Live Review: Five things we learnt at Laneway Festival 2017

As St Jerome's Laneway Festival wraps up one of its biggest and best years yet, we're looking back on some of the things we learnt while attending this year's event. With a lineup that boasted the likes of Tame Impala, Nick Murphy, Sampa The Great, Tycho, Tourist, White Lung and so much more, it was truly an epic day with more than a few lessons learned. Thank you, Laneway!

The women on this bill brought some real heat

Whilst managing to always book one of the best festival lineups in the country, Laneway's also becoming quite notorious for being an attentive and inclusive festival.

Featuring some killer femme-identifying acts, there was no doubt that they all brought some absolute heat. Whether it was Nao commanding a huge crowd of people with her hard-hitting vocals, or Jess Kent throwing some hot bars onto the sweltering crowd, or even the powerfully defiant message coded through White Lung's entire set, it just goes to show that 2016 was a ground-breaking year for women in music. For Laneway to recognise this and actively showcase this, it definitely made it a year to remember.

Even in its first year, the Spinning Top stage managed to kick the most ass

You'd know Spinning Top label from them rostering such acts as POND, Nicholas Allbrook, Gum, Peter Bibby and more. So it would only follow then that if they were to curate a stage, it would be a kickass lineup.

Laneway Festival saw their stage hold such acts as Car Seat Headrest, Floating Points, White Lung, Nicholas Allbrook and more. Whilst it was band heavy, the calibre of the live acts that appeared on that stage was absolutely second to none. With a slew of different genres and sounds mashed in there, there was truly something for everyone.

Mr. Carmack served up a much-needed dose of bass and hip hop

Although we already knew Mr. Carmack is probably one of the best DJs on the planet to this date, it still came as a surprise how much his sound was sorely missed at this year's Laneway Festival.

Giving up some healthy doses of trap, hip hop and big bass sounds, the Future Classic stage was echoing as each track was smoothly transitioned into another. Not only this, but he is definitely a natural performer. Commanding the audience with his sounds, flows and movements, Mr. Carmack definitely delivered one of the most memorable sets of the festival.

Drink more water

Not only was this the chant that whipped crowds into a frenzy during Mick Jenkins set, it was sage advice for what was a scorcher of a day. Blistering heat challenged punters' love for artists as they had to decide who they wanted to see solely on where the most shade was available during the day, and more than a few sunburnt faces piling out as the festival ended, it was truly a test from Mother Nature herself. Thankfully, the festival is seasoned in Australian summers, and outdid themselves once again with plenty of amenities on offer to help fight off heatstroke or worse. They didn't become one of Australia's most loved festivals for nothing - Laneway once again showed how much care goes into not only the day as a whole, but how much care they have for their loyal attendees. Thank you.

It was all about the locals

Despite some impressive players from overseas, it was all Aussie, all day this year. From Julia Jacklin, Roland Tings, Nick Murphy, Tame Impala, Sampa The Great, Jagwar Ma and more, the homegrown talent was more than on display this year - it was the main attraction. Not only did we have local openers, but the whole timetable was peppered with local artists, through to headliners Tame Impala, and Sampa The Great clashing and giving the perfect end to the day despite who you chose to see (or the perfect way to get in the mood for the boogying at Jagwar Ma). A testament to how strong our music scene is right now, as well as a testament to the ethos that Laneway has always had of sourcing the best talent on offer, and it just happening to be mostly in our own backyards, this year's Laneway was a triumph for Australian music.

Words by Caitlin Medcalf and Emma Jones

Photo by Alter Ego Visuals for Purple Sneakers

SEE ALSO

GALLERY: ST JEROME'S LANEWAY FESTIVAL 2017

MUST SEE ACTS FOR LANEWAY FESTIVAL 2017