We’ve all got those bands we wish we knew when they were playing tiny venues. We rarely get the chance for a do-over, but LANY treated Aussie fans to just that when they decided to return to the very first venues they played in this country last weekend. The shows were announced less than a week before they happened and LANY fans were quick to jump on the very limited tickets. I couldn’t quite believe I scored two, especially when I read that they sold out in minutes.
The Oxford Art Factory has a listed capacity of 500, but I’m not sure it held even that. It certainly felt very intimate as we shuffled into this warehouse-style room for the show. There was such a buzz in the air, like we all knew how special this was going to be. And special it was. A short, stripped-back set that celebrated the new material while paying homage to their back catalogue. The tracks from LANY’s upcoming album, i really really hope so, came out early. The beautiful thing about playing such a small gig before an album release is that the people that are there love you. They won’t criticise you like those Red Hot Chilli Peppers fans who wanted the old favourites. They’ll be thrilled to hear these songs live for the first time. And they’ll sing along to every damn word. Even to “XXL”, which dropped on Friday. The smile on lead singer Paul’s face as we joined him in those new lyrics was everything.
This was always advertised as a half-hour show, so I wondered what old favourites might make the cut. When you’re performing for such die-hard fans, you really get the opportunity to play anything that moves you after all. Fittingly for this venue, LANY took it right back, playing “pink skies” from the kinda EP and “Super Far,” “13”, and the predictable but perfect closer, “ILYSB”, from their self-titled debut album. I tried to hang onto every moment, but soon enough the fans down the front were throwing roses on the stage and Paul was assuring us they’d be back early next year. I can’t wait. Until then, I’ll hold my memories of this very special night in Eora/Sydney with LANY close to my heart.
Image source: own photos
