Laneway 2025

(Olivia Dean set. Image Cred. Lucinda Welsh)

It’s 12:30 on the day of Laneway Festival. Lucy and I are in our festival gear–mini shorts and all–as we begin the long and winding walk to the entrance. The sight of the Flemington Racecourse (in all its corporate-ness) is a funny backdrop for the day ahead. Buzzed festival goers dressed in hot pants, neon green and Von Dutch trucker hats flow in to take over Flemington Park for the day. Sunglasses are donned and we are counting down the hours until Charli XCX’s set.

As we approach the Dean Turner stage, the punky bright sound of The Vovo’s fill our ears. The girls deliver energised performances of old favourites such as ‘Beth needs a girlfriend’ and ‘Pink Milk’, and new songs with a heavier, grittier edge. Bassist Lu takes to the mic and they finish with ‘Horse of Freedom’, driving home their eclectic punk-bitch spirit.

Lucy reporting here- we then made our way over to the Good Better Best stage where we were able to catch Eyedress. One of my favorite things about seeing them at Laneway was seeing singer Idris Vicuña’s cap which bore the logo of ALIEN³, (arguably the worst film in the Alien franchise) as I never thought I’d ever see someone own merch for a film so polarising. As a film nerd it gave me a good laugh. The gritty aesthetic of the David Fincher-directed film fits the dark cinematic vibe of the singer’s music perfectly. The singer's set was infused with internet-era dream-like nostalgia with the graphics being low-poly animation in the style of a Playstation game from the 2000s. The 80s post-punk and gothic influences were definitely felt in the audience as we felt a more moody atmosphere take hold despite the sunshine beating down. It was a great follow up to Julie, another edgy bedroom pop outlet who played the festival.  Lucy out.

(Eyedress set. Image Cred. Dom Niere)

Another layer of sunscreen, another set. Anticipation filled the crowd at the Good Better Best stage, which quickly doubled when Olivia Dean came on. A valentine’s day gift to us all-not just her stark professionalism and perfect vocals, but her flirtatious and captivating engagement with the crowd. The band were highly skilled, elevating the jazz and soul influences of the music, not missing a note. Olivia grooved and danced throughout, knowing the rhythms of her songs like second nature. This set was an absolute highlight.

On the Never Let It Rest stage next door, we geared up for Remi Wolf. Her energy and eccentricity was immediately apparent when she invited the crowd to do a pre-show exercise. She had us waving our arms around, moving our hips, and letting our freak flag fly (as per instructions). Classics like ‘Cinderella’ and ‘Toro’ had people jumping and dancing, and their wacky energy and lyrics made for a loose crowd. Remi’s unique singing style was in full bloom when she belted and growled during those few lines of ‘Toro’, and the distortion used on the mic was a classic Remi touch. The musical complexity and quirkiness of her songs shone in a live environment, each instrumentalist looking very busy keeping up with their many moving parts (overlapping riffs, key changes and tempo changes).

A highlight was the slowed down rendition of ‘Sexy Villain’, which transformed the song into a slow bopping, almost reggae-style jam. Throughout the set, Remi took liberty in dancing in strange ways, and toying with melodies and vocal styles. This all made for a stimulating, interesting and fun performance. Props to you, Remi Wolf.

Finally it was time.

Brat. It’s a mood. It’s an aesthetic. It’s a lifestyle. It’s an album. It’s a colour. Time stopped during the unfurling of the brat tapestry at Laneway. I’ve been following Charli xcx’s career since 2018, and if you told me then that in a few years time I’ll be in a crowd of thousands of people who fought tooth and nail to get a ticket to see her, I would be in disbelief. With the release of brat it felt like she had gone from boundary-pushing critical darling to it-girl overnight. There was no way in hell I was going to miss her stop in Melbourne.

In true brat spirit her set began with a DJ mix of Club classics which set the crowd alight. The stripped down setup- no band, only Charli- commanded every ounce of your attention, no matter how far away from the stage you were. Her larger-than-life brat persona stomped the stage throughout the set. The strobing lights and non-stop crowd definitely mimics the atmosphere of a raging club night- the brat ethos. My favourite moment however was the performance of the experimental song Track 10. A fan favourite from albums past, it may catch the average brat fan off guard, but as a long time Charli fan I was almost moved to tears. The song is a rollercoaster of emotion that crescendos to a chaotic finish and seems insane for a pop artist like Charli to include it on a festival set list, but I’m so glad she did. To experience a song that is pure emotion, beyond any coherent lyrics, in a huge crowd is incredible and a testament to the power of electronic music. Her set was just so perfectly brat in every way- stoic and yet vulnerable. And exactly what we needed after the long day.

Laneway was a fantastic experience- the sets were tight, crowds were friendly and the performers were incredible. Definitely be on the lookout for tickets next year!