Festival Essentials

Everything you have to know for Laneway 2013

Wednesday, 16 Jan 2013

So you have your tickets to Laneway Singapore and you think you have everything under control. Not.
Sure you already know to wear sunscreen (but seriously, wear sunscreen), and don those wellies for our usual freak thunderstorms, but do you really know who’s who, who’s won what, and which song you should promptly flip out to when played?
Here are five quick facts that will boost your music fan status:
1. Honey, Belgian-Australian Gotye didn’t just produce Somebody I Used To Know and Hearts a Mess. There’s also the 2008 hit Learnalilgivinanlovin (vastly different from the Gotye you might think you know). He’s also one half of The Basics, an Australian band formed with Kris Schroeder in 2001.
2. Natasha Khan (Bat for Lashes) experienced serious writer’s block when writing her latest album, The Haunted Man. The three year gap between albums saw her trying to return to her job as a primary school teacher, gardening, making a series of dance films, and even completing a course on children’s book illustration. What you must know: Laura and Lilies (The Haunted Man), but of course go appropriately wild if Daniel comes on.
3. Kings of Convenience – they’ve already got a huge following, so if you don’t know who these boys are, one thing to note: you won’t exactly be moshing to their music. They’re probably best known for their second studio album, Riot on an Empty Street – you might be familiar with I’d Rather Dance with You, but have a listen to Misread and Love Is No Big Truth too. Otherwise, can we please request Toxic Girl from their first album, Quiet Is the New Loud?
4. Here come the award winners. British indie rock quartet Alt-J may be rookies (they only debuted last year), but they’ve also managed to clinch the British Mercury Prize. In other words, their debut album was the best album from the UK and Ireland in 2012. No biggie. To pretend you’re in the know, their biggest hits are Matilda (not that you can miss it; it’s all over the radio), Tessellate, and Something Good (our personal fave).
5. And more accolades to roll off. Who has won the J Award (Australian music award handed out by OZ radio station, triple J) twice – which, by the way, has never been done by anyone else? Tame Impala. Sure you can prattle off the tracklist on their second album, Lonerism, but guys – if you aren’t familiar with Half Full Glass of Wine, you can’t call yourself a true fan.
Image: Laneway Festival Singapore Facebook