St Jerome’s Laneway Festival, Melbourne, Australia

Imagine this if you will: A dingy little laneway located in the heart of the city. Colourful dumpsters filled with the remains of the Asian takeaways line its narrow existence. Aromas that you’d rather not write home about infiltrate your lungs leaving you gasping for an alternative; the exhaust pipe of a passing city cab, perhaps? Anything to mask the smell. Buried deep within the myriad of CBD waste was Melbourne’s St Jeromes. A ramshackle bar whose existence was cherished by most and whose inevitable end was bemoaned by all.

But out of its shadow came one great festival. St Jeromes Laneway. No longer nestled within the walls of mismatched dumpster lane, St Jeromes Laneway was recently relocated to Footscray Community and Arts Centre and despite all hesitations it seems logic will more often than not over-ride most romantic notions of the past.

As a beginning Sydney quartet Cloud Control play hooks and riffs while listeners scramble to the River stage if only to get their first glimpse of the festival in action. At a little after three the grassy knoll is at its most congested but trips to and from the bar seem to be the main order of the hour. By mid-evening US psychedelic rock experimentalists Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti bring their trademark apathy and ‘f**k ndie rock’ cred to the stage. Strong reverb and a uniform of gold leggings see the avant-garde pioneers play through 2010’s ‘Before Today’ while reminiscing to earlier works ‘Doldrums’ and ‘Underground’. ‘Round Round’ and finisher ‘Bright Lit Blue Skys’ are unanimous favourites of the set while gender bender track ‘Menopause Man’ has me singing at the top of my lungs.

The only bad thing about a really good festival is of course the time clashes, which force fans to choose between two bands they’d rather not. This did in fact contribute to the sparsely sprinkled Ariel Pink audience because over at the Moreland main stage was beloved US jammers Yeasayer. A band that veer from the ‘typical’ sound yet amass audiences through their endearing approach. Similarly to Beach House, the Brooklyn pop-rockers have the crowd in a frenzy. By the time ‘Ambling Alp’ hits the collective peripherals it seems the whole festival has set up camp. Lead vocalist Chris Keating runs back and forth hugging masses of out-reached limbs while not so quietly whispering gratuitous nothings into the mic.

Despite an anthemic performance by the UK’s Foals and the crazy awe-inspiring antics of Les Savy Fav frontman Tim Harrington, who took a dip into the river before drinking its murky contents from his shoe, the Car Park stage is a welcome oasis where relieved bottoms meet sparse greenery. Electronic outlayings from new comers Bear In Heaven and Canada’s electronica innovators Holy Fuck bring a well needed chill out session. Holy Fuck play an energetic and euphoric set presenting tracks from their recently released ‘Latin’. ‘Red Lights’ comes near the end and has all two legs standing.

Melbourne’s leg of the St Jerome’s Laneway Festival was set on the day after a storm born out of this turbulent weather, and anxieties could not be shaken. Many festival-goers had fears of a similar fate and the sky’s grey complexion was only further reminder; but thankfully for all those involved the heavens remained intact though it seems some poncho-wielding punters may have preferred otherwise.