Laneway, Chet Faker (Now Nick Murphy), Triple J Hottest 100 All Drop News, Chaos Ensues

Nick Murphy, the artist formerly known as Chet Faker, has certainly had a busy few days. After announcing his name change from Chet faker to Nick Murphy (fortunately he changed to a name, rather than a symbol), the Melbourne based electro-crooner has been announced for the 2017 edition of St Jerome’s Laneway Festival, joining A.B. Original, the hip-hop collaboration between Briggs and Trial’s who was announced as the first act. The rest of the line-up is set to be announced tomorrow, so keep your eyes peeled!

On top of this, he dropped the first song under his new moniker, Fear Less. Rather than being a continuation of the musical style he established as Chet Faker on ‘Built on Glass’, it seems his new moniker means a new musical direction, and a bit of a curveball at that. Gone are the electrosoul vibes that dominated his previous work, and in their place is an entirely new funk-laden beast.

Starting off with some chilled electro vibes, the track gradually builds, pulling in and incorporating a growing number of synth lines and samples before introducing Murphy’s haunting vocals. The addition of this style of vocal simultaneously suits the musical direction of the song, while rounding out and filling out and adding depth to the already multi-layered track. All of this crescendos into a super funky drop, which flows seamlessly into a synth and drum sample heavy section.

Nick Murphy will be appearing at all of the Laneway dates next year, and will be playing Fear Less, along with some as of yet unreleased material. Fans of his older material need not worry though, as he’ll be playing some cuts from his days as Chet Faker.

The Brisbane leg of the festival falls on Australia day, which sucks ’cause of triple j Hottest 100. However, before you feel like you need to choose between the two, triple j may come to the rescue. Rumours abound that the Jays are considering moving the Hottest 100 to another date, after increasing public pressure. This stems from after outcry from a range of people, including a number of indigenous artists.  A decision is expected to be reached later this week.

Check out the Laneway dates below, and make sure to keep those eyes and ears peeled for the full lineup drops and triple j Hottest 100 decisions! Click the play button below to listen to Nick Murphy’s Fear Less!

Laneway Festival 2017

THUR 26 JAN
Brisbane Showgrounds, Brisbane
SAT 28 JAN
Footscray Community Arts Centre And The River’s Edge, Melbourne
FRI 3 FEB
Hart’s Mill, Port Adelaide
SAT 4 FEB
Sydney College of the Arts, Sydney
SUN 5 FEB
Esplanade Reserve and West End, Fremantle