Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Sophie Ellis-Bextor | Image: Laura Lewis

Sophie Ellis-Bextor & Big Freedia Lead Brisbane’s LGBTQIA+ Festival MELT

Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Big Freedia are just two of the names who will perform at Brisbane’s MELT Festival this November. The British pop singer and New Orleans bounce music legend are also performing at the Summer Camp festival in Sydney and Melbourne, with Ellis-Bextor’s inclusion on the lineup announced today.

The MELT Festival takes place across 18 days at the Brisbane Powerhouse, with the huge venue being transformed into a number of unique rooms and performance spaces celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community. Ellis-Bextor and Big Freedia are part of the festival’s opening weekend, kicking off on Thursday, 10th November.

Beyoncé – ‘Break My Soul’

Big Freedia – who was most recently heard on Beyoncé’s smash ‘Break My Soul’ – will officially open the MELT Festival on 10th November, supported by dancehall duo Kinder. Ellis-Bextor will keep the party going on Friday, 11th November, joined by UK DJ Jodie Marsh.

The full MELT Festival program will be announced on Tuesday, 30th August, but organisers have also shared details of a collaborative performance by Brisbane’s Jesswar and Auckland’s JessB. The two artists will go head-to-head in a one-time live show; with both artists set to deliver new music very soon, this is set to be a highlight of the MELT program.

MELT’s curator Daniel Evans said that, “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”.

Tickets for the above shows are on sale now via the MELT Festival website. The MELT Festival runs from Thursday, 10th November through Sunday, 27th November.

MELT Festival Live Shows

  • Thursday, 10th November – Sophie Ellis-Bextor @ Powerhouse Theatre (18+)
  • Friday, 11th November – Big Freedia @ Powerhouse Theatre (18+)
  • Friday, 18th November – Jesswar + JessB @ Powerhouse Theatre (18+)

Further Reading

Jesswar Announces Debut Mixtape ‘Life’s Short, Live Big’

Australia’s First Touring Pride Festival ‘Summer Camp’ Is Back With New Dates

Watch Baker Boy And JessB Dance Through National Gallery Of Victoria In New ‘Meditjin’ Video

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