Pitchfork

Reporting on this year's three-city St. Jerome's Laneway Festival, Pitchfork's Joe Tangari dubbed it "Australia's most insurgent and unique pop music event". Since then, the festival has added another city-- Adelaide-- and lined up a whole bunch of fine bands for the 2008 edition, sending its unique insurgency into previously unheard strata.

Feist, Okkervil River, Kevin Drew, Dan Deacon, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, the Presets, the Brunettes, and the Devastations highlight said bunch, with most showing up on all dates. (The Adelaide gig, perhaps due to its newness, is shy one Deacon, a Drew, and a pair of Brunettes). Adelaide kicks things off February 23 2008, and Melbourne follows the next day. When the working week is done, the fest hits Brisbane March 1 and Sydney March 2.