The 2016 line-up is a heady mix of left-field electronica, shambolic punk, intelligent pop and boundary-pushing hip-hop. It’s the incredibly strong local contingent – already iconic or soon to be legendary Australian bands – many of whom have fresh new music dropping over the next couple of weeks – that we are particularly excited about.

Travelling across three countries and seven cities to perform at some of the best live music settings around, the following artists will hit Singapore, Auckland, Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Fremantle this January/February. For previously announced dates and venues details, head here.

THE LINE-UP
In alphabetical order:
Ali Barter [Bris/Syd/Melb] – Banoffee [excl Freo] – Battles – Beach House – Big Scary – Blank Realm [excl Freo] – CHVRCHES – DIIV – DMA’s – East India Youth – FIDLAR – Flume – GoldLink – Grimes – HEALTH – Hermitude – High Tension – Hudson Mohawke – Japanese Wallpaper – Majical Cloudz – Methyl Ethel – METZ – Purity Ring – QT – Shamir – Silicon – Slum Sociable [excl Freo] – SOPHIE – The Goon Sax [Bris] – The Internet – The Smith Street Band – Thundercat – Tobias Jesso Jr. – Vince Staples – Violent Soho

TICKETS
Visa pre-sale
Laneway Festival fans can gain access to pre-sale tickets through Visa Entertainment with a Visa Credit, Debit or Prepaid card or by using Visa Checkout.

Advance Laneway Festival tickets will be available from 9.00am (local time), Friday 25 September until 5pm (local time), Sunday 27 September or until tickets sell out at visaentertainment.com.au

General on-sale
Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Wednesday 30 September at 9am (local time) from here.

DATES
Supported by triple j and Fasterlouder
Saturday 30 January – SINGAPORE – THE MEADOW, GARDENS BY THE BAY
Monday 1 February – AUCKLAND – SILO PARK
Friday 5 February – ADELAIDE – HARTS MILL, PORT ADELAIDE (16+)
Saturday 6 February – BRISBANE – BRISBANE SHOWGROUNDS, BOWEN HILLS (16+)
Sunday 7 February – SYDNEY – SYDNEY COLLEGE OF THE ARTS (SCA), ROZELLE
Saturday 13 February – MELBOURNE – FOOTSCRAY COMMUNITY ARTS CENTRE (FCAC) AND THE RIVER’S EDGE
Sunday 14 February – FREMANTLE – ESPLANADE RESERVE AND WEST END
www.lanewayfestival.com

A classically trained choirgirl who ran away to be an intermittent world traveller and self-confessed ‘rat bag’, it was the notoriously tortured Cat Power who re-ignited Ali’s fire for music and performance. She came back to Melbourne with life lived and stories to tell. Since her return to reality, the former triple j unearthed winner has been crafting her own smoky-smooth alternative rock that tests musical combinations, whilst reflecting and embracing the power chords and dancehalls that fill the animated stamps on her passport.

In ‘Hypercolour’, Ali sings with a subtle urgency. There’s an edginess hidden beneath a silky coating of delay pedals and resting atop a driving bass-line. A muted guitar riff draws you in, becoming simultaneously lush and aggressive, as Barter turns this fleeting moment into a blistering observation:

“I once heard a guy speaking about his life and how he was always looking for a ‘hypercoloured’ experience of reality, and I get that. I’ve constantly looked for something bigger and better. This song was written over 2 years and I guess I was letting go of this idea during that time. It’s about mourning a loss, and breaking free at the same time.”

Ali has found her musical soul-mate in producer Oscar Dawson (Holy Holy). The pair have been recording and steadily building Barter’s live show, playing pub residencies, regional tours and supporting the likes of The War On Drugs, Phosphorescent and Husky.

“Ali Barter, has taken the all-rare approach in the modern music landscape of an entirely organic rise. No hype and no gimmicks, just a musician slowly honing her craft and building towards something” Rolling Stone Australia
 
“Barter’s classy casual vocals would give PJ Harvey a run for her money” The Music, Melbourne

Ali Barter 2015 Australian Tour
Friday 3 July – Newtown Social Club, Sydney
Sat 4th July – The Toff In Town, Melbourne
www.alibartermusic.com