After announcing a line up that would go on to sell out in minutes upon its release, the Sydney leg of Laneway Festival 2026 was primed and ready to deliver a day that could go down as one of the greats. With the weather gods delivering a mixed bag for the festival – from rain to humidity and a high UV rating – the day really proved to be a mixed bag for those in attendance.
With Sydney being the third leg of the national (and New Zealand) run, the bands booked on the festival were in full swing with many delivering sets that left plenty in the crowd more than satiated. Early in the day, Belair Lip Bombs and Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers did their best to deliver to reasonably sized crowds over at the Hope Springs stage, all the while battling with the sound spill coming from the main stages. This issue continued to plague all acts that took to the Hope Springs stage throughout the day. Whether the site was too small for a fourth stage, orientated incorrectly, or too close to the main stage (or a mix of all three), it really dampened the listening experience and is something I’d hope Laneway Festival looks to improve on next year.
An early surprise on the Never Let It Rest stage was Gigi Perez, with the “Sailor Song” singer delivering a soulful yet forceful set that filled the main stages with a nice little respite from an afternoon shower. Next up on the Good Better Best stage was Mt.Joy, who much like Gigi Perez before them, delivered a surprisingly joyful set delivered with messages of hope, peace, friendship and a big up-yours to the US president.
With the day in full swing, the big hitters all made their way onto their respective stages and delivered an afternoon of hits. Lucy Dacus was sad, sweet and generally brilliant from her opening tracks “First Time” and “Hot & Heavy”, through to “Best Guess” and the Boygenius masterpiece “True Blue”. Following Dacus was the most fun set of the day to this point in the form of Role Model. With a crowd as eager as ever and ready to unleash, this 45 minute set was light hearted and nothing more than a great time from go to woe. With whispers aplenty in the lead up to the set as to who would be Sally for “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out”, the Sydney crowd was treated to three Wiggles, with the OG Jeff Wiggle proving to be the best Sally of all time. With the obligatory waking up of Jeff at the end of the song, this was the pinnacle of nostalgia-baiting, and honestly I’m all for it.
Next up was the most bizarre choice of set clashes that could have played out. With Geese relegated to the small Hope Springs stage, Wet Leg delegated main stage status and Pink Pantheress oddly placed over in the Everything Ecstatic tent, this hour of the day was disastrous. While Wet Leg did their thing and played a raucous 50 minute set with hits a-plenty, the sound spill over to Geese drowned out their set. What I heard was great but honestly left a taste of disappointment, knowing you couldn’t properly indulge in Geese without having to decipher the not too distant sounds of Wet Leg. While I understand the decision to place Pink Pantheress on what was effectively the dance tent of the festival, it was a baffling decision in the end with the tent at capacity well before her set commenced, making it impossible to even contemplate getting close to the stage. While set clashes are inevitable at a festival of this size and quality, it was nonetheless still disappointing.
Wolf Alice played an expansive set that touched on all four of their albums, while leaning heavily into their most recent album, 2025’s The Clearing. Highlights came in the form of fan favourite “Bros”, the raucous “Play the Greatest Hits” and closer “Don’t Delete the Kisses”. Returning to our shores in December this year, I’m sure they did enough to rustle up a few more ticket sales on the back of their set.
While the festival had its ups and downs to this point, headliner Chappell Roan came through with the goods and delivered a closing set that was worth the sore back I’ve got today. With an elaborate stage set up, multiple outfit changes and no sound clashes, it felt like all eyes were on Chappell Roan and they more than delivered on the hype. With a set filled with all the hits (“Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl” was the perfect opener), the pacing of the set was fantastic, as it felt like the entire festival site was part of the show from the opening to closing notes. With the fun of “Hot To Go” bringing a mid set pick-me-up, “Red Wine Supernova”, “Good Luck, Babe” and “Pink Pony Club” were all delivered with aplomb and received massive applause from the crowd.
With the day done and dusted, Laneway Festival proved once more they can deliver a festival that will appease just about everyone. While the festival has lost the intimacy it once had, the broadening of its target market has resulted in larger lineups and therefore the ability to book larger acts such as Chappell Roan. With all eyes towards 2027, here’s hoping the festival can follow up 2026 with another home run.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Laneway Festival wraps up this weekend at Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. For more information, head here.
Photo credit – Bruce Baker
