LANEWAY ACTS HEAD TO SINGAPORE

Florence & the Machine, The xx , and ECHO & the Bunnymen to play back to back concerts at the Esplanade in February 2010.

Three of the headliners from Australia's famed Laneway Festival will make a stopover in Singapore following their Australian engagement.  Yes, it is confirmed - Florence & the Machine, the flame-haired ingenue and her band, will perform in Singapore for the first time on February 7th. Joining them will be the darlings of the Internet music fraternity, The xx. Post-punk legends Echo & the Bunnymen perform at the Esplanade the following night, February 8.

Michael Chugg, Promoter of the Laneway Festival in Australia, made a statement in Singapore last week announcing that these three sensational acts are to perform in 2010, ahead of the Laneway Festival's anticipated Singapore debut in 2011.

The beguiling London three-piece The xx will open the February 7 show and are sure to win a legion of new fans with their unique blend of music which embraces an artistic thread that resonates with critics and fans due to the universal influences that pepper their repetoire. This critically acclaimed band of quiet achievers are a compelling live act and Singapore fans are in for a treat.

Performing the same night is award winning indie artiste Florence & The Machine. Equipped with a mega voice and a repetoire of songs including radio favourites 'Kiss With a Fist', 'Dog Days Are Over' and 'The Drumming Song' from her roundly praised debut album 'Lungs', Florence has been hailed by UK daily The Times as  "the most peculiar and most highly acclaimed female singer of the moment".  The album has been in the top 40 UK charts for 22 consecutive weeks, going three times platinum in the UK alone. Classy and confident with a vocal range that is as big as the imagination it expresses, Florence will be completely in her element with her Singapore fans absorbing every sound, lyric and action.

February 8 will see UK heroes Echo & The Bunnymen take the stage. The legendary post-punk band have authored countless hits including 'The Killing Moon', 'Silver', 'Nothing Lasts Forever' and acclaimed records like the groundbreaking 1980's classics Crocodiles and Ocean Rain. It is hard to underestimate their influence on contemporary music with their music often cited as the inspiration for bands like Suede, Pavement, Elbow and Interpol. All of whom owe much of their influences to the Bunnymen's brooding soundscapes, pulsating guitars and subversive attitude. They have recently released The Fountain which the band feels is comparable to the now iconic "Ocean Rain." A return to the stage that is not to be missed.

Ticketing Details

Florence & the Machine + The xx
Date: 7 February 2010
Time: Doors at 7.30 p.m. show at 8 p.m.
Venue: Esplanade Theatre
Ticket Prices:  S$80  S$70  S$55

Echo & the Bunnymen
Date: 8 February 2010
Time:  Doors at 7.30 p.m. Show at 8 p.m.
Venue: Esplanade Theatre
Ticket Prices: S$88  S$78  S$68

Tickets on sale Tuesday December 22 at Sistic counters and online here.