Laneway Festival really doesn’t hold back on the sweet announcements. Last week, following a J Award win for Album of the Year, the enigmatic and groundbreaking D.D Dumbo was revealed to be playing at the national festival. And just today, there is an equally exciting addition to the already stellar line-up – Atlanta’s eccentric heart-throb Young Thug, who will be playing his first Australian shows for Laneway. One of the most prolific rappers currently traversing the international circuit, Young Thug‘s output over the last six years includes multiple mixtapes, the trilogy of Slim Season, and the critically adored Barter 6.
His new record JEFFREY is something of a magnum opus and demonstrates Young Thug‘s ever-evolving musical style, and his unpredictable, occasionally manic flow, and deals with themes of gender and identity. Pitchfork declared that the album was “daring and chameleonic.” The lead single from this record has accumulated more than 90 million streams online, an infectious track entitled ‘Pick Up The Phone.’
The drip feed of major act inclusions like D.D Dumbo and Young Thug is a bold move for a festival when usual protocol is to announce the drawcard artists early on. Laneway co-founder Danny Rogers said “we’re not in the habit of announcing artists late in the piece, but Young Thug and D.D Dumbo are two artists that have been at the very top of our list the past couple of years. We found out they were available and just couldn’t resist.”
The reveal of Young Thug accompanies another pretty special announcement – food to feed your face. In Brisbane, Barbecue Mafia will be serving up authentic Texan style BBQ brisket and other slow cooked meats. The folks from Mr. Burger will be serving up the patties, while Catch and Kiss will be serving up fresh seafood. In Sydney and Melbourne, crowd favourite Belle’s Hot Chicken will be returning, plus a mix of exciting newcomers and a section of local food producers in each city. Choice picks including The Royale Brothers and Fonda Mexican in Melbourne, Mary’s, UME Burger & Porteno in Sydney, and lots more.
Taco Cat of Adelaide will be recreating the fresh flavours of South America alongside Chicichurri’s adored Argentinian grill. At the last Laneway pitstop in Fremantle, Lucky Chan’s Bao bar will be popping up, as will local legends Eat No Evil who specialise in street style canapés with a focus on local, sustainable, free-range produce.
The thirst is set to be real at Laneway, which occurs while summer is in full swing. So it’s good that Frosè will be being served – if you don’t know, that is frozen Rosè, and it’s as awesome as it sounds. Additionally, there will be cold beers, crisp ciders, a brand new octal and list and even more delicious beverages to wet your whistle.
ST. JEROME’S LANEWAY FESTIVAL 2017
Presented by triple j
Saturday 21 January – SINGAPORE – THE MEADOW, GARDENS BY THE BAY
Thursday 26 January – BRISBANE – BRISBANE SHOWGROUNDS, BOWEN HILLS (16+)
Saturday 28 January – MELBOURNE – FOOTSCRAY COMMUNITY ARTS CENTRE (FCAC) AND THE RIVER’S EDGE
Monday 30 January – AUCKLAND – IT’S A SECRET, WATCH THIS SPACE!
Friday 3 February – ADELAIDE – HART’S MILL, PORT ADELAIDE (16+)
Saturday 4 February – SYDNEY – SYDNEY COLLEGE OF THE ARTS (SCA), ROZELLE
Sunday 5 February – FREMANTLE – ESPLANADE RESERVE AND WEST END
See y’all at Laneway
