Opening acts for hugely anticipated megastars can often be
uncomfortable viewing experiences - through no fault of their own, but
simply due to the crowd's impatience. Fortunately, such was not the
case for Watercolours, with Chelsea Metcalf the most self-assured I've
ever seen her. Metcalf's usually tense stage presence was relaxed and
irreverent, and she bantered with the crowd without the usual anxious
undercurrent, even getting off the stage to dance around with the
barrier-clutchers. Although the interaction between Metcalf and
support musician Jonathan Pearce was curiously vibeless, he played a
great second fiddle as an accomplished musician and straight man to
Metcalf's fun, slightly chaotic antics. Watercolours did a great job
prepping a receptive and mixed crowd.
With all the families, you might think you were at Christmas in the
Park, and the crowd was outrageously well-behaved compared to some of
the antics seen at Laneway previously. Conditions were perfect for a
Lorde show. The weather didn't pack a sad, the vibe was relaxed, and
Laneway did a great job keeping an all-ages crowd safe and happy. One
caveat though: with so many punters of different ages, sizes and
able-bodied-ness, it would have been nice if more people had been able
to see Lorde on stage. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Laneway
could do with taking a leaf out of Big Day Out's book and putting up
some big screens. Even a slightly more elevated stage would have made
a huge difference to a lot of people's enjoyment.
It would be hard for anybody to live up to the weight of expectation
Yelich-O'Connor had on her shoulders, but she surpassed it in terms of
charm, stage presence and vocal ability. Her charisma and maturity has
not been overstated - she flailed around the stage in the graceful yet
ungainly manner favoured by young chanteuses, but with a refreshing
lack of self-conciousness, and delivered such one-liners as 'I'm sorry
to swear you guys but I won two fucking Grammys!!!', along with
repeated thanks and praise to the audience, with genuine humour and
warmth - you could practically see the connection vibrating between
audience and stage. The teen bellowing every word of 'Royals' into my
right ear was definitely feeling it, and so was I. Every time Lorde
took a step towards the front of the stage, the crowd would freak out.
I didn't really expect that songs which sounded so full and polished
in the studio would translate so well to a live performance, but
Lorde, always one step ahead, had showed customary thoughtfulness in
crafting tracks such as 'Ribs' which, she explained, she had redrafted
following last year's Laneway Festival with the idea of making it a
glorious live experience. The set-up was typically minimalist and
tasteful; lighting was restricted to white and gold, and Lorde's band
were dressed in crisp white. This was incredibly effective, though:
seeing Yelich-O'Connor drenched in a hazy golden light seemed
particularly apt. Drummer Ben Barter played as precisely as always,
carrying entire tracks on his shoulders with ease, while keyboardist
Jimmy Mac added flourish without ever gilding the lily.
It's easy to forget in the face of all the hype over her age, dress
and soundbites that Lorde is, above all, a phenomenal singer. This was
particularly apparent when she covered James Blake's 'Retrograde' -
her voice soars in a way that's easier to comprehend without the
emotional baggage so many of us have come to attach to her album.
Rich, sonorous and pure, it's only going to get better with age.
Perhaps taking on the simplicity of Blake's track and applying it to
her own work will help to showcase Lorde's golden vocals on future
projects.