Forward and fearless annual celebration of queer art, Melt Festival, is returning to Brisbane for its eighth edition.
The vibrant and eclectic 2023 programme features groundbreaking homegrown music artists, alongside international sensations, provocative and hilarious theatre, exhibitions showcasing exquisite photography, textile art and installations and a book launch and talk.
“Melt 2023 is an explosion of creativity blending music, visual art and theatre to deliver our audiences an amazing program on the dancefloor, in the gallery and across our theatres,” Brisbane Powerhouse Artistic Director and CEO Kate Gould says. “What better way to celebrate our LGBTQIA+ community than with a kaleidoscope of performers and experiences curated by our diverse team at Brisbane Powerhouse?”
UK dance artist Aluna – previously half of AlunaGeorge – will bring tracks from her latest solo release ‘MYCELiUM’. In a not-to-be-missed double bill, she’ll be joined by electronic producer and songwriter KUČKA.
GRAMMY-nominated dance-pop sensation Kah-Lo has collaborated with the likes of Selena Gomez and Diplo, and has a catalogue of infectious tracks ready for Melt. She’ll be joined by First Nations artist Djanaba.
Since forming in Montreal in 2011, TOPS has become influential, creating a niche for sophisticated pop in the world of indie music, featuring the voice of Jane Penny. The result? A collection of soft-rock infused pop hits and signature ballads.
Matt Hsu’s Obscure Orchestra is comprised of more than 20 BIPOC, First Nations, disabled, non-binary and trans artists. Their new alt-pop and experimental work ‘Companions’ carefully considers the accessibility requirements of the performers including light, motion, sound, and physical accessibility.
Queer-lectro pop band Alter Boy mashes modern R&B, dark beats and haunting vocals, and is fronted by hard-of-hearing vocalist Molly Priest and Auslan Interpreter Luke Eastman. They’ll be joined by Sydney-based alt-pop singer-songwriter June Jones.
Sydney-raised artist Keiynan Lonsdale caught the ears of Billboard, GQ, Vogue and more when he released his debut album ‘Rainbow Boy’. Now poised to release his sophomore album, Keiynan is set to dive deeper into his R&B roots. At Melt, he’ll be joined by Melbourne-based queer alt-pop artist Keelan May, who’ll have you crying in the disco. . . And feeling great about it.
In the world of theatre, artists and performers Luke George and Daniel Kok exploit the physical properties of rope and knots to unpick the boundaries of desire, trust, consent and communion between artist and audience, in ‘Bunny’. Then, from internationally-acclaimed writer and prominent UK trans voice Travis Alabanza, comes the Australian premiere of ‘Overflow’, an entirely trans production directed by Dino Dimitriadis. ‘Overflow’ takes the audiences on a hilarious, devastating tour of women’s bathrooms – who is allowed in and who is kept out.
Turning attention to visual art exhibitions, Melt presents some free offerings for all to enjoy. Multidisciplinary artist Paul Yore’s Become What You Are brings together a suite of Yore’s intricate textile works, interrogating pop culture, nationalism, neo-liberalism, consumerism, and sexuality. It draws on a vast array of recycled materials, forms, texts and images.
Internationally-celebrated performance artists The Huxleys’ Places Of Worship photographic series explores the fading magic of supernatural worlds, in which Melbourne-based performance and visual artists Will and Garrett Huxley cast themselves as exquisite outsiders. The photographs invite the viewer to find beauty in explosively queer bodies.
New York-based Australian artists and creative technologists Tin Nguyen and Edward Cutting present Multitudes, a series of playful outdoor installations and experiences which illuminate the borderless dimension between art and science, physical and digital, human and more than human.
Finally, multi award-winning comedian and writer Rhys Nicholson talks about anxiety disorder, a complicated relationship with food, and a book deal. They’re hoping to ruminate, gossip and have a wide-ranging conversation with themselves in ‘Dish’.
Tickets are on sale now.
Melt Festival is on at Brisbane Powerhouse from 11-26 November.
