7 Acts who blew us away at Laneway Festival 2014

Every year, St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival serves its position as the festival with its “finger on the pulse” on what’s new, what’s cool and what’s hot. By the time the festival rolls around, many of the bands who you had never heard of 12 months before are well and truly ingrained in your consciousness. triple j is playing them… they’re on your iPod… they have become the reason you are looking forward to the festival.

And then you attend the festival, and not only does that band impress, but so do the rest – some of whom you’d never heard of, or at least seen live, until that moment. They’re the bands you go home and stream every album of. They enter as unknowns… you leave a fan. It’s because of this that we asked our contributors to reflect on their time at Laneway on the bands that blew them away. Maybe they’d heard of them before, maybe they hadn’t, but one thing remains certain: they’re listening to them now.

7. Dick Diver

They were on early but were one of the standouts for me. Slick, intelligent indie-pop with jokes made at Clive Palmer’s expense throughout the set. Awesome. – Paul McBride

Dick Diver we’re so great, laid back vibes suited the festival perfectly and had a great mix of songs from their two albums. Highlights of their set defiantly being Al taking over the stage when singing ‘Head Back’ and the ‘guess the riff’ moment when there was bass amp troubles. – Sabina Rysnik

6. Drenge

Drenge were the one band I was looking forward to, and they more than lived up to the hype for me. Dirty, grungy rock n roll – think black keys but more raw and British. Shame that there wasn’t more of a crowd to witness them. – Evelyn Tija

5. Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Leaving Lorde’s set early proved to be a good idea, as I managed to catch UMO hitting their stride. I’ve been a fan of theirs for a while, but hadn’t yet seen them perform, so this was a nice way to begin rounding out my Laneway Festival for 2014. Some great psych rock vibes filled the dusty night air and provided a great opportunity for people to begin unwinding after a day in some truly unrelenting heat. They didn’t pull the biggest crowd of the festival but those who were there got one hell of a set. Pity there were so many others who missed out. – Sosefina Fuamoli

4. Savages

…the surprise act of the day for me was Savages . I stumbled onto the stage and was immediately captivated by the sound. When singer Jehnny Beth came down off stage and into the crowd it was an amazing experience. You can see that photo above. I should mention that Elena Tonra from Daughter was also watching and grooving out to Savages. You can check out that photo below… – John Goodridge

After back to back out of state festivals, I was so tired I couldn’t even stay awake at Laneway… but Savages… their intensity was mind blowing that all I could do was concentrate on all four of them with amazement… especially as I had only heard the record once and couldn’t recall most of it. Their live show made me go buy the record the next day! – Ian Laidlaw

3. Cashmere Cat

Definitely one of the highlights of the Future Classic Stage for me. He’s only young, but he definitely knows how to DJ. The R&B soaked set made Cashmere Cat stand out from all the other EDM/electro type artists I’d heard til now and I can see what everyone had been harping on about from what he managed to throw down in his mid-arvo set. It’s always odd seeing this kind of artist outside a dark club setting, but the Norwegian wunderkind made a carpark next to the Port River a club of his own. – Sosefina Fuamoli

2. Haim

Haim – It goes without saying, really. Haim not only pulled the biggest crowd of the day but EVERYONE was dancing and singing along – even all the way up the back. Their presence on stage was searing, only rivaled by the Adelaide summer sun. They are the ultimate festival band, and proved it in a big way. – Lauren Connelly

My highlight of Laneway was easily Haim: The three American sisters completely blew my mind, exceeding the already high expectations I had for them! Their multiple talents and charming stage presence totally won me over. – Tanya Ali

Three sisters who produced a stadium-worthy sound with untempered rock and roll. Each with their own charming stage presence, the members of Haim took their recordings and super-charged each one. The highlight was unquestionably their cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Oh Well.’ – Chris Singh

1. Parquet Courts

Parquet Courts were also a stand out. I had heard of them but not actually heard them so I wasn’t sure what to expect. They were a lot of fun and a really tight band live.- Evelyn Tija

Parquet Courts – A band I knew I should go and watch via word of mouth hype… was not disappointed. Energetic with a great party vibe that was the ultimate fit for the sunny and warm afternoon. Great fun. – Lauren Connelly

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Take a look back at all our St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival content, in the event hub HERE. Reviews, photos, interviews, features and more! We’re already counting down the days until next year… see you then!

Larry Heath

Founding Editor and Publisher of the AU review. Currently based in Toronto, Canada. You can follow him on Twitter @larry_heath or on Instagram @larryheath.