Festival organisers have already locked in dates, venues, and the lineup announcement for Laneway 2014, and ahead of the festival’s American debut with Laneway Detroit next week, one of the festival’s co-founder have discussed some juicy plans for Laneway’s future.
Promoter Danny Rogers has revealed that the festival is eyeing expanding to two days, while hinting at more international expansion for Laneway’s presence in Singapore, New Zealand, and the newly added Detroit.
“We’ve started to think about it for years going forward,” says Rogers of the possible expansion of Laneway across multiple days in an interview with Consequence Of Sound (as FasterLouder points out).
Speaking about Laneway Detroit, Rogers notes that “we just need to get it right with one day and once we get it right we can see what we do next. We’re also thinking about it here [in Australia] as well,” says Rogers. “So if this year goes really well and we sort of sell-out and everything feels like we could go two days then I’ll be pushing off.”
The Laneway promoter adds: “I’ve already got proposals to ask for two days. If we could, it’d be great. It’d be really great because there’s a lot of artists that we’re actually having to say ‘no’ to which really sucks. An artist you really like and I’m like ‘I’m sorry, I just don’t have a slot this year’ and it’s always disappointing for them.”
A few bands that Rogers conceivably hasn’t said ‘no’ to for playing the Laneway 2014 lineup are chilled electronica masters Washed Out, British post-punks Savages, and Scottish synthpop outfit CHVRCHES, who have all confirmed a return to Australia early next year and all heavily rumoured for Laneway 2014; rumours reinforced by the fact that all three bands are playing Laneway Detroit on 14th September. “We’ve started to think about it for years going forward… I’ve already got proposals to ask for two days.”
The expansion into America shows just how far Laneway has come in the ten years since it first launched in the laneways and alleyways of the Melbourne CBD, and Rogers adds that it is looking at further international presence. In addition to the already established Auckland Singapore editions of the annual festival, and curated stages at London’s Field Day and SXSW in Austin, Texas, Rogers says Laneway is seriously considering other options.
“Well, we’re looking at doing an event with the guys from Field Day next year in Croatia and we’re also looking at doing something in Scotland maybe next year or the year after,” explains Rogers; but only as long as it “happens organically and in a good way.”
Despite its globetrotting growth and power enough to pull massive drawcards such as Sigur Rós and The National for its first-ever Laneway Detroit, Rogers defends Laneway’s status as still being a boutique event. “We don’t have a city anywhere in the world where we sell more than 15,000 tickets… We still have a ‘no headliner’ policy,” he says.
“Actually I tell a slight lie. We did sort of go for what we consider headliners in Detroit with Sigur Rós and The National just because we felt the market there really probably needed a slightly bigger couple of acts on the bill but the general feeling is we try to keep all the artists treated equally,” that being said, the co-founder still “absolutely” thinks Laneway ‘is still boutique.”
The “mega-lineup” for Laneway 2014 is announced on Tuesday 24th September and promises “tomorrow’s superstars alongside the best of the underground,” and along with the aforementioned Washed Out, Savages, and CHRVCHES, could contain a number of bands that Laneway themselves recently hyped in a list of 2013’s breakthrough artists.
Interestingly, judging by some tantalising comments at the tail-end of Rogers’ Consequence Of Sound interview, he could be hiding a major ace up his sleeve for a future Laneway Festival lineup, with the very act who helped launch it way back in 2004.
When Rogers was asked about the mythically overdue new album from The Avalanches, the Laneway co-founder admits, “I’ve been waiting as long as you have… I’m hearing a very, very, very, very good rumour that it’s going to come out next year,” he teases. “I’ve heard people who’ve heard it and people were very positive about it.”
Rogers also mentions in the chat that the mash-up maestros were booked to launch the first-ever Laneway in 2004 in the streets of Melbourne because they “were all friends of ours,” says Rogers.
It’s pure speculation, but wouldn’t it be great if the release of one of Australia’s (if not music’s) most highly anticipated releases early next year, that just so happens to coincide with Laneway’s 10 year anniversary, happen to mean the live return of The Avalanches with the very festival they helped launch. Maybe we’re getting ahead of ourselves, but dibs on ‘you heard it here’ first status if the stars align.
Laneway 2014 Dates & Venues
Singapore: Saturday 25th January – The Meadow, Gardens By The Bay
Auckland: Monday 27th January – Silo Park
Brisbane: Friday 31st January – RNA, Fortitude Valley
Melbourne: Saturday 1st February – Footscray Community Arts Centre/River’s Edge
Sydney: Sunday 2nd February – Sydney College Of The Arts, Rozelle
Adelaide: Friday 7th February – Harts Mill, Port Adelaide
Perth: Saturday 8th February – Esplanade Park and West End, Fremantle
