OHM

In 2023, Brisbane Powerhouse is gifting music and art fans a brand-new boundary-pushing celebration of sound, tunes and performance: ΩHM (pronounced "ohm"). This fresh venture is all about getting adventurous — it hasn't been dubbed a "festival of other music" for no good reason — and sports a lineup headlined by Peaches, Future Islands and Hear My Eyes doing Pan's Labyrinth.

Across February and March 2023, ΩHM will take over the riverside spot with a program curated by Room40's Lawrence English alongside Brisbane Powerhouse Arts Program Director Brad Spolding, serving up a mix of big-name international headliners and emerging local acts — and gigs, cutting-edge shows and immersive installations. Peaches does the honours while she's in the country for Mona Foma, and Future Islands hits the fest as part of their first Aussie tour since 2017.

Also a huge highlight: a screening of Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth like viewers have never seen it before — with a brand-new live score by Sleep D. This premiere performance marks Hear My Eyes' return to Brisbane, and continues its spate of stunning film-and-music combos (see: its take on Chopper in 2022 in Sydney and Melbourne, plus past tours of No Country for Old Men with Tropical F*ck Storm and Suspiria with King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard).

Robin Fox, Single Origin, Diego Figueroa

The rest of the bill includes Monolake + Electric Indigo and The Chills, as well as Kae Tempest, Nakhane and black midi — plus audiovisual artist Robin Fox, Los Angeles-based composer Yann Novak, Iranian sound artist mHz and Swiss artist Zimoun. ΩHM will host the Australian premiere of Fox's Triptych straight from UNSOUND KRAKOW, featuring three RGB laser projectors working in synchronicity. If you've seen his past works — Night Sky for Brisbane Festival, Aqua Luma for Mona Foma 2021, BEACON for Mona Foma 2022 and MONOCHORD for Rising Festival 2022, for instance — you'll know you're in for something special.

As for Novak, he'll be using sound and light to explore how both can focus one's awareness on their experiences, as informed by his partial colour blindness and dyslexia. And, New Zealand-based Iranian sound artist mHz will take inspiration from material and architecture to hone in on sound and light production.

Also, Zimoun will present two installations, both Australian premieres and exclusive to Brisbane. His ΩHM berth marks his debut exhibiting to Aussie audiences in general, and will showcase his work with everyday and industrial materials to mix sound and architecture.

Top image: Peaches, Hadley Hudson.