Laneway Festival picks predictions for the breakout artists on 2015 line-up

IF you want to know which artists are going to be talked about for the next 12 months, just scan the Laneway Festival line-up.

Melbourne singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett.

THE Laneway Festival has become a reliable predictor of the alternative music Zeitgeist since it launched in 2005.

Promoter Danny Rogers has that uncanny knack of booking artists months in advance of the event who are just about to break big time or are on the rise.

In recent years he has accurately tapped the talents of Lorde, Alt-J, Two Door Cinema Club, Florence and the Machine, Flume, Chet Faker, Vance Joy, Haim and Run the Jewels as they reached the pinnacle of buzzworthiness.

The modest Rogers says crystal ball gazing is a necessary part of the promoter’s skill set. If you want to grow your event, or at least keep it selling out year after year, he has to be “on it”.

Another key to Laneway’s success has been to limit the returning bands filling his 25 set slots to a minimum.

Here are his predictions for the acts we will be talking about for the rest of the year thanks to their moment on the Laneway festival.

Royal Blood

English two-piece rock outfit formed in 2013 whose self-titled debut record made the cut on plenty of end-of-year lists last month. Their incendiary live sets exceed the limitations of a duo and they now count Jimmy Page as a fan.

“They have obviously broken in the UK in a pretty major way but there is a huge expectation they will do the same in America this year as they are doing a big tour with the Foo Fighters. They are so powerful live after a couple of hundred shows with this Queens Of the Stone Age meets White Stripes feel. They are the most likely to break out this year as rock comes back in,” Rogers says.

FKA Twigs

You couldn’t escape the hype coming out of the blogosphere about this unique singer, songwriter and producer who can also claim professional dancer on her resume. Her debut LP1 album had critics running out of superlatives for her futuristic poptastic R&B. These will be her first shows in Australia.

“She’s a modern-day Bjork to me, a unique performer who delivers a killer show. We have put her very high up the bill which was a bit risky but I feel the curiosity about her is going to create a huge moment. We are watching her become a proper star right now,” he says.

Courtney Barnett

The Australian singer-songwriter has captured global attention with just two EPs, with her debut record one of the most anticipated album releases of 2015. Her compelling, clever narratives and simple, infectious hooks established her credentials as the thinking music fan’s preferred artist.

“It is almost unprecedented the amount of press, pick-up and interest around the world for her considering she has only dropped two EPs. She has already played Glastonbury, can sell 5000 tickets in Melbourne and her kind of grunge folk is happening just as that scene comes back in. She is going to be massive after her album comes out in April/May,” he says.

Raury

It is early days for the Atlanta native who stumped early adopters last year in their attempts to describe his singular sound. Elements of folk, hip hop, funk and electro-rock bed down his smooth soul-flecked vocals or slo-mo raps, Kanye West leads his champion roll call and a debut record is expected this year.

“He is a minute away from breaking even though his career is still in that early development. I think his shows are going to be mega and he is going to be one of those artists everyone will be talking about this year,” Rogers says.

Mansionair

Australia is leading the world in producing electronic folk heroes with voices to make the angels weep. Sydney-bred trio Mansionair scored a staggering seven million plus hits for their astonishingly beautiful single Hold Me Down since its release a year ago. Rogers looks after the band with Chvrches manager Campbell McNeil.

“I don’t think I have heard a more stunning vocalist than Jack, he has a voice that is just jaw-dropping. Their music is exactly what is going on right now with that chilled, electronic vibe — London Grammar meets The XX, meets Alt-J — and their live show is really compelling,” he says.

SEE: Laneway Festival, Brisbane Showgrounds, January 31, Sydney College of the Arts, Rozelle, Sydney, February 1, Harts Mill, Port Adelaide, February 6, Footscray Community Arts Centre (FCAC) And The River’s Edge, Melbourne, February 7, Esplanade Reserve And West End, Fremantle, February 8.