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W E E K E N D S U R V I V A L G U I D E
Alexandra Karplus
makes sure those
dishing out big bucks
for Singapore’s festival
of indie music get their
money’s worth with a
budget-friendly guide
MAKING ITS THIRD
appearance in
Singapore, indie-rockers from around
the region rejoice as St Jerome’s annual
Laneway Festival returns to the Little
Red Dot. The January 26 show will be
moving over to The Meadow stage at
Gardens by the Bay, one of the city’s
newest venues. Follow our guide to
the best budget bites and beds nearby,
along with a roundup of bands that have
us most excited to shake our booties.
Hit the
Laneway
Five acts to catch
A 14-act line-up includes a variety of bands, but there are a few sets that you shouldn’t miss.
Alt-J
Creating a buzz
throughout most
of 2012, the
British quartet
first formed back
in 2007, while
attending Leeds
University. Folky
harmonies,
electronic
beats and
jazz-influenced
instrumentation
won them the
Mercury Prize for
their album
An
Awesome Wave.
Recent hits like
“
Tessellate”
and “Something
Good” should
make it onto
the playlist.
Bat for
Lashes
British singer-
songwriter
and multi-
instrumentalist
Natasha Khan,
who performs
under the name
Bat for Lashes,
successfully
overcame
writer’s block
when she
delivered her
third album
The
Haunted Man
this year. Her
piano ballads
and dreamy pop
style have been
used once again
to put her back in
the spotlight.
Nicolas
Jaar
American-
Chilean
electronic
musician
Nicolas Jaar
has acquired
an Ivy League
education, made
it onto
New York
magazine’s Top
10
Musicians list
and managed
to start his own
record label, all
at the ripe young
age of 22. His
debut full-length
album,
Space
Is Only Noise,
was the result
of a three-year
writing process.
Tame
Impala
Hailing from
Perth, Australia,
this psychedelic
hypno-groove
melodic rock
band has been
receiving rave
reviews from
around the
world. The
quintet, fronted
by singer-
songwriter Kevin
Parker, will
have no trouble
getting the
crowd excited
with hits from
Innerspeaker
and the more
recent album,
Lonerism.
Gotye
Despite having
three LPs
spanning the last
decade, leading
up to the release
of breakthrough
single “Somebody
That I Used to
Know” with
Kimbra (another
musician who’ll
be taking the stage
at Laneway),
Wouter De Backer
—
aka Gotye —
was a relative
unknown. Now
that the song has
reached number
1
in 18 countries,
the Belgian-
Australian is a
household name.
Your hit
list for
Laneway
and beyond
