06/02/2026

Laneway Festival – Western Springs: February 5, 2026 (13th Floor Concert Review)

Despite a couple of significant hiccups, Laneway Festival 2026 was a success — a reminder of the positive power of collective experience and the value of keeping your horizons open to discovering new music.

Having attended many Laneway Festivals over the years at both Silo and Albert Parks, 2026 was somehow my first at Western Springs. It’s a festival I’ve long associated with having a finger on the pulse of artists either on the verge of breaking big or pushing a sound uniquely theirs. Off the top of my head: Denzel Curry, St Vincent, Jon Hopkins, Grimes, Mitski, and Run The Jewels are all artists I fell in love with through seeing live at Laneway before listening to their records.

Feeling optimistic about the day’s discoveries, I queued a full fifty minutes before gates opened. The line was already labouring across Great North Road and up Bullock Track. Although gates opened at 12:30, I only reached the ticket scanner at 1:15 — meaning I entirely missed Whanganui-a-Tara’s Lontalius.

Ringlets

Once inside, I skipped the merch booth and headed down the tree-lined path to the Harikoa stage to catch what was left of Tāmaki Makaurau post-punkers Ringlets. I arrived to a sparse audience and a near-empty stage. Turns out the band had to leave for several minutes while a sound issue was resolved.

They sounded righteous upon their return. Arabella Poulen’s absorbingly thick bass drenched the soundstage, while guitarist László Reynolds’ clean, angular riffs cut through as effective counterpoints. Their melodic, dark sound evoked 80s pioneers such as Gang of Four and Mission of Burma.

Ringlets seemed at ease in the warmth of daylight. Singer Leith Towers, barefoot and in good voice, even flashed the crowd a hint of a smile despite his foreboding presence. Four songs after the technical issue, they were building real momentum — but unfortunately, their allotted time had ended.

It does seem harsh for local talent to begin sets before attendees have even gotten through the gates.

Gigi Perez

Cuban-American songwriter Gigi Perez was an excellent early afternoon highlight on the main stage. Clad in double denim, she delivered a set of full-bodied acoustic pop rockers. Her sense of melody was immediate — songs I’d never heard felt familiar by the second chorus. The delivery was encouraging and uplifting despite lyrical heaviness.

Her three-piece band added punch and immediacy. Sonya Rae Taylor fired off a ripping guitar solo during Chemistry, and the rhythm section added a driving bounce to Sleeping. Her most successful track, Sailor, closed the set — also receiving the fully amplified ‘band’ treatment. Although the recorded versions of her songs are more stripped-back, I’m fully onboard for further listening.

Perez declared she’s ready to move to New Zealand after spending a week here. Judging from her reception, she’d be welcomed.

Mt. Joy

Los Angeles indie rock group Mt. Joy opened with the mildly funky Sheep, its groove fitting for the afternoon heat. But as their soft-rock set progressed, I found myself enjoying them less as one song bled indistinctly into the next.

I struggled to find what felt unique to Mt. Joy. Their 70s jam rock elements were more interesting when channelled by My Morning Jacket, their polished indie/folk leanings more elegant when delivered by Angus & Julia Stone, and their outdoorsy vocal stylings more resonant when sung by Fleet Foxes. Still, Silver Lining closed the set on a higher, more vibrant note.

Alex G

With a backdrop of slow-moving navy-blue clouds, Alex G delivered a whipsmart set of concise, tightly crafted tunes packed with unexpected flourishes. Switching between keyboard, accordion, electric guitar, and finger-picked acoustic numbers, he and his band layered textures through wind chime piano tones, pitch-shifted vocals, and abstract samples.

June Guitar retained its delicate motif while unexpectedly bursting into articulate distortion for the choruses before abruptly dropping back — a great use of 90s alt.rock dynamics.

Songs like Real Thing leaned into understated, Elliot Smith-esque vocal melodies — at least until the atonal single chord outro arrived.

Drummer Tom Kelly expertly heightened the dynamic shifts. In many instrumental passages, Alex G stood with his back to the crowd, facing the kit, feeding off the groove. Watching the band communicate so intuitively was a highlight. Alex G expressed genuine gratitude, but he also looked like someone equally immersed in the joy of arranging these songs with his bandmates in rehearsal.

Benee

A mad dash back to the Harikoa stage was slowed by bottlenecked foot traffic. Benee was going hard when I arrived to a packed field.

The last time I saw her at Laneway was pre-Supalonely TikTok explosion. Back then, her live show had a brighter aesthetic and a larger live band. Now, Benee has embraced a darker, weirder intensity — and I’m here for it.

With jet black hair and a metallic spiked crop top, she moved across the stage with hyperactive energy and eccentric poses.

Naturally, Soaked, Supalonely, and Green Honda triggered the loudest singalongs. But the crowd mirrored her energy for the entire set. Songs like Off The Rails and Princess from her new record Ur An Angel I’m Just Particles were powered by pounding bass and heavy electronic layering. Accompanied by just drums and guitar, the prevalent backing tracks created a chaotic, exhilarating wall of sound. I absolutely loved it.

GEESE

The moment Benee ended, an excited — and slightly aggressive — energy filled the front rails as fans jostled into position while GEESE set up. Anticipation was high for the Brooklyn band whose album Getting Killed had dominated end-of-year lists.

The set opened with Emily Green’s hypnotic guitar line beneath Cameron Winter’s powerful, weathered voice. The crowd reacted viscerally each time he delivered a line with some extra spite or volume: you can’t keep running away from what is real and what is fake.

Then as the full band entered — and everything fell apart.

The sound mix was the worst I have ever heard at a professional gig. The bass guitar drowned out every other instrument. Song after song, people looked around in confusion. Between tracks, audience members yelled “turn the guitars up!” and “turn the bass down!”

Through strained ears I occasionally caught glimmers of what makes GEESE special. Half Real had an aching vocal delivery, and the band built a slow, fragile intensity that felt like it could collapse at any moment. Like they were teetering on the edge of a cliff in slow motion. But eventually, the mix defeated me, and I left five songs in.

Wet Leg

Back at the main stage — delicious Wise Boys vege-burger in hand — I watched Wet Leg crank up the energy with unwavering commitment to fun. Outside of vague awareness of Chaise Lounge (I had expected to be watching GEESE), I had done no prior listening. Wet Leg won me over instantly.

Frontwoman Rhian Teasdale, armed with a transparent neon green guitar, shredded on her knees, strutted the stage’s catwalk, and briefly lost her prescription glasses amongst the chaos. Her outfit — with a bass and treble clef intertwined into a love heart on her chest and “Hardcore For Life” scrawled across the back of her shorts — matched the band’s quirky, overdriven sound. I didn’t know any of the songs, yet I was invested in every single one.

Wolf Alice

It makes sense Wolf Alice has returned to Laneway, given their ability to reinvent themselves and push further into mainstream territory. In 2018, they delivered a vicious set of spacey, grunge-leaning riffs. That was the version of the band I fell in love with.

This time, they showcased their latest effort The Clearing. Against a shimmering silver tinsel backdrop, much of the set leaned into acoustic-tinged 70s rock. Thorns, Just Two Girls, Leaning Against the Wall, and The Sofa highlighted a newly found gift for the more breezy, melodically layered tunes anchoring Ellie Rowsell vocal as the natural focal point. Ironically, this milder material felt like the bolder choice for Wolf Alice — though it sometimes underutilised guitarist Joff Oddie. Still, a great musicians should serve the song above themselves..

Bloom Baby Bloom was the standout of the new material. Its jilted piano line, heavy rhythm, sporadic electric guitar stabs, and god-tier vocal work all landed with power.

Heavier tracks like Formidable Cool and the one-two punk punch of Yuk Foo into Play the Greatest Hits provided a welcome noisy contrast in the set. It was also great to hear a generous helping of Blue Weekend cuts, given New Zealand was skipped entirely in the down-under tour for that record.

Chappell Roan

Judging by the number of jewel-covered pink cowboy hats and fabulously dressed attendees, Chappell Roan was clearly the day’s biggest draw.

The stage resembled a fairytale castle: a second story with balcony, a winding staircase, pearly gates. And while the lengthy catwalk had been used throughout the day, let’s be honest — it was built for her.

Cast in shadowy green light, her five-piece band warmed up the crowd before energy exploded with Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl as Chappell Roan ascended onto the balcony.

The opening third of the set was especially mind-blowing, as it took me a few songs to climatize to the awesome. Watching Chappell Roan her kick her legs high, spin circles, and bounce across the stage with total freedom felt surprisingly empowering.

Femininomenon, Naked in Manhattan, Guilty Pleasure, and Hot To Go! All had the distinct feeling of Chappell Roan leading a thirty-thousand-person strong 80s workout video. The constant bouncing of her band and bursts of pyrotechnics further adding to the visual spectacle.

The Subway brought the first major tonal shift — her powerful delivery and the massive “she got away, she got a way” outro was easily the biggest singalong of the entire festival, drowning Chappell Roan out of her own song. The circular melody has a distinct na na na nanna na na Hey Jude, quality.

Mid-set featured a ferocious cover of Heart’s Barracuda, complete with glam/metal guitar solo. Red Wine Supernova and Good Luck, Babe showcased a more driven acoustic sound evoking the feel of an Era-sized Taylor Swift performance. The finale — Pink Pony Club was bathed in pink light with an extended outro and was hugely cathartic.

Chappell Roan and her band surprised me with just how cohesive and proficient the entire production was. Forgotten lyrics were shrugged off with charm; spontaneous banter only made her more lovable. For an artist I’d only casually listened to, the set was a masterclass in attention-capturing and pure positivity.