After being in a que that wraps around an entire block, we ran to see Laneway-newbies and friends, Sherpa. They played a really fun, upbeat set in between Wynyard Quarters towering silos on a cute and comfy grassy knoll. I gotta say, I LOVE THIS BAND – And you may too (if you like a good pop tune that doesn’t take itself too seriously). I think Sherpa’s frontman, Earl, is quickly becoming my favourite songwriters. He is adventurous and tame when he needs to be, in all aspects.

(photo by Rachel Brandon)
And then we stumbled across Austra – I had never heard of this band before, but was sort of hypnotized by their repetitive beat, other-worldly vocal melodies, the kid-that-stumbled-across-a-dress-up-cupboard costuming, and the strangest backing vocalists/dancers. Somehow, we had been lured up to the front of the crowd and were dancing as peculiarly as the singers..

I missed Pains of Being Pure at Heart – one of my favourite bands – due to an unexpected call out of the festival. Don’t tell me how great it was, or how John Campbell was dancing his Hawaiian shorts off, it just makes me too sad..

(photos by Rose Howcroft)
I can’t remember who we saw next, but I’m gonna skip right to my favourite band of the day, Girls. These guys have this sort of nostalgia to their songwriting, like they are alluding to some popular format of the past, but they are still entirely modern. Maybe its his incredibly underrated vocal performances, or their ‘that-hits-the-right-spot’ tone choices, or that every song has some unexpected but completely developed turn in rhythm and breakdown… Long story short, these guys write beautifully simple music that I just adore, and their live performance did not disappoint.

After Girls, everything rolled together into a fun blur, like the UK band Yuck (who were all rocking double denim, which I LOVE), Piggy Pies (oh my Josh, sooo good), seeing Feist win over the audience with her adorable charm and badass new direction, and watching our beautiful city turn into darker shades of blue and purple on an incredibly fun and exciting day.

(Photo by Cam Nealie)

Laneway, thank you for filling the whole in New Zealand’s music (festival) scene. We needed you.

Ps. more to come about Laneways! About the Babes thereof, to be precise!