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Of ladies, landfills and Laneway

SINGAPORE - Laneway Festival Singapore, now in its fifth year, packed Gardens by the Bay to the gills with for 12 hours on Saturday, with 19 acts and a 13,000-strong sold-out crowd. The question is: While it was bigger, was it actually better? Here’s our list of what we liked and what we didn’t...

SINGAPORE - Laneway Festival Singapore, now in its fifth year, packed Gardens by the Bay to the gills with for 12 hours on Saturday, with 19 acts and a 13,000-strong sold-out crowd. The question is: While it was bigger, was it actually better? Here’s our list of what we liked and what we didn’t...

 

GIRL POWER. This time, Singapore got first dibs on the line-up before it makes its way to New Zealand and Australia. While there were fewer indie acts on the cusp of greatness featured here (compared to older Laneway Festivals), they were plenty of bona fide stars too. The triple threat of St Vincent, FKA Twigs and Banks led line up with aplomb. St Vincent’s Annie Clark showed off her precise robot dancing, while Twigs proffered some free-flowing, sensual R&B. The latter sounded so good live, an audience member was overheard saying, “Confirm lip sync, lah!” Meanwhile, Bank’s sultry seductress vocals capped off a strong night for the ladies, who drew the biggest crowds of the day.

THE ALMOST ‘RAINWAY’. Remember the very first rain-soaked Laneway at Fort Canning in 2011, such that people started calling it “Rainway”? Well, this year, the rain crept in early during the day - towards the tail end of Aussie band Pond’s set - forming a mass of puddles, as poncho-clad hipsters navigated their way with the wet weather. It made for memorable poncho-selfies and a rain-soaked Mac Demarco set, but thankfully it was just a passing shower. That said, wet socks are never fun.

ROCKSTAR ANTICS. Far from regal, Brighton boys Royal Blood brought some much needed rock ‘n’ roll antics to the proceedings, with hulking riffs and what can only be described as a wall of sound. There was even some guitar smashing at the end of their set. The band rated their first gig in Singapore “10 out of 10” at a press conference later in the day. ’Nuff said.

FESTIVAL CHIC. From Annie Clark’s killer latex cheongsam to FKA Twigs’ leopard print gold lame ensemble, the fashion was spot on – for the females at least. Most of the male acts made do with V-necked tees and jeans; but kudos to the lads from funk band Jungle for turning up in camouflage pants and baseball jerseys.

SNAKING TOILET QUEUES AND SELFIE STICKS. Sure, what’s a festival without impossibly long toilet queues, especially when you really need to go, you say? Well, the longest queues this year were for the drinks vendors and the portable loos. We don’t need Sherlock to solve that one. But apart from the wait to relieve oneself, what was even more annoying were those in the audience who just had to use their selfie stick - which festival organisers had actually banned from the venue. Obviously, some people managed to sneak them in. Maybe next time, just put down your phone and your camera and enjoy the music.

LOCAL FLAVOUR. For the second year running, Singaporean acts were part of the line up. This year, they came in the form of electronic duo .gif and indie band Hanging Up The Moon - although they were relegated to the Cloud Stage (tucked in one corner this year). Primal, haunting but groovy all at once, .gif’s set drew a sizable crowd, even though their set clashed with that of indie darlings Angus & Julia Stone, who were playing on the main stage. Some of the adoring crowd were even mouthing the lyrics, which prompted 24-year-old frontwoman Weish to snap a photo of the crowd and say: “This is something I’m going to show my grandchildren.” Hanging Up The Moon struggled with audio issues throughout their set but the audience was still forgiving (someone even shouted “We still love you!”).

BANDS, BEER, BARBER. Catch a few bands, grab a beer, have a haircut: Not a bad way to spend a Saturday, eh? Laneway made sure you looked sharp, providing hairdressing services for the fellas at the Sailor Jerry barber shop. A few men were spotted popping in for a quick trim in between sets.

NOT YOUR NORMAL FESTIVAL NOSH. Although sometimes all you need is a fuss-free burrito or lamb shawarma with a cold pint, this year saw hip food for a hip festival. But perhaps it was only fitting. Who needs burgers when you can fuel up on kouign-amann (S$4) from Tiong Bahru Bakery; Okonomiyaki-style furikake corn on the cob (S$8) from Kilo; and Peking duck quiche (S$6) from Kith Cafe instead? Thanks to a bumped-up list of 16 food vendors, there weren’t any hour-long waits for food this year.

LANEWAY LANDFILL. As the mass of humanity cleared out of the Meadow at Gardens by the Bay at the end of the night, they left a sea of litter made up of ponchos, beer cans and half-eaten food. An aerial shot from the flying drone that had been filming all day was an indication of the mess festival-goers produced. Hopefully, next time, we’ll be a little more conscientious.

 

Didn’t make it to Laneway? Read up on the action here: http://tdy.sg/1CNX8b5. For more, visit Poparazzi (http://tdy.sg/poparazziblog)

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