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Brisbane Festival 2020 announce jampacked program

Brisbane Festival is set to fill the city with live art and we’ve waded through the incredible program to showcase some of our favourite events.

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Queensland’s most anticipated event, Brisbane Festival 2020 takes over the city for three weeks each September to present captivating performances, pop-up surprises and awesome art installations.

Joyous experiences will inspire and delight audiences of all ages and create lifelong memories.

The debut Brisbane Festival program from Artistic Director Louise Bezzina will bring the unexpected and the delightful to Brisbane throughout September, reaching all 190 suburbs of the city with a lineup unlike any presented before.

The Festival will reawaken Brisbane with 490 performances across 91 events – 73 of which are free – ready to spread joy and hope to every corner of the city.

Featuring more than 700 local artists and 28 newly commissioned works, the 2020 Brisbane Festival opens with a city-wide smoking ceremony to cleanse and reset the city after a difficult year.

Andrew Tuttle and Cloud Tangle 

Andrew Tuttle cloud tangle

This exclusive double-launch event features Brisbane multi-instrumentalists and songwriters Andrew Tuttle and Cloud Tangle (Amber Ramsay) as they debut works from their respective albums, Alexandra and Kinds Of Sadness.

A mix of banjo and guitar, Tuttle’s live performance will take you on a journey through the Australian bushland, while Cloud Tangle evokes a mood equally devastating and beautiful with many heart-opening moments along the way.

Andrew Tuttle and Cloud Tangle will join forces at The Tivoli on Wednesday 16 September. Tickets on sale via Ticketmaster.com.au

Custard

custard brisbane festival

Much-loved Australian power-pop outfit Custard return to earth with a new album and live gig. Featuring frontman David McCormack, drummer Glenn Thompson, bass player extraordinaire Paul Medew, and guitarist Matthew Strong, their latest album Respect All Lifeforms was recorded in a single feverish day and is classic Custard.

These ‘90s superstars will rock out their new songs and some old favourites at this special Tivoli show. They’ll be joined by special guests The Stress of Leisure. Tickets on sale via Ticketmaster.com.au 

Hot Mess Mama

Hot Mess brisbane festival

Emma Dean is Mama Earth, and she’s a hot mess.

It’s hardly surprising considering she’s survived meteors, floods, fires, and earthquakes. Her temperature’s rising and it’s time to face some facts – she’s either going through early menopause or she’s spent too long in the solarium. But before Mama Earth hits ‘Reset’, she’s decided to party like it’s 1999 with everyone in Brisbane.

Featuring original music, a live band, and plenty of musical mayhem, Hot Mess Mama will have you singing like it’s your last day on earth.

Hot Mess Mama comes to The Tivoli on Friday 18 September. Tickets on sale via Ticketmaster.com.au

Katie Noonan 

Katie Noonan brisbane festival

Katie Noonan returns to her beloved genre of jazz, and alongside her quintet, will perform reinterpretations of the classic ‘80s songs that shaped her life.

New arrangements will be brought to life in the jazz idiom by Noonan and her exceptional band, recreating songs from her early musical heroes including Sting, Icehouse, Terence Trent D’Arby, Crowded House, Billy Joel, Vince Jones, Eurythmics and U2.

Katie Noonan takes over The Tivoli on Saturday 19 September. Tickets on sale via Ticketmaster.com.au

Megan Washington 

Megan Washington brisbane festival

Megan Washington – one of Brisbane’s most celebrated musicians – invites you to the launch of her long-awaited album, and silent film, Batflowers.

The record’s first single ‘Dark Parts’ has been raucously received with rave reviews from the likes of The Guardian, Junkee, and Rolling Stone.

This intimate experience, in the old-world setting of The Tivoli, will be a hell of a party. Dress code: you’re invited to observe the theme – fancy in black and white.

Megan Washington presents Batflowers at The Tivoli on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September. Tickets on sale via Ticketmaster.com.au

MZAZA

MZAZA brisbane festival

World music favourites MZAZA bring you their third album The Birth and Death of Stars, a surreal voyage exploring what links us to one another and the world around us.

Contemplate your place in the universe as the sounds of some of Australia’s most diverse musicians and songwriters transport you to another time and place.

MZAZA will bring their new album to The Tivoli on Thursday 10 and Friday 11 September. Tickets on sale via Ticketmaster.com.au

The IsoLate Late Show Live

IsoLate Late Show

Online smash The IsoLate Late Show leaps off Facebook and onto The Tivoli stage in its first public outing, especially for Brisbane Festival.

Hosted by Queensland’s first lady of song, Naomi Price (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Ladies in Black), and leading man of stage and screen Luke Kennedy (The Voice Australia, Swing on This), The IsoLate Late Show has got the band back together and assembled a stellar line-up of special guests.

Pour yourself a quarantini and lock in a night out with Australia’s biggest little cabaret powerhouse. Tickets on sale via Ticketmaster.com.au

Brisbane Festival 2020 will transform the city from Friday 4 September until Saturday 26 September. View the entire program here. Tickets to the above shows are on sale via Ticketmaster.com.au.