First Night: Blak Day Out(AUS)

Open Season officially swings open its doors on the first day of winter, bringing King St to life with a free, all-ages street party that follows in the legacy of Blak Social’s annual Blak Day Out program.

The 2024 lineup features the soulful stylings of ARIA-nominated Emma Donovan, who headlines the program alongside the newly formed hip-hop collective 3% (ft. Nooky, Dallas Wood and Angus Field) and Meanjin locals BADASSMUTHA and The Ancient Bloods + more to be announced.

First Night will also showcase King St’s local Indigenous retailers and diverse food offerings. Join us as we revel in live music and dancing, and indulge in seriously good eats as King St comes alive with a string of pop-up bars, street food stalls, outdoor music stages and entertainment from 3:30pm-9:30pm on Saturday 1 June.  

Entry is free. Register your interest. Feed your soul this winter.

Line-up:

- Emma Donovan
- 3% (ft. Nooky, Dallas Wood and Angus Field)
- BADASSMUTHA
- The Ancient Bloods

+ More to be announced. 

This event is presented as part of Open Season - a curated program of music and art running from May to July 2024. Open Season has been supported by Brisbane City Council, King St., the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland’s QASP program, the Strategic Partnerships Fund, and through Live Music Australia – an Australian Government initiative.

Emma Donovan

Highly celebrated, ARIA-nominated, award-winning Indigenous singer and songwriter Emma Donovan has been touring the country for over 20 years, performing soulful songs, and sharing powerful stories with audiences around the globe.

Emma has toured and recorded with the best in the Australian music scene including Paul Kelly, The Teskey Brothers, Paul Grabowsky, Spinifex Gum and the late Uncle Archie Roach and Aunty Ruby Hunter. Emma is now best known for her work with greatly admired Melbourne rhythm combo The Putbacks and the extraordinary Black Arm Band project. Her collaboration with The Putbacks has won multiple awards including best Soul/RnB album 2021 (Crossover) and 2022 (Under These Streets) at the AIR Awards and Best Soul, Funk R&B or Gospel Act, Best Group and Best Album for ‘Crossover’ at the 2021 Music Victoria Awards.

On her mother’s side, Emma is part of the famed Donovan family of singers of the Gumbaynggirr people, of what is now known as Northern New South Wales. On her father’s side, Emma is of the Yamatji people, of what is now known as Western Australia.

Emma regularly performs songs in Gumbaynggirr and Noongar traditional languages, and shares stories to provide her audiences with an understanding of Country and community.

“Emma’s voice is everything you’d want in a soul singer. She’s the real deal – Wax Poetics

3%

Proud First Nations artists Dallas Woods, Nooky and Angus Field make up 3% - a project which began in 2022 and showcases the extraordinary talents of each individual. Their name is a nod to their people who make up just 3% of the Australian population. 

The trio have spent much of the past year in the studio and are ready to release their ‘hard-hitting’ debut album which encompasses themes of Indigenous deaths in custody, closing the gap and reclaiming stolen land. Fusing the soaring vocals of Field with the rap and MC songwriting talents of Woods and Nooky – 3% are ready to stand up and be the voice for their people.

BADASSMUTHA

With an eclectic sound inspired by reggae, alt-pop, soul and funk, BADASSMUTHA weaves her stories through lyrical wit-poetry and catchy melody. Peeling back the layers of her hooks and reggae swing, her self-assured confidence is front and centre in not just delivery, but also messaging. A Githabul, Migunberri- Yugumbeh woman residing and working between Tulmur and Meanjin, she is a seasoned multidisciplinary artist who has performed with the likes of Xavier Rudd, Blue King Brown, Hot Brown Honey, Polytoxic, along with releasing music for Children as ‘Alinta & Waveney’ and performing as a solo artist. 

She’s performed on stages at Woodford folk festival, Yonder, Quandamooka Festival, Melbourne Comedy Festival and headlined the Circus and Theatre stage at Glastonbury Festival with collective Hot Brown Honey. BADASSMUTHA focuses on working on uplifting fierce femmes and our next generation by continuing to create art that transforms and speaks to the masses and is set to kick’n off 2024 with her follow up single release ‘Crocs’ come February.

The Ancient Bloods

The Ancient Bloods are a First Nations, youth transitional band run by Digi Youth Arts. The third iteration made up of Gara Doolah, Shaiesha Towler, Emelia Stacy and Gillian McInnes (honourary member Ryan Bates, performance drummer) brings us into 2024 along with the release of their first EP, 'Blended'. This album stirs up generational hope, resistance and good vibes along with smooth coastal melodies which pay tribute to writing the EP on Yugembeh country next to the Pacific Ocean. The Ancient Bloods look forward to continued Community Engagement this year and aim for more performances and releasing more music.

Blak Social

Blak Social is an Indigenous arts company dreamed into existence by Alethea Beetson (Kabi Kabi/Gubbi Gubbi and Wiradjuri) working across music, performance and film.

Alethea Beetson established Blak Social after successfully founding a renowned Indigenous youth arts organisation, Digi Youth Arts, to continue creating spaces for the sovereign-led development and presentation of Indigenous stories and connected arts practice. Blak Social was formed in 2020 and currently holds a music residency at The Tivoli, works as a label and management service as Blak Social Records and has recently branched into film creating a visual album for the band Selve.

In the last 2 years Blak Social has: delivered Queen’s City at Cremorne theatre as part of Brisbane Festival 2022, delivered Blak Friday (an Indiginised Fright Night) at Greaser Bar in Fortitude Valley, delivered First Nations music programs at The Tivoli (Blak Day Out), Horizon Festival and Brisbane Festival.