Five-time ARIA award-winning artist Katie Noonan premieres The Sweetest Taboo at Brisbane Festival on Saturday 19 September, performing songs from her 20th studio album of the same name and fusing her beloved jazz sound with classic songs from the 1980s.
“These are the songs that shaped my life when I was discovering pop music: the first album I bought, the first single, my first cassette, songs by my early heroes,” Ms Noonan said.
“They were my first secret taboos, my guilty pleasures and I’m ready to confess that I still love daggy classic ‘80s songs!”
The Sweetest Taboo sees Ms Noonan add a jazz twist to pop songs and power ballads, aided by Zac Hurren (saxophones), Sam Keevers (piano), Phil Stack (double bass) and Evan Mannell (drums).
Returning to The Tivoli for the first time since January’s Raise ‘Em Up bushfire relief concert is Brisbane songbird Megan Washington, performing as Washington.
She will debut tracks from her soon-to-be-released third studio album and her first since 2014, Batflowers, in an anticipated premiere concert event from 12 – 13 September.
“The album in full is very narrative and to me it works like the soundtrack to a musical,” Ms Washington said.
“Aside from the actual songs, there is a lot of sound design and audio-cinema including a thunderstorm, birdsong, dreamscapes and 500 year-old church bells.”
Emma Dean channels Mother Earth in the world premiere of Hot Mess Mama on Friday 18 September, a cynical celebration with original music, a live band and musical mayhem.
World music favourites MZAZA bring their brand new show, The Birth and Death of Stars, to encourage people to take a step away from their daily lives and contemplate their place in the universe from 10 – 11 September.
The Little Red Company brings its online smash, The IsoLate Late Show to life on Friday 4 September with the same blend of show-stopping songs, rapid-fire banter and jaw-dropping local talent that won it a legion of fans during lockdown.
Cementing their status as Brisbane musical royalty, evergreen indie rockers Custard take to The Tivoli stage to perform one of their signature high-energy gigs on Saturday 5 September, guaranteed to entertain not only their loyal following but a new generation of fans too.
Singer and composer Andrew Tuttle teams with multi-instrumentalist and producer Cloud Tangle for a “double launch” concert on Wednesday 16 September where they will debut work from their respective new albums, Alexandra and Kinds of Sadness.
Brisbane Festival Artistic Director Louise Bezzina said The Tivoli concert program shone a spotlight on Brisbane’s incredible musical talent.
“Brisbane has a well-deserved reputation for nurturing incredible musicians who’ve gone on to wow audiences around the country and across the globe so it’s brilliant to welcome them back to perform before a hometown audience,” Ms Bezzina said.