Laneway finally arrived in Melbourne and as the temperatures were set to soar, there was a line-up just as savage.

Here are our top three from the day, and please understand how difficult this task was, the creators of festival didn’t make it easy. They have themselves to blame.

Shame

The hype for this band has been on a pretty steep incline for the past few months and these London lads did not disappoint. Shame opened the Spinning Top stage at 1pm and by that time it was already 28 degrees Celsius which felt like 40. Fear not, frontman Charlie Steen was dressed for the occasion as seen in the photos below. And it was his personal mission to get the crowd getting amongst it with their pure angst along with their thriving guitars and erupting drums. Their music gets up in your face literally as Steen proceeded to do the second song in. Their set was thrilling and you didn’t know what was going to happen next which is the whole appeal. They were defiantly setting the standard for the Spinning Top stage, with the likes of Dream Wife, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever and Pond to feature throughout the day. Noted as one of 2018’s most exciting bands, they delivered frantically raw punk, better than a cup of a coffee to start your day. Don’t let their baby faces fool you, they are politically aware and want to tell you all about it. Laneway was their platform and they didn’t waste it.

Billie Eilish

The 16-year-old had a pretty hefty crowd gathering down at the Very West Stage. The stage was running a little behind schedule but Billie Eilish was defiantly worth the wait. Opening with bellyache she left people in awe due to her faultless tone and effortlessly cool stage presence. With her age on her side, she jumped in the rising heat around the stage without a doubt of tiredness. The crowd sang along to their favourites &burn and ocean eyes and raws of cheer erupted like waves on that stage by the river. Her guitarist/ backup dancer/ brother was by her side as she worked the space like she owned the festival. And a few moves we will keep in our repertoire I’m sure. This Californian native had the crowd under her spell and we were happily enjoying it.  A cover of Drake’s Hotline Bling was thrown in the mix and it added an extra element to her already vibrant set. The youngest member on the Laneway bill defiantly proved that age is just a number. And as 2018 develops so will the hype that is Billie Eilish.

Wolf Alice

Launching onto the stage with fury and energy Wolf Alice managed to get everyone’s eyes magnetised to the stage within the first verse they performed. After the release of their highly anticipated second album, Visions Of A Life, last year the crowd was excited to hear their new stuff. Swinging guitars around and screaming into the crowd was what the audience was being presented by the North-London band, and we were happy to accept. They have played the biggest festivals and stages in the world so they know how to put on a show. Cementing themselves as one of the biggest bands of the festival, they left a long lasting impression on everyone that watched them. “Wolf Alice were insane”, I overheard from a punter. Being such an experienced band, they shared closeness and cohesiveness on stage which is a spectacle in itself. The crowd sang along to Beautifully Unconventional and yelled along with Moaning Lisa Smile showing the band’s dynamic range. They were on point in every aspect and their electric and evocative nature highly resonated with the crowd. Even if the set went for 4 hours, it still wouldn’t have been enough.

Special Mention and very very close forth, Miss Blanks. You only need to see her live to understand why.

Photos: Liz Stephens