Sometimes it’s easy to convince yourself that Brisbane is a sleepy little town. On hot January days it’s so hard to unstick yourself from your housemate’s leather couch, it’s impossible to imagine the world moving beyond the stillness of the living room.
But on the morning of the 18th of Jan, I managed to pry myself loose from the death grip of our steaming old Queenslander and into the death grip of my steaming old Mazda, because we were playing a gig at GOMA that night, and GOMA has air conditioning.
By ‘we’ I mean May Lyn - one of Brisbane's best singers, producers, and songwriters - and her band of merry dummies, lucky enough to have known her as she started getting big enough to need live backing.
We’d been picked to open the GOMA Up Late APT9 Summer Festival, one of those events that reminds you that Brisbane may be hot as hell, but it certainly isn’t a sleepy town. It’s a hub of cultural events, art, and music, with the Gallery Of Modern Art its beating heart.
The night ahead was truly something to remember. Over a thousand people streamed into the open halls of GOMA, drawn in by the astonishingly powerful sounds of Electric Fields, the unbelievably soulful and rhythmic music of Ngaiire, and May Lyn’s transcendental pop. The music reverberated through the building, out into the South Brisbane air, and spilled over the wide, sparkling river.
Across the way at the Museum I managed to catch glimpses of the Bottlesmokers from Indonesia, and Radha La Bia from Sydney, both of whom had clearly captured their audiences with their vivid performances. Under the full moon, Rhada’s performance made us feel like we were being initiated into a secret order. Out on the green grass overlooking the river, I overheard people excitedly discussing the different artworks they had seen.
Brisbane was well and truly awake, and it just about felt like the biggest city in the world for one evening. Hopefully they’ll have us back again soon. That air conditioning was top notch.
Tom Kakanis