The Break, Blue King Brown Set To Close Gold Coast’s Bleach* Surfing The Fringe Festival

Feb. 20, 2012 - PRLog -- Bleach* Surfing the Fringe is gearing up for several big bang events for the closing week of the festival’s 16 day tenure.

Upcoming highlights include performances by stellar roots act Blue King Brown supported by Tabura, surf supergroup The Break supported by The Windy Hills, art projections on iconic landmarks, temporary galleries in shipping containers and reclaimed urban spaces,
a surf concept breakfast at sunrise, a trade show and public forum,  guerrilla music concerts and a plethora of other art, music and culture events.

Running from 11-26 Feb 2012, over the course of the festival Bleach* Surfing the Fringe will host over fifty-five art and photography installations, film screenings, music, talks, fashion, theatre and food events across the beaches and major venues unique to the southern Gold Coast. Across 10kms, over 80 artists and musicians will be on display.

Bleach* final week events include Tugun Chats on Tuesday 21st February. The southern Gold Coast boasts an abundance of artists and athletes inspired by the area’s greatest asset - the surf. With the ocean as the common theme, Tugun Chats brings an evening of informal discussion as Bleach* artists and key local identities share their journeys. Local stars include event MC, surf identity and NBN beach reporter Glen ‘Rocky’ Rawlings, internationally-renowned surf photographer Peter Joli Wilson, ocean athlete and winner seven Australian Ironman titles, Ky Hurst, and surf lifesaver and Iron Woman, Hayley Bateup.

On Thursday 23rd February Pop Up Bleach* galleries housed in shipping containers laid on prominent beach foreshores will re-open. These temporary galleries can be found at Coolangatta’s Queen Elizabeth Park, Kirra’s Roughton Park, Tooloona St Tugun and outside Surf World Gold Coast Museum at Currumbin, and open from Thursday to Friday 4-8pm, Saturday to Sunday, 3- 8pm. Discover works of surf-inspired visual artists like Joel Rea, Sean Scott, Jae Copp, Potts and Josh Rufford as well as a range of experimental photographers and filmmakers, like legendary surf lens men Dick Hoole and Albe Falzon right through to young progressive photographers like Trent Mitchell and Nick Lawrence to name but few.

Thursday will also see the opening of Dream Land - Memory of a Journey, a series of photos, water colours and prints by celebrated local artist Claudio KIrac at Comb Artspace, Coolangatta. The installation will run through to 6th March.

On Friday 24th February The Break will take to the stage at Currumbin RSL’s The Sound Lounge.  This surf supergroup comprises of three members from Midnight Oil (drummer Rob Hirst and guitarists Martin Rotsey and Jim Moginie) joined by Brian Ritchie, bass player of the Violent Femmes. Together this all-star cast brings a sheer raw vitality and phenomenal force to the surf rock genre. Their sound harks back to surf music’s forefathers – think Link Wray to Dick Dale – but also draws heavily on more contemporary surf sounds, like the psychedelic meanderings of San Francisco’s Mermen. The Break will be supported by The Windy Hills who hail from the hinterland of Northern NSW and are fronted by surf musician, journalist and moviemaker Andrew Kidman. The Windy Hills’ live performances are choreographed to a montage of surf film drawn from Kidman’s vast personal collection amassed over his 20 year career, then edited and spliced with footage from other surf filmmakers, such as Morning of the Earth’s Albe Falzon.  Kidman said he’ll be sourcing local footage to customize the Bleach* performance. “It’s fun for us, we can edit the footage to suit each show, and it also takes the pressure off us so that we can just focus on playing – I really enjoy looking out across the crowd and everyone’s mesmerized by what’s on screen instead of studying what we’re doing on stage,” said Kidman.

Friday evening will also see a very special screening of new surf documentary Sons of Beaches 72’ with on-the-couch sessions with the film’s stars at Komune, Coolangatta. The guest list reads like a who’s who of surf luminaries; Peter “PT” Townend, Rabbit Batholomew, Paul and Ricky Neilsen, Mark Warren, Simon Anderson, Mark 'MR' Richards, Andrew ‘AndyMac’ McKinnon, Larry Bertlemann and Michael Ho will be amongst the surfing legends in attendance.

On Saturday 25th February Bleach* and Kirra Surf Lifesaving Club presents Sea Salt Sunrise, a culinary concept breakfast for ocean lovers. Festival goers will be treated to a surfer’s feast by the beach - Sea Salt Sunrise will treat patrons to a menu of fresh local ingredients while basking in the great outdoors at Kirra’s stunning foreshore. Ondi of Coolangatta’s Underground Surf is a local surf identity and chef, and he’ll be teaming up with Kirra Surf Lifesaving Club’s fabulous team to deliver a surf concept menu that includes delictable fruit, Nasi Goreng cooked freshly on the BBQ, pancakes and a range of other delicious options. To set the mood for this truly unique dining experience local musicians will play an acoustic set.

On Saturday evening the surf documentary Bustin’ Down the Door featuring Wayne Rabbit Batholomew, Shaun Tomson, Ian Cairns, Peter Townend, Mark Richards and more will enjoy a free outdoor screening at Coolangatta’s Queen Elizabeth Park. As this epic tale of persistence, evolution and revolution never enjoyed a national cinema release, this screening will be a rare opportunity to see the film on the big screen. The event has been organised as a way to give back to Coolangatta, former world champion surfer Rabbit Barthomolmew’s hometown and the place where his journey to international surf stardom began. The evening will also feature a twenty minute version of local filmmaker Simon ‘Shagga’ Saffigna’s mind blowing footage of some of the world’s foremost surfers tackling a Tahitian monster swell in Teahupoo Raw & Uncut.

The grand finale for The Sound Lounge’s Bleach* programming will be Blue King Brown’s Rise of the Morning Star Concert with special guests Tabura for an afternoon sunset session on the Sunday 26th February. Lead by multi-talented Natalie Pa’apa’a's powerful vocals and relentless energy, Blue King Brown brings a mix of dancehall, roots, rock and afro groove in a mash-up built upon an irrepressible percussive foundation. They will be joined by Tabura and their unique blend of traditional and contemporary music. The Rise of the Morning Star concert will raise funds to aid the fight for freedom in West Papua.

Meanwhile surf culture events will be exploding across the southern Gold Coast during Bleach* final week. These include the public discussion on the future of surfboard manufacturing, Quality Vs Quantity, a Vintage Surfboard Swap Meet, a Surf Trade Show at Kirra Surf  and a closing party Luau to raise funds for Surf World Gold Coast Museum.

Other art events will also be aplenty, including Bleach* On The Rocks which will showcase a final weekend of art projection ambiance at Currumbin’s iconic Elephant Rock, including a live installation by celebrated visual artist Kellie O’Dempsey (Feb 25) and film projections by Cyrus Sutton (Feb 26).

For the remainder of the festival the Bleach* Collective galleries housing surf-inspired art, photography and sculpture will also be open daily. These exhibitions can be found at participating galleries such as Kirra Hill Cultural & Community Centre, Kallalu, Café Dbar, Bambi Deluxe, Little Lido Espresso Bar, as well as several shopfronts in Coolangatta and Tugun reclaimed by Gold Spaces urban renewal project.

For up-to-the-minute festival updates visit http://www.facebook.com/BleachFestival

Visit the Bleach* website filled with event descriptions, ticketing information, artist profiles, and venue details: http://www.bleachfestival.com.au

To view highlights of week one, see:
http://vimeo.com/37078662



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About Bleach* Surfing the Fringe:
Bringing together creative pursuits inspired by surf culture, Bleach* Surfing The Fringe will celebrate all art forms kissed by the ocean, encrusted in salt and bleached by the sun. From 11-26 February 2012, art, music, writing, film, fashion, theatre, food and photography events sharing the common theme of surfing will be on display across the iconic beaches and venues of the Southern Gold Coast. Bleach* Surfing the Fringe festival is an initiative of Connecting Southern Gold Coast, and supporters include the Gold Coast City Council, the Queensland Government, Events Queensland, Surf World Gold Coast Museum, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, Gold Coast Tourism, Surfing Queensland, R&B Creative, Tugun Community Bank, Patagonia, The Gold Coast Bulletin, NBN, Currumbin RSL, Fuel TV and The Arts Centre Gold Coast. Visit www.bleachfestival.com.au