What started as a series of weekly shows at a tiny Melbourne bar has bloomed into one of Australia’s most beloved music festival institutions. Across a decade of expansion that has seen the St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival become an international signifier of essential music, the event continues to showcase its original set of values: championing community, fostering collaboration, encouraging self-expression, and finding ongoing excuses to have fun. The 2016 line-up is a heady mix of left-field electronica, shambolic punk, intelligent pop and boundary-pushing hip-hop. It’s the incredibly strong local contingent – already iconic or soon to be legendary Australian bands, many of whom have fresh new music dropping over the next couple of week.