Be prepared.
The time has arrived: You’ve spent your money. You’ve clicked "going" on Facebook. You’ve got your Instagram captions (“way of the lane!”) ready to go. You’re going to Laneway and there is no backing out now.
So what variables and factors should you consider in order to have a "lit" and "slapping" Laneway in 2018? Let’s have a look.
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MUSIC
Anderson .Paak performs in Brooklyn in August 2017. Photo: AFP
While Laneway is a great time to stumble upon new and unexpected favourites, for the 170-odd dollarydoos you coughed up to go it is more a matter of value that you ensure you are acquainted with at least a few of the acts.
So where to start?
Whether you love them or hate them, Canadian singer-songwriter Mac DeMarco and sardonic folk bro Father John Misty should both be interesting to watch. Unmissable is Anderson.Paak and the Free Nationals, with the LA-based singer, songwriter and producer tipped to be one of the best live acts of the moment. With the night capped off by six-piece Philadelphia band The War on Drugs and Kiwi electronic artist Baynk, fans of both might have a tricky choice to make but should be able to count on both to deliver powerhouse sets.
There are, of course, also numerous wildcards and local talents who are worth looking into: The Internet, an Odd Future offshoot, have only got bigger and better since they played Laneway in 2016; There’s a ton of buzz around 16-year-old songwriter Billie Eilish; it's the perfect time to get acquainted with MeloDownz, who killed it with his Avontales EP; and electronic act TOKiMONSTA has an absolutely insane backstory, to name a few.
TIME
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Whether you’re there bright and early at 11:30am or rocking up at 4:20 like the witty and glamorous rock star you are, one of the most important things to plan for Monday is when the music you want to see is actually playing.
As usual, you are likely to be thwarted by clashes aplenty - sorry fans of Baynk and The War on Drugs - but with a little bit of strategy and a few mad dashes, these can be minimised. Of course, such a feat can only be accomplished if you have first familiarised yourself with the ...
SPACE
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What good is knowing when your favourite band is playing if you don’t know where?
Fortunately for the easily lost, things are looking much the same as last year with the Thunderdome down by the University of Auckland Library, the Princess stage on Princess Street, The Fountain Stage by the fountain and the Rotunda Stage by the rotunda (gee aren’t you glad I’m here to help you with this?).
With last year proving that a pretty grassy, tree-filled park was indeed a nice place to spend a summer’s day than the sweltering concrete hellscape that is Silo Park, things are looking good for another year in Albert Park - unless of course they are sabotaged by ...
WEATHER
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In a month so hot I am dreaming hellish global warming nightmares every time I actually manage another sweaty sleep, all signs so far point to Monday being an absolute sauna of a day.
While Laneway has always somehow managed to fall on sunny, pleasant days, as of late our fine city has not really had a lot of that. Instead, the chances seem high for a day that is both hot and showery, meaning one has the lovely choice of sweating it out in rainproof materials or allowing that same sweat to mingle with rain in a medley of horror crystalised by the threat of muddy grass on which to sit.
At present MetService forecasts a day “mainly fine, cloud morning and night” with easterly breezes but, as many of us have learned, weather predictive science still has a wee way to go and what we can actually expect on Monday is anyone’s guess. Just remember: even if it's cloudy, even if it's rainy SLIP, SLOP, SLAP AND WRAP or my mum will come down there and PERSONALLY show you the scars she got from having her moles zapped off.
INVENTORY
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As usual, there is a comprehensive list of what to bring and what not to bring on the Laneway Website (sorry but you’ve gotta leave your drone at home) it never hurts to reiterate the things that you absolutely must not forget:
Ticket - VERY IMPORTANT
Photo ID - Also VERY IMPORTANT
Sun Protection - YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT
Cash - like in olden times!
Unsealed empty plastic water bottle - they’ll chuck anything else out
Tissues and wet wipes - that hand sanitizer in the portaloos just makes me feel more dirty you know?
Portable phone charger - with a revamped Laneway app to download along with heaps of people just dying to catch up on your Instagram story antics, you don’t want your phone to die.
Rain gear - OK, I just have this feeling it’s gonna rain, you guys.
