US pop star Chappell Roan will headline the upcoming Laneway festival in Australia and New Zealand. This is a significant coup for the festival, which was previously headlined by Charli xcx. Roan’s exclusive performances for Laneway will be her first time playing in New Zealand and her first Australian shows since her global ascension in 2024. The 27-year-old artist will perform the full production that attracted the largest crowd at the Reading and Leeds festival last month. This production includes a fantasy castle stage set, an all-female band, and gothic fairytale costumes influenced by drag.
The scale of Roan’s shows will be a significant contrast to her 2023 Australia tour, when she performed in small venues along the east coast following her debut album release, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. Hits like Pink Pony Club, Good Luck Babe, and the recent The Giver have propelled Roan from a camp cult figure to a genuine superstar. She has headlined major festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza and attracted record crowds with high-energy, maximalist theatrical performances.
Joining Roan on the lineup are breakout indie group Wet Leg, with other acts including Wolf Alice, Role Model, PinkPantheress, and Swedish rappers Yung Lean & Bladee. Also featured are Charli xcx collaborator the Dare, Lucy Dacus, Alex G, Cavetown, and Mt. Joy. Laneway has grown from its debut as a boutique indie festival in Melbourne in 2005. The festival now spans multiple cities across Australia and New Zealand and has increasingly starry line-ups, with recent headliners such as Stormzy, Fred Again, and Haim. With Charli xcx and now Chappell Roan, the festival has entered a new era.
Among the Australian acts are Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers, Blusher, Shady Nasty, Armlock, The Belair Lip Bombs, and Djanaba. The festival will commence in Auckland on February 5 and then move to the Gold Coast (February 7), Sydney (February 8), Melbourne (February 13), Adelaide (February 14), and Perth (February 15).
Presale registration for the festival has commenced, with a 24-hour presale starting at 11am AEST on September 23, and general sales opening the following day.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/sep/18/laneway-festival-2026-chappell-roan-leads-lineup-featuring-wet-leg-wolf-alice-and-pinkpantheress
