Changing Lanes Festival - more photos

Sunday's first ever Changing Lanes Festival was quite the success. Following Tuesday's review of the big day here at BobbySix.com, here are a bunch more photos, courtesy of Emma Daniels and Rob Townsend.

Changing Lanes Festival

After much wrangling with the local council, Sunday saw the inaugural Changing Lanes Festival in Sydney's Newtown. With cheap-as-chips tickets selling out in a heartbeat, the event's debut was hotly anticipated and, joyfully, it lived up to expectations, with a fine mix of music and art throughout the day.

Spread over one lane and The Bank Hotel, punters had the choice of three stages for their musical pleasures while, twixt the two venues, they were able to quench their thirst and hunger and browse at market stalls. Nicely laid-back with an audience of chilled music lovers, the vibe was similar to the early days of the St Jerome's Laneway Festival.

Kicking things off was a solo set from Richard (In Your Mind) Cartwright (above). The first time I saw RIYM, I really didn't get it. However, alone with an acoustic guitar, Cartwright makes much more sense. His strange warble sounded delightfully fragile in a Daniel Johnston/Conor Oberst kinda way and his short, sweet set was a great way to start the day.

Earnest Ellis might have a strong voice and big, epic songs, but, not for the first time, they soared right over my head. Conversely, Cabins' performance (above) didn't so much sail over the audience as drill its way relentlessly through their bodies. Their bone-shaking set - which included a cheeky cover of Edwin Collins' A Girl Like You - was loud with a capital L.O.U.D. and their catchy indie with alternating vocalists was the highlight of the day.

But for a couple of exceptions, I've always found Aussie hip-hop to be a fairly embarrassing caricature of its Stateside big brother, and Thundermentals' cliched set did nothing to change my mind. Anyone with decent taste should have instead headed to the Hip Hop Stage where Count Doyle and Captain Franco were not playing anything that resembled hip-hop, but rather mixing some delicious sounds from yesteryear.

Back on the main stage, Bridezilla (above) looked resplendent in red as they performed a handful of promising new songs in their 30-minute set, the last of which really showed the band's desire to push themselves in new directions. This set-closer saw Millie Hall put down the saxophone and take centre stage, playing keys and sharing lead vocals with Holiday Sidewinder. Written by Hall, the poppy number was infectious enough to suggest it will soon be quite the crowd-pleaser, with Hall, Sidewinder and guitarist Pia May delivering some 60s girl-group singalong harmonies.

By the time headliners Tame Impala took to the stage, many of the crowd had found vantage points by climbing walls and hanging off fences and went suitably nuts to the Perth band's psych-groove sound, before the party shifted to The Bank Hotel, where Jingle Jangle DJs were getting things going with some old school rock 'n' roll. As the evening went on, the likes of Levins and HOOPS kept revellers entertained.

Such was the success of this first festival that, next year, you can expect more artists, more markets and more bands. However, there is no doubt that, while this festival is set to grow and grow, it will do so organically rather than chasing the dollar. Anyone who attended on Sunday left with the feeling that this was the start of something really rather wonderful.

Photos courtesy of Emma Daniels. Check back at BobbySix.com later in the week for more photos from Changing Lanes.

Changing Lanes Festival gets the go-ahead

It wasn't long ago that I was bemoaning how festivals can just lazily shove up a couple of stages and charge the shirtless masses extortionate amounts for tickets to watch Dizzy Rascal and Muse for the umpteenth time. Since then I have been impressed by a (hopefully) changing dynamic. Smirnoff's innovative approach to enhancing festival experiences, both at Future Music and at their own extravaganzas, is exciting and, as always, I found this year's Laneway to be a delightful way to spend a Sunday.

Last week, another festival that promises to be more about the whole experience than just the music got the green light from Marrickville Council after months of hard work. Changing Lanes, presented by MAPS Entertainment and in collaboration with the Sydney Fringe Festival, is a fund raiser for FBi Radio. It will take place on the 19th of September in Newtown, Sydney and will celebrate the city's brimming artistic and music communities. The line-up - announced soon - will feature bands and DJs that span indie, rock, acoustic, dub-step, hip-hop and electro. Local and international street artists will involve themselves throughout the day in a live painting event and there will also be food, fashion, vinyl and bike stalls there.

Ticketing details should be announced imminently.