Brisbane Powerhouse’s unabashed celebration of queer art, artists, allies, icons and ideas will come to life across 18 days this November.
The festival will have it all, from global headliners, award-winning cabaret and high-energy music club nights to a queer comedy gala, cutting-edge contemporary dance and First Nations art.
“From thumping club nights with global icons to tiny shimmering spectacles and crowd-sourced come-togethers, MELT 2022 continues Brisbane Powerhouse’s legacy of curating surprising, radical and disruptive experiences,” Festival Curator Daniel Evans says.
Meltdown, curated by Joel Devereux, transforms the Powerhouse into a hall of tech house beats, with DJ sets from Soul Of Detroit featuring John ‘Jammin’ Collins of Underground Resistance, Sophie Forrest, and DJ Enn. Sets are intertwined with installations, guest appearances, drag acts and more.
Polytoxic will present ‘In Your Dreams’, a world premiere cabaret work featuring a line-up of glass ceiling-smashing, system-dismantling, genderqueer, fiercely intersectional artists.
‘Cher’ from Larissa McGowan marries contemporary dance with cabaret, in a solo tour de force inspired by the chameleon of pop.
Brendan Maclean will perform his solo show ‘Alone At Last!’ following a wildly successful debut at Adelaide Cabaret Festival, performing out of character and at a piano, bringing audiences his original music and selections from shows that made him a star of the stage.
Dylan Mooney - Our Moment
Get ready to laugh as the MELT Comedy Gala returns, featuring queer comedy legends and fresh faces, hosted by Brisbane’s own Mel Buttle and featuring New Zealand comic Chris Parker.
The iconic Queerstories sees another incredible line-up of LGBTQIA+ storytellers, including Brisbane-raised Benjamin Law.
‘It’s Called Achilles’ is a solo contemporary dance work from Michael Smith, with live accompaniment from composer Felix Sampson. It sees the idea of ‘reveal’ take an honest turn as Smith relentlessly morphs camp archetypes with depictions of self.
Moving-image artwork FAWN from APHIDS connects characters from pop culture with everyday people, who have the lived experience of losing a parent.
The Powerhouse’s Turbine platform will be taken over by glittery rogues The Good Room as they present ‘The Chapel Of Love’ in a purpose-built chapel.
Proud Yuwi, Torres Strait and South Sea Islander man and MELT artist-in-residence Dylan Mooney uses his trademark powerful and pride-ful style morphing multiple surfaces to create a slow-growing, evolving, high-impact exhibition.
'Lesbian Love Stories'
Shane Jenek – aka Courtney Act – rose to fame on ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ season six and will discuss his heartfelt memoir ‘Caught In The Act’ at the new Pleasuredome venue.
Also in the Pleasuredome will be MELT 2021 cabaret verbatim hit ‘Lesbian Love Stories’, returning with its tales of lady love from across the globe.
Free social events of the season include LGBTQIA+ Elders Dance Club hosted by All The Queens Men, and Backbone Youth Arts’ Revel In The Queer.
Also, previously announced is English pop royalty Sophie Ellis Bextor of ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’ fame, London DJ Jodie Harsh, cult hip hop artists and Beyonce collaborator Big Freedia, dancehall sister duo Kinder, and new-gen rappers Jesswar and JessB.
Tickets are on sale now.
MELT Festival is on at Brisbane Powerhouse from 10-27 November.
