Awakening the machine
In respect to the traditional owners of this country, Daniel Santangeli, the 2high festival manager, opened the festival with people from the Jagera tribe performing some of their beautiful and fascinating traditional dances accompanied with music and singing. It was an opening act like no other; truly inspiring in so many ways. As someone who is fascinated by aboriginal culture and loves the sound of the didgeridoo I was in awe over their performance.
After the Jagera tribe had blessed us with their presence, Daniel Santangeli introduced us to Andrew Corey, artistic director of Backbone, who spoke about how important and popular the 2high festival is for young aspiring artists not just in Brisbane but also across the world.
He spoke warmly about Alanna Hankey, the 2high festival director, who went on telling us how important the the 2high festival is to her and how they focus on making you question everything. If you don’t ask questions you will be without answers. Answers that can tell you the why and how behind all artwork.
Councilor Angela Owen-Taylor spoke about how their funding can’t really be compared to the value of the outcome from events like the 2high festival. It gives so much more back to the community and the city, especially now when Brisbane seems to becoming the culture capital in Australia. It is truly great to learn how much the Brisbane City Council supports local culture, and understands how important it is.
Trent and Scot from Zero Hour, one of the 2high festival’s major partners, walked up on the stage and then just stood there in complete silence. At the beginning it was rather confusing, but suddenly we all noticed a video playing in the background of them speeking about their part in the 2high festival. This was something I had never seen before and it just goes to show what kind of talents the 2high festival work with.
To end this pre-event the 2high festival had invited the Epithets. A musical experience in post-punk, indie and minimalism. Succeeding in doing something all musicians strive to do, creating their own unique sound that makes them standout. It is no surprise that when they released their début album in May it was awarded ‘Indie Album off the Week’ in Rave magazine and given a four-star review in TimeOff.
The pre-event was just a taste of what the 2high festival has to offer, leaving you hungry for more. This is a festival that no one should miss out on. Mark your calendar for 12th and/or 13th November this year, so you can enjoy this wonderful festival that is free for everyone who wants to come to the Brisbane Powerhouse; to see what Australia’s one-of-a-kind multi-arts experience for young & emerging artists & cultural producers can offer you.
You will find more info about the festival and artists here: http://2highfestival.com/
