Words by Ethan Thomas // Images by Angus Bell Young

“I have you in the palm of my hand Sydney.”

2025 was a year of many firsts for St Jerome’s Laneway Festival, including its first year at a new location in Centennial Park. This festival marked a number of first-time Australian performances, Djo & Fcukers, Charli XCX’s first Australian BRAT shows, and Bicep’s first Australian performance of their CHROMA AV project. It’s also the first time the Sydney Laneway Festival sold out in a single day, and, on a personal note, my first time seeing all the acts on the lineup.

Laneway had so much to offer this year that I couldn’t condense it to just a few paragraphs, so I’ve included a few of my raw thoughts throughout the day.

For me, the day started in the Everything Ecstatic tent with Girl and Girl.

12:35pm – Whose mum is that absolutely shredding on the drums?
Turns out that’s Aunt Liss and she’s a rockstar.

Girl and Girl were a wonderful Aussie addition to this star-studded heavily international line up. A notable moment was lead singer Kai James (AKA Aunt Liss’s nephew) leading us through an improv Hot-To-Go dance and then immediately apologising for doing so.

12:55pm – It’s a little too sunny for the brooding shoegazing sounds of Julie but it’s a vibe.

As the crowd starts growing little by little, patterns emerge. While the new venue gives the illusion you’re at a festival like Listen Out there’s a noticeable difference in dress code.

1:24pm – JORTS JORTS JORTS, BOOTS BOOTS BOOTS.

In the 1:25 slot, Filipino musician Eyedress opened up the Good Better Best Stage, the sun must have been getting to me a little here because all I wrote was “This is sick, it’s like Mac Demarco meets a way heavier Mac Demarco’

2pm – I should have worn more sunscreen

2:17pm – Thank you Dance Wise. I am now LATHERED in sunscreen.

2:45pm – As Fcukers took the stage in the Everything Ecstatic tent, the girl behind me groaned, “Why is he getting on a drum set? Fuck that, I thought this was a DJ.” Five minutes later, lost in groovy breaks, sexy synths, and Shannon Wise’s dreamy vocals, she was dancing like she’d been a fan for years. We love a converted skeptic.

3:33pm: Why is Olivia Dean holding a banana?
3:34pm: It’s an instrument, a banana shaped instrument.
The crowd is now swelling, a chorus of thousands singing along with Olivia Dean—maybe just as confused about the banana as I was.
My surprise highlight of the day? Joey Valence & Brae at the 3:45 slot on the Everything Ecstatic stage. Not familiar with the act, I went in with no expectations, but whatever they could’ve been, they wouldn’t have been high enough—these two are unmissable.
3:55pm: If Brae’s jean shorts were an inch longer they’d just be jeans.

At 4pm Remi Wolf ran us through a series of exercises to “warm us up spiritually” so we could “get dumb and DAMAGE ourselves”. I pulled a hamstring watching Remi repeatedly kick her foot above her head; damage done.

4:58pm: Holy shit the guy from Stranger Things can SHRED.

While Djo was showing the crowd how strange things can really get, Melbourne producer STÜM had transformed the Everything Eclectic stage into a full-blown rave cave, unleashing massive techno drops with touches of trance and DNB. Then came Hamdi, bringing a slice of the UK to Centennial Park—there was something surreal about a sea of brat-clad fans losing their minds to filthy wubs.

Back over to the Good Better Best and Never Let It Rest stages, Clairo followed by Beabadoobee brought a little bit of mellow to the crowd. Around the 7:20 mark Beabadoobee played to a crowd of smiling, sunburnt faces, heads on shoulders, soaking in the sunset—grateful, no doubt, for a little shade.

7:46pm Stared at a rainbow while waiting for the bathroom. Honestly the sky’s so beautiful right now I can’t even hear the music.

As the sun finally sets, the night begins. Only three acts left. The conjoined main stages are now at full capacity. Barry Can’t Swim has the task ahead of him to set the scene for the night. Barry tickled the ivories and my fancy, performing beautiful live piano melodies on thumping house beats, there was an almost gospel like feel to this Sunday session. Clearly aware of the metaphor after turning the dial up to 11 for this now heaving crowd Barry Can’t Swim invites his mate somedeadbeat up to the stage to perform Deadbeat Gospel. The church of Barry was officially in session.

Though we could’ve attended the sermon for hours, there was more devilish business to be done. I think the guy standing in front of me said it perfect: “Charli’s on in 5 minutes, oh my God I’m gonna scream. I’m gonna scream and cream”.

It’s now 8:45pm, this isn’t your grandma’s Laneway Festival. Around 40,000 people are gathered around the dual main stages as the iconic green curtain drops. Not much needs to be said about Charli XCX’s performance, she summed it up herself about 20 minutes in – “I have you in the palm of my hand Sydney”.
Australia’s been waiting a hot minute for the BRAT summer to make its way over here and it didn’t disappoint. From the front to the back Von Dutch had 40,000 brats with their hands in the air bouncing so hard I think Centennial park sunk an inch.

Sneaking away to peak at what Bicep was doing in the Everything Ecstatic tent – the CHROMA AV set was absolutely pumping. Walking into the tent was like entering a completely different world, a sense of euphoria washed over the crowd in waves as Bicep played some club classics of their own.

Charli mentioned “there’s a rumour it might rain later, but promise me you’re not going anywhere”. Like the old Crowded House tune it seems she brought the weather with her and the Brat summer held out for one more rainless night, leaving everyone’s jorts nice and dry, but honestly it wouldn’t have mattered, as the girl behind me screamed in my ear “Don’t worry Charli! We’re not going anywhere.”