St Jerome's Laneway Festival

St Jerome's Laneway Festival
Genre	Indie, Indie pop, Rock
Dates	Late January – early February
Years active	2004 - present
Website
http://www.lanewayfestival.com.au

The St. Jerome's Laneway Festival, commonly referred to as Laneway, began in Caledonian Lane, Melbourne, Australia, in 2005.^[1] Beginning as predominantly an indie music event, the festival grew in popularity and expanded to five Australian cities—Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Fremantle—as well as Auckland, New Zealand, Singapore, and Detroit, United States (US).

History

2005

St. Jerome's Laneway Festival began in 2005 when Jerome Borazio and Danny Rogers decided that summers in Melbourne would be far better with more live music in unique settings. First came the "St. Jerome's Summer Series" each Sunday afternoon, featuring "new" bands of the time, including The Presets and Architecture in Helsinki. They then included a monthly Saturday night called "Brains" (which was actually a residency for musical act The Avalanches).

Borazio and Rogers eventually convinced The Avalanches that they could close the lane, remove the bins and stage a laneway party. With the addition of promotional material and other acts, the inaugural St. Jerome's Laneway Festival was launched. The line-up included: The Avalanches, Art of Fighting, Eskimo Joe, The Dears, Cut Copy, Architecture in Helsinki, Clare Bowditch, the Feeding Set and Gersey.

Following an total attendance of 1,400 people at the first Laneway Festival, it was announced later in 2005 that Laneway was expanding to Sydney, Australia.

2006

Art of Fighting performing at the 2006 Sydney Laneway

In 2006, both Melbourne and Sydney hosted a lineup of both international and domestic artists, including: Broken Social Scene, Les Savy Fav, Gossip, Pretty Girls Make Graves, The Avalanches, The Posies, The Hold Steady, The Raveonettes and The Drones.

2007

Just as Sydney's Laneway was becoming further established, Brisbane venue The Zoo staged the festival in 2007. Brisbane. A combination of street party and music show included performances from The Walkmen, Yo La Tengo, Peter Bjorn and John, Camera Obscura and Snowman.^[2]

2008

In 2008, Laneway found a home at the Fowler's Live venue in Adelaide. Laneway Festival 2008 included performances by Feist, Gotye, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The Presets, Stars, The Vasco Era, The Panics and Okkervil River.^[3]

2009

Laneway Festival Perth happened for the first time in 2009. A FasterLouder review of the inaugural Perth event stated: "The promoter's move to bring the festival to Perth is the best decision taken since Howard's rejection from parliament. The awesome turnout attested to the West Australian respect for great music, which rivals that of our purportedly more urbane eastern counterparts".^[4]

The 2009 event featured Girl Talk, Stereolab, Architecture In Helsinki, The Hold Steady, The Drones, Cut Off Your Hands, Four Tet, Tame Impala, El Guincho, Jay Reatard, Buraka Som Sistema (DJ/MC set), The Temper Trap and No Age.^[5]

An announcement in October 2009 confirmed that the festival would be held in Auckland, New Zealand, from 2010 onwards.^[6]

2010

In 2010, Laneway Festival implemented some significant changes to adapt to the growing stature of the event. After some considerable issues with the Melbourne site in 2009, Laneway left its original venue and moved to the inner western suburb of Footscray, with the support of the Footscray Community Arts Centre. Also, the Sydney event relocated from the site at Macquarie Park to the historical courtyards of the Sydney College of the Arts in Rozelle. The inaugural festival in Auckland, New Zealand, sold out.

The line-up in 2010 included: Florence and the Machine, Mumford and Sons, The XX, Kid Sam and Wild Beasts.^[7] In November 2010, the organizers announced Singapore as the first city to host the festival's expansion into Southeast Asia. Rogers stated: "We've been working on this [Singapore Laneway Festival] for ages and we're over the moon that everything lined up for 2011. We can't wait to host Laneway at the stunning Fort Canning Park, easily one of the best, most unique locations in the city."^[8]

2011

For the inaugural Laneway Festival Singapore, music fans from all over Asia travelled to the Canning Park venue. Paul Kay, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Time Out Hong Kong, wrote:

Finally, a music festival in Southeast Asia that's worthy of the name. A fantastic venue, a packed and up-for-it audience, and a lineup that mixed unimpeachable indie credibility with balls-out, dance-till-you-drop rock'n'roll euphoria, Laneway Singapore couldn't have asked for a better debut. Even the non-stop torrential rain couldn't wash the smile from my face.^[9]

The 2011 list of acts featured: Foals, Warpaint, Beach House, Two Door Cinema Club, Yeasayer, Deerhunter, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti and !!!, among others. Foals frontman Yannis Philippakis called it "the best line-up we've been a part of for a very long time," while the Vine website's Marcus Teague wrote: "the top-to-bottom completeness of this year's Laneway line-up will be hard to beat in future years. Its roster of quality new bands coupled with on-the-cusp outright stars is veritably unmatched by any other festival. There's next to no filler ... It also seems to breed a discerning music fan that's (largely) focussed on the music."^[10]

In March, Laneway Festival co-hosted a day party at the American SXSW festival—alongside North American agency The Windish Agency, independent British promoter Eat Your Own Ears, and Austin, Texas, publication Austinist—which featured Twin Shadow, Foster the People, Givers, Hanni El Khatib and Jamie Woon, among others.^[11] Eat Your Own Ears then invited the Laneway organisers to curate a stage at the August Field Day London event for the first time, which featured Matthew Dear, The Horrors and James Blake.^[12]

2012

In 2012, Laneway Festival selected acts such as M83, Charlift, SBTRKT, Toro y Moi and Washed Out for that year's events. The festival recorded its highest tickets sales ever in Singapore, Auckland and Sydney in 2012. A Vine review stated: "This year's event seemed the most enjoyable yet … the 2012 Laneway proved that it's now an essential recurring destination on the calendar."^[13]

Laneway returned to SXSW in 2012—and again in partnership with The Windish Agency, Eat Your Own Ears and Austinist—to co-host the "Austin or Bust" day party that featured DZ Deathrays, Django Django and Chairlift.^[14] Laneway's organisers also returned to London's Field Day festival—in collaboration with Last.FM on this occasion—and showcased artists such as Blood Orange, Sleigh Bells, The Vaccines and Kindness.^[15]

2013

Snakadaktal performing at the 2013 Melbourne Laneway

The Laneway lineup in 2013 included: Bat for Lashes, Japandroids, Divine Fits, Alt-J, Of Monsters and Men, MS MR, Jessie Ware, Flume, Chet Faker, Pond and The Rubens. The Tone Deaf website wrote: "Laneway does not fail to live up to its reputation, putting the mega-corporate festivals to shame with [its] authenticity".^[16]

The festival continued to stage its events in New Zealand and Singapore, and programmed a stage at Field Day London for the third time. The Field Day stage featured a line-up of acts that included Charlie Boyer & The Voyeurs, Dark Bells and Django Django.^[17]

On 15 March 2013, Laneway Festival announced it will expand to Detroit, US,^[18] to make its North American debut on 14 September 2013. The inaugural Laneway Festival Detroit lineup was announced on 13 May 2013, and included co-headliners Sigur Rós and The National.^[19] The Detroit event also featured CHVRCHES, Solange, Savages, AlunaGeorge, Flume and Icona Pop. After spending some time in Detroit in 2012 at the invitation of the Palace Sports & Entertainment company,^[20] Rogers said he knew the city was Laneway’s next stop and first American venue: "Detroit is having its rebirth and as Laneway continues to evolve, we can identify with a city that is continuing to evolve as well ... It seemed like a great fit and this line-up seals it."^[21]

On 9 November 2013, Laneway Festival won Music Event of the Year at the West Australian Music Awards.^[22]

2014

Lorde performing at the 2014 Sydney Laneway

Laneway Festival sold out five of the seven events in 2014. The festival featured Vance Joy, Lorde, CHVRCHES, Haim, The Jezabels, Earl Sweatshirt, Four Tet, Jamie xx, Frightened Rabbit, Daughter, Warpaint, Danny Brown, Savages and King Krule.^[23] In regard to the line-up, Rogers said:

We’re exceptionally proud of this year’s line-up. As usual, the artists have been chosen on the strength of their music and their ability to deliver an insanely great live show. It’s why we couldn’t resist bringing a few international acts back and it’s why we are so thrilled to introduce you to some most exciting new artists this side of the world has seen for the very first time. This country has so many incredibly talented artists; if only we could bring them all along.^[23]

In 2014, the Perth event relocated from the Perth Cultural Centre to Esplanade Park in the port city of Fremantle. The new venue was chosen due to the event's growth in popularity, accommodating 12,000 people.^[24] Laneway also relocated in Adelaide and moved to the historical site of Hart's Mill, Port Adelaide. In regard to the Adelaide move, Rogers explained: "We searched super hard to find a site that we felt could match the experience that other cities have had with Laneway. Renewal SA, the City of Port Adelaide Enfield and a team of locals have worked with us to find a site that ticks all the boxes."^[25]

New Zealand artist Lorde was scheduled to perform at Laneway Festival Auckland on 27 January 2014; however, due to her attendance at the Grammy Awards ceremony on 26 January in Los Angeles, US, she was unable to perform. In lieu of her performance at the festival, Laneway's promoters announced a special stand-alone Lorde performance at the festival site at Silo Park, which was held on 29 January 2014.^[26]

2015

Laneway Festival 2015 once again travelled around Australia (Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne and Fremantle, New Zealand (Auckland) and Singapore and featured performances from FKA twigs, Banks, Courtney Barnett, Flying Lotus, St. Vincent, Mac DeMarco, Pond, Connan Mockasin, Future Islands and Caribou amongst many others. Mac DeMarco's mother, Agnes DeMarco, was co-MC along with Australian musician/entertainer Spod. Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland and Singapore all sold out.

Original location

The original home of the laneway festival, St Jerome's, was shut down in 2009 by developers Colonial First State, while Caledonian Lane, the festival's original home, was demolished in January 2010.

2005 lineup

The Avalanches Brains World Music Party Art of Fighting Eskimo Joe The Dears Cut Copy Architecture in Helsinki Ground Components feat. Macromantics Clare Bowditch and the Feeding Set Gersey With a Garden Variety of DJs.

2006 lineup

The Avalanches Broken Social Scene Les Savy Fav Pretty Girls Make Graves The Hold Steady The Posies Faker New Buffalo Youth Group Wolf & Cub Cut Copy - Melbourne only Augie March - Melbourne only The Temper Trap - Melbourne only

Mountains in the Sky - Melbourne only Dane Tucquet - Melbourne only The Gossip - Sydney only The Raveonettes - Sydney only Decoder Ring - Sydney only Jens Lekman - Sydney only Pivot - Sydney only Mercy Arms - Sydney only Darren Hanlon - Sydney only The Pop Frenzy Sound Unit - Sydney only Clare Bowditch and the Feeding Set - Sydney only Gersey - Sydney only Art of Fighting - Sydney only[27]

2007 lineup

Yo La Tengo Peter Bjorn and John The Sleepy Jackson Camera Obscura Midnight Juggernauts Love Is All Fionn Regan Holly Throsby Dan Kelly Gerling Dappled Cities Fly The BellRays The Temper Trap My Disco The Crayon Fields

Gersey The Shaky Hands Expatriate Snowman Bumblebeez[28] Archie Bronson Outfit The Walkmen Youth Group Casino Twilight Dogs Macromantics Ground Components[29]

2008 lineup

Feist Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Gotye The Cool Kids Broken Social Scene Presents Spirit If... Okkervil River Dan Deacon^† Via Tania^† The Presets The Panics

Bridezilla The Holidays The Devastations The Brunettes^† Little Red Rudely Interrupted Stars Violent Soho Batrider

^†: Not playing Adelaide

2009 lineup

Girl Talk Stereolab Architecture in Helsinki The Hold Steady The Drones Cut Off Your Hands Four Tet Tame Impala El Guincho Jay Reatard Buraka Som Sistema The Temper Trap No Age

The John Steel Singers Canyons Pivot Port O'Brien Holly Throsby Born Ruffians Mountains in the Sky Tim Fite Still Flyin' Daedelus Spiral Stairs Papa vs Pretty

2010 lineup

Echo & the Bunnymen - No Melbourne / failed to show up in Brisbane. Midnight Juggernauts - Melbourne only Florence and the Machine Black Lips The xx Cut Off Your Hands Bachelorette Chris Knox and The Nothing The Naked and Famous The 3Ds Daniel Johnston – No Adelaide Sarah Blasko Street Chant

N.A.S.A. Eddy Current Suppression Ring Hockey Dappled Cities Mumford & Sons The Very Best Radioclit Warpaint Wild Beasts – No Adelaide Whitley The Middle East Kid Sam Dirty Three

2011 lineup

!!! The Antlers Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti Beach House Bear in Heaven Blonde Redhead Cloud Control Cut Copy Deerhunter Foals Gotye The Holidays Holy Fuck

Jenny & Johnny Warpaint Les Savy Fav Local Natives Yeasayer Menomena PVT Rat Vs Possum (excluding Perth) Stornoway Two Door Cinema Club Violent Soho World's End Press

2012 lineup

Active Child Anna Calvi Austra Bullion Chairlift Cults The Drums DZ Deathrays EMA Feist Geoffrey O’Connor Girls Givers Glasser The Horrors Husky

John Talabot Jonti Laura Marling M83 Oneman The Pains of Being Pure at Heart Pajama Club The Panics Portugal. The Man SBTRKT live Toro y Moi Total Control Twin Shadow Washed Out Yuck

2013 lineup

Australasia

Alpine Alt-J Bat for Lashes Chet Faker Cloud Nothings Divine Fits El-P Flume Henry Wagons & the Unwelcome Company High Highs Holy Other Japandroids Jessie Ware Julia Holter Kings of Convenience MS MR

Nicolas Jaar Nite Jewel Of Monsters and Men Perfume Genius Poliça Pond Real Estate Shlohmo Snakadaktal The Men The Neighbourhood The Rubens Twerps Yeasayer

Detroit

ADULT. AlunaGeorge Beacon Chet Faker CHVRCHES Deerhunter The Dismemberment Plan Flume Frightened Rabbit HAERTS Heathered Pearls Icona Pop

Matthew Dear My Brightest Diamond The National Phosphorescent Run the Jewels (El-P & Killer Mike) Savages Shigeto Sigur Rós Solange Warpaint Washed Out Youth Lagoon

2014 lineup

Australia

Adalita Autre Ne Veut Cashmere Cat Cass McCombs Chvrches Cloud Control Danny Brown Daughter Dick Diver Drenge Earl Sweatshirt Four Tet Frightened Rabbit HAIM DJ Jacinda Ardern[30] Jagwar Ma Jamie xx King Krule

Kirin J Callinan Kurt Vile Lorde Mount Kimbie MT WARNING Parquet Courts Run the Jewels (El-P & Killer Mike) Savages Scenic The Growl The Jezabels Unknown Mortal Orchestra Vance Joy Warpaint XXYYXX Youth Lagoon[31]

Singapore

Chvrches Daughter Frightened Rabbit GEMA HAIM Jagwar Ma James Blake Jamie xx The Jezabels

Kurt Vile Mount Kimbie Savages The Observatory Unknown Mortal Orchestra Vance Joy Vandetta XXYYXX Youth Lagoon

2015 lineup

Australia

Agnes DeMarco Andy Bull Angel Olsen Banks Benjamin Booker Caribou Connan Mockasin Courtney Barnett Dune Rats Eagulls Eves FKA twigs Flight Facilities Flying Lotus Future Islands Highasakite Jon Hopkins

Jungle Little Dragon Mac DeMarco Mansionair Perfect Pussy Peter Bibby Pond Ratking Raury Royal Blood Rustie Seekae SOHN St. Vincent Tkay Maidza Vic Mensa

New Zealand

Angel Olsen Angus & Julia Stone Ariel Pink Banks Belle & Sebastian Bespin Connan Mockasin Courtney Barnett Dan Deacon Eagulls FKA twigs Flying Lotus Future Islands Heavy Iceage Jakob

Jon Hopkins Jungle Literal Fuck Little Dragon Mac DeMarco Perfect Pussy Princess Chelsea Quarks! Race Banyon Ratking Royal Blood Rustie SOHN St. Vincent Tiny Ruins Vic Mensa

Singapore

Angus & Julia Stone Banks Chet Faker Courtney Barnett Eagulls Enterprise FKA twigs Future Islands .gif Hanging Up the Moon

Jon Hopkins Jungle Little Dragon Mac DeMarco Pastel Lite Pond Royal Blood Rustie St. Vincent

2016 lineup

Australia

Ali Barter Banoffee Battles Beach House Big Scary Blank Realm Chvrches DIIV DMA's East India Youth FIDLAR Flume GoldLink Grimes Health Hermitude High Tension

Hudson Mohawke Japanese Wallpaper Jaegan Taylor and his dad Majical Cloudz Methyl Ethel METZ Purity Ring QT Shamir Silicon Slum Sociable Sophie The Internet Royal Headache The Smith Street Band Thundercat Vince Staples Violent Soho

Singapore

Battles Beach House Big Scary Cashew Chemists Cheats Chvrches East India Youth Fauxe Flume GDJYB Grimes Hermitude Hudson Mohawke

Intriguant JPS Kane Kiat Mean METZ Purity Ring Rah Riot !n Magenta Shamir The 1975 The Internet Thundercat Violent Soho

References

1. "ST JEROME LANEWAY FESTIVAL". www.festivalaustralia.com.au. www.festivalaustralia.com.au & Sane Earth. 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
2. Demosthenes (3 March 2007). "St. Jerome's Laneway Festival@ Winn St, Brisbane,03/03/2007". Faster Louder. Faster Louder Pty Ltd. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
3. DandB (23 February 2008). "St Jerome's Laneway Festival @Fowler's Courtyard, Adelaide(23/02/08)". Faster Louder. Faster Louder Pty Ltd. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
4. Louder, Faster. "St Jerome's Laneway Festival, Perth 06/02/09". Retrieved 8 April 2014.
5. Sarah Smith (12 October 2008). "St Jerome's Laneway Festival line-up 2009". Faster Louder. Faster Louder Pty Ltd. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
6. "Laneway Festival First Lineup Announcement". Eventfinda. Eventfinda Limited. 21 October 2009. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
7. Marcus (20 October 2009). "St Jerome's Laneway Festival 2010 lineup announced, new locations". The Vine. Digital Media. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
8. Arno Billard (17 November 2010). "LANEWAY FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES SINGAPORE DEBUT". the AU review. Heath Media & the AU review. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
9. Kay, Paul. "Laneway Festival Singapore". Retrieved 8 April 2014.
10. Teague, Marcus. "Live review, photos - Laneway Festival, Sydney 2011". Retrieved 8 April 2014.
11. Simone Stockl (9 March 2011). "LANEWAY FESTIVAL ANNOUNCE ALL THE DETAILS OF THEIR MAMMOTH SXSW PARTY IN AUSTIN, TEXAS". the AU review. Heath Media & the AU review. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
12. Barnaby Smith (11 April 2011). "Laneway To Curate Stage At London's Field Day Festival". Music Feeds. Music Feeds. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
13. The, Vine. "Laneway Festival, Melbourne 2012 - Live review, photos". Retrieved 8 April 2014.
14. "SxSW Music Day One". The Windish Agency. The Windish Agency. 15 March 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
15. "Stage times announced for Field Day Festival 2012". Thefourohfive.com. Thefourohfive.com. 21 May 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
16. Tone, Deaf. "Laneway Festival 2013: Sydney February 2nd 2013 @ Sydney Art College". Retrieved 8 April 2014.
17. "Laneway Festival 2014 First Line-Up Rumours Leaked!". Take 40. Authentic Entertainment. 1 June 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
18. Laneway, Festival. "ST. JEROME'S LANEWAY FESTIVAL HEADED TO DETROIT THIS SEPTEMBER". Retrieved 4 June 2013.
19. Laneway, Festival. "LANEWAY FESTIVAL DETROIT LINE-UP UNVEILED". Retrieved 4 June 2013.
20. Len Comaratta (5 September 2013). "From an alley to Detroit: Laneway Festival's Danny Rogers tells all". Consequence of Sound. Townsquare Music. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
21. James Arnold-Garvey (14 May 2013). "Laneway Festival Detroit Announces First-Ever Lineup – Sigur Ros, The National, Chet Faker & More". Music Feeds. Music Feeds. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
22. Louder, Faster. "Tame Impala clean up at WA Music Awards". Retrieved 8 April 2014.
23. Peter Vincent (24 September 2013). "Laneway festival bound to sell out with names like these". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
24. "Perth Laneway Festival relocated". triple j. ABC. 3 July 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
25. Kelly Noble (3 September 2013). "Port Adelaide New Home To St Jermone's Laneway Festival". Glam Adelaide. Glam Digital Pty Ltd. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
26. Sarah Smith (8 December 2013). "Lorde cancels AucklandLaneway, announces headlineshow". Faster Louder. Faster Louder Pty Ltd. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
27. Matt (10 January 2006). "St Jeromes Laneway Festival's second and last announcement!". thedwarf.com.au. The Dwarf. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
28. Cecbuzz (11 January 2007). "St Jerome's Laneway Festival second line-up announced". FasterLouder. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
29. Cecbuzz (30 October 2006). "St Jerome's Laneway Festival announces first line-up". Faster Louder. FasterLouder Pty Ltd. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
30. Claire Trevett (23 January 2014). "MP vows no political spin in DJ stint". New Zealand Herald. APN Holdings NZ Limited. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
31. Peter Vincent (24 September 2013). "Laneway festival bound to sell out with names like these". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 26 September 2013.

External links

• Official website
• 2007 Pitchfork review