It’s that time of the year again that we get ourselves revved up for the massive Laneway Festival tour of Australia, New Zealand and Sinagpore – the first date of which kicks off this weekend in the Asian city. Now the only question is: who do we see? We’ve gone through the lineup and chosen you the five international artists we reckon are not to be missed…
FKA Twigs
Which Cities? Singapore, All Australian Dates, Auckland
Sideshows? Melbourne – Jan 28th & 29th, Sydney – Feb 3rd & 4th
Call her whatever genre you like just don’t expect her to stick to it. FKA Twigs has emerged as one of the breakout stars of 2014, getting over with her hypnotic single “Two Weeks” and continuing to channel all that wonder into a full album. You can tell from listening to her that this artist has bigger ambitions than just making a hit record here and there, she wants to dominate music – something she is very capable of doing; watch her use this platform to show us just that. – Chris Singh
Flying Lotus
Which Cities? All Australian Dates, Auckland
Sideshows? Sydney – February 4th, Melbourne – February 5th
FlyLo just put out one of the finest and most diverse albums of his career with “You’re Dead”, couple all that new material and bring it into his fully immersive, totally unique 3D Live Show “Layer 3” and you’ve got yourself the most memorable set you’ll experience at Laneway Festival. No exceptions. This man is a master of his craft, bringing audio-visual sets to a completely new level, resting in the upper echelon of producers and smiling down on the rest. – Chris Singh
Vic Mensa
Which Cities? All Australian Dates, Auckland
Sideshows? Sydney – February 4th, Melbourne – February 5th
The Chicago-bred rapper has been going head to head with his good friend and fellow hip-hop artist Chance the Rapper for much of 2014, with both artists producing some great music. But while both share a refreshingly intriguing and entertaining spark streaming through their music, Vic has developed for himself a live presence and delivery of rhymes which position him well apart from many others in this current wave of fresh faces. “Down On My Luck” is a perfect example of Mensa tapping into the influences around him cleverly, that funked up deep house vibe that throbs through is so cool to roll with. Couple this vibe with a hugely energetic live show he and his crew have turned up to various festivals and headline shows with through last year and…well, you’ve got a Laneway Festival highlight right there. – Sosefina Fuamoli
Benjamin Booker
Which Cities? All Australian Dates
Sideshows? Sydney – Feb 2nd, Melbourne – Feb 5th (SOLD OUT)
He’s one of the most exciting artists coming out of the US right now, with a spectacular debut record that. Hailing from New Orleans, one can only assume that this translates into a stellar live show, in the same way that it’s impossible to look away when Gary Clark Jr. hits the stage. These are men who grew up surrounded by music and incredible musicians, and the influence of their surroundings (in Gary’s case it was Austin, Texas) seeps through in all of their music. He’s without question an artist not to be missed. – Larry Heath
Jon Hopkins
Which Cities? Singapore, All Australian Dates, Auckland
Sideshows? No. Laneway Exclusive.
English electro artist Jon Hopkins has toured with Imogen Heap and has worked most notably with producer Brian Eno and Coldplay. His sound is one that manages to transcend music of its kind: as a trained pianist and composer, his music, though electronic, takes inherent influence from this background. This, combined with entrancing visuals, lends itself to Hopkin’s live performance, making it a unique spectacle and a must see at this year’s Laneway Festival. – Alexandra Houle
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Stay tuned to the AU for all the action from Laneway Festival around the country – kicking off with live and exclusive coverage of the Singapore leg this weekend! For all the details on the festival, head to: http://www.lanewayfestival.com/
Headline photo by Johnny Au
