Back in 2004, two men by the name of Jerome Borazio and Danny Rogers were steadily booking several up-and-coming indie bands at St. Jerome’s Bar in the Caledonian Lane area of Melbourne, Australia. The music started out inside of the bar during the summer month series, and after a request from Borazio and Rogers to the band The Avalanches, the music was taken into the street, closing down the lane and beginning the very first installment of the now internationally known St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival. The spontaneous excitement and organization that was in the air over the very first Laneway in Melbourne is now coming to the United States for the first time, where hundreds of music fans looking to see what is happening in the contemporary indie music scene will come to Meadowbrook Music Festival in Rochester Hills, MI on September 14.
The size of the festivals, the locations and the way we encourage community all form part of the way in which the Laneway team strive to present an urban music experience like no other.
-St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival Philosophy Statement
The Laneway Festival began expanding throughout several cities in Australia beginning in 2006, including Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth, and now covers Singapore as well as the United States. The announcement of the festival coming to Michigan came during Laneway’s party at the SXSW Festival in Austin, TX this past March. Not only does this mark the first time that Laneway has come to the United States, it also marks the first time that an Australian music festival has come to North America. When the curiosity began to buzz about why Laneway organizers chose the Detroit area as a sensible location for the festival, Danny Rogers shared that he believes “Detroit is having its rebirth and as Laneway continues to evolve, we can identify with a city that is continuing to evolve as well.”
Laneway has featured several artists vital to the contemporary indie music scene in their past lineups, including Yo La Tengo, Feist, Mumford & Sons, Blonde Redhead, and M83, among dozens of others. The Laneway Detroit lineup features co-headliners The National and Sigur Rós, both of whom released albums earlier in 2013 and are known for their grandiose live performances. Rounding out the bill are other indie favorites Deerhunter and The Dismemberment Plan, as well as newly teamed Hip-Hop heavyweights Killer Mike and EL-P performing as Run The Jewels. With a lineup that boasts several acts showcasing sub-genres under the indie music umbrella, festival attendees will get a chance to see some of the newer examples of artists who draw influence from Lo-Fi (Washed Out, Youth Lagoon), Electronica (CHVRCHES, Icona Pop, Charlie XCX), R&B (Solange), and Post-Punk (Savages). At the end of June, Laneway organizers also announced that they would be adding a stage hosted by Detroit’s own Movement Electronic Music Festival/Paxahau, and Ann Arbor originals, electronic music label Ghostly International. This new addition to the festival will feature 5 electronic artists on the Ghostly International label, including Matthew Dear, Adult., Beacon, Heathered Pearls, and Shigeto.
Meadowbrook Music Festival on the campus of Oakland University in Rochester Hills will feature four stages total for the September 14th festival; the Movement/Ghostly International stage, as well as two other stages which will be built on the grounds of Meadowbrook, and the main Meadowbrook amphitheatre itself. Specific set times and vendor names have yet to be announced, but festival organizers have promised that spaces will be dedicated to local food, drink, and merchandise vendors. For more information about getting to the festival, purchasing tickets ($79.50 in advance including parking fees, VIP package tickets for $199, and limited 4-packs for $64.50 per ticket are still available), and answers to other questions you may have, visit detroit.lanewayfestival.com.
Full Line-Up
Sigur Rós, The National, Deerhunter, The Dismemberment Plan, Matthew Dear, Run The Jewels (EL-P & Killer Mike), Adult., CHVRCHES, Savages, Washed Out, Solange, Warpaint, Frightened Rabbit, Phosphorescent, Icona Pop, Charlie XCX, My Brightest Diamond, AlunaGeorge, Beacon, Youth Lagoon, Shigeto, Flume, Haerts, Heathered Pearls, Chet Faker