This year, the Laneway Festival was finally able to invite fans to our dream festival location for a day that was dazzling in all the best ways. The shady greenfields and urban cityscapes of Albert Park precinct will again play host to next year’s event on another unforgettable Auckland Anniversary Day (29 January). Along with the already announced Anderson .Paak and Mac DeMarco and a killer line-up packed with the best new and established live acts in the game, the 2018 Laneway Festival promises to be a full sensory experience for music fans.

Let us present the soundtrack to your summer:

Laneway Festival New Zealand 2018

In alphabetical order:

Aldous Harding – Amy Shark – Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals – BADBADNOTGOOD –
BAYNK – Billie Eilish – Bonobo – Connan Mockasin – D.D Dumbo – Die! Die! Die! –
Father John Misty – Loyle Carner – Mac DeMarco – Melodownz – Moses Sumney – Polyester –
POND – Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – (Sandy) Alex G – Slowdive – Sylvan Esso –
The Internet – The War on Drugs – TOKiMONSTA – Unitone HiFi – Wolf Alice

And more to be announced

ALDOUS HARDING Mesmerising NZ artist ALDOUS HARDING has emerged as one of the year’s most exciting voices.  Igniting interest two years ago with her eponymous debut album, Harding quickly became known for her charismatic combination of talent, tenacity and shrewd wit. This year’s follow-up Party (4AD) sees Harding shape-shift through a variety of roles: chanteuse, folk singer and balladeer – all executed with her twisted touch of humour, hubris and quiet horror.  Go watch her recent performance on Jools Holland for an inspired and haunting rendition of ‘Horizon’, a career defining moment that brought her the attention she deserves. AMY SHARK AMY SHARK’s sleeper hit ‘Adore’ has amassed over 25 million streams since she uploaded it to triple j Unearthed just under two years ago. Not bad for someone who had almost given up on music. Earlier this year it romped in to #2 on triple j’s Hottest 100, and peaked at #3 on the ARIA chart. The brooding, coming-of-age track won fans here and abroad, not least of all Lena Dunham who was hardly exaggerating when she said it saved her life.  Her debut EP Night Thinker, which features chart mainstay ‘Weekends’ and killer new single ‘Blood Brothers’, is confirmation that Amy Shark is the real deal. After returning from a run of international headline shows this October, we can’t wait for Amy to cap off a huge 18 months at Laneway 2018.

ANDERSON .PAAK AND THE FREE NATIONALS We are psyched to have one of the world’s most exciting live acts ANDERSON .PAAK & THE FREE NATIONALS on next year’s bill.  Breaking out via multiple lauded appearances on Dr. Dre’s surprise 2016 album Compton, .Paak has emerged as one of the most talented triple threats of the decade. The LA-based singer, songwriter and producer is a genre-bending master, effortlessly melding ’60s funk, ’70s soul, hip-hop, R&B and electronica in his own music (please listen to his brilliant 2016 album Malibu) and lending his syrupy vocals to killer singles like Kaytranada’s hit ‘Glowed Up’ and Snakehips ‘Money on Me’. As one of the most prolific and hardworking artists in the biz, we’re anticipating new music v. soon.  Anderson .Paak is a genuine star and it is a major honour to have him and his band join us in 2018. BADBADNOTGOOD Surely the most ironically named band on the planet, BADBADNOTGOOD bring their futuristic fusion of jazz and hip-hop to the party in 2018.  The then three-piece met at music school and rose to prominence in 2011 courtesy of a series of imaginative takes on hip-hop classics and early support from the likes of Tyler the Creator and the BBC’s Giles Peterson.  Since then, they have continued to push the boundaries of improvised instrumental music, collaborating with Frank Ocean, Earl Sweatshirt, MF Doom, Pharaoh Monch and RZA and many others. Their latest LP IV saw them collaborate with guest vocalists (Samuel Herring, Mick Jenkins) to stunning effect and their magnetic live performances have brought fans across the whole musical spectrum together, taking the band around the world from Coachella to Glastonbury and beyond.

BAYNK What a difference two years makes. BAYNK aka Jock Nowell-Usticke was an unknown talent with his debut track ‘Sundae’ notching up the listens from all over the world when he was booked for Laneway 2016, and he completely smashed his first ever festival appearance. Now he’s got tours, festivals and a bunch of artistic video clips under his belt and is one of New Zealand’s top five streamed artists on Spotify. What will Baynk do next? Catch him at Laneway to find out. BILLIE EILISH  BILLIE EILISH is an unfairly talented teenager with a startlingly mature outlook and irresistible voice.  Billie’s meteoric rise began in 2015 when she uploaded ‘Ocean Eyes’ to SoundCloud. She instantly became a veritable phenomenon: an international record deal, over 90 million cumulative streams, global praise from Vogue, Interview Magazine and Elle Magazine (and the list goes on). At 16 years old, Bille will be the youngest member of the Laneway touring party since Lorde’s unforgettable run in 2014. Not unlike Lorde herself, Billie has an undeniable talent for pop songwriting, an impervious sense of self, and inimitable style. We’re certain that Billie will be a stand out of Laneway 2018.

BONOBO Illustrious UK producer BONOBO‘s steady but unstoppable rise began at the turn of the millennium. Since then he has shared an impressive six full-length releases (incl. 2017’s masterful, magisterial Migration) and earned his title as one of the best electronic acts in the biz. First as a DJ in the UK’s thriving club scene, and now with a live band in tow, Bonobo has converted thousands of people around the globe into genuine fans. Listen to ‘No Reason’ (feat. Laneway alum. Nick Murphy), and get ready for an aural journey at Laneway in 2018. CONNAN MOCKASIN CONNAN MOCKASIN is the kind of musician that sells out surprise gigs in minutes, shows up on Neil Finn livestreams via skype and collaborates with your faves from home and all over the world. As a songwriter and creative force, his output is otherworldly and surprising, gaining love from music writers in the know, and festival bookers everywhere. The Guardian calls him a “psych punk oddball”. We call him captivating and we’re stoked to have him home for Laneway.

D.D DUMBO D.D DUMBO, known to his folks as Oliver Hugh Perry, is an astonishing and highly original songwriter from regional Victoria who bowled over fans and critics alike with his globally lauded debut album Utopia Defeated.  His self-recorded debut EP, Tropical Oceans (2013), a lo-fi four song-set of blues-laced, deconstructed pop, which announced Perry as an exciting newcomer fluent in a language all his own but it was the ten tracks on Utopia Defeated that cemented his reputation as one of the most uniquely talented artists around.  The album won the prestigious triple j Award for Australian Album of the Year while mesmerising single Satan took out APRA’s Song of the Year.  D.D Dumbo’s world class band has sold out shows across Australia and Europe and we’re excited to welcome them to NZ for the very first time. DIE! DIE! DIE! One of the more globe-trotting Kiwi bands in recent memory, DIE! DIE! DIE! are set to unleash their sixth studio album Charm. Offensive. in between a packed touring schedule China and Europe spanning the latter half of 2017. While writing for the new album has seen the band “experiment with electronics and instrumental stuff”, we know the live show will be as explosive as ever, and we cannot wait.

FATHER JOHN MISTY Your secret crush FATHER JOHN MISTY is heading to Laneway in 2018.  The alias of singer-songwriter Josh Tillman, FJM has released three widely acclaimed albums – Fear Fun (2012), I Love You, Honeybear (2015) and Pure Comedy (2017) plus the recent single ‘Ballad of the Dying Man’ and has also contributed to songs by Beyoncé and Lady Gaga. Pure Comedy, Father John Misty’s third album, is a complex, often-sardonic and equally touching meditation on the confounding folly of modern humanity. He is also funny a.f., a sarcastic and caustic yet equally sincere voice for the post-internet age. LOYLE CARNER Erudition, insight and poetic intensity have earned 22-year-old LOYLE CARNER the respect of all the right people: die-hard hip-hop fans, industry insiders and most importantly, his peers.  His debut album Yesterday’s Gone is planted at an intersection between the boom-bap of East Coast hip-hop, jazz-inflected portraits of South London, and soulful laid back pop. It’s an intensely personal and candid release, that received near perfect reviews everywhere but it’s on the live stage that the endlessly charming Carner really shines.

MAC DEMARCO  We’re pleased to welcome our pal MAC DEMARCO – modern poet, consummate entertainer – to Laneway 2018. Mac has charmed audiences on countless stages around the world with his woozy, sun-drenched tales of love lost and won. The prolific 26-year-old songwriter has written, recorded and released a record a year for the past half decade practically on his own – pretty impressive for the so-called king of slacker-rock. Mac released his excellent album This Old Dog earlier in the year, an LP widely regarded as an engaging step forward for an artist in his prime. It’s a thrill to have him back. MELODOWNZ After the release of Avontales in April, Vicepredicted that Avondale’s own hip-hop storyteller MELODOWNZ would become every NZ rapper’s favourite rapper. The solo project of Bronson Price from YGB’s Third3ye, Melodownz’s music flips from gritty tales of the street to love and heartbreak. He’s just hit up Europe for a tour and is starting to get noticed beyond our shores, he’s received praise from Indie Shuffle for his Soundcloud filled with “gem upon gem”.

MOSES SUMNEY  When Pitchfork’s main criticism of your EP is that it’s too short, you know you’re doing something right. It’s true though – Los Angeles’ singer/songwriter MOSES SUMNEY and his angelic electro-folk music is basically faultless. Set to swirling synths and dark, expansive production, Sumney’s voice is intoxicating and brim with emotion, especially in the spaces where his notes linger. Listen to his track ‘Doomed’ and let it sink in. No wonder Solange wanted to collaborate with him on her 2016 album A Seat At The Table. Sumney’s long-awaited debut album Aromanticism is out on September 22, be among the first to hear it live at the Laneway Festival. POLYESTER “We are glamorous bodies who make pop songs etc.” POLYESTER are Auckland indie poppers that want to make you dance AND feel. They’ve supported the likes of Tiny Ruins and Milky Chance and right now they’re holed up busily working on music for their debut album. If the record is anything like last summer’s infectious, bat filled ‘Lucky Me’ it’s going to be full of tracks perfect for an Auckland Anniversary Day dance-along.

POND We’ve got a lot of love for Perth psychedelic rockers POND and can’t wait to have them back across the ditch for Laneway following the release of their stellar seventh studio album The Weather, produced by former member Kevin Parker. The wry and angry take on the state of the world showcases the talents of this extraordinary group of musicians, and Pitchforkgoes further, calling the record “a document of a band knocking loudly on the door of greatness.” ROLLING BLACKOUTS COASTAL FEVER After a rip-roaring 12 months, ROLLING BLACKOUTS COASTAL FEVER look set to be one of Australia’s break-through guitar bands. Having honed their craft in the thrumming confines of Melbourne’s live music scene, Rolling Blackouts C.F.’s debut EP Talk Tight (2015) earned them multiple international nods and a stellar 8.0 Pitchfork review. Soon after the band signed with coveted US label Sub Pop (The Shins, Beach House, Fleet Foxes) and plugged away at their sophomore EP The French Press (2017). It’s a bloody brilliant effort, beaming with the confidence and purpose of golden-era Australian rock n roll and featuring three songwriters growing in stature and voice.

(SANDY) ALEX G  24-year-old Philadelphia artist (SANDY) ALEX G is as prolific as he is genuinely gifted.  As a teenager, he built up a solid rep for himself online with his self-recorded uploads to BandCamp. His 2017 album Rocket (out via Domino) is his eighth full-length release. It’s a masterpiece, and his most focused effort yet. Over musical backdrops that effortlessly jump from post-punk to country pop to dreamy folk music, Alex G inhabits a cast of characters that fall in love, get into trouble, and burn out. Fun fact: Frank Ocean is a fan and appointed him as a collaborator on 2016’s Blonde, alongside a string of high-profile guests. SLOWDIVE Twenty two years on from their last record, SLOWDIVE have made a resounding comeback with their self-titled fourth LP, one of the strongest shoegaze albums of recent years. The band’s live comeback has also been rapturously received around the world. Highlights thus far include a festival-conquering, sea-of-devotees Primavera Sound performance, of which Pitchfork noted: ‘The beauty of their crystalline sound is almost hard to believe, every note in its perfect place.’ Dive into their outstanding catalogue (1991’s Just For A Day, 1993’s Souvlaki and 1995’s experimental Pygmalion) to see why Slowdive has a legion of fans, both new and old. Listen to their gorgeous new single ‘Sugar For The Pill’. We wish every band would age this well.

SYLVAN ESSO SYLVAN ESSO’s sophomore album What Now (2017) is the sound of a band truly fulfilling the potential and promise of their debut album. Everything has evolved – the production is bolder, the vocals are more intense, the melodies are brighter, and the songs are that much more expansively open and cohesive. The electro-pop duo from North Carolina, consisting of vocalist Amelia Meath and producer Nick Sanborn, started out in 2014 as a collaboration project between two new friends. Two records and more than 100 million streams later, Sylvan Esso has near-perfected the art of writing a pop song (listen to the album’s third single ‘Die Young’ for proof). This set is going to be energetic fun. THE INTERNET THE INTERNET absolutely stole the show when they last played Laneway Festival and they’ve only gotten bigger, better and sexier since. On their third album, the game-changing, Grammy-nominated Ego Death (2015), the Odd Future offshoot truly came into their own. Then to everybody’s surprise, they went out on their own. Front-woman Syd shared her intricate, soulful debut album Fin (she is an undeniable star in her own right) and Matt Martians dropped his funk-infused solo endeavor The Drum Chord Theory.  The band’s 18 year-old guitar whiz Steve Lacy is also a highly sought-after hip hop producer (he’s worked with J Cole & Kendrick Lamar) who records everything on his iPhone. This year he shared Steve Lacy’s Demo, a dazzling 6 song release bursting with ideas. We loved them all in equal measure, but tbh we can’t wait for their next record (expected asap) as a team. Hear it first at Laneway 2018!

THE WAR ON DRUGS Gosh we love THE WAR ON DRUGS. The Philadelphia-based 6-piece, led by frontman Adam Granduciel, have been on the Laneway wish-list since the release of their debut Slave Ambient in 2011 and their landmark album Living on a Dream in 2014 only renewed our eagerness.  The War on Drugs released their fourth record, A Deeper Understanding last month and it’s a bonafide masterpiece,  sure to top this year’s Best Of lists and go down in history as the most important rock record of recent times.  The album is a fully immersive experience from start to finish, layering chugging guitars, synthetic strings, vintage keyboard sounds and impressionistic lyrics delivered in Granduciel’s gravelly voice.  Capable of mesmerising a festival crowd of thousands, we’re so happy to finally welcome them to close Laneway in 2018. TOKiMONSTA Jennifer Lee (aka) TOKiMONSTA was a classical pianist until she discovered the underground hip-hop and beat scene in LA. It’s a good thing she made the switch – her work as TOKiMONSTA gained widespread recognition from the very start. She was the first female to sign to Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder imprint, and with her 2010 debut album Midnight Menu she cemented her reputation as a formidable electronic act. Since then, Lee has collaborated with artists like Anderson .Paak and Kelly Rowland, and put out consistently good records. Her third full-length album Lune Rouge (out October 6) is a culmination of all that experience, as well as a confident stride into the pop world. See you on the d-floor for ‘We Love’.

UNITONE HIFI It was the 1990s, and UNITONE HIFI aka Joost Langveld, Jim Pinckney (better known as Stinky Jim) and Angus McNaughton were making “dancehall soaked, NYC immersed, sample heavy hootenanny” that was born in New Zealand, recorded in New York and sent to the world via German label incoming! Simon Grigg wrote on Audioculture “From the beginning, the dubby, organic Pacifican grooves they were making broke substantially fresh artistic ground.” Welcome back Unitone HiFi. WOLF ALICE  In 2015 North-London alt-rock outfit WOLF ALICE, led by the electric Ellie Rowsell, released their astounding debut record My Love Is Cool, as if they had always been ready to inspire a generation. With its unique combination of grunge, indie and folk influence, it scooped them noms for the Grammys, the Brits and The Mercury Prize and propelled them into the public consciousness as one of the brightest new hopes in indie-rock. After two years of relentless touring, the release of their follow up album Visions Of A Life is imminent (September 29). If their new single ‘Don’t Delete The Kisses’ is any indication, this album will be a career highlight.

VISA CHECKOUT PRE-SALE Gain early access to pre-sale tickets by using Visa Checkout. Register now at visacheckout.co.nz and add any major payment card (debit or credit). Advance tickets will be available from Thursday 14 September at 9.00am. For more information click here. The first pre-sale allocation was exhausted in a flash, so be ready for these! Don’t say we didn’t warn you.