With Brisbane experiencing another horrific spell of torrential and unfortunate flooding, hidden away deep in the concrete jungle known as the Fortitude Valley, the annual St Jerome’s Laneway Festival served up its most unique and delicate line-up to date.

Being the first stop of the international festival (which has recently expanded out to the adoring Singaporeans) Brisbane has always acted as the ‘bench raiser’ gig, and is reputed as the rowdiest as well.

Thinking of their audience just before the gig, the lovely chaps behind the traveling festival thankfully rearranged the staging for the day. Rather than actually playing in surrounding lane ways, as the name would suggest, for just this once, this year was all undercover. Chucking the main stage under a roof however paid off, as the acoustics and lighting only amplified the intensity of some acts – but more on that later.

First up, and one of the most uplifting acts of the day, the Pajama Club happily graced the drowned Brisbane crowd. Headed by the ever-so famous Neil Finn and his wife, this indie fused soul with a dash of electronica is the work of musical chemistry. With a bit of vintage Finn thrown in, even the older nostalgic fans fell in love with this Pajama Club.

Staying in the same spot, shaded under a large white roof as the rain came down, the English folk musician Laura Marling smiled as she walked on stage. Spending her 22nd birthday in Australia for this festival, the stylish young adult rocked an adorable yet simple attire whilst onstage the Windish Agency Stage. As crowd favourites Ghosts, Goodbye England and Rambling Man amazed the hypnotised audience, it only seemed fitting that the backdrop for such intense music was a thunderous storm.

Dashing away from Laura’ set, running towards the Zoo and Big Sound Stage, the tremendous high pitch and vocal range delivered from Active Child were real goose bump givers. Unaware of most tunes, recent radio friendly hit Hold On bought the biggest cheer. Walking around the venue during the set, swallowed in a sea of suitcases sales, fashion, art and knick-knacks, it was clear that the weather unfortunately stuffed the promoters around more than any other fault. An obvious shame not to use the streets of Brisbane to highlight what was on offer, it was disappointing to see all showcases crammed almost in one room, causing a claustrophobic effect for everyone involved.

Perth boys, now adopted Melbourne-rs, The Panics glamorously captivated punters with their magical relaxed rock genre. Blasting through a set of emotional classics from Cruel Guards and recent album Rain on the Humming Wire, lead singer Jae Laffer and his clan are treated with a standing ovation due to their ongoing achievements within Australian music.

2010’s Splendour in the Grass favourite The Drums drew the largest crowd of the day by far. Instantly kick-starting the party with pop-rock hits Me and the Moon and Best Friend early on, the American lads jumped through their critically acclaimed albums Portamento and The Drums. Known for their upbeat and bouncy sound, favourable tracks Money and Let’s Go Surfing almost made it impossible not to dance.

Unfortunately, due to several technical difficulties, M83 ran almost 40 minutes over their allocated start time. Pulling a Kanye West, the hyped Hottest 100 favourite lost many of their fans to other headliner – and far better choice – SBTRKT.

Mainly used as a livestock shed, the masked man known as SBTRKT stunned and shocked the cattle inside the Eat Your Own Ears and Young Turks Stage. The anonymous producer, joined by guest Sampha’s silky smooth vocal chords, not only produced every track live onstage, but playfully impressed all with live mixing as well. Through the artistic use of looping, editing and recording, the standout SBTRKT took familiar album tracks and simply rearranged, repositioned and revamped every single sound. Needless to say, the set was flawless in every aspect, even if they were almost pulled off stage due to strict time restrictions.

Regardless of the currently failing festival market, the first leg of the 2012 Laneway Festival has actually been quite a success. Even if the rain played havoc, and the lineup did seem almost ‘too unique’ for some, Laneway continued to keep tradition without destroying any relations. Throwing the fresh and upcoming talents of tomorrow in the mix with the already established acts, fans will continue to flock to the streets for years to come. Let’s just hope it doesn’t rain next year.