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Five Things We Learnt While Attending Laneway Festival 2014

4 February 2014 | 10:35 am | Tony Kingston

We got educated once again, this time at Laneway Festival in Sydney! Here we list some of the observations we made on the day.

laneway

Laneway Festival made a visit to Sydney on Sunday and in true Purple Sneakers fashion, we decided to share with our readers some observations we made during the event.

Here are Five Things We Learnt While Attending Laneway Festival 2014:

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1. Hearing Four Tet play ‘Love Cry’ live was a great moment.

With over six albums under his belt, it was a real surprise hearing this one. This particular song, which I’d consider a personal favourite, always seems to create a special sort of atmosphere in the live setting. Seeing him DJ all night long at Goodgod Small Club in Sydney this Thursday is guaranteed to be a gig the lucky people with tickets won’t forget.

2. The increased capacity made it difficult to view certain acts.

It’s immediately a good sign when a festival sells out, but what people tend to forget is that by doing so, it will generally make it harder to get up close to the action.

It was proven throughout the festival that getting anywhere near the front of the stage was a mission at times, especially at the Future Classic stage, which saw acts such as JAGWAR MA, JAMIE XX and CASHMERE CAT perform within a very intimate space.  On a completely unrelated note, how good was hearing 'With Me'?

3. King Krule joined Mount Kimbie on stage – Yes!

A few months back we questioned Kai from MOUNT KIMBIE whether this would be a possibility and he basically told us it would depend on clashes.

With quite a large gap between their individual sets, it allowed a collaborative performance between the two artists. Hearing ‘Made To Stray’ live was also a memorable part of their show.

4. The reason why Laneway Festival is so successful is that the line up features acts which absolutely everyone can relate to.

Hip hop fans were given the chance to witness DANNY BROWN, EARL SWEATSHIRT and RUN THE JEWELS, while lovers of indie rock were graced with the presence of WARPAINT, THE JEZABELS, CLOUD CONTROL and many more. On the electronic front attendees saw performances from FOUR TET, MOUNT KIMBIE and XXYYXX, all on the same stage.

The extremely varied bill, made up of many interesting artists from all corners of the musical spectrum, resulted in sold out festivals nationwide. During a time where some events struggle to sell tickets, it's clear that the organisers of Laneway Festival are the ones ahead in the game.

5. In terms of organisation, many festivals could learn a thing or two from Laneway Festival.

Not only was entering the venue a stress free process, there were short drink and toilet lines throughout the day. When a festival gets these important factors right, it means punters can spend more time watching the live music they paid good money to see.

Water refill stations were also easy accessable which meant people could stay hydrated on such a warm day. The food on offer was very delicious too, but there definitely could have been more options available as the lines were quite large at times. Overall, the organisation of the event was tip top which really made a difference in the crowd's attitude, generally creating a positive atmosphere.

Words by Tony Kingston

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