Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Laneway Festival Singapore 2012

St. Jerome's Laneway Festival was so surreal! Even though the sun was scorching hot (imagine staying under the sun at 31 °C!), Fort Canning Park was jam-packed with a sea of  hipsters indie music fans singing and dancing while the bands played in full blast. Feet aching, throats sore, everyone bathing in sweat; oh yeah everyone had such an amazing time!




The concert started at 1pm but everyone was already lining up an hour ahead. I was so impressed seeing Fort Canning Park for the first time! It's so perfect because it's a slightly downward grassy hill where everyone could just chill and sit down anywhere and still see the stage perfectly because it was set up at the bottom. Most of my friends stayed on the side where there was shade, but I ensured my spot near the stage. I'm kool like dat.



The drinks were pretty expensive though (8 SGD for a beer!) but I just couldn't watch a concert without it.


The rock show kicked off with Cults! I wasn't really a fan of them til that day. They sound so good live! I loved how Madeline swayed her dress while she sang every word by heart.




I only discovered Yuck late last year. Shook Down was on my "feel-good" playlist. I downloaded their full album just last month, and until now all their songs are on repeat!


Daniel Blumberg was so beautiful! He was in an all-denim outfit with cherry Dr Martens, but his husky soulful voice was what really stood out the most. I got shivers all over my body when they played Shook Down. I fell in love with Yuck over and over. (No kidding)






YUMMY!




Chairlift was also a good band that I unexpectedly liked. Their only song that I know was Bruises. Caroline Polachek sang with so much power and emotion! All the songs they played sound so original. Definitely under my favorite act list.






This guy was just crazy! I love his blue mohawk and his pink shirt and jeans!

It felt like going into a different planet when Austra entered the stage. I was forewarned that they do crazy sh*t on stage, and they did. The band members looked like an astral Indian gang! They were dressed up in black and gold with enormous gold necklaces. The power vocalist Katie Stelmanis sang in her operatic voice as the back-up singers made ridiculously infectious movements on the sides. I was dancing the whole time, but I started twitching when Beat and the Pulse started playing! It was so good! I also got to meet their back-up dancers in a flea market the next day which was really cool!








I love you Raya.





It was also so cool randomly seeing the owner of our (OS) stockist in Malaysia, Yu Mei. Look, she's wearing the Birdskull!


Girls sang kicked off with an I Will Always Love You cover as a tribute to Whitney Houston. They sound better live but unfortunately they didn't sing my favorite song Vomit.



I and AJ freaked out when The Drums came out! They were probably one of the reasons why we really pursued Laneway even though the whole Singapore trip was slightly out of our budget. We play their songs on iTunes every single day! They started with What You Were from their second album Portamento and followed it up with Best Friend. It was so funny because there were three Chinese boys in front of us who started hugging each other when Best Friend played! Sweet! The best moment was when the vocalist, Jonathan Pierce, told the crowd that it was hot on the grounds but it was also hot on stage. So to be fair, he'd dance if the crowd would dance, and vice versa. Then the band played Money and everyone was jumping up and down and dancing like crazy! 




I was already so tired and hungry when Anna Calvi came out so I and AJ rushed to McDonalds for a quick dinner break. When we came back, Twin Shadow was already making the crowd dancing! They were also so good but I didn't make it on time to take pictures.

Laura Marling has an enormous following in Singapore! They were all shouting her name before and after her show! 



I was also so impressed with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart! I tried listening to their album before Laneway but didn't really like it. They're one of the bands that can change your mind after hearing them  live. 


Unlike most of the other bands, the genius Chazwick of Toro Y Moi prepared his own set which really cool. It didn't take too long when he had everyone dancing with New Beat, Talamak, and Still Sound. His stuff just sound different live because it had so much heavy drums and runs. I liked his songs because they're good for a steady chill. Nevertheless he still rocked it.




Feist was so hardcore! Most of the songs she sang were from her latest album, which is a bit more heavy rock compared to her previous ones. She kicked off with My Moon, My Man along with her incredible back-up singers. Her most unforgettable moment was when she said she'd do something no band in the right mind would do. That would be singing a very little flower of a song, hoping that the crowd would sing along and make it big. She sang So Sorry and it seemed like everyone knew the lyrics! I only knew the chorus. fail.




The Horrors was probably the most beautiful band I've seen, ever. The band members were also so chic and lanky in their full black outfits!




Just right after The Horrors, everyone was screaming M-8-3! Blinding flashing lights suddenly took off and the keyboard started playing the epic Intro. It was literally so surreal. It felt like you're being engaged in a cosmic space voyage. The experience chilled me to the bones! Everyone raised their hands and swayed to the synth beats like members in gospel churches. The whole crowd shook Fort Canning when Kim & Jessie started playing, and the same feeling went on in Reunion and We Own The Sky. But Midnight City was just intense! Everybody were howling it's intro while the whole M83 band were jumping up and down on stage. They said they were having the time of their lives! It must be that good for them too! After the concert, and until now, I still have an M83 hangover. No kidding.







Even though we had so much problems with booking and rebooking flights, and getting lost in Singapore, everything was so worth it! We'll definitely be back for Laneway Festival next year!

6 comments:

  1. YOUR PHOTOS ARE AMAAAAAZING!!!!!! I LOVE THEM ALL!
    And eeks, that's my fav Cults song you posted!! :>

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    1. Thanks Cheryl! It's so weird because we were just hanging out yesterday and now you're a country away!
      Anyway yeah as far as I remember, Abducted was the first song they sang. You should've been there!

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  2. O H M Y G O D !!! I am so ENVIOUS! I seriously listen to ALL the bands you posted here and oh my god! what I would give to be there. I'm going crazy here.

    And your awesome photos make me even more envious!

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    Replies
    1. that was a crazy concert! next time you should come then we can all hang out and dance!
      and thanks so much, Julian :)

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  3. Wow! Looks like a great music festival :)

    Kaye
    http://thestyleflux.blogspot.com

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  4. that last picture is incredible. super jelly, I hope a lot of these bands play the festivals in Canada this summer!
    sweet blog ps- love yer style+taste in music!

    -Ainslie
    www.umbrella--girl.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete