contains at least 25 per cent 40-something (and up) adventurers.
A place where everyone can see this T-shirt slogan (worn by a full-figured gentleman enjoying his second youth), "make awkward sexual advances, not war", and know this at least makes sense.