A Brisbane local would be quick to tell you that spring is arguably the city’s most colourful season.

Before the purple of the infamous jacarandas that bloom in October, Brissy is painted bright hot pink, and twinkles with the lights of the best bars, clubs, restaurants, interactive art installations, and more. From within the city’s bowels: seat-gripping theatre, belly-rumbling comedy, cat-walking fashion, and, of course, head-thrashing concerts.

This is all part of the annual Brisbane Festival, the capital city’s crown jewel for entertainment and tourism, held throughout the month of September. This year, the festival celebrates its 29th run, holding a big hurrah before it ticks over into its thirties. 

While Brisbane Festival doesn’t discriminate on who you are or what sort of entertainment you’re into, the arguable drawcard for flying over or training in (with 50c fares, mind you) is the array of live music to choose from.

From artists like Kelis, The Presets, Paul Kelly, Violent Soho, Eskimo Joe, and Unknown Mortal Orchestra having rocked out in previous years, the city-run fest keeps its reputation up once more for 2025. Here are a few of the gigs taking place at Brisbane Festival this year that The Music is most looking forward to.

Phantastic Ferniture

If you’re a fan of Julia Jacklin’s solo work, then you should definitely get onto her lesser-known but equally beloved side project, Phantastic Ferniture.

Spinning the name of one of Australia’s budget-savvy furniture retailers, the project, home to Jacklin, Elizabeth Hughes, and Ryan K Brennan, hit the ground running with their debut single Fuckin ‘n’ Rollin, going on to release their first (and currently only) album in 2018.

While their self-titled album was arguably a success, jet-setting their low-fi garage pop charm via songs like Bad Timing and Uncomfortable Teenager, there was a period of radio silence from Phantastic Ferniture. After a five-year hiatus, the Sydney-based band is back together.

Their Fronds Forever Tour rolled through Brisbane in January, and they return this September for a special In The Round performance. We'd better see you on that Dark Corner Dance Floor.

Mallrat

Before sharing her time between Melbourne and LA, Unearthed-discovered artist Mallrat called Brisbane home.

Since 2016’s infamous debut EP Uninvited, Mallrat has gone on to release several hit singles and various collabs with the likes of E^ST, Allday, Golden Vessel, Alice Ivy, and BENEE, giving the world an inescapable taste of her internet-pop-inspired sounds and spoken-word styled vocals.

The alt-pop singer has also released an additional two EPs and two albums, the latter of which was released into the world in early 2025. Light Hit My Face Like A Straight Right preserves Shaw’s adolescence in song form, with the standout track Horses written after a visit back home. “I wanted to have the magical realism in Australian suburbia,” she told The Music earlier this year.

If you didn’t catch her opening for Kylie earlier this year, now’s your chance. 

Odd Mob

Another Brisbane-OG, Odd Mob, has seen his name go from his Redland-based locals to the top slots of some of the world’s most prestigious festivals. With Tomorrowland, Coachella, and EDC Las Vegas under his belt, The Tivoli’s sound systems are all geared up to take the club juggernaut on for a night of high-octane grooves.

His bass-heavy live sets are equal parts chaos and catharsis. Odd Mob kicked off with breakout hits like Is It a Banger?, which placed in the 2014 triple j Hottest 100, following up with hits like Left to Right, Losing Control, and his Sean Paul remix Get Busy, which was certified Gold earlier this year.

Blending house, techno and percussive madness with razor-sharp precision, he’s got Skrillex, Fred again.., and Dom Dolla falling for him. Are you next?

Cut Copy

A stalwart of Australia’s electro-pop craze of the early 2010s, Cut Copy continue to reel us onto the dancefloor to cut all sorts of shapes. From Lights & Music to Hearts on Fire, their blend of shimmering synths and live energy has remained iconic. But, unlike Phantastic Ferniture, this Melbourne four-piece also recently returned with their first original music in five years.

Moments, their seventh album, is slated for release on 5th September. Meanwhile, the group’s Night At The Parkland slot takes place just 8 days later, giving you the exclusivity of one of the first live spins of the newly minted record.

If that wasn’t enough of an incentive, Cut Copy’s set will be supported by electro-pop queen KLP, turning the grassy fields of Roma Street Parkland into an open-air party.

100 Guitars

Not a band as such, but a grand musical event regardless, 100 Guitars is an immersive performance happening in Brisbane for the very first time. Conceived by Canadian composer Tim Brady in partnership with local company Topology, the project brings together 100 electric guitarists from all walks of life for a symphony of riffing.

The spectacle was first introduced in Canada by Brady in pop-up locations like shopping malls, sports arenas, and train stations. Yet, this special Brisbane edition makes room for a  500+ strong audience at the Brisbane Powerhouse, and has a 21-minute run time per performance. 

Brisbane locals will bring their guitar skills while Topology will support the free event with piano, saxophone, violin, viola, and double bass. As for you? You can bring your air guitar if you feel like it.

Pasifika Made

Having been a hit in 2024, Pasifika Made is back to transform the Brisbane Powerhouse into a living, breathing cultural village, honouring ancestral knowledge, contemporary practice, and Pacific pride.

This free event brings together artists from across the Polynesian diaspora through music, dance, live workshops, storytelling, and shared food. Think: traditional ceremonies alongside boundary-pushing performance art. It’s a heart-forward celebration of community and cultural connection, loud and proud in its unapologetic expression. If you want to feel connected to the community or learn something new, Pasifika Made is the place to be.

Indo Warehouse

While based out of New York, the collective, label, and events series Indo Warehouse injects a taste of South Asia’s signature Indo House dance music across the globe. This time, they’re bringing it back to the Southern Hemisphere with a one-night-only headliner at Woolangabba’s The Princess Theatre.

Earlier this year, Indo Warehouse members Kahani and Kunal Merchant made history as the first South Asian electronic music collective to perform at Coachella’s Gobi stage, dubbing their two-weekend dance frenzy ‘Indochella’.

The duo first made the trek to Australia in 2024 for exclusive shows in Sydney and Melbourne, meanwhile, Brisbane Festival marks their debut performance in the Queensland capital for a limited 2025 tour.

Camerata Your Eternal Memories

Camerata, aka Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra, are taking their carefully crafted latest project up into their instrument cases and delivering it from their home in the Brisbane Powerhouse across the river to QPAC’s Concert Hall. 

Camerata’s project in the limelight is Your Eternal Memories, a unique concert weaving personal stories into music. Inspired by choral composer John Tavener’s Eternal Memory, the project invites audiences to share their powerful memories to inspire the program, blending all the emotion and nostalgia that makes us human.

The Orchestra have combined their talents with two of Australia’s household polymaths for this event. With narration by Barbara Lowing and songs sung by Kate Miller‑Heidke, attendees can expect a touching experience of memory-activated music.

Hannah Macklin

Brisbane-based Hannah Macklin is versatile in her art, working professionally as a vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and educator. This September, Macklin brings dreamy, nature‑touched artistry to the stage with a live performance of her latest album IRTYU.

For those stuck on the acronym, the multi-hyphenate expresses, “IRTYU is the Ancient Egyptian word for blue; the colour of the heavens, representing divinity in ancient times. For me, it also means ‘I really, truly, yearn unconditionally’ (an acronym of my own creation).”

Expect costume, improvisation, live storytelling and the kind of genre-melding composition only Hannah Macklin can conjure.

C.W. Stoneking

Last but certainly not least on Brisbane Festival’s platter of offerings is swamp‑blues troubadour C.W. Stoneking.

A time traveller of sorts, Stoneking draws on the blues and gospel of a bygone era of New Orleans, rose to prominence from his home in Katherine, NT, to the big smoke in the late noughties, and continues to pull influences across time and space, even making an appearance on Jack White’s 2018 album Boarding House Reach.

He recently proved his ARIA-winning Best Blues and Roots chops at the most recent addition of Bluesfest in Byron Bay, and will trek up north to bring the sweet sounds of gospel, calypso, blues, and jazz to Brisbane’s entertainment district.

Brisbane Festival takes place from 5-27 September 2025, holding over 1,000 performances across genres and disciplines. Complete program and tickets can be accessed via the Brisbane Festival website.