MENU
MENU

GLOBAL MUSIC ICONS SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR & BIG FREEDIA ANNOUNCED AS MELT FESTIVAL HEADLINERS 

04 AUG 2022

Brisbane Powerhouse’s annual MELT Festival has had a sparkling transformation, returning 10 – 27 November with global headliners. 

Award-winning writer, director and producer Daniel Evans will lead the 18-day LGBTIQA+ celebration that will see the iconic Brisbane Powerhouse transform into a playground of neon chapels, dance halls, “pleasuredomes” and secret cinemas. 

Two major international acts are confirmed for the Festival’s blockbuster opening weekend: English pop royalty Sophie Ellis-Bextor of Murder on the Dancefloor fame and cult hip-hop artist and Beyoncé collaborator Big Freedia

New Orleans-based “bounce queen” Big Freedia – who rose to international notoriety as a featured vocalist on Beyoncé 2016 anthem Formation and again in recent smash hit Break My Soul – will open the Festival on Thursday 10 November in a one-night-only Queensland exclusive performance, supported by Aussie dancehall sister-duo Kinder

Multi-platinum singer/songwriter and kitchen disco duchess Sophie Ellis-Bextor will continue the party for a Queensland exclusive performance on Friday 11 November in a hot, heady and high-energy gig with London DJ icon Jodie Harsh

Also announced as part of MELT’s mammoth music line-up are new-gen rappers Jesswar and JessB joining forces for a night of big, powerful beats on Friday 18 November

Festival Curator Daniel Evans said the global music acts would set the tone for a reimagined MELT Festival that moves to a new November timeslot on the precipice of Sydney World Pride. 

MELT 2022 is an unabashed celebration where queer art, artists, allies, icons and ideas – drawn from throughout Brisbane, around the country and across the globe – congregate and combust in an abrupt explosion of joy, volition, love and (be)longing,” Evans said. 

“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.” 

Tickets for Big Freedia, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Jesswar + JessB are on sale now via brisbanepowerhouse.org 

The full program of MELT events and experiences will be announced Tuesday 30 August

For tickets and more information, visit meltfestival.com.au 

MELT Festival is presented by Brisbane Powerhouse and supported by Brisbane City Council and the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland. 

CLOSE