Hometown heroes and exciting new musical voices will lay down hot summer rhythms in fresh venues and unexpected spaces for Perth Festival 2022.
From the city’s cultural heart to its vibrant coastal edge, an inclusive contemporary music program strikes a new tone and reveals exciting possibilities for live performance and venues across the city.
For two weeks, we turn the vacant European Foods Warehouse in Northbridge into a dedicated music venue, where a central stage will host in-the-round performances from local legends Methyl Ethyl and Flewnt, who brings a slew of collaborators and guests to the warehouse for his Boorloo Block Party.
Local electronic labels Good Company Records and Midnight Elevator hosts the late-night club event HOME in the closing weekend of the Festival that features the best of the electronic scene. It is backed up by parties from iconic local experimental festival Planet X and a new mega collaboration Rhythm is Rhythm from local crews Boorloo Justice, M33T, Midnight Co, Netwerxx & Soul Alphabet.
Created in collaboration with celebrated local curator and creative producer Ben Taaffe (Move, Freedom Time, Planet X) and featuring a bespoke lighting installation by artists Reelize Studio, these are high-energy warehouse parties on steroids.
Aesoteric adds a second show at the WA Museum Boola Bardip after the special Festival edition of this highly anticipated event sold out in record time.
At B Shed in Fremantle, local star Stella Donnelly kicks off two weeks at the revitalised Victoria Quay venue on 18 February. Joining the portside line-up over the following nights are the queerlectro pop perfection of Alter Boy and remote and regional first nations artists singer-songwriter Theona Councillor and Warriyangga Warralgurniya.
Much-hyped First Nations MC, crowned as the new matriarch of Australian rap BARKAA, flies in to perform her first show on Noongar Boodja with special local guests.
RTRFM’s WA Mixtape returns in 2022 to celebrate the much-loved community radio station’s 45th birthday with fresh takes on three classic WA albums by Grace Barbé (Jebediah’s Slightly Odway), Dan Howls (The Scientists’ Weird Love) and Noah Dillon (The Triffids’ Born Sandy Devotional).
Completing the program at B Shed is I Liked it, BUT… This pub trivia night style show hosted by performance artist extraordinaire Joel Bray and local musicians.
Local-turned-global psych-rock legends Pond kick off their world tour at Fremantle Arts Centre on 11 February to celebrate the Festival’s opening night and their latest chart-topping album, 9. Take to the lawns of this iconic venue to experience a night of expansive jams, exhilarating experimentation and frenetic showmanship.
Closing out the opening weekend is Melbourne’s King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard with their genre defying sounds. Catch them on the sprawling lawns of Fremantle Arts Centre before they too take off on a world tour for the rest of 2022.
Art and music will collide inside the old Karrakatta Club women’s organisation in the historic Lawson Apartments. WA-based international beatmaker Ta-ku’s Songs to Experience will be a room-by-room immersive journey of light, art and the sonic grooves of his debut album. Each room brings to life a different song in this surreal, immersive world created by Ta-ku in collaboration with artists, designers and creators from around the globe.
Festival contemporary music programmer Tom Supple says it’s been a great experience inviting iconic Perth club nights and music collectives to collaborate with Perth Festival to celebrate an inclusive community focused program that platforms the city’s cutting-edge talent late into the hot summer nights.
“This program has a proud local focus that resonates with the boundless enthusiasm, talent and dynamism and one that I’m very grateful to showcase.”
Tickets on sale 10am Thursday 9 December 2021. For more information, head to perthfestival.com.au
Images: BARKAA by Luke Currie-Richardson, Alter Boy by Peter Cheng, Stella Donnelly by Emma Daisy
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