Unpredictable weather and a hectic 12-hour-long roster on Feb 12 didn’t stop the audience of about 8,000 strong from having the time of their lives at the indie music festival.

This year, with experience and a little help from UrbanWire‘s Laneway Survival Guide, many fans came prepared with ponchos, umbrellas, and even wellingtons after last year’s torrential downpour led to the event being nicknamed “Rainway Festival”. However, despite slight drizzles in the early afternoon, the audience was treated to a typical hot Sunday afternoon – which they basked happily in.

American pop duo The Cults gave the festival a great start, at 1.30 in the afternoon, as the first of 14 bands to play during the show. Beginning with an entrancing improvised instrumental, the band moved on to showcase their signature “bedroom pop” style of music with favourites such as ‘Go Outside’ and ‘You Know What I Mean’ creating a sweet, chill-out atmosphere as the early crowd bobbed along.

Brian Oblivion of Cults looking suave while playing the keyboard

Coming in as replacements for Wu Lyf (who pulled out), Chairlift certainly didn’t disappoint with their synthpop, which was sometimes reminiscent of an old Atari video game track. Lead singer and keyboardist Caroline Polachek wowed the crowd with her haunting vocals mixed with captivating falsettos, while still mashing out electro-lines on her synthesizer and even breaking out in short spurts of dance.

Despite having a dark, gothic musical style that doesn’t always go down well with the majority, Canadian act Austra definitely left a mark on fans with their larger-than-life outfits (think Wonder Women-turned-goth) and quirky interpretative dance moves that wouldn’t be odd in a Bollywood flick.

“Austra’s dance moves make up for what I may not understand about them musically. I won’t be surprised if they fly away on broomsticks at the end of their set,” exclaimed Alexander Goh, a 26-year-old university graduate and an impressed Austra fan.

While most bands opted for a simple stage with minimal decoration due to their short sets, Girls (who aren’t actually girls), lavished theirs with daisies and were constantly giving out fake flowers as mementos to delighted fans. Despite being a rock-centric band, the highlight of their set was when they performed a very emotional cover of ‘I Will Always Love You’ in memory of Whitney Houston, who had tragically passed away earlier that day.

In their sophomore performance here, The Drums still proved to be crowd-pleasers. Their set had the crowd jumping along almost constantly to their post-punk hits such as ‘Money’ and ‘Let’s Go Surfing’. Singer Jonathon Pierce made a deal mid-set with the audience, promising to dance if they danced, which instantly transformed the crowd from a jumpy one to a groovin’ one.

The second half of the day featured big acts such as Anna Calvi, who added a bluesy edge to the festival with her virtuosic guitar playing that shows strong influence from the likes of Jimi Hendrix and The Rolling Stones. New wave artiste Twin Shadow shocked the crowd when he calmly gave away his Fender electric guitar to a lucky fan just before ending his set with ‘Forget’ – definitely making it a set to remember.

Twin Shadow having to settle the rest of his set with his Rickenbacker guitar after giving away his Fender

Things started getting more intense when Laura Marling’s highly anticipated set began. Being the only act with a focus on acoustic instruments, her indie-folk crooning added a sweet contrast and was definitely a highlight of day. The 21-year-old songstress showed maturity beyond her years with in her country-esque folk rock, recalling famous musicians such as Ani Difranco and Alanis Morissette. Her acoustic guitar went through a wide range of music genres, often combining Spanish and Arabic musical influences, infused with folk, in her own unique style. Despite her soaring vocals and impressive guitar playing, the young musician spoke with much timidity when addressing the crowd, often giving them soft “thank you’s” after each song.

Unfortunately, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart had a rocky start. Not only was singer Kip Berman pitchy in their first few songs, but their set was also marred by technical difficulties, forcing them to stop their set for a few minutes due to faulty audio equipment. However, the young New Yorkers weren’t discouraged by this and came back in full throttle after the glitches were dealt with. What with their jumping around while bursting into hit after hit – such as ‘Heart in Your Heartbreak’ and ‘A Teenager in Love’ – without a breather, The Pains provided 1 of the most energetic sets of the day.

“Whatever The Pains came off short vocally, they definitely made up for in attitude with their insanely convincing performance on stage,” said Royston Chua, a 21-year-old National Serviceman. The crowd danced and sang along to songs of heartbreak and redemption accompanied by jangly guitars and sun-soaked melodies – a definitive formula for classic indie-pop.

The whole crowd was on their feet during Toro Y Moi’s funk-fueled set. Despite coming out dressed in a sloppy orange tee, looking like he was going to buy groceries rather than performing to a crowd of 8,000, the multi-talented 24-year-old (he’s also a designer and photographer) showed great creativity in his synth-playing, driving the audience wild with his fusion of electronica, funk and dance music. His recent shows have been described as similar to a “flashy, sex-fueled 80s rooftop fiesta” by Michael Roffman of Consequence of Sound and he certainly lived up to expectations in his Laneway appearance.

Don’t let his looks deceive, Toro Y Moi induced the crowd into a crazed dance fiesta

In her return to Laneway after 4 years, Feist proved to Singapore why she once ruled this festival. The Canadian starlet, who’s on her first trip here, teased her fans by asking, “Has anyone wondered how come I never came here?” before jumping in to her recent single ‘How Come You Never Go There’. Her set consisted mainly of songs from her latest single “Metals”, with a few favourites from her back catalogue such as ‘I Feel It All’ and ‘My Moon, My Man’. Her way with the crowd was commendable, spurring a gender-divided sing-a-long for the choruses of ‘The Bad In Each Other’ where the ladies sang, “the good man” and guys went “the good woman”. Supporting her were her 3 back-up singers. Together, they whipped up epic vocal harmonies, including a remarkable segment during a darker, slowed-down version of ‘Mushaboom’ that dropped many jaws. But Feist wasn’t the only one who impressed during her set. The reception from the crowd left the experienced singer in amazement, even sayingthat “Singapore is raising the bar for Laneway” and that the Singaporean crowd was “shaming Australia”.

Photo courtesy of Aloysius Lim

As the last act of the night, French electronic dream-pop band M83 started their set with ‘Intro’. Singing “carry on, carry on”, accompanied by a fuzzy, trance-like synth track, lead singer Anthony Gonzalez delivered a reverberating start to an end. It was a truly mind-blowing set, with both the band and the crowd exceeding expectations. To give the crowd had the full M83 experience, their set showcased fog-machines and intricate lighting setups, perfectly complementing their dream-pop image.

Despite being worn out from almost 12 hours of continuous hard partying, everyone was uplifted by the band’s intense performance. Seeing the whole crowd pumping their fists religiously in the air in unison during hits such as ‘Midnight Cities’ and ‘We Own The Sky’ was enough to make anyone’s hair stand. The response, so unlike the Singaporean reputation of a passive audience, overwhelmed Gonzalez, who exclaimed, ”You guys are the best. The best, the best, the best,” while bowing down in respect to the ecstatic crowd.

The Highlights:
The awesome crowd
Cover of Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’ by The Girls
Austra’s quirky dance
Twin Shadow’s guitar giveaway
Much better weather, with nothing more than slight drizzles!
Feist and her amazing back-up singers
Dr. Martens shuttle bus services and survival kits

The Downers:
Technical problems during The Pains
Ridiculously long food and drinks queues (it took some fans over 40 minutes just to get a beer!)
Feist fans want more!

The most wonderful time of the music calendar, St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival, is back! An overwhelming success, it drew a crowd of thousands at last year’s inaugural show, and is set to happen once more at Fort Canning Park on 12 Feb 2012. This year, 5 more performing acts will be there to turn the stage into an indie utopia.

We’ve already gone over how to metamorphose into the ultimate indie hipster butterfly in Part 1 of our Laneway survival guide. But for tasteful festival-goers, knowing at least an info-bite about each artiste is as crucial as having your ABCs down pat. UrbanWire gets you prepared for the 12-hour, 14-act festival with this all-inclusive guide.

Feist

Laura Marling

M83

Cults

Chairlift

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

The Drums

Toro Y Moi

YUCK

The Horrors

Girls

Twin Shadow

Austra

Anna Calvi

1 2 3 4 Feist!

Leslie Feist, better known as just Feist, is a Canadian songwriter who shot to fame through an iPod Nano advertisement campaign. Having amassed legions of fans, she’s also recently released her 4th album, “Metals”.

She’s also worked with the Muppets on an episode of Sesame Street, and her tracks have been featured in several films and TV shows, such as Grey’s Anatomy and Paris je t’aime (this feisty songbird’s French warbling is just too awfully cute!).

With her androgynous facial bone structure, the quirky finger tricks she graces her banjo with, and that playful hip swing she’s always showing off, this commercially-successful singer looks set for bigger and brighter endeavours.

(For more on Feist, check out the Laneway 2012 Special by fellow writer Ulysses Goh!)

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Indie Folk Darling

At 21, talented songstress and folk poetess Laura Marling is on the rise after beating out formidable contenders like Ellie Goulding and Cheryl Cole to claim the title of Best British Female Artist at the Brit Awards 2011.

What sets this pale, lean musician apart from haughty teen pop singers are her humble, down-to-earth strumming and passionate drive to make music out of street performing. Her 3rd and latest album, “A Creature I Don’t Know”, is a refreshing hybrid of Joni Mitchell and Jason Mraz with a dash of free spirit.

Her 2 previous albums were largely shaped by her experiences with past lovers – among them Marcus Mumford from Mumford & Sons and Charlie Fink from Noah and the Whale. Highly sentimental, her emotions ring right through in her music.

Ex-beau Fink had once professed that the muse, Marling’s divine vocals could “summon the fairies” and her loveliness could “bring the dead to life”.

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Sounds of the Galaxy

Fronted by electronic dream-pop inspiration Anthony Gonzalez, M83 catches the ambient sounds of true hipsteria in the single ‘Midnight City’ from their 6th and latest album “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming”.

Having been invited to tour alongside Depeche Mode, Kings of Leon, The Killers, and Midnight Juggernauts, M83’s certainly matured due to these experiences, and gained the confidence to record songs that have never been done before.

Indie music webzine Pitchfork has also recently picked up the European-infused electro synth band’s shiny new track as the best song of 2011.

Check it out here:

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Evangelising Rock ‘n’ Roll

Fret not – Cults doesn’t engage in any shady religious practices. Apart from rattling your skulls and delighting you with their magnetic harmonics, of course.

New Yorkers Brian Oblivion and Madeline Follin certainly have a winning formula, as 2 tracks (‘Go Outside’ and ‘Abducted’) from their self-titled EP were selected as Pitchfork’s “Best New Music”.

The thrilling pair bring out the true nature of their melodic desires in sweetly sick bedroom pop that delves unexpectedly into the pains of growing up.

Listen to a sample of their music here:

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Psychwalk Safari

Chairlift, a duo consisting of Caroline Polachek and Patrick Wimberly, jazzed up their pop-infused creations with a dose of hazy romanticism in their previous album, “Does You Inspire You”.

After ‘Evident Utensil’ was nominated for “Breakthrough Video” at the 2009 MTV Music Video Awards, the band’s next single, ‘Amanaemonesia’, meant for their upcoming album “Something”, came out late last year.

If you’ve been hooked on their pop-psychedelic humour, watch out as their forthcoming tracks have themes as crazy as faux-jazz sulk, pizza punk, road-rage surf, infomercial spiritual, and gothic pastoral!

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Does Your Heart Belong?

It’s definitely not easy being pure at heart, as these 4 New Yorkers explain in their hits. And it’s clear that The Pains of Being Pure at Heart sure knows how to steal them, too.

These obsessive music nerds have come a long way from “emo” in their early days to indie sonic bliss, complete with strong songwriting.

Their thoughtful euphony has had cultural tastemakers like The NME, Stereogum, Pitchfork, and The New York Times validating their hard work as sublime and addictive pop gold.

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Not So Summery

There are some bands that you remember by their harmonious whistling, and The Drums is 1 of these. Brooklyn lads Jonathan Pierce, Jacob Graham, and Connor Hanwick engaged listeners with their escapist collection of beach pop in 2010 and quickly rose to fame, especially in the UK. It wasn’t long before they scored a 6-week USA tour and sold-out shows in 13 countries, including Singapore, throughout 2010 to 2011.

Their latest album, “Portamento”, features more obscure, but still cheery, tones that reflect great introspection by the band.

Vocalist Pierce, explained that he took inspiration from every issue that he “couldn’t get away from even if he tried”, such as extreme religious roots, violence, and heartbreaks, to create the broader palette of sounds in “Portamento”.

Now, this is the band you’d want to get personal with.

And don’t be surprise if you catch a 5-piece band on stage, as Myles Matheny and Danny Lee Allen are added to the equation for “sonic expansiveness”.

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New Age Funk

Columbian-raised Chazwick Bundick, better known as Toro Y Moi (pronounced as Toh-roh E Mwah), has been incorporating French house, 80’s R&B, hip hop, and Brian Wilson’s pop into his solo work.

With his chillwave style, he’s garnered much acclaim and plenty of fans since the release of his 2 albums, “Causers of This” (2010) and “Underneath the Pine” (2011).

Spacey disco, pervasive funk, and sonic beats make it tough to put a finger on his genre, but the prolific composer is, if anything, a die-hard musical experimenter.

Don’t you wish that you were as cool as Chaz?

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YUM!

They’ve been compared to Sonic Youth, The Cure, and even Dinosaur Jr., but the throngs of YUCK supporters beg to differ. The band’s wonderfully strange fuzzy guitars, noisy grunge, and twisted music videos are certainly one-of-a-kind.

Made up of Daniel Blumberg, Max Bloom, Mariko Doi, and Jonny Rogoff, with Ilana Blumberg putting in an occasional appearance at live shows, this sadly underrated band hailing from New Jersey recorded and self-produced their 1st album at home.

There are so many layers in their sound that their “ugh” essence is completely unique. For example, the song ‘Rubber’ is about a hot chick languidly daydreaming about being a dog groomer. How’s that for surreal?

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Out to Boo Your Mind

5-member English band The Horrors, made up of Faris Badwan, Joshua Hayward, Tom Cowan, Rhys Webb, and Joe Spurgeon, started out with a frantic, crazed sound, leading to their gigs being jammed with young punks “dumb with lipstick and blind with mascara”.

3 albums later, their exploration of different combinations of sub-genres has resulted in the trippy psychedelia of their latest album Skying. Their hit single ‘Still Life’ outsold all the previous ones and was even listed on Radio One for 4 weeks.

The process of getting there was quite a horror, but those trying times have brought out the true passion and commitment of this inventive British group.

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Girls Don’t Shy Away

Put together hardcore-punks-turned-indie-slackers Christopher Owens and Chet “JR” White and you get Girls. Their refreshing ensemble of shows, lyrics, and chemistry propels their influence beyond just a band movement.

The latest addition to their discography, “Father, Son, Holy Ghost”, is even more unorthodox than usual, but critics and fans have raved about the depth and personal development it shows.

Moving on, it looks like the deft pair will be working on new tracks bearing a blend of Girls’ past and present.

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Your Favourite Daydream

Raw and powerful. That’s the Twin Shadow thrown by American musician George Lewis Jr.

Dip into his debut album, ‘Forget’ and you’re on an absolute hipster ride. He’s known to blend intimate R&B textures of with the sophisticated harmony of his lyrics, and credits Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear for fine-tuning his 1st release as his producer.

Don’t miss his 2nd album, coming out in the 1st half of 2012!

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Dazzling Dark

Canadian indietronica trio Austra, formed by Katie Austra Stelsmanis, Maya Postepski, and Dorian Wolf, put out their debut dance album “Feel It Break” just last year.

Lead singer Stelsmanis had wanted their tracks get people to completely let loose and dance. The band’s certainly achieved that, as their synth-driven new wave act has gotten much attention for being a poppy, spellbinding musical escapade.

Armed with towering vocals and a marriage of classical and electronica, this ‘holy’ trinity (Austra is the Latvanian goddess of light) will only be burning brighter.

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Powerful and Fearless

Anna Calvi deals with the inevitable tragedy of life by creating a sense of hope through her music. Such is her drive that the intensely laconic figure produced her 1st album alone in a basement.

The classy Calvi, who describes her songs as “sexual”, always picks out the microscopic details in her visual music such as the middle section, crescendos, and bravados. She’s also acknowledged influences like the opera, flamenco dancers, and the orchestra on her music.

As her music deals with themes such as, lust, dramatic surrealism, and devils, the soft-spoken blonde puts on a different, more seductive persona whenever she performs live.

Her arresting vocals have earned her a Mercury Music Prize 2011 nomination for Best Debut Album.

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Now you’ve got these little gems, go and be awesome!

Photos courtesy of Bohemian Musings and Chugg Entertainment

St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival

Date: 12 February 2012, Sunday

Time: 1:30pm – 1:30am

Venue: Fort Canning, Canning Rise

Official Promoter: Chugg Entertainment

Tickets are sold through SISTIC at $135 and an additional $3 for booking fee.

For more details on the St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival, check out their Facebook , Twitter, and official website. Groove along to the mix of Laneway Radio 2012 right here!

The organisers have kindly warned that Feb 12′s St Jerome’s Laneway Festival will be a rain-or-shine event. And if you’ve heard about how it rained (or rather, poured) on Laneway’s parade last year, that might be enough to instill paranoia in festival hopefuls.

Besides weather concerns, some fashion pointers can help you stand out from the throngs of fawning music butterflies while looking effortlessly scenester.

UrbanWire dishes out practical tips on dressing up for the sun and the mudslide! Don’t forget to check out Part 2 of our Laneway survival guide for the lowdown on the lineup that’ll help you act the part too.

Look the part

The whole radness of hipstars is thanks to their obscure sense of fashion and vanity, so think “less is more” and deck yourself out in killer festival fashion.

For the ladies, consider the following: a cropped top, psychedelic tie-dye jersey, self-ripped hobo overshirt, plaid shirt or tank top with huge armholes (for baring tattoos), paired with high-waist denim shorts or a boho skirt. Try a vintage tea dress or a maxi for the one-piece look!

Boys with a laidback attitude are in luck. Just throw on a plain white tee, polo shirt, or plaid shirt and pair with – you guessed it – pair of skinnies (make sure you have the legs for it, though). We also suggest band tees of the artists playing at the festival!

The terrain as Fort Canning can be a treacherous field of uneven soil and wet mud, so for footwear, go for high-top sneakers (Converse, Macbeth, Timberland, Nike), boots, hunter wellies, gladiator sandals, or shoes that’re purely dispensable. Don’t risk going in flip-flops unless you want to be trod on by the heavyweight next to you.

For the adventurous, paint your face and body to stand out. When using eyeliner, try chromatic-coloured ones. Accessorise with bandanas, hippie headbands, Indian feathers on headdress, earrings, or necklaces, floppy hats, fedoras, funky-shaped sunglasses, thick-rimmed glasses, and even facial piercings.

Lastly, for drama queens, try dip-dyeing your hair, a side shave, or cornrows on 1 side of your head. Just ensure your hair’s not greasy, because it’s going to be a long night and the last thing you want is to look like an ah pek at a midnight karaoke session.

Extra cool points

Get neon with your nails! You might think they’re unnoticeable, but jazzing them up a little can prevent people from thinking you’ve been camping on the festival grounds for way too long.

Glisten up and protect your face from a total wipeout with a beauty balm/sun block/bronzer. And make sure you’re rocking out in waterproof mascara just in case it rains.

Don’t forget accessories – how about a galactic wave of harlequin rubber bracelets, body glitter, and a cat’s eye nebula necklace or something shiny from local retailers By Invite Only or Nana & Bird?

And our favourite piece of fashion advice? Draw yourself a hipstache. It’s more wicked than walking a pet dinosaur.

What’s in your bag?

Remember the rule of thumb for outdoor music gigs: always pack light. You can’t dance with a sack of potatoes on your back. Pick a canvas rucksack like the durable Baggu or a sling bag so you can party hands-free!

Your compact kit bag should include:

1. Plasters (for blisters)
2. Handkerchief or kleenex
3. Extra top – just in case
4. Huge, trusty poncho
5. Ziplock bag for valuables: mobile phone, wallet, camera, and keys
6. Disposable mat

And, of course, nothing too expensive!

Rules of engagement

What with the concert stretching on for 12 hours and the crowd numbering in the thousands, you’re bound to lose your friends at Laneway – hopefully only physically.

Why not make new friends along the way? After all, what’s a party without mingling? Just bring an open mind and a friendly disposition. Start the ball rolling with some humour and enjoy getting to know some new faces.

Try going on a body graffiti hunt – to spot a tramp stamp, for example. There’s nothing wrong with giving the tattoo-exhibiting indie royalty some credit with your eyeballs.

To the mosh crowd: wield your vigor sparingly and don’t waste too much energy on the 1st few acts. If a giant gets in the way of your fist-pumping thrills, just move to higher ground since, after all, Fort Canning’s on a slope. Oh, and definitely stay away from the armpits of those sleeveless NewUrbanMale types.

And with drinks, get high but don’t get wasted! There’s no point going to a concert if you just sleep through the performances.

Be sure to stay hydrated! It’s not a marathon, but it’s safer to arm yourself with a bottle of wine cooler, Perrier, or Red Bull.

And of course, anything up for purchase will be “cash only”, so bring a stash of bills and leave your cards at home.

Food for thought

If your tummy’s prone to rumbling, do pack a sandwich from home or stuff a can of Pringles in your backpack. There’ll also be vendors selling food at the festival but if you find their rates not too wallet-friendly, head out for some grub midway through. Tip: Take the lift to the ground floor of the nearby Park Mall to get to Plaza Singapura in less than 15 minutes.

Make sure to get a good night’s sleep the night before so you’ll be in a great condition for showing off your best swag. If you come early, you can catch the majestic portrait of the performing acts!

So here’s The UrbanWire’s entire manual to help you gear up for musical pandemonium. Last of all, wish for fantastic weather for the 11:11!

Photos courtesy of Cosmopolitan.co.uk, Getty Images, REX, Lookbook.nu, Aloysius Lim, wellieboots.co.uk, Native Appropriations, Flickr, Hair Colours Ideas, bellasugar, urbanoutfitters

Details

St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival

Date: 12 February 2012, Sunday
Time: 1:30pm – 1:30am
Venue: Fort Canning, Canning Rise
Official Promoter: Chugg Entertainment

Tickets are available through SISTIC at $135 with an additional $3 booking fee.

For more details on St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival, check out their Facebook, Twitter, and official website. Groove along to Laneway Radio 2012 right here!

 Photo courtesy of www.torontosun.com

 The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, who participated in the 2004 inaugural Laneway Festival held in Australia, managed to elude our shores when the indie rock supergroup she’s part of, Broken Social Scene, came down in 2009. Plus she somehow left Singapore out of her 7-year tour to support her critically-acclaimed albums “Let It Die” (2004) and “The Reminder” (2007).

But now, the wait’s finally over for Singapore.

We’ll be seeing the Canadian artiste – along with 13 other indie acts – next February in the 2nd Singapore installation of St Jerome’s Laneway Festival.

Feist shot to international fame after her 2007 hit single ‘1234’, with its catchy tune and uniquely choreographed video, was featured in an iPod advertisement. Later, it was adapted into an educational clip in collaboration with the Sesame Street crew. Both videos went viral online, skyrocketing the talented musician to instant stardom.

Whether she’s performing a stripped set to a small French audience (check out her Trabendo sessions videos here) or commanding thousands in sold-out stadiums across America and Europe, Feist always provides a stellar concertgoing experience.

And with her exquisite voice, catchy choruses, and eloquent lyrics – not to mention her reputation of effectively engaging the audience – fans definitely shouldn’t pass up this rare chance to catch her live in Singapore.

To get a glimpse of what’s to come, here’s a recent video of Feist performing My Moon, My Man

An old gem; a beautiful acoustic rendition of Secret Heart, from the French Trabendo sessions in Paris

 Don’t expect to hear too much of her back catalogue, though: the majority of Feist’s recent set lists consist of songs from her darker, more ambient album Metals, released earlier this year.

Then again,  true fans would already know that Feist is anything but predictable.

A recent concert review from Ottawancitizen.com was hugely positive, describing it as “magical and mesmerizing” (check out the full review here). So mark your calendar for Feb 12 2012!

The UrbanWire’s Dream Set List:

1. Undiscovered First
2. How Come You Never Go There
3. Graveyard
4. Mushaboom
5. The Circle Married The Line
6. Secret Heart (Acoustic)
7. My Moon, My Man
8. Anti Pioneer
9. The Bad In Each Other
10. Honey Honey
11. Get It Wrong, Get It Right
12. I Feel it All

Come Feb 12, Feist will be playing at Fort Canning Park alongside 13 other indie acts for the 2012 Singapore St Jerome’s Laneway Festival. Tickets are available from Sistic at $135 (excluding booking fees).

Check out these links for more info about St Jerome’s Laneway Festival and Feist.

And some thought it was the Glastonbury.

^{Photo Credit: Ryan Chang}

Music lovers, hipsters and indie-spirited youths at the St Jerome’s Laneway Festival were spotted soaking in the incessant rain and rolling around in the muddy fields of Fort Canning last Saturday, a scene some would mistake from the famous Glastonbury Festival in England.

^{Foals, Photo Credit: Bryan Soon}

It kept raining, and raining, and raining throughout the day but no amount of rain could dampen the unwavering indie spirit of the happy crowd clad in ponchos, raincoats and Wellington boots, including this writer. Even the lighters flickered gallantly during the haunting ballad ‘Spanish Sahara’ by UK band Foals, the penultimate act of the night.

“We can’t control the weather, but we can control music. Music has prevailed,” enthused co-founder and organiser Danny Rogers at the end of the night.

^{Ladyhawke, Photo Credit: Ryan Chang}

Indeed, the show went on despite the skies pouring as early as 1pm. All-girl band Warpaint kick-started the festival followed by New Zealander Ladyhawke. The singer-songwriter performed favourites such as ‘My Delirium’ and ‘Paris is Burning’, the latter a track heard on TV shows like Ugly Betty and fashion runways.

^{Beach House, Photo Credit: Bryan Soon}

The rain didn’t bring the Beach House down either by the time the third act came on. The American duo hypnotised the crowd with its atmospheric sound, performing hits such as ‘Norway’ from its recent critically acclaimed album Teen Dream. Singer Victoria Legrand, dressed in a pop turquoise-green coat, performed on the organ like an enchanted creature tossing her auburn hair in psychedelic motion.

^{Holy F***, Photo Credit: Bryan Soon}

The evening continued with Deerhunter and Holy F***, the latter an electronica band that, for the lack of a better word, electrified with its dream-esque effects using instruments such as a 35mm film synchroniser and toy keyboards. Forget the laptops and turn tables, this is electronic music in its strangest yet beautiful form.

Avid music fan Melvin Poon said, “I don’t know what the hell are they doing but they sure sound impressive! Who makes music from a film synchroniser!”

^{!!!, Photo Credit: Ryan Chang}

And the night took on an interesting turn when !!! (pronounced as Chk Chk Chk) came on. Lead singer Nic Offer (pictured below), clad in a ‘I Love Singapore’ tee and skimpy shorts (he obviously didn’t check the weather forecast), went ballistic in professing his love for the Singaporean fans. He jumped into the crowd at least thrice (who’s counting amidst the mayhem!!!), sang with the fans with the microphone in his mouth and played with a groupie’s bra thrown onstage.

Obviously, the fun had just started and the band from Sacramento performed perhaps one of the longest sets. In fact, the dance-punk band had time to pay tribute to the Artiste Formerly Known as Prince with a cover. No, it wasn’t ‘Purple Rain’ in case you’re wondering.

Fans caught onto the playfulness of the night too. Concertgoer Janice Liu claimed, “This is my virgin music festival and damn I had a muddy good time!” Audiences were spotted kissing in the rain, wrestling and sliding freestyle on a muddy slope, and downing beer laced with – you guessed it – rainwater. This abashed writer even spotted a gleeful woman flashing herself topless.

^{Yeasayer, Photo Credit: Bryan Soon}

New York rock band Yeasayer (pictured below) performed next during a rain reprieve but as soon as UK band Foals came on, the torrent started again. The band, known for its post-punk roots, performed songs furiously from their latest album, Total Life Forever, with lead singer Yannis Philippakis tearing up the stage with his inebriated antics (spotted downing a Jack Daniel’s) from knocking off the drum, swinging the microphone in a precarious fashion to getting tangled with the mic. It was a performance hinging on anger and wrath, much like the savage rain.

^{The Temper Trap, Photo Credit: Aloysius Lim}

But as the rain clouds slowly parted, the crowd cheered (and shivered) for the highly anticipated last act of the night, The Temper Trap.The much-lauded quintet from Melbourne appeared to screams and catcalls and Indonesian-born lead singer Dougy Mandagi thanked the crowd profusely for braving the rain throughout the night before launching into the song ‘Fools’. Mandagi’s signature falsetto moved the crowd, which continued with ‘Fader’, ‘Down River’ and ‘Resurrection’.

The wild and eventful night had to end somehow as the festival overran by a good hour. And The Temper Trap closed on a bittersweet note with the hit that had appeared in several TV shows, advertisements (automobiles in particular) and the indie crowd’s favourite movie 500 Days of Summer – ‘Sweet Disposition’.

^{The Temper Trap, Photo Credit: Aloysisus Lim}

As the crowd erupted into cheers and sang along to the lyrics, “And while our blood’s still young, it’s so young, it runs and we won’t stop till it’s over, won’t stop to surrender”, it was evident the play-hard and die-hard spirit of the Laneway Festival would not stop to give in to the temperamental weather.

The photographer’s camera was unfortunately damaged in the rain. Images from the organiser will be available soon.

All photos are courtesy of Aloysius Lim, Bryan Soon, Ryan Chang (The Deck Media Group Pte Ltd).

After all, it is the first time that St Jerome’s Laneway Festival will be landing upon Singapore shores in spectacular fashion.

First beginning in Caledonian Lane in Melbourne as an indie music event in 2004, the festival has grown immensely to include Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. Breaking out internationally, the festival expanded to New Zealand this year and Singapore will be the next lucky country to host Laneway.

The UrbanWire takes a sneak preview at the hottest indie bands headlining the festival.

The Temper Trap (Check out the video!)
!!! (Chk Chk Chk)
Beach House
Deerhunter
Foals
Holy F***
LadyHawke
Warpaint
Yeasayer

!!! (Chk Chk Chk)

Pronounced as Chk Chk Chk, these disco punks will be heading down next year to infect us with tapping feet.

The California-formed sextet have just released their fourth album, Strange Weather Isn’t It?, in August. Going all the way to Berlin to record it, their latest album is infused with the clubbing music they had experienced in the German capital and more.

“We always go to a different environment on the 1% chance that it might influence the record because even that much would be worth it,” says vocalist, Nic Offer.

Losing John Pugh, Justin Van Der Volgen and Tyler Pope during the production of their album, and contending with the shocking death of drummer Jerry Fuchs who fell down an elevator shaft last year, the band is going through their most trying time yet.

All the more reason why we should cheer them on when they take to the stage!

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Beach House

Most people think that a man and woman in a band automatically equates to them being a couple.

Baltimore duo Alex Scally and Victoria Legrand are anxious to dispel that myth, often pointing out they’re not romantically attached.

Still, couple or not, as a band, Beach House is undoubtedly excellent.

After all, how many bands are so dedicated as to have packed up, left home, and settled into an converted church with their producer just to create their album?

“It wasn’t about arriving at a church and it revolutionizing a feeling,” Scally said. “It was a continuation of what we were doing without disruption.

This dedication and love is what makes Beach House’s third album, Teen Dream, so magical. Slow-moving and spell-binding at the same time, their organ-infused tunes and Legrand’s floating vocals transports us to a different world.

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Deerhunter

Hailing from Georgia, Deerhunter is instantly recognizable from the tall and spindly silhouette of frontman Bradford Cox.

The quartet’s fourth and latest album, Halcyon Digest, was released in September this year, with their signature 60s-inspired and self-described ambient punk sound.

Deerhunter’s live shows are to be seen to be believed. Crazy, propulsive, ecstatic, it was once described by Yeah Yeah Yeah’s vocalist Karen O as “a religious experience”.

Being praised by the Queen of Indie Hipsters is the affirmation that whatever you’re doing, you must be doing it right.

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Foals

Foals will be touching down in Singapore to blast out their own unique wave of indie punk rock to adoring fans.

Formed in 2005, the Oxford band dropped their second album, Total Life Forever, early this year. Infused with emotional depth yet still being immensely danceable, the album has already been nominated for a Mercury Prize.

“Antidotes was quite self-aware – we’ve tried to regress into a more honest, naïve state with Total Life Forever,” vocalist and guitarist Yannis Philippakis said.

The 5-piece-band has already drawn comparisons to their neighbours Radiohead, also from Oxford.

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Holy F***

We can hazard a guess as to why they decided to name themselves Holy F***. It’s probably because that’s what everyone screams when they first start playing on stage.

Hailing from Canada, Holy F*** has 4 members, probably so they can wear T-shirts that spell out the more…… vulgar part of their band name.

OK! Enough jokes about their name. Let’s talk about the band.

Releasing their newest album Latin in May this year, it has already been placed on the long list of Polaris Award. Oh yeah, apparently Thom Yorke from Radiohead and Lou Reed are fans too.

We can’t wait to scream Holy F*** at the stage too.

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LadyHawke

Born in New Zealand, LadyHawke’s real name is Phillipa Brown. The singer-songwriter is the latest of distinctive female artistes that have cropped up in recent years, like Lady Gaga, Little Boots and Pixie Lott, as The Observer duly noted.

Though only with her 2008 eponymous debut album out, LadyHawke has already garnered piles of awards and trophies, the more impressive ones being the New Zealand Music Awards for “Album of the Year”, “Breakthrough Artist of the Year”, as well as an ARIA Music Award for the “Breakthrough Artist – Album” section.

Receiving huge critical acclaim as well as great sales (certified Gold in the UK and Australia, Platinum for New Zealand), LadyHawke will be fluttering across the stage and into our hearts for Laneway next year.

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Warpaint

Four hot girls in a band? Sign us right up!

Though the band is fully composed of females, Warpaint isn’t adverse to having males join in the jamming as well, with former Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ guitarist John Frusciante mixing and mastering their first EP, Exquisite Corpse.

The psychedelic art rock band released their debut album, The Fool, barely two months ago. With thumping basslines and droning guitars, The Fool is filled with psychedelic and hazy moments so intimate you can practically feel the breath in your ear.

We’re all still just mesmerized by how hot the Los Angeles based quartet are.

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Yeasayer

Experimental rock band Yeasayer returns to get the party started in Laneway Festival after coming to attention in the SXSW Festival 3 years ago.

Preferring to describe their music as “Middle Eastern-psych-snap-gospel”, the New York based band has already toured with MGMT, another New York indie psychedelic rock darling.

Releasing their second album Odd Blood this Feb, it contains a more pop-influenced sound, but it’s still infinitely rockable.

For us, we say HELL YEA to Yeasayer.

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The Temper Trap

One of the most recognizable acts to come out of Australia in recent years, the Temper Trap will close out the Laneway Festival in 2011.

The Temper Trap boys first started out working at earlier Laneway Festivals serving drinks and checking coats, before the festival’s co-founder Danny Rogers came across them.

“I asked the guys to play at Laneway without having seen them because I had a gut feeling they  might be good,” co-founder and promoter Danny Rogers said of his 2005 discovery of the band. “All of them had a spirit that resounded with us, and when I went to check them out they completely blew to smithereens any band I had seen live for a very long time.

The Melbourne-based band have come a long way since then, releasing their debut album Conditions to great critical and commercial acclaim, with it also being nominated for the ARIA Album of the Year Award last year.

Exemplifying the very meaning of Laneway, the alternative rock band that first gained exposure at Laneway will close out the 6th edition of the festival in Singapore.

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