Sophie Ellis-Bextor Is Coming to Brisbane Powerhouse to Headline This Year's Huge Melt Festival

If you were planning on murdering some dancefloors this spring, here's some news that definitely won't kill the groove: UK pop star Sophie Ellis-Bextor is coming to Brisbane. She'll headline this year's Melt Festival, aka Brisbane Powerhouse's annual LGBTIQA+ celebration, playing a Queensland-exclusive show on the event's second evening.

Melt 2022 will run from Thursday, November 10–Sunday, November 27, with Ellis-Bextor doing the honours on Friday, November 11. And yes, you should now have her hit 'Murder on the Dancefloor' stuck in your head — and Spiller's 'Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)' as well. DJ, gonna burn this goddamn house right down indeed.

That DJ will be Jodie Harsh, in fact, who'll be taking to the decks at the same gig.

While most of the lineup compiled by festival curator — and writer, director and producer — Daniel Evans won't be announced until Tuesday, August 30, a few other big names have been revealed. Also heading to Melt is New Orleans' Big Freedia, who you'll know from Beyoncé's 'Formation' and 'Break My Soul'. In another Queensland-exclusive, she'll open this year's Melt on Thursday, November 10, with Kinder in support.

Jesswar and JessB also headline one of the fest's big nights as well, teaming up on Friday, November 18.

As for the rest of the program, Evans has teased neon chapels, dance halls, secret cinemas and making use of Brisbane Powerhouse's new Pleasuredome, an outdoor venue that's set to join the New Farm site.

"MELT 2022 is an unabashed celebration where queer art, artists, allies, icons and ideas — drawn from throughout Brisbane, around the country and across the globe — congregate and combust in an abrupt explosion of joy, volition, love and (be)longing," said Evans.

"From thumping club nights with global icons to tiny shimmering spectacles and crowd-sourced come-togethers, MELT 2022 continues Brisbane Powerhouse's legacy of curating surprising, radical and disruptive experiences."

Melt Festival 2022 will run from Thursday, November 10–Sunday, November 27 at Brisbane Powerhouse. First tickets are on sale via the fest's website now, with the full lineup to come on Tuesday, August 30 — we'll update you with the whole rundown then.

Top image: Laura Lewis.