Words: Ken Magno

Photography: Josh Ma

Somewhere between humidity and anticipation, the sweat and nerves started kicking in as we made our way to the Sydney’s 17th Edition Laneway Festival. Discussions leading up to the big day revolved around one question: “Will this be able to hold up a torch to the previous year?” – 2023’s Laneway Festival hosted many great names such as Finneas, Phoebe Bridgers, Joji and the overnight EDM sensation Fred Again, the bar seemed impossibly high to meet, though much to our delight, the atmosphere we walked into was the perfect blend of high-octane energy and on stage theatrics that made even the 34 degree heat bearable.

Walking through the entrance, we were welcomed by a cooling mist spread over the whole outdoor area; hordes of young people clad in their jorts, vintage button up tops and doc martens dancing under the sun showers while the music from the four main halls thundered around the venue. We made our way to the first stop of our schedule, the Everything Ecstatic stag featuring Western Sydney’s very own FRIDAY*, one of Sydney’s hidden gems in the local music industry and soon to be superstar. FRIDAY* has made his way through the ranks of Sydney’s underground scene and proven himself time and time again that he is here to stay. Songs like ‘Beaming’ that were reminiscent of a teenage summer and a surprise guest spot from Dylan Atlantis, another local hero, on ‘Concern’, to a spell binding performance of ‘Radiohead’, the audience screaming “I can’t forget about you – I don’t know if you want me to” as if we had all hit the climax of a 2010’s coming-of-age film. FRIDAY* provided the perfect start to what we knew was going to be an unforgettable day.

We then proceeded to the main stages, Good Better Best & Never Let It Rest, where Aussie Rock legends Vacations & Teenage Dads played back-to-back on the joint stages, filling out the main hall where the two stages were located. Laneway had perfected the art of making sure that there were minimal gaps between sets, and the two bands made sure to keep the crowd up and their feet with Vacations closing out with crowd favourite ‘Midwest’ and Teenage Dads electrifying the stage with ‘Sunburnt’.

Back on the parallel side of the showgrounds, Los Angeles hip hop duo Paris Texas earned the Everything Ecstatic stage name with a bass pounding set. The crowd went – in the most respectful and polite way to say – absolutely feral. Mosh pits were opening up left right and centre, the duo even pushing for more despite the ‘No Moshing or Crowd Surfing’ signs. Even Laneway staff turned a cheeky blind eye at the sight of beautiful musical mayhem that was unfolding to the distortion heavy Californian act.

We then went back into the main hall to catch a glimpse of Cordae, who was bouncing around the stage in his stylish fit, being as humble as ever as he led the crowd through his anthemic rap hits such as ‘RNP,’ ‘Chronicles’, and even a tribute to the late Juice WRLD with their Lyrical Lemonade directed track ‘DOOMSDAY’. He then proceeded to spend some time walking through the crowd after his set, aiming to meet as many of his fans and spend some time getting to know everyone, a rare sight to see with names as big as his.

Over on the Hope Springs stage, the fresh faced D4vd graced the stage. D4vd had grown into his own as an artist with a collection of his songs becoming viral on TikTok, among them being ‘Romantic Homicide’ and ‘Here With Me’, a song that he had enlisted some help performing on stage from his younger sister Emily. The crowd swayed in awe of his energy and talent towards his songs, singing his lyrics at the top of their lungs in unison above the melodic instrumental atmosphere provided by his backing band. Following was a passion filled back-to-back performance from two of the UK’s most notable acts, Raye & AJ Tracey back on the main stages. Raye’s mesmerising vocal runs and energetic pop style was put on full display, with the help from her equally powerful band providing a huge sound that helped match her energy through hits ‘Prada’ and ‘Escapism’. AJ Tracey had sparked the crowd with his dynamic performance, heavy hitting track ‘Seoul’ running through the subwoofers giving the crowd a well needed energy hit as we headed towards the headliners. “Thiago Silver is coming” repeated AJ to the crowd throughout his set, a promise that he delivered with the help of an eager fan from the crowd to deliver an explosive ending.

The sun was setting, and the moment many audience members had been waiting for was finally here. The triple headline had begun, with Dominic Fike taking the Never Let It rest stage with a gigantic display of LIFE Magazine covers filling the screen behind him. Since his last trip to Australia in 2019, coming off his newsworthy Columbia signing and EP Release ‘Don’t Forget About Me Demos’, Fike has released 2 albums that have come to a great reception, whilst also having made appearances of HBO’s Euphoria (Elliot’s Song is a guilty favourite, despite some other fans thoughts) and featuring on the soundtrack of two of 2023’s biggest feature films, Barbie & Spider-man: Across the Spider-verse. With his effortless charm, Dominic Fike made up for the time he had been away, even joking about buying a condo in Sydney. He played his top hits, having the crowd jumping with ‘Antpile’ and his rendition of Paul McCartney’s ‘The Kiss of Venus’, even jumping into the crowds and having a softer moment with his fans during ‘Three Nights’. Though by the end of his set, he proved everyone glued to the barricade from the start of the day in their ‘I Love Dominic Fike’ shirts that the wait was all worth it, closing out with a performance of ‘Why’ that mirrored his Coachella set and set his place as one of the greatest acts that Laneway has seen.

Then as the lights dimmed, a curtain was drawn as Steve Lacy’s familiar drone to his intro song ‘Static’ began to hum through the stage. Lacy then quite abruptly burst into a cover of ‘Killing in the Name Of’, a move that was a welcome surprise to everyone as Steve pranced around on stage in his hoodie and oversized sunnies combo, against all the “take it off” chants happening around him. He then joked around with the audience saying, “I’m so sorry for last night” (in relation to his poorly received Brisbane Laneway performance) and “I’ll never leave you again Sydney”, sounding like a character from his 2022 album Gemini Rights apologising to a loved one that he had wronged, before fittingly heading into his song ‘Helmet’. The rest of Lacy’s set was like a cool breeze through his discography, and to answer the question on everyone’s mind after a certain chart topper was excluded from his previous set, ‘Bad Habit’ finished his performance followed by the song that made its way onto everyone’s 2017 playlist ‘Dark Red’, pleasing both long-time fans and newcomers to his music.

Then the night came to its climax. Everyone’s doubts had been dismissed as UK Grime sensation Stormzy made his triumphant return to Sydney’s stages, accompanied by a symphonic band and backing singers that gave his set just a hint of gospel seeping through the grime beats.  As if his performances of crowd favourites ‘Clash’ and ‘Toxic Trait’ weren’t fiery enough, throughout his set he had an astounding display of fireworks, smoke machines and pyrotechnics that gave us an amazing ‘you had to be there moment’, coming to a soft close with his more personal song ‘Blinded by Your Grace Pt. 2’ acting as a false ending, even setting off confetti covering the crowds as they acted as a backing choir to one of his most sentimental songs in his catalogue. The crowd began to slowly disperse, thinking the night had come to an end, until his familiar chuckle could be heard through the speakers along with his infamous tagline. He uttered the word ‘Merky’ with a grin and the goosebumps came, along with the crowd running back like a pack of lions. The instrumental to ‘Vossi Bop’ began and everyone knew they we’re in for a had to be there moment. Sweat dripping off his skin, shirt off and proving to be the larger-than-life persona that he is, Stormzy gave us all the perfect ending to what an amazing festival was already, and through his on-stage presence and theatrics, gave us a moment that is hardly forgettable.

BigCityBeats 

WORLD CLUB DOME 

Future Edition

DAVID GUETTA, the #1 DJ of the World,

3 ARE LEGEND exclusively in Germany, and

DJ SNAKE with the only festival show in Germany are coming to Frankfurt.

DJ Mag UK: WORLD CLUB DOME best festival in Germany and Top 10 festival worldwide.

New in the Line Up:

DAVID GUETTA, 3 ARE LEGEND (Germany exclusive),

Angerfist, Cassö, Ćelo & Abdï, Claptone, Da Tweekaz,

DJ Rush, Imanbek, James Hype, KI/KI, Joel Corry, Moguai, Steve Aoki, Sub Zero Project, and many more.

Elrow Comeback in Germany

Hex, Masquerade, Pyramid as additional Stage Host

The BigCityBeats WORLD CLUB DOME in Frankfurt, named by DJ Mag UK as the best festival in Germany and Top 10 among the most important festivals globally, has once again secured the world’s best DJ: David Guetta, the Number 1 DJ of the World, will grace the Mainstage at Deutsche Bank Park in September.

The Future Edition of WORLD CLUB DOME, taking place on September 6th, 7th, and 8th, will cater to the tastes of all club music enthusiasts. A diverse lineup ranging from Techno to Hardstyle, Hip-Hop, and Pop, featuring the best acts from popular genres. The new lineup phase of “the world’s largest club” introduces star headliners such as David Guetta, 3 Are Legend, Steve Aoki, Claptone, Imanbek, James Hype, Joel Corry, Hugel, Moguai and Salvatore Ganacci. 3 Are Legend, the legendary trio, makes an exclusive appearance in Germany at WORLD CLUB DOME, along with Imanbek, the multi-platinum star known for the Saint Jhn Remix of “Roses.” Additionally, icons of the Harder Styles, including Angerfist, Da Tweekaz, SEFA and Sub Zero Project, join the lineup.

Following Badmómzjay and Haftbefehl, two more big names in German Hip Hop, Ćelo & Abdï, will perform on the Outdoor Mainstage. German electronic artists are also part of the lineup, with Die Gebrüder Brett, Gestört aber GeiL, Lari Luke, Mausio, Nicolas Julian, Quarterhead and Twocolors being announced in the new lineup.

As the first festival in Germany, WORLD CLUB DOME brings the recent sensation to Germany: CASSÖ. The British producer and DJ, known for the track “Prada,” with over 21.7 million monthly listeners and 360 million streams, will make his debut in Germany. The track has captivated the entire electronic music scene, prompting the Number 1 DJ of the World, David Guetta, to create a remix.

Techno enthusiasts can look forward to acts like DJ Rush, making his debut at WORLD CLUB DOME, along with Alignment, Anna Tur, Encountear, KI/KI, Marco Faraone, Nusha, Simina Grigoriu and Stella Bossi.

Celebrating its 11th edition, the WORLD CLUB DOME Festival transforms the Frankfurt Deutsche Bank Park stadium grounds into a futuristic world. Exploring themes of Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, ChatGPT, sustainability, and diversity, the festival looks beyond traditional boundaries. Visitors will embark on a futuristic journey, celebrating together peacefully to the beats of tomorrow.

The festival promises top-notch festival vibes and experiences. The Future Edition’s theme will attract over 180,000 festival-goers from around the world, just an hour’s flight from major European cities and 10 minutes from downtown Frankfurt. The 700,000-square-meter area will be transformed into a futuristic world with arenas, two All-Star Mainstages, WCD Pool Sessions, and a booming Hardstyle stage. World Clubbers can enjoy the sunshine at the WCD Pool Sessions or on the lawns in front of the Hardstyle stage and the Outdoor Mainstage or inside the stadium at the Indoor Mainstage, where their favorite headliners will perform some of the biggest tracks with 1.8 million watts of sound.

The Deutsche Bank Park, surrounded by green fields, blue water, and picturesque forests, will host the festival. Each year, BigCityBeats turns this urban archipelago into the Mecca of club music culture, attracting international festival travelers. In 2024, a futuristic landscape will emerge in the midst of Frankfurt. Over three days, a new district will come to life on 700,000 square meters. Sports fields will transform into helicopter landing pads for the planet’s top DJs. The world’s longest red carpet will become a Walk of Fame for visitors and artists alike. Large festival stages and intimate club floors will be set up on green lawns, in forests, by swimming pools, with the stadium as the Colosseum of the modern era, featuring the monstrous MainStage forming the world’s largest dancefloor.

After completing the current phase of the WORLD CLUB DOME Future Edition 2024, the lineup is as follows in alphabetical order:

3 ARE LEGEND – ALFRED HEINRICHS – ALIGNMENT – ANGERFIST  – ANIME – ANNA TUR – APASHE & BRASS ORCHESTRA – ASK:ME – AUDIOTRICZ – BADMÓMZJAY – BIIA – BROKEN ELEMENT – CASSÖ – CELO & ABDI – CLAPTONE – D-BLOCK & S-TE-FAN –
DA TWEEKAZ – DARREN STYLES – DAVID GUETTA – DIE GEBRÜDER BRETT –
DILLON FRANCIS – DJ RUSH – DJ SNAKE – DR. RUDE – EL MUERTO live – ENCOUNTEAR – FELIX JAEHN – FELIX KRÖCHER – FLYMEON – GESTÖRT ABER GEIL – GPF – GUZ – HAFTBEFEHL – HELENA HAUFF – HUGEL – IMANBEK – JAMES HYPE – JOEL CORRY – KARLA BLUM – KI/KI – LARI LUKE – LE SHUUK – LORENZO RAGANZINI b2b PAOLO FERRARA – MANDY – MAR-T – MARCO FARAONE – MAUSIO – MELANIE RIBBE – MOGUAI – NICOLAS JULIAN – NUSHA – OLEXESH – PAJANE – PAUL ELSTAK – QUARTERHEAD –
ROBIN SCHULZ – ROOLER – SALVATORE GANACCI – SEFA – SICKMODE –
SIMINA GRIGORIU – STELLA BOSSI – STEVE AOKI – STVW – SUB ZERO PROJECT – T.N.T. – TINI GESSLER – TWOCOLORS – VEGA – ZSÁ ZSÁ – many more to be announced soon.

Significant developments are also happening with the Stage Hosts. Elrow, the craziest and most colorful party brand from Barcelona, makes its comeback in Germany at WORLD CLUB DOME. HEX, the celebrated techno label by Lorenzo Raganzini & Paolo Ferrara, comes to Frankfurt for the first time. Pyramid, the techno night from Amnesia Ibiza, returns to the WCD Pool Sessions. Masquerade, Claptone’s award-winning Pacha Ibiza event, will once again captivate the audience on the Frankfurt Berg Stage. More hosts will be announced soon.

Tickets for the Future Edition of BigCityBeats WORLD CLUB DOME are currently available in Phase 2 for €185.00 (3-day club ticket) plus fees at https://future.worldclubdome.com. Tickets in this price tier are limited and should be secured quickly.

Video link Line Up Announcement:

https://www.instagram.com/p/C2uvgEQoEQH/

BigCityBeats WORLD CLUB DOME 

Future Edition

September 6th/7th/8th, 2024

Deutsche Bank Park

Mörfelder Landstraße 362

60528 Frankfurt am Main

Germany

https://future.worldclubdome.com

ABOUT BigCityBeats

Event- und Festivalagentur mit eigenem Label, Radioshows, Merchandise-Vertrieb, Live-Entertainment – BigCityBeats zählt seit 18 Jahren zu den erfolgreichsten Entertainment-Brands Europas. Der Sound der Metropolen. Mit diesem Gedanken ins Leben gerufen, hat sich BigCityBeats bereits kurz nach dem Katapultstart Anfang des neuen Millenniums zu einer Plattform avanciert, die Veranstaltungsproduktionen neu definiert und dem bisherigen Stempel eine völlig neue Signatur gab. Von der Großstadt in die Welt ins Universum. Von Frankfurt am Main nach Düsseldorf, Asien, in die Schwerelosigkeit, in die Karibik, an Hollywood vorbei, und ins All – wo Bernd Breiter zusammen mit der ESA den 1. „Club“ im Space bauen ließ. Das 1. DJ-Set aus dem Weltall, gespielt von ESA-Astronaut und ISS-Kommandant Luca Parmitano, das zur Cruise Edition übertragen wurde. Damit schreibt BigCityBeats Musik-Geschichte.

ABOUT WORLD CLUB DOME

Der WORLD CLUB DOME ist eine Festival Kreation von BigCityBeats. Nachdem das Team um BigCityBeats 2013 bei seiner ersten Ausgabe des WORLD CLUB DOME 25.000 Besucher begrüßen durfte, haben sie mit brennender Leidenschaft für Musik einen langen Weg beschritten und sind schnell zu einem der größten Festivals der Welt herangewachsen. Mit über 180.000 Besuchern bei den Sommerausgaben und bis zu 100.000 Besuchern bei den Winter Editions feierte der BigCityBeats WORLD CLUB DOME 2023 sein 10-jähriges Bestehen.

The Australian Open Finals Festival, held on the 25th, 27th, and 28th of January, marked the culmination of the 2024 Australian Open in Naarm/Melbourne, delivering an electrifying mix of music, entertainment, and cultural celebration. The festival, organized by Untitled Group, aimed to complement the diverse and multicultural nature of the Australian Open while ensuring it stands as an independent and vibrant event.

The festival’s final day coincided with the Men’s Final, transforming the John Cain Arena into a musical spectacle that drew record-breaking crowds. The atmosphere was nothing short of festive, with marquee dance music acts such as Rudimental and Groove Armada taking the stage. Rudimental, a multicultural UK collective, brought their energetic drum ‘n’ bass hits, celebrating the 10th anniversary of their debut album “Home.” The crowd was treated to anthems like “Feel The Love,” “Waiting All Night,” and “These Days,” creating an infectious party vibe.

The festival also featured local talents, including Melburnian hotshot Cooper Smith, Samoan-Guringai DJ Latifa Tee, and Melbourne club DJ Sunshine with her Disco Faith Choir. The latter, donned in vibrant costumes, delivered soulful performances, covering songs like Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” and The Supremes’ “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” infusing an Australian Mardi Gras aesthetic into the music.

Chenai, a gracefully soulful newcomer, took the spotlight, leading Rudimental in their 2023 UK hit “Dancing Is Healing” and introducing an unreleased cover of Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn.” The festival reached its climax with Groove Armada, known as ’90s UK dance ambassadors, taking the decks. Their set was a bold mix of classic crossover dance tunes, including Robin S’s “Show Me Love” and Daft Punk’s “One More Time.”

The festival’s success was not just about the music; it reflected the diversity and inclusivity of the Australian Open. From AO Pride Day with LGBTQIA+ artists like Peach PRC and DJ Luv You to the powerhouse performance by Tash Sultana, the festival showcased a wide range of talents. Tash Sultana’s return to the Melbourne stage after five years was a highlight, displaying their instrumental prowess and diverse musical styles.

On the electrifying  day of January 27th, the Australian Open Finals Festival dazzled with an exceptional roster of artists, infusing the air with a dynamic and eclectic musical atmosphere. The stage came alive with the captivating performances of Mell Hall, Tia Gostelow, The Jungle Giants, Ruel, and DMA’S. Each artist brought their distinctive flair and infectious energy, weaving together a tapestry of sound that not only defined the festival but also left the audience on a euphoric and unforgettable musical odyssey.

The festival’s evolution from the inaugural AO Finals Festival in 2023 to the upgraded John Cain Arena with double the capacity in 2024 demonstrated its growing popularity. Despite the challenge of rainy weather on AO Pride Day, the production quality remained high, featuring charismatic hosts like drag queen Courtney Act and striking visuals.

The Australian Open Finals Festival has solidified its place as a significant cultural event, not merely a musical satellite of the tennis tournament. It successfully weaves together mainstream and multicultural elements, delivering a unique and vibrant experience that adds an extra layer of joy to “The Happy Slam.” The diverse lineup and dynamic performances underscored the festival’s commitment to inclusivity and entertainment, making it a fitting conclusion to the 2024 Australian Open.

Photography: Aiden Joseph