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With thunderstorms in the forecast, Singapore was quite lucky to receive little more than a sprinkle. This was a huge relief to Laneway festival founder Danny Rogers, as he looked out into the crowd and thanked the previous attendees for braving what he called "monsoonal weather" last year.
The 6000 attendees from its inaugural year and the media attention from the event definitely helped bring on the second coming of Laneway here in Fort Canning Park. This year, as the head count almost reached 8000, it held its own against Australia's Laneways. Meanwhile, the number of stages doubled to two and they went from having eight bands to fourteen.
Cults stepped into the media tent and were astounded by the amount of press in attendance... so much so that Madeline scrambled to get her camera to take a shot. This year's media coverage extends from Australia and Singapore's neighbouring countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and The Philippines. You can instantly tell they are loving it here in Singapore recalling having fans greet them at the airport, making them feel like Aerosmith.
I quickly realise how much we've taken Laneway for granted. These are bands who travel around and build up relationships with one and other... the consensus with all the the touring artists being that this tour is somewhat unique. The Drums call Laneway their favourite tour because "there is nothing like this in America." The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (TPOBPAH) likened it to "summer camp... it exposes us to stuff we don't always see a lot... this is the type of festival I would like to go to."
Their excitement reached the crowd as act after act I hear the crowd roar, sing along and clap to their favourite tunes from each band. The only down times being the crowd sitting down during Anna Calvi's set (though I must say her beat is appropriate for it) and the sound glitches to break up TPOBPAH's set.
The moment engraved into my memory however was Girls' tribute to Whitney Houston. After throwing flowers into the crowd before they started their set, Christopher starts singing a sombre version of 'I Will Always Love You' causing not only the crowd but the photo pit to sing-a-long as well. There were a great deal of people side of stage during at this moment - it was the most crowded I'd seen it all day.
If the crowd is anything to go by, I'm sure Laneway is set to come back next year even bigger and better. With a little hope of expanding to other countries I asked The Drums what cities they would like to see it hit next. Jonathan chose Jakarta as the next city to be added but Jacob claiming to be a little selfish and stating America would be a good choice. Here's hoping!
