For a fourth year, one JMC Academy emerging act is being given the opportunity to step onto the Laneway Festival stage. It’s a chance for our students to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the most forward-thinking artists in the world (hi Chappell!).

Without further adieu, the JMC act that has been selected by Laneway is …. Sydney-based band Violet Harbour!

With a sound built on intuition, imagination, and the kind of emotional clarity you can’t fake, this indie outfit will represent JMC Academy at Laneway Festival 2026. And honestly? They couldn’t have arrived at a better moment.

Trying to describe Violet Harbour feels a little like trying to bottle light. Their music sits between atmospheric indie rock, mystical daydream and a steady pulse of feelings you haven’t found the words for yet. We’re talking a blend of projects like Fleetwood Mac, The Cranberries, and Cavetown… all of which the band quote as influences!

And with their debut single landing just as Laneway 2026 rolls in, the timing feels almost unreal. Right place, right stage, right chapter (stay tuned for more on this front…).

From all of us at JMC: congratulations. We can’t wait to watch you step into the world you’re building and share it with the Laneway Festival crowds.

Laneway 2026 just got a little more magic. While you count down the days to Violet Harbour's debut, catch up on our winners from 2023, 2024, and 2025!