Since 2005, St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival have been bringing together some of the most unique lineups on the Australian festival circuit. While their lineups always boast a range of heavy-hitting headliners, they also consistently feature a stack of brilliant artists lower down on the bill.
With past lineups including early performances from such acts as Lorde, The XX, St. Vincent, Flume, Run The Jewels, Danny Brown, King Krule, Billie Eilish and Florence & The Machine (to name a few), Laneway have firmly established themselves as one of Australia’s most trusted music tastemakers. So we’ve taken a closer look at their 2019 lineup to pick a list of acts we reckon are about to crack it big.
As has come to be expected, Laneway’s 2019 lineup is stacked to the brim with incredible acts from both Australia and abroad. So we’ve taken a closer look to pick seven we think are bound for big things.
Clairo
Massachusetts based singer-songwriter Clairo (real name Claire Cottrill) has been releasing charming bedroom pop music for a few years now. Though it was last August with the release of her video for Pretty Girl that things really started taking off.
The concept for the clip was unglamorous but endearing; a teenage girl awkwardly singing and dancing along to the track in her bedroom. The clip has since struck a chord with fans the world over, and earned Clairo support slots for some of the world’s biggest acts.
Since dropping Pretty Girl, Cottrill has released a string of further singles and her debut EP Diary 001. Clairo’s performance at next year’s Laneway will be her first foray onto Aussie soil… and we strongly recommend you don’t miss out on catching her live.
Methyl Ethel
For the past number of years now, Perth band Methyl Ethel have built themselves as one of Australia’s favourite indie acts. As they consistently release infectious tunes and tear apart whatever stage they find themselves on, Methyl Ethel continue to win the hearts of audiences the country over.
Now, fresh off the release of their most recent single Scream Whole, the band are set to hit the Laneway stage.
As long as Methyl Ethel are releasing tunes of this quality, we’re not expecting them to fade away. Make sure you catch them at Laneway next year, because we think they’re one of Australia’s greatest bands in the making.
Mitski
If you haven’t yet wrapped your ears around Mitski’s latest album Be The Cowboy, stop kidding yourself and go listen to it now. We reckon it’s one of the best albums of 2018, and we can’t wait to see it performed live next year.
With her eccentric and idiosyncratic brand of indie-pop, Mitski is making music that’s unlike anything else currently making the rounds. It’s only a matter of time before it catches on… so we recommend you follow Laneway’s lead and jump on board early.
Ravyn Lanae
As previously mentioned, Laneway Festival are professionals at staying ahead of the curve. So it makes sense that they’ll be hosting the incredible Ravyn Lanae on her first ever visit down under.
Already, in her relatively brief career, Lanae has worked alongside The Internet’s Steve Lacey, and delivered one of the most impressive EPs of 2018.
Although these are still early days in her career, Ravyn Lanae is showing all signs of greatness.
Ruby Fields
Since dropping her debut single I Want online last year, Ruby Fields has quickly become one of the country’s most beloved indie-rock acts.
Having since released her debut EP Your Dad’s Opinion For Dinner, Fields has firmly established her penchant for crafting insanely addictive slacker rock gems. We can’t wait to belt them out alongside her at Laneway next year.
Masego
Of all the incredible international artists making their way over to Aus for Laneway next year, there’s perhaps none we’re more excited for than Masego.
With his irresistibly smooth concoction of jazz, soul, R&B and house, Masego’s seductive sounds are not something you want to miss performed live in person. We guarantee this; once you experience his alluring sounds for yourself, you won’t be able to get enough.
KIAN
Since cracking into the spotlight with his vocal feature on Baker Boy’s Cloud 9 in May last year, KIAN has gone onto become one of the country’s most promising and exciting emerging acts.
Having just won triple j’s Unearthed High competition in August, this young singer-songwriter is undoubtedly headed for great things. We can’t wait to see KIAN bring his unique blend of hip-hop and indie-pop to Laneway next year.
Check out Laneway’s full 2019 lineup here, and grab your tickets here.
Dates and venues below:
Monday 28th January – Albert Park, Auckland
Saturday 2nd February – Brisbane Showgrounds, Brisbane
Sunday 3rd February – Callan Park, Rozelle, Sydney
Friday 8th February – Hart’s Mill, Port Adelaide, Adelaide
Saturday 9th February – Footscray Park, Footscray, Melbourne
Sunday 10th February – Esplanade Reserve and West End, Fremantle
