A near perfect day with clear skies, 25 degrees and a cool breeze welcomed an eclectic crowd to Laneway 2025, wearing everything from bohemian florals, glowing rave kit, and moody black emo fits, with plenty of comfort kings and queens in the mix.
The one consistent element across all-comers was pops of brat green signalling high anticipation for headliner, Charli XCX. However that was hours away, and there was plenty of fun to be had first (15 February).Getting things warmed up on the Everything Ecstatic stage were New York's Fcukers, who pumped out a cracking set with singer Shannon Wise holding the crowd captive with her effortlessly cool voice over crunchy, thumping house music.
Fcukers - image © Michael Selge
At the other end of the site, Olivia Dean was dishing up something completely different, with a neo-soul journey through the smooth groove of break-up song 'The Hardest Part', with 'Carmen' dedicated to her Guyanese grandma for making the decision to immigrate to England, and finishing with uplifting anthem, 'Dive'. It was a flawless performance.
Without a doubt, Remi Wolf is born for the stage. Her palpable energy and charisma captivated the crowd within seconds and didn't let go. Starting with sunshine-soaked 'Cinderella' and an all-in warm up of voice and body, she moved through a set that dipped into funk, rock and pop.
Wolf and her band were fun and funky, with high kicks, coordinated moves, and stage crawls thrown in while not missing a beat. A cover of Empire Of The Sun's ‘Walking On A Dream’ and highlights 'Soup' and 'Photo ID' had the crowd dancing and singing along. Superb.
Remi Wolf - image © Michael Selge
Because contrast is the name of the game, next it was back to the Everything Ecstatic tent to get front and centre for Joey Valence & Brae. The crowd was primed to go, chanting as DJ Kylljoy got things started on the decks, and erupting when JVB launched onstage, bouncing high and delivering DIY, high energy hip hop, unashamedly snagged from the Beastie Boys playbook.
Cheeky and bombastic, fun and frenetic, it was an hour of power that delivered plenty of call and response with 'The Baddest', 'Punk Tactics', and a cover of Charli XCX's '365' getting huge cheers. An absolute highlight.
A move back across site was slowed due to a poor layout decision, with food trucks placed in the thoroughfare between stages and long queues of hungry punters stacked at right angles to the flow of the crowd. People were generally patient and kept their spirits high, but it could be improved for the next instalment of the event.
With a backdrop of shimmering silver and pink, Clairo fronted her band with a super cool, sultry energy as she grooved and moved between synth and guitar, playing '70s-inspired music that feels fresh and beautifully realised.
Crowd favourites '4ever', 'Sexy To Someone' and 'Sophia' were accompanied by plenty of singing, while extended musical breaks gave the band a chance to show off their skills, with a shoutout to the excellent saxophonist. A classy set that lifted the energy of the evening.
Clairo - image © Michael Selge
The worst part of a festival is working out when to eat and it's a challenge doubled when there aren’t enough food trucks to quickly serve the masses. Long lines bent back on themselves in the cramped thoroughfare, where it was impossible to clearly hear any music and took 45 minutes from start to finish. This meant I completely missed Beabadoobee, an artist I'd been excited to see, and instead only caught fuzzy bass when the wind blew the right way.
Ready to snap me out of the disappointment was Scottish electronic producer, Joshua Mainnie, aka Barry Can't Swim. His beautifully uplifting soundscape washed over the crowd as he played elevating keyboard runs over programmed vocals and dance beats.
His influences flowed from deep house to Afrobeat and beyond to keep it interesting and the energy high. The crowd reciprocated with shouts of "Yeah Barry," cheers and dancing from start to finish.
Barry Can't Swim - image © Michael Selge
Flashes of strobes and screens flashing Charli XCX's face and name were met with screams and a sea of phones capturing the moment a lurid green BRAT banner dropped. The club was open, and Charli was in charge, dancing hard as '365 (Shygirl remix)' got the party started.
The cracking set unsurprisingly leaned hard into tracks from 'Brat' and moved from dancing fun of '360', 'Von Dutch' and 'Apple' to a torchlit crowd for 'I Might Say Something Stupid'. 'Everything Is Romantic' was a personal highlight.
Alone onstage, Charli owned every moment, dancing and posing, making use of a raised catwalk and performing into a roaming camera to create engagement, art and action. It was a masterclass from a performer who has worked hard to hold on to her own style and sound.
Despite the lure of staying until the end, I decided to skip across site to catch Bicep playing a DJ/AV set and am so happy I did. The smaller, welcoming crowd was enveloped in light and sound and moved as one to finish the night in a techno dream. Finishing with ethereal anthem 'Glue', it was a perfect way to end a day that delivered a fun mix of sounds and styles.
More photos from the festival.
