Melt Festival 2023

MELT Festival, Brisbane’s forward and fearless annual celebration of queer art, artists, allies and ideas, is taking over Brisbane Powerhouse from November 11 to 26, 2023, with a vibrant and eclectic program.

Featuring ground-breaking, home-grown music artists alongside international sensations, provocative and hilarious theatre, exhibitions showcasing exquisite photography, textile art and installations, plus a book launch and talk, MELT 2023 radiates the diversity of queer culture. These are just some of the highlights!

Rhys Nicholson - Dish Book Launch - Nov 16, 7:30pm, $39

Join multi-award-winning comedian and writer Rhys Nicholson as they talk about an anxiety disorder, a complicated relationship with food and a book deal. In Dish, through a series of revealing stories, intrusive thoughts and a recipe here and there, they’re hoping to ruminate, gossip and generally have a deeply private, wide-ranging conversation with themselves about a whole bunch of life’s smaller questions. "This Dish is served hot, funny and sincerely fresh!" - RuPaul

TOPS - Nov 23, 7:30pm, $59

Since forming in Montreal in 2011, TOPS has become vastly influential, creating a niche for sophisticated pop in the world of indie music. Measured drumming, trademark guitar licks and lush keyboards support the unmistakable wistful voice of Jane Penny.  The result is a collection of soft rock-infused pop hits and signature ballads that cover a range of moods and a complex emotional realm set within a unique groove.

Elizabeth - Nov 16, 7:30pm, FREE 

Brisbane-based artist Elizabeth, brings her disarmingly truthful lyrics, dream pop haze and bouncing beats to this special, pay-what-you-can event, as part of MELT 2023. Dramatic and exhilarating, Elizabeth’s electro-pop and neon cool evoke feelings of dancefloor heroes Robyn and Troye Sivan, with the addition of her unique spin on the reckless thrill of romance. 

Kah-lo, Nov 15, 7:30pm, $49

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 to roll for MELT including ‘Rinse & Repeat’ (with UK producer Riton), #1 debut single ‘Fast’, TikTok favourite ‘Fake’ and her latest ‘Drag Me Out’. She’ll be joined by First Nations artist Djanaba. Raised on traditional dance and song mashed with influences from Florence and the Machine, Birdy and SZA, Djanaba’s new single ‘Don't Really Care’, produced by PNAU, is guaranteed to get you moving.

Overflow, Nov 23-26, $49 

Don't miss the Australian premiere of Overflow, from internationally acclaimed writer and one of the UK's most prominent trans voices, Travis Alabanza (Burgerz). Overflow takes the audience on a hilarious and devastating tour of women's bathrooms - who is allowed in and who is kept out. Cornered into a flooding toilet cubicle and determined not to be rescued again, Rosie (Janet Anderson) distracts herself with memories of bathroom encounters: drunken heart-to-hearts by dirty sinks, friendships forged in front of crowded mirrors, and hiding together from trouble. But with her panic rising and no help on its way, can she keep her head above water? 

Bunny - Nov 15-18, 7pm, $49

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. To unravel shared lines of connection, to suspend tension and to unleash collective desires, Kok and George look to macramé, sailors’ knots, Chinese knots and rope bondage to weave together an interactive and intimate experience of collectivity. 

Places of Worship - Nov 3-26, FREE

Internationally-celebrated performance artists The Huxleys' 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, isolated and ornate, existing on the fringes of places and the margins of society.

It presents a longing for the precious jewels of earth to be celebrated and adored by emulating the outrageous beauty they interpret in nature through their handmade costumes and styling. These photographs invite the viewer to find a similar beauty in explosively queer bodies, yearning for difference to be marvelled at, worshipped and praised.

Chappell Roan - Nov 25, 7:30pm, $69 

American artist Chappell Roan brings her technicolour world of bold pop hooks, sex positivity, and honest songwriting to MELT Festival 2023. Celebrating the release of her debut album ‘The Rise & Fall of a Midwest Princess’ and direct from her sold-out US tour, she’ll perform fan favourites alongside brand-new music. Don't miss this rare star on her first visit down under, as she commands high-octane sing-alongs and headbangs on stage in spectacularly campy outfits.

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