The 2020 Laneway Festival was stacked with a lineup spanning across multiple genres. It had a good mix of dope Aussie bands, alternative electro, hip-hop, R&B, and Pop music.
It took place at The Domain Park in Sydney which was located across the Art Gallery of NSW. Before stepping into the festival, fans had a chance to catch some exhibits that were on display such as Takashi Murakami current art works.
Stage Lineup & Set Times
Each stage had a pretty linear lineup in terms of genre and vibe on paper, but each artist brought their own personality and flair to their performances. I saw fans running around trying to catch various artists at each of the 4 stages offered at the festival.
Benee, The New Zealand native pictured above, rocked her set. Her global presence has increased rapidly over the last year and a half. The biggest hit off her last album, 'Soaked' got fans in a full vibe, which is ironic because after I posted her set on my social, my phone was full of replies with tears of FOMO.
It started drizzling, and before you knew it, was time to bring out the ponchos because it started pouring. Luckily the PIP area which LiveWire.au finessed for your boy gave out ponchos, so I was bueno.
The rain didn’t deter any fans either...
As you can see, fans still had happy faces; huddled together, dancing and slugging beers under any cover they could find.
The Festival grounds were sprinkled with different chill spots. The PIP area, aka the VIP area, allowed people to schmooze, drink, and chill in peace, with some nice aesthetics for the Gram. It also had a dope vantage point which was accompanied by a slight incline giving people with a PIP wristband a good view of 2/4 stages (Alley & Park Stages)
The next spot had a vibrant dance scene with an inflatable rainbow. I thought it was dope because the rain forced people who previously might not have been inclined to mingle in this setting, to become more open minded and have fun in an inclusive spot no matter your sexual preference or orientation.
There were still people afraid to join the fun, but that just meant there was more room for people like me to shoot my shot for some kitten KOBE!)
I tried to bounce around and find different vibes to see how everyone was adjusting to the rain. At one point we had to sit back and just relax in one area because our legs were tired, but we had a good view.
Plus, they kept playing early 2000 Destiny's child at this spot so we had to sit this one out and let the ladies have their moment.
After championing some women empowerment, we met up with Flex Mami. She was working hard as per usual, but we greeted, -hugged, and joked before we almost got her in trouble with the MTV folk.
I really want to take a second to applaud her for being a black woman holding her own and working hard in all the avenues she's pursuing. Seeing her get busy was super important for a young brother like myself trying to come up out here in Australia.
Afterwards the rain continued and we had to regroup in the PIP section under a tree with our equipment tucked under our ponchos to prevent damage.
We then heard chants for OCEAN ALLEY being screamed out loud as f*ck and I looked over to see everyone running towards the stage like we were in Pamplona. Ocean Alley had a cohesive set that sounded crisp and jazzy. Fans were so enthused, I literally walked by people belly flopping in the rain in sheer excitement, it was unreal.
We finished off the night at the Future Classic stage which hosted some dope artists including Mahalia, JID, and Earl Sweatshirt.
Mahalia ended her set prematurely which left fans a little confused and yearning for a longer set. A band filled in for her to finish out the remainder of her set.
JID showed up next and put on a solid set; playing music from his first 2 albums and his latest features from the Revenge of the Dreamers compilation album.
Earl Sweatshirt came on stage afterward with a hazy set to finish off the festival. He kicked all the photographers out of the photo pit, either from annoyance, or to become more intimate with the crowd. Earl's recent projects have diverted from the traditional of his earlier projects, but I think experimenting with sounds is great and adds versatility to any artist.
Laneway still lived up to the hype despite the rain, and it was great to be around so many different artists and familiarise myself with some of the dope Australian acts the country has to offer.
Brandon Taylor hails from Hartford Connecticut, USA and has experience in the sports and rap music industry. As a guest contributor he brings a unique wit to the scene as a writer who passionate about Australia artists.