BLAK DAY OUT - Live In Brisbane

26 July

Celebrating The Talents Of First Nations Artists

Friday 24th July 2026

Written and Photographed by: Rashid AlKamraikhi

The Princess Theatre once again was the host for BLAK DAY OUT, an annual celebration of the talents of our First Nations artists that has become ubiquitous with The Tivoli Groups OPEN SEASON programming.

The event began with a Welcome To Country delivered by Yagara Traditional Owner, Uncle Steven Coghill, welcoming all to the land that tonights performances would take place on, and honouring the traditional custodians, past, present, and future.

‘Alt Tracksuit Outfit’ ROX LAVI were the first act to take the stage, and came packing a sound dripping with melody and flow. Even though vocalist, Rox, had a bit of cough, he still gave it his all and was determined to, in his own words, ‘Just have fun with it’. The band has been seeing some success on the streaming services, which they attributed to their hard work towards making their dreams come true, and case in point was their track ‘Berry Girl’, which got a great response from the audience that will no doubt see the play count for it click up a few more notches.

When you see a name like Cassar-Daley on a lineup, you know someone’s going to have big shoes to fill, but JEM CASSAR-DALEY had zero problems doing it. Possessing a voice that is simultaneously sweet and strong, she performed her songs effortlessly while also showcasing her talents on both keys and guitar. Accompanied by TOMMY CONTOR, who provided some beautiful harmonies along with smooth guitar work, the two held the entire audience captive throughout their performance. JEM introduced us to a track that they had just released, and let us know that we were the first to hear live, ‘All I’m Thinking About’, a song about learning about your partner’s previous relationships via social media, and hoping you don’t slip your thumb and give them a react. I’ll be giving JEM a follow very much on purpose after this performance.

There had already been a tonal shift tonight between ROX LAVI and JEM CASSAR-DALEY, and now DJ NICOLE TANIA was spinning beats and setting the vibe to nightclub before BECCA HATCH appeared flanked by two energetic dancers. Drawing from both R&B and Drum and Bass, the combination of her soulful vocals and the fast breaks got bodies moving. In between shout-outs to her cousins in the crowd, BECCA switched it up from sub-booming bangers like ‘Bass Keeps Calling ’ to ballad-esque tracks like her latest single, ‘Daylight Robbery ’, before closing her set with the NINJIRACHI remix of ‘Thinking Of You’.

DAN SULTAN has been a busy man so far this year, not only has he released a live album of his performance at The Sydney Opera House, Live At Tubowgule, but he has also begun releasing singles for his next studio LP, Little Miracles. It is fortunate then that we get to have him as part of BLAK DAY OUT, and hear a live performance of ‘Forgivness’ from it before the record is released, and we have to wait for an album tour sometime in the future. As an old friend of Dan's, I have seen him perform in a number of different configurations over the years, from solo sets comprising of just him and his guitar, all the way up to being backed by a full orchestra, but tonights power trio just hits right. It gives the tracks a fullness, while also providing the clarity to really be able to hone in on the essence of Dans music. I’ve already been given a sneaky listen to the new album, and it sounds stunning, so hopefully it’s not too long before he’s back and we get to hear more live cuts from it, no matter in what form it takes.

There’s tough acts to follow, and then there’s DAN SULTAN, but BEDDY RAYS stroll out on the stage with confidence, and don’t hesitate at all before letting loose their punked-up rock and roll mayhem. Having just wrapped up their latest tour, which included playing a sold-out show in an aquarium, the BEDDY'‘S were still more than match fit and teaming with energy. Fans in the crowd were eager to match the pace, singing along with them to tracks like ‘Pocket Rocket’ and ‘Sobercoaster’ and just generally having the time of their lives. Eventually, though, the show had to end, and BLAK DAY OUT was finished for another year. The upside is that now we can begin getting excited for the lineup they’ll put together in 2027.

Photos by: Rashid AlKamraikhi

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