LANEWAY? OKAY!!
You may not be aware, but our friend Emma is incredible at the art of emails.
Just like she is in conversation, Emma is confident and unfiltered. She is not afraid to reach out to whoever and ask for what she wants. This is how we ended up with two passes for Laneway 2026. As a last minute substitution within the Wanderer ranks, yours truly was able to take ownership of one of these tickets. An offer I simply couldn't refuse.
Laneway 2026 boasted an impressive lineup and a huge number of exclusive acts. From home soil heroes like Armlock, Shady Nasty and The Belair Lip Bombs to headliners Yung Lean and Bladee and Chappell Roan, it was clear this was not one to miss. It was sold out after all, so obviously many others felt the same way…
It’s no secret that Emma is a fan of The Belair Lip Bombs, I’m willing to bet she may even be the biggest fan.. From what I’d gathered, she was there at first call, waiting for the gates to open with two cameras and a smile, ready to make the most of it. It’s just who she is.
In much the same way, I arrived late, no surprises. As I marched with intent from the Moore Park light rail station, overtaking other punters adorned with pink cowboy hats and fishnet tops, I wondered why there was not some cute shuttle bus or party tuk tuk to cart all of us festival goers to the front gates. Oh well…
Speed walking through Centennial Park, my anticipation grew as the sweet sounds of Alex G got louder and clearer. I had rushed my little butt up the highway to make it in time for his set and I was not gonna stop now. Slightly sweaty, I rounded the last corner, crossed the field and made my way through the festival gates. I followed my ears and headed for the main stage. After finding Emma and her crew Harmony and Bridget, we were able to enjoy the last few songs of Alex G together. How nice!
While they headed to Benee, I decided to split and take in my surroundings. We were lucky enough to have access to the VIP section and its exclusive toilets.
Time passed and I perused the festival with little intensity, shopping around from stage to stage, tagging along as Emma made the most of her photo pass. A bit of Benee, some of Lucy Dacus from afar, a little of The Dare, a taste of Role Model.. Really, I was just happy to be there!
Emma tells me that during the fest, the big question was whether we were ‘pinking’ or ‘geesing’.. PinkPantheress versus Geese, the biggest clash on the bill. Both incredible acts in their own right, this 6 o’clock slot would evidently split the festival in two.
For Emma and I, PinkPantheress was unfortunately superseded by Geese. I had obviously heard of them, heard the hype, the name all over the internet in the weeks before… but had not taken the time to listen for myself. I was excited that I would have a true, blind introduction to the band. A little skeptic but invested, I was happily impressed. Keeping classic hard rock in their back pocket, but with driving percussion, catchy hooks’ and Cameron Winter’s unique delivery, Geese’s music is a fresh take on this vintage sound. It was like Gen Z Steely Dan! Two thumbs up.
After the band finished, the sweaty crowd dispersed and I saw some familiar faces. I was now in no rush to see any other act until Yung Lean and Bladee, so I took my time to sit and chat with some old high school friends. Emma had more work to do in the pic pit, so she made her way to Wet Leg and we said goodbye and goodnight for the rest of the festival…
Cruising across the festival grounds at sunset, it seemed everyone was taking a break to eat or chill before the main act Chappel Roan. My main act, however, was about to start. High school Lewis would be so hype if he was in my place at this point of the night. The addictive cloud rap of Yung Lean and Bladee was the soundtrack for my friends and I, 808 bass lines booming out the speakers of our cars with just our P-Plates and nothing to do. It seemed fitting I shared this with my high school chums. The Swedish hip-hop duo definitely delivered. The lights and sounds were incredible…
After their set, my new crew and I made our way back to the main stage for Chappell Roan! OMG! I saw the crowd do the ‘Hot to Go’ dance and watched Chappell nail the one that sounds kinda emo… (Good Luck Babe!)
But unfortunately, it was here that I had to head back home and say goodnight to Laneway for another year….
Ok Emma help me out ….
At this point in writing the piece, Lewis had to rush off to work and enlisted my help to finish it all off. Of course I (Emma) was happy to help
Chappell Roan was incredible and theatrical, even all the way from the back of the crowd. I’d done enough crowd-pushing to last me all year, so instead of trying to get a closer view I was bouncing around with my crew what felt like 600m away from the woman herself. I was interested to check out Mina Galan—Chappell’s set-time clasher—but I really didn’t have it in me, after being rained on and doing one million steps (estimate), so I happily watched Chappell’s set before the girls and I started the trek out the front gates.
Tempting was the offer of the Afterparty tickets from a few friends who were already on the door, but I’d reached my limit. Even knowing I’d potentially be brushing shoulders with some stars, there was nobody who could convince me to enter Liberty Hall on that very night. While Harmo and Bridget navigated getting a lift, I joined my friends at Hot Pizza and maybe went to Pleasure Club later that night… What can I say—I got a reboot.
Laneway blew me away, yet again. That’s two for two. Even the rain us Sydney-goers experienced was very welcome—an escape from the heat we’ve all been feeling. For someone like me who loves to be busy, it was just perfect. Rushing here and there, meeting some real lovely people, jumping in and out of photo pits way less gracefully than Lewis described, I was booked and busy. It’s really no wonder that Laneway is just that festival powering on through it all.