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Open Season brings Custard, Megan Washington, Cub Sport, more to Brisbane
The Tivoli is declaring 'Open Season' on live music and entertainment in Brisbane
The summer is set to be filled with live music and entertainment thanks to The Tivoli’s jam-packed program of events across Open Season.
Open Season is a hand-picked series of concerts and live performances, seeing some of the best local artists and companies taking over the iconic venue and breathing life back into Brisbane’s performing arts scene from this November.
The Tivoli Creative Director Dave Sleswick said a strong live music element lay at the core of all Open Season performances. “At our heart, we are a live music venue – and Open Season plays to that strength – but when our industry shut down in March, we needed to diversify the experiences we offered so audiences and artists could come back together for an exciting, safe night out.”
In keeping with social distancing requirements, The Tiv will be set up in sit-down, cabaret-mode.
So what does Open Season have in store for us? Let’s dig in!
Tired Lion
Thursday 19 November 2020 – Get tickets
Led by songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Sophie Hopes, Brisbane rockers Tired Lion will launch their brand-new album Breakfast For Pathetics at this special Open Season performance.
The group’s second album arrives after a period of significant upheaval in the band. Following the release of their debut LP, Dumb Days, Hopes relocated from Perth to Brisbane, but unfortunately, the tyranny of distance meant that the professional relationship with the other band members couldn’t be maintained, leaving Hopes searching for a new sense of “home” in more ways than one.
“The record is about finding my new ‘morning ceremony’. Waving goodbye to family bandmates, friends and pets and navigating my way through depression and anxiety along the way. There’s also the search for home, waving goodbye to Perth and starting with nothing but a suitcase 5,000km away,” she says.
Bite Club
Wednesday 9-Saturday 19 December 2020 – Get tickets
Award-winning arts collective Briefs Factory are back with their latest jaw-dropping cabaret show Bite Club. This time the cabaret hooligans and mischief-makers will be joined by Brisbane songstress Sahara Beck
Le Coup
Wednesday 25 November – Thursday 5 December 2020 – Get tickets
Creative arts collective Company 2 are bringing their daring circus and physical theatre piece Le Coup to Open Season this year.
A tribute to old funfairs, the travelling folk, and the showmen and women who had to earn the favour of the audience in order to survive, join The Boss, Sally the Alley Cat, Ugly, Sister, Barry, and The King in this night of wild showmanship meets Neo-Vaudeville fun.
Expect daring feats including hand-to-hand acrobatics, trapeze, sling, hair hanging, and juggling (with bowling balls) alongside a ferocious live soundtrack by bluegrass band Father Grant and The Blunt Objects and singer Mary Murderess.
Get ready for a circus flight night that’s got a whole trunkful of tricks.
Did someone say dinner and a show?
A night out with Bite Club and Le Coup also gives you the option of making things extra special, thanks to the development of a premium dinner and show experience that throws things back to the underground cabaret theatres of Europe.
Partnering with City Winery, Open Season will deliver specially curated, seasonal menus. premium drinks, and sophisticated bar food, made fresh on-site.
“Open Season is a nostalgic nod to The Tivoli’s rich history as a theatre restaurant, a gorgeous venue inspired by the underground dinner theatre clubs of Europe where Brisbane society came to wine, dine and be entertained,” Tivoli Creative Director Dave Sleswick says.
Ed Kuepper & QSO
Wednesday 4 & Thursday 5 November 2020 – Get tickets
From his highly respected back catalogue with The Saints and The Laughing Clowns to his body of acclaimed solo work, Ed Kuepper is one of the country’s most trailblazing musicians and probably needs no introduction.
His 50-plus album back catalogue speaks for itself, and now to launch Open Season he will team up once again with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO), giving us a rare opportunity to see two Queensland music icons combine.
This is Kuepper like you’ve probably never seen him before, stripped-back with his guitar, while QSO illuminate his masterful songwriting.
Cub Sport
Friday 6 & Saturday 7 November 2020 (two shows per night) – Get tickets
Following the release of their fourth studio album Like Nirvana – which debuted at #2 on the ARIA Charts by the way – Brisbane pop darlings Cub Sport are ready to keep the celebration going.
Across two nights and four performances, the band will play the stunning album in full. We’re sure we can also expect some Cubbies classics in the mix as well, in what is sure to be a magical, positive, unforgettable time.
Electric Fields
Friday 13 & Saturday 14 November 2020 – Get tickets
Multi-award winning duo Electric Fields create a striking and haunting merging of living traditional culture with electronic music, bringing moments of breathtaking beauty and power to the stage.
Featuring the rare and beautiful voice of Zaachariaha Fielding – who often sings in his traditional languages of the Anangu people – with the brilliance of producer Michael Ross, Electric Fields music ranges from soulful pop, to epic-scale electronic works, through to intensely intimate story-songs
With countless awards, a close second-place finish in Eurovision: Australia Decides, festival slots, countless international shows, abundant critical applause and more, this is an intimate performance not to be missed.
Beddy Rays
Sunday 15 November – Get tickets
Dig into this Sunday Roast when childhood friends Beddy Rays team up with a stack more friends for a day of musical good times.
If you’re not familiar with the Brisbane party-starters now is your chance, because we’re certain you won’t be able to wipe the smile off your face.
Alongside support slots for some of Australia’s biggest exports like Tones And I, Dune Rats and Hockey Dad, Beddy Rays ever-growing catalogue of feelgood indie punk/surf rock jams has seen them quickly amass a loyal following.
Jaguar Jonze
Friday 20 November 2020 – Get tickets
Brisbane singer-songwriter and visual artist Jaguar Jonze is an absolute live force. Cathartic, intimate, and empowering is only scratching the surface.
After building steam, her breakout moment arrived at Bigsound 2019 where she was named in almost every “Top performers’ review that followed. Then came a Like A Version performance with Hermitude, her debut EP Diamonds & Liquid Gold, and the achievements just keep rolling.
She doesn’t hold anything back on stage – as witnessed when she dislocated her left shoulder during her performance at Eurovision: Australia Decides without even missing a beat.
Jonze will be supported digitally by Korean dance outfit,Wedance.
First Beige
Saturday 21 November – Get tickets
It’s hard to explain what you can expect from a First Beige performance, because every night with the local six-piece is bound to be different.
Featuring driving house rhythms, jazzy colours, synth layers, harmonies, and more, the infectious live act present their high energy grooves alongside extended improvised moments that display exactly why First Beige have solidified themselves as one of the most eclectic, transportive and vibrant live acts to come out of Brisbane in recent years.
Washington
Tuesday 22 & Wednesday 23 December 2020 – Get tickets
One of Brisbane – and Australia’s – most celebrated musicians, Megan Washington returns with an encore season of her stunning Batflowers concert.
Following three sold-out, critically acclaimed performances during Brisbane Festival, the musical album and silent film showcases Washington at her most creative.
You’re invited to observe the theme and dress in fancy black and white.
Speakeasy: A New Year’s Event
Thursday 31 December 2020 – Get tickets
Brisbane Immersive Ensemble are taking you back to the 1920s with their spectacular New Year’s takeover, Speakeasy.
Dress to the nines and leave prohibition and your inhibitions at the door, as you enter through the Bakery shopfront and into The Tivoli ballroom to find powerhouse performances, bump and grind burlesque and colourful characters mixing with the crowd.
This fully curated, theatrical evening includes a four-hour beverage package, two-hour food offering and world-class entertainment all night.
Custard
Thursday 4 and Friday 5 February 2020 – Get tickets
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 these special Open Season shows. They’ll be joined by special guests The Stress of Leisure.
Make it VIP
At select shows, you can also purchase an exclusive, premium package which includes VIP seating close to the stage, a shared grazing platter and a bottle of premium Gerler wine, delivered directly to their table.
Want more Open Season goodies? A second round of shows will be announced early October, including headline acts, live-streamed gigs, and more.
Open Season takes over The Tivoli, Brisbane from November 2020. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster.com.au.
