1 November 2024 – MCA, Melbourne – words by Sarah Gorozidis – pictures by Paris Gorozidis
You could sense the excitement and anticipation in the air, both inside and outside of the arena. LANY, an indie pop band from California, were scheduled to grace the stage of Margaret Court Arena in June of this year. Although lead singer Paul, was involved in a serious car accidenct causing severe injury, ultimately leading to the band postponing the tour to give time for him to heal and recover. Hence the amplified amount of excitement you could feel in the atmosphere.
Culture Wars from Houston, Texas kicked off the night. Jumping on as a support for LANY last minute, they were electrifying. Having a heavier and more rock sound compared to the headlining band, they possessed more aggressive basslines and grittier guitar chords. Having also just played a show in Melbourne the night prior, Culture Wars left a good impression for all who saw.
Something that intrigued me the most was the structure and set up of the stage which I thought was super fun. It was a sort of trapezoid shape with fans gathered in the middle which was the standing area. Also on either side of the main stage there were platforms which Paul utilised throughout the duration of their set. It felt as if he was trying to reach and interact with every single corner of the arena, solidifying the artist/audience relationship which is something I find super charming and important.
LANY – MCA – photos by Paris Gorozidis
As soon as the music began and the lights dimmed you could tell by the screams that the crowd had been waiting for this very moment for a while. The stadium was engulfed by a dystopian atmospheric instrumental for the 10 minutes before LANY took the stage. It did the job as the lighting technician teased the fans with the lighting but in my opinion it was a bit excessive. It would’ve been more effective if the intro ran just for a few minutes. Although as soon as the curtain fell everyone was stuck in the moment and instantly, Paul was covered in flowers.
LANY – MCA – photos by Paris Gorozidis
LANY took Margaret Court Arena by storm and you wouldn’t have thought that Paul was in a hospital bed 4 months ago. Playing songs off their most recent album ‘A Beautiful Blur’ and classics such as ‘Thich and Thin’, ‘Thru These Tears’ and ‘ILYSB’ LANY was a force to be reckoned with. The front man knows how to work a crowd and interact with them, during ‘ex i never had’ he picked up a video camera and filmed the crowd which was projected onto the back of the stage. The visuals which accompanied each song in the set were simply divine and added that little extra to add to the immersiveness of the show.
LANY – MCA – photos by Paris Gorozidis
The trust between LANY and their fans is something like no other. Paul wandered into the crowd on multiple occasions both in the mosh and seating sections and you’d just see the sea of people split. There was so much love and trust in that room which flowed both ways and it’s something you don’t come by very often and that’s what makes it so special.
LANY, especially Paul, were so grateful to be alive and on that stage, you could tell by the way he spoke, moved and sang on stage which was something truely amazing to see.
