There’s a few surprises in this year’s Laneway playing times. The good news is the really tough clashes after 3pm have been kept to a minimum. You’ll only have to sacrifice Aurora or Mr Carmack for Tame Impala, while the artist formally known as Chet Faker only has a small overlap with Floating Points, and those anti-Fakers out there can get down to Jagwar Ma instead.
A bigger concern is Floating Points and Tycho, two of this year’s big wild cards, overlapping in a big way. In fact, Tycho’s place third last at the main stages is the biggest surprise of all in 2017, and suggests a bigger live show that we might be expecting.
The main stages look set to be busy places late in the day, with little to detract from big names such as Glass Animals, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, and Gang of Youths, although A.B. Original are sure to intrigue and Clams Casino is a producer those who love their beats will be hankering for.
The bad news is most of the must-see internationals are on before 3pm. You can include Car Seat Headrest, White Lung, Whitney, Nao and Mick Jenkins in that list, and add Australian names the calibre of Camp Cope (on their first WA visit), Nicholas Allbrook, Fascinator and Dream Rimmy to those you’ll have to choose between while the sun is at its hottest.
Tip: Whitney on the main stage is going to struggle for atmosphere early in the day. The smarter money could be on not missing a second of White Lung and Car Seat Headrest at the shady Spinning Top stage, who bookend Whitney’s set.
Luckily there’s a planner to help you get all your ducks in a row before you leave the house, get it for Android or iPhone, You can also download the map and playing times, plus check out all the other essential info at Laneway’s website.
Happy Laneway kids – may it reign supreme as WA’s best festival, even with the strong competition coming from Falls Downtown this year!
