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JUST ANNOUNCED!
 BATRIDER, Melbourne's brooding punkers conjure stark, jagged beauty
despite their lyrical predictions of apocalyptic doom. The New Zealand expats aren't shy of a melody either, making the intensity of their live performance utterly compelling MELBOURNE ONLY
 GHOSTWOOD will take you on a visceral journey to a world that is at once inviting and entirely their own. Ignoring the hype that surrounded their emergence over a year ago, the four Sydney boys have taken their time and produced a thrilling debut EP Red Version that is as mature and accomplished as it is moody and mysterious. SYDNEY ONLY
2ND LINE UP!
 If ever there was band whose name perfectly captured its essence, then STARS is it. Magic in its simplicity and destined for lofty greatness, the Canadian five-piece bring their perfectly-formed pop to the 2008 Laneway Festival. Their latest record In Our Bedroom After the War capitalizes on the relentless touring that the band undertook following the breakthrough success of their previous effort to produce their most cohesive work to date. It's intelligent, evocative and breathtakingly pretty. NATIONAL
 Self-deprecating Chicago rap duo COOL KIDS are like the soundtrack to the best party you've ever had! With tracks like 'I Rock' and 'Flossin' and old-school tag-team vocals and sparse beats, this is vintage hip-hop at its most fun. Team this with a killer live show and an aesthetic straight out of Do The Right Thing and COOL KIDS are set to conquer Laneway 2008. MELBOURNE BRISBANE and SYDNEY
 Darkly poetic and cinematic in scope, the music of Atlanta’s MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA belies the band’s average age of just 19. Their debut album I’m Like A Virgin Losing A Child is an accomplished affair, full of catchy hooks and unexpected turns, with introspective lyrics and vocals that don’t discourage comparisons with Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst. After touring with the likes of Kings of Leon and Annuals, MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA head to Australia for the first time. NATIONAL
 It’s a good thing DAMN ARMS don’t get distracted by flattery. ‘A twisted, glorious violent delight’ trumpeted NME as it placed the band at the top of its Radar chart. ‘Amazing’ mused influential indie website Drowned In Sound. And this was before DAMN ARMS recorded their brilliant, exhilarating debut The Live Artex. Brimming with ideas and ahead of its time, the record is as catchy and danceable as it is inventive and darkly dramatic. The Melbournew four-piece have recently spent time on the road with Klaxons and the Midnight Juggernauts so don’t miss them wreaking havoc in laneways NATIONALLY.
 Three years ago, THEREDSUNBAND burst onto our airwaves with a fuzzed-out guitar sound, the simplicity of a three-piece format and the haunting vocals of Sarah Kelly, wooing audiences with a sound they termed "distorto-dream-pop". Catch the indie darlings airing their gorgeous new material from their forthcoming album at Laneways NATIONAL.
 THE VASCO ERA, stomp and howl their way through their J Award-nominated debut Oh We Do Like To Live Beside The Seaside, the finest concept album about growing up in Apollo Bay ever. The Victorian trio's distinctive vocals and raw energy on stage make for a heady mix. White-boy blues at its best. NATIONAL
 RUDELY INTERRUPTED is an indie band unlike any other. Rory, Josh, Sam, Constance and Marcus share a range of intellectual disabilities (Asperger’s, autism and Down Syndrome) and, along with music director Rohan Brooks (The Anyones), a common interest in self-expression through music. Featuring catchy synths and driving guitars, the band put their own spin ..ro-pop. We think first single ‘Don’t Break My Heart’ is the most captivating thing you’ll hear all year. With U2’s production designer looking after RUDELY INTERRUPTED’s stage design, this is one show not to be missed. Check out the 7.30 Report feature on the band here. MELBOURNE and SYDNEY
 DARREN HANLON is a man that needs no introduction. Gympie's finest troubadour will make his last live appearance for the year at the Laneway Festival, bringing with him his wry wit, knack for a mean pop melody and no doubt many tales of his recent time spent on the road around Australia and around the Globe. NATIONAL
 Embarking on their maiden journey to Australia for the Laneway Festival are San Francisco’s preeminent indie-rocksteady party band STILL FLYIN. In fusing the city’s rich indiepop underground with a healthy dose of roots reggae, dub, and world rhythms, Still Flyin’ have created a contagiously wild sound. Their debut album, to be mixed by Architecture in Helsinki, will be released in 2008. Joyously chaotic, this is a live band not to be missed. MELBOURNE, SYDNEY, BRISBANE
 Have you heard of VIOLENT SOHO? They yell, they scream, they break stuff...and they are good at it. With a chip on their shoulder and something to prove, punk-rock four-piece Violent Soho pack the van and hit the road for MELBOURNE, BRISBANE and SYDNEY.
 'Dance! Dance!' instruct Melbourne's HOT LITTLE HANDS. 'Ok!' responds their audience, as if they had a choice. Skipping their way through the most fun music styles across the decades, HLH combine 1960's garage-disco, 1950's swamp-blues and 1980's minimalist disco to produce something thoroughly modern. See you down the front for these guys. MELBOURNE and SYDNEY.
 Melbourne's THE BASICS comprise three men in suits, one of them being one Wally de Backer of Gotye fame. The talented trio have won a cult following with their feelgood retro rock that has charmed women onto the dancefloor since their formation a few years ago. MELBOURNE, SYDNEY, BRISBANE
 Local indie punk outfit YVES KLEIN BLUE will lend their boundless energy and irresistible hooks to the Brisbane Laneway Festival. Their debut EP is called Yves Klein Blue Draw Attention to Themselves and their songs are so good, we're glad they are. BRISBANE
 I HEART HIROSHIMA have been getting people all hot under the collar since the release of their accomplished debut Tuff Teef. The bass-less Brisbane trio take lyrical tips from those other Brisbane poets, the Go-Betweens, and marries them with the taut edginess of their heroes Sleater-Kinney. An unpretentious treat. BRISBANE
 AVIATOR LANE is the project of Adeliade-based musician Michael Radzevicius. Described as Belle and Sebastian produced by TV on the Radio, AVIATOR LANE's music contains layers of sparse guitars, gorgeous harmonies and minimal piano chords. It's dreamy, comforting and quietly compelling. ADELAIDE
 Singer-songwriter EMILY ULMAN is a Melbourne treasure. Possessed of deliciously throaty vocals and a lyrical honesty that gets you right in the stomach, Emily's music is one for the romantics. MELBOURNE
 Adelaide's LADY STRANGELOVE are an astonishing live proposition. They play completely off the wall psychedelic dance-rock, replete with stunning visuals and an adrenaline rush to boot. Catch them in ADELAIDE.
 Channelling The Band, Bob Dylan, Crowded House, and Neil Young, THE GIN CLUB perform an eclectic mix of traditional folk, blues and country styles, featuring five distinctive song-writing voices backed by cello, accordion, piano, acoustic and electric guitar, drums, harmonica and saxophone. Got that? It's unlike anything else that's around at the moment and we love it. BRISBANE
 LEADER CHEETAH took form when Dan Crannitch began writing melodies that recalled the spirit of Crazy Horse & CSNY, polar opposite sounds to the indie dance rock noise of his his former outfit Pharaohs. He quickly banded together his younger brother (and fellow Pharaohs member) Joel on drums, ex- Bad Girls Of The Bible frontman Dan Pash on guitar and childhood friend Mark Harding on bass. Despite only playing their first show 9 months ago, Leader Cheetah have already supported the likes of Dinosaur Jr and Blonde Redhead and they've just finished recording their debut album with legendary US producer Kramer (Galaxie 500, Low, Robert Wyatt, Danielson). ADELAIDE
 Adelaide sextet NO THROUGH ROAD has been quietly making waves throughout the Australian music industry since the release of their album 'Too Much Or Not Enough'. Their beguiling brand of lo-fi pop has seem them climb to the top of many end-of-year lists (Drum Media. dB Magazine, Mess + Noise), earning themselves some very nice compliments along the way. ADELAIDE
First line-up:
 FEIST is the honey-soaked, whisky-tinged voice of Canadian songstress and part-time Broken Social Scenester, Leslie Feist. Her latest long-player, The Reminder is one of the year’s word-of-mouth favourites and, with the assistance of a remarkable piece of product placement (on the recent iPod ad) for her crossover hit single 1,2,3,4, (co-penned by another Laneway favourite, New Buffalo) has quickly outgrown her indie cult status. FEIST is renowned for a killer live show and some pretty cool dance moves (check them out here) and it’s both a thrill and an honour to bring Feist to Australia in 2008.
 No other local artist over the past year has made more of an impact on music than GOTYE. The bedroom sampler/producer extraordinaire has captured the heart of music lovers across the country with his Gold-selling album 'Like Drawing Blood'. After sliding into the top 10 of triple j’s Hottest 100, taking out triple j’s listeners’ Album of the Year, picking up the Australian Music Prize’s Red Bull Award, selling out his first national tour, and scooping no less than four ARIA Award nominations, the devastatingly talented man is independent in the truest sense of the word, and can claim credit for creating one of the most-loved Australian albums in recent years on almost no budget. This will be the last appearance Gotye makes in Australia for a long time and we are delighted to have him perform.
 Brooklyn band CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH made quite an impression when they released their eponymous self titled debut a few years back. A startlingly off-kilter live proposition, CYHSY set themselves apart by setting eccentric frontman Alec Ounsworth’s distinctive vocals against music that could only be described as exhilarating. 2007’s follow up, Some Loud Thunder cemented the band’s status as modern day pioneers of indie rock and we can’t wait to check them out when they return to Australia.
 Those boys from THE PRESETS sure know how to get a party started. Having taken their show on the road around Australia and the world for the best part of the past three years including coveted spots on tours with The Rapture across the US, Kim Moyes and Julian Hamilton are festival veterans. Yet there’s nothing old about their sound, which has helped revive and redefine the indie dance scene in Australia. Currently in the studio completing their sophomore album, THE PRESETS will air their new material – along with a full-blown electrical light show - for the first time at the 2008 Laneway Festival.
Feist is bringing her good mates (and bandmates) from BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE along for the ride. The Canadian collective will be performing Broken Social Scene Presents…Spirit If, the pet project of BSS co-founder Kevin Drew. Featuring over 23 special guests including J. Mascis (Dinosaur Jr), Spiral Stairs (Pavement) and piano great, Gonzales, plus the entire cast of BSS, the record is in equal parts intimate and grand, and sees Kevin return to the creative process that was the initial catalyst for the collective. Join us in welcoming back the indie rock supergroup for a very special performance.
 DAN DEACON, frontrunner of Baltimore’s emerging Future Shock movement, is heading our way with his unique brand of experimental electronica. Influenced by Devo, Talking Heads, Raymond Scott and Conlon Nancarrow, DAN DEACON pushes the boundaries of the genre whilst injecting a whole heap of fun. Employing a Casio keyboard, computer and vocoder, Dan’s performance has been perfected on the road with touring buddies including Girl Talk, Lightning Bolt, Cat Power, Matmos, and Diplo. We defy you not to dance to this party monster - check him here at a recent Brooklyn street party.
 Perth five-piece THE PANICS have been garnering widespread critical praise for their music since 2000. With the release of their third longplayer Cruel Guards, the band have fully realised their talent for crafting a fine pop song matched by mysterious and evocative lyrics. The album sees them join the company of other classic Australian songwriters, the Go-Betweens and the Triffids and with a brilliant live show, this is one local act to keep a close eye on this summer.
 OKKERVIL RIVER, the enormously talented Texan five-piece, have delivered the most poetically evocative album of 2007 The Stage Names. Erudite yet accessible, chaotic yet controlled, the album is the band’s finest achievement in their five album career and places them alongside contempories My Morning Jacket, The Shins and Modest Mouse. Live, Okkerevil are hypnotic as frontman Will Sheff leads his band, howling and stomping all the way through their highly-charged set. Lou Reed thinks OKKERVIL RIVER is a standout modern indie band, and so do we.
 New kids on the city block LITTLE RED have got everyone talking. Talking and dancing and throwing their arms in the air with the pure fun of it all. Flirting with pop, RnB and straight-up rock n roll, the fresh-faced Melbourne five piece dress to kill, combining harmonies, hooks and chiming guitars that propel us straight to the dancefloor. Melbourne officially has Little Red fever and from reports of their stellar support slot on a recent Art of Fighting tour, it’s spreading quickly around the nation.
 DEVASTATIONS, the Melbourne trio who now call Berlin home, are all drama and cinematic beauty. 2003’s self-titled debut won them a following in Europe, and that’s where they created 2005’s Coal an album that raised their profile considerably both home and abroad (winning them an Australian Music Prize nomination along the way). Yes U, their latest effort, affirms their affection for woozy rhythms, throbbing basslines, and compelling lyrics. Catch DEVASTATIONS, darkly melancholic and sexy as hell.
 New Zealand’s THE BRUNETTES create perfect pop. Irresistible melodies, emotionally direct lyrics, delightful harmonies and easy on the eye, the duo (Jonathan Bree on vocals and guitar and Heather Mansfield on vocals, keyboards, clarinet, glockenspiel, harmonica) take everything that is good about the tradition to create something entirely their own. Structure & Cosmetics, their first album on prestigious US indie Subpop, is charming on the stereo; live, it is.downright unmissable.
 VIA TANIA, the brainchild of Tania Bowers, places her ethereal vocals and distinctive songwriting at the centre of her work. After honing her talent supporting bands such as Bikini Kill and The Breeders in her former band SPDFGH when she was still a teenager, Tania relocated to Chicago where she become ensconced in that city’s thriving underground scene. Accompanied by Liz Payne (formerly from Town and Country, percussion, double bass) and Shelly Stevens (guitar/keyboards, sound engineer for Joanna Newsom), Tania’s live show is sure to mesmerize.
 It’s hard to articulate what creates the otherworldy magic of BRIDEZILLA. It might be the unusual line-up of drums, guitar, violin, saxophone and vocals. It might be their youthful exuberance. Or it might be their innate sense of style which translates to both their music and their live performance. Their debut EP (recorded by Scott Horscroft) is a beautifully crafted work that signals big things for the Sydney five-piece, so see them at Laneway before everyone else does.
 Word of mouth is a powerful thing. Just ask THE HOLIDAYS who formed just over a year ago and haven't looked back. In that time, the Sydney four-piece have toured with Jamie T, The View and Ben Kweller, recorded an EP of demos which quickly sold out at gigs, and received regular airplay on radio stations both here and in the US. A classic guitar rock band with pop melodies that recall bands such as Teenage Fanclub and Television, the future looks bright for these guys.
www.lanewayfestival.com.au
FEIST – CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH – GOTYE – THE PRESETS – BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE – OKKERVIL RIVER – DAN DEACON* – VIA TANIA* - THE PANICS – BRIDEZILLA – DEVASTATIONS – THE BRUNETTES* – LITTLE RED – THE HOLIDAYS join STARS – COOL KIDS* – MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA – DAMN ARMS – THEREDSUNBAND – THE VASCO ERA – RUDELY INTERRUPTED (Syd and Melb) – STILL FLYIN* – DARREN HANLON – VIOLENT SOHO* – HOT LITTLE HANDS (Syd and Melb) – THE BASICS – YVES KLEIN BLUE (Brisbane) – I HEART HIROSHIMA (Brisbane) – AVIATOR LANE (Adelaide) – EMILY ULMAN (Melbourne) – LADY STRANGELOVE (Adelaide) – THE GIN CLUB (Brisbane) – LEADER CHEETAH (Adelaide) – NO THROUGH ROAD (Adelaide) – BATRIDER (Melbourne) – GHOSTWOOD (Sydney)
*Not playing Adelaide
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