Brisbane venue the Powerhouse has announced the launch of a new concert series, dubbed ‘ΩHM’ (pronounced “Ohm”), which it describes as a “festival of other music”.
The series will debut on Wednesday February 15 with a show from New Zealand indie outfit The Chills. Peaches and Future Islands will perform later in the week – on Friday February 17 and Saturday 18, respectively – before Kae Tempest performs on Tuesday February 21. Then, on Saturday March 4, the Powerhouse will host a performance from South African multi-hyphenate Nakhane.
The first artistic presentation will come on Friday March 24, after a short hiatus for the series, when Melbourne electronica duo Sleep D will perform a live score to a screening of Guillermo del Toro’s 2006 film Pan’s Labyrinth. The following night (March 25), Robert Henke of German EDM group Monolake will co-headline a show with Austrian DJ Electric Indigo.
The series will then continue with a Black Midi show on Thursday March 30, with the second art-centric event – the Australian debut of Robin Fox’s Triptych show, described as an “audio visual space-time carving” – slated for Friday March 31.
That show will combine live music performance with a laser show, with a bespoke setup employing “three RGB laser projectors working in synchronicity to realise a full-colour geometry”. Also presenting their own works at this event will be US artist and composer Yann Novak – who, it’s said in the press release, has his work “guided by his unique perspective as a queer autodidact” – as well as New Zealand-based Iranian sound artist mHz.
Coinciding with the bulk of the one-off shows will be an installation called Material Concerns, spearheaded by Swiss artist Zimoun, who “builds architecturally-minded platforms of sound using commonplace industrial objects”. The installation will run every day from Wednesday March 8 through to Sunday April 16.
A blurb on Zimoun’s artistry reads as follows: “He principally uses simple materials from everyday life and industrial usage, such as cardboard, DC motors, cables, welding wire, wooden spars or ventilators, and develops small apparatuses which generate a tonal and visual complexity once activated.”
Tickets for all of the ΩHM shows are on sale now – find them here.
The “immersive” program was curated by the Powerhouse’s own Brad Spolding in tandem with Lawrence English, the founder of local indie label Room40. According to a press release, the program will showcase “adventurous approaches to sound, music and performance through hypnotic installations, cutting-edge new works, international headliners and emerging local acts”.
In a statement, Kate Gould – the Powerhouse’s CEO and Artistic Director – said: “As the leader of contemporary art and culture in Queensland, we’re bringing some of the world’s most innovative creators and performers to Brisbane. Building on the cultural legacy of our iconic venue, audiences can expect to see more inspired art that agitates and connects.”
Some of the shows in the ΩHM program had already been announced as part of the performing artists’ own tours. Peaches will perform a full suite of shows across Australia next February and March (including dates for Mona Foma and Sydney’s City Recital Hall series), while Black Midi will play additional shows in Sydney and Perth.
Also embarking on their own tours alongside ΩHM are Kae Tempest and Future Islands – see more details for those runs here and here, respectively.
The full program for Brisbane Powerhouse’s ΩHM concert series is:
FEBRUARY
Wednesday 15 – The Chills
Friday 17 – Peaches
Saturday 18 – Future Islands
Tuesday 21 – Kae Tempest
MARCH
Saturday 4 – Nakhane
Friday 24 – Hear My Eyes: Pan’s Labyrinth x Sleep D
Saturday 25 – Monolake + Electric Indigo
Thursday 30 – Black Midi
Friday 31 – Robin Fox + Yann Novak + mHz
Zimoun’s Material Concerns will also run daily from Wednesday March 8 to Sunday April 16.