Brisbane Festival has released the first round of artists locked in for the event in September, with Gretta Ray, Paul Kelly, and Birds of Tokyo leading the announcement. There’ll also be performances from veterans Busby Marou and the Soweto Gospel Choir and Groove Terminator – who’ll be teaming up to celebrate dance music across the decades.
The Brisbane Festival will take over venues across the city in September, running from Friday, 1st September until Saturday, 23rd September. The full program will arrive in July, but see the full first round of artists below.
Gretta Ray: ‘Dear Seventeen’
Birds Of Tokyo will be linking up with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra for their performance at the QPAC theatre – they’ll be reimagining tracks from across their career and playing fresh new songs as well. It’ll be a busy end-of-year for the Perth band, having just been announced on the Red Hot Summer and By The C lineups.
Gretta Ray meanwhile, has just released a new single from her upcoming second album Positive Spin. ‘Heartbreak Baby’ follows the first cut which we heard earlier in May, ‘Dear Seventeen’.
“Songwriting is so therapeutic,” Ray said in a statement about Positive Spin. “And my way of moving through my emotions has been to put a positive spin on my experiences.”
Ray’s Brisbane show will form part of her wider Australian tour, which will see her hit up cities across the country in September.
Brisbane Festival will also feature Songs From The Canyon, a look back at the best songs from the Laurel Canyon era – played by artists like Husky, Dan Kelly, and more.
Brisbane Festival 2023
- Paul Kelly
- Gretta Ray
- Songs From The Canyon: Husky, Dan Kelly, Charm Of Finches, Hannah Cameron, Steve Grady, Dan Challis
- Busby Marou
- Soweto Gospel Choir
- Groove Terminator
- Birds Of Tokyo
- Queensland Symphony Orchestra
- Camerata Cinematheque
- Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem
- Guy Noble’s Great Tunes w/ QSO
- Clerici conducts Mahler – Umberto Clerici & The QSO
Dates & Venues
- Friday, 1st September to Saturday, 23rd September – Various venues, Brisbane
For ticket access and more information head to the Brisbane Festival website.
Further Reading
Light It Up Festival Launching in September with Wiz Khalifa, Rae Sremmurd + More
Devonté Hynes Cancels Vivid LIVE Appearance Following His Mother’s Death
Madlib Replaces Flying Lotus on Vivid Sydney and RISING Melbourne Lineups
