BLEACH Opening Night

Thursday 1 October 2026

Presented by HOTA

BLEACH Opening Night

Presented by HOTA

Get set for an Opening Night not to be missed, as we gather at BEACON to celebrate the opening of the fifteenth BLEACH Festival.

A bright and bold BEACON of belonging, this epic, large-scale installation becomes a landmark for joy at the centre of BLEACH Festival. Led by Everybody NOW!, BEACON is a new commission by global design leader Morag Myerscough (UK), in collaboration with hundreds of Gold Coasters who participated in creative workshops. As dusk falls, neon light transforms the artwork into a glowing nighttime festival hub.

Gather on the shores of the Nerang River for with Kombumerri artist Lann Levinge, blending storytelling and music.

Let the transcendental sounds of our BEACON Festival Choir wash over you with more than 100 singers performing a special musical arrangement of Holly Ringland’s poem, with highly sought-after choral director and vocalist, Alex Van den Broek.

Local Electro-pop duo Super Massive will bring the dance floor community feels and big disco energy, kicking off 11 days of live music, performance and installation art.

Bio

Lann Levinge

A Kombumerri man with a passion for all things creative. From music to film making, visual art and language development, Lann is deeply immersed in the heart of the Coast’s indigenous cultural and creative arts field. Lann is an indigenous multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, film maker, artist, producer, production manager, director and creative designer. He seems to love the chaos and variety that his world offers. From recording and designing soundscapes in his Gold Coast studio to emotive documentary style film making to producing and designing large scale musical performances and audio visual presentations there is plenty to keep Lann occupied as he also maintains his live performance rituals of around 200 odd performance gigs each year. He’s instinctively a creative being, a true artist, a musician, a poet and certainly most sort after. Lann’s transition over recent years has seen him move deeper into first nations structures, reaping rewards for his community and gifting him a more intimate connection to country. “I’m loving the journey and path that I’m on, discovering new ways to help and develop a new generation of language warriors, creating awareness of and connecting the Yugambeh Language to everyone through music, dance and visual art.” Lann seems to be popping up everywhere with works in design, soundscape development, ongoing film making projects, language recording and documenting, creating visual installations and structuring new ways of presenting performance based “Welcome to Country” through various mediums including music, dance and video elements. With many new works and ideas taking shape, Lann is determined to once again lift the bar to greater heights creating new opportunities, not just for the Kombumerri people but also for many within the arts community.

Everybody NOW!

Everybody NOW! creates participatory arts projects that generate joy. Proudly based on the Gold Coast, as a HOTA Home Company, Everybody NOW! is an Impact award-winning organisation dedicated to the creation of high-quality, community-engaged arts projects, that are made with and for community, alongside outstanding professional artists.  Since 2015 we've reached over 80,000 people, aged between 3 and 100 years young in 250+ communities across Australia, creating a range of innovative arts projects from slam poetry for seniors, intergenerational radio stations, roller skating rock shows, artists-in-residencies, digital programs, large-scale social dance works, to industry and community workshops and talks.

Morag Myerscough

Morag Myerscough is an acclaimed UK artist and designer, renowned for her vibrant and immersive public art installations that transform urban environments. She is best known for her use of bold colours, patterns, and words to create spaces that foster a sense of community, belonging, and joy.  Myerscough’s work spans a wide range of projects, from schools and hospitals to cultural hubs and town centres, often involving local communities in the design process to reflect their cultural identity and shared history. Myerscough’s work is instantly recognizable for its energy and ability to resonate with diverse audiences worldwide, having been featured in cities across the globe, including London, USA, Hong Kong, and Mexico City.  In addition to her design work, Myerscough is a passionate advocate for belonging, often speaking about the importance of creating spaces that promote inclusivity.

Holly Ringland – Writer and Poet

Holly is an international best-selling author and TV presenter for ABC’s Back to Nature. She is best known for her 2018 novel The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, which won the 2019 General Fiction Book of the Year Award, and was adapted into a television miniseries in 2023 starring Sigourney Weaver. Holly grew on the Gold Coast and returned home in 2020 after living abroad. In addition to her best-selling fictions Holly regularly writes & speaks on topics of belonging & creativity. In 2023, she authored her first non-fiction The House The Joy Built. Holly is delighted to be collaborating with internationally acclaimed Artist Morag Myerscough (UK), and Everybody NOW! to create a new poetry commission which will be woven throughout the artwork as well as sung by hundreds of voices in specially created festival choir.

Alex Van den Broek - Choral Director & Composer

Alex Van den Broek is a sought-after Queensland arranger, vocalist, choral director and singer-songwriter known for creating vocal excellence within safe, nurturing spaces where every voice can shine. Her work spans theatre, choral music, television and live performance, including music director roles for La Boite Theatre on shows including Congratulations, Get Rick and Fancy Long Legs, as well as various collaborations with The Little Red Company as arranger and choral/vocal director. Alex was arranger and choral director for the nationally televised Lord Mayor's Christmas Carols (2021–2024), working with artists including Kate Miller-Heidke and Dami Im. She also arranges orchestral works, session sings (including on two Bluey tracks), and shares music with her 200,000+ online followers. Alex will be gathering and inspiring a choir of hundreds as part of this special BEACON project in collaboration with Everybody NOW!

Super Massive

Standing at the crossroads between dance and rock music with a thrilling sound unlike anything else, Gold Coast duo Super Massive have forged a reputation as innovators in the alternative pop and electro scenes. Seamlessly exploring pop, rock, electro, dance, disco and funk, Super Massive have a knack for crafting playful pop songs that are as deeply felt and intellectually stimulating as they are irresistibly danceable. The co-writing partnership of singer / songwriter Malina Hamilton-Smith and drummer / composer / producer Glenn Abbott (Machine Gun Fellatio), Super Massive have released an award-winning EP and nine singles to critical acclaim, toured Australia and Asia and performed at numerous festivals from Woodford to the 1000th Anniversary of Hanoi. Their four-piece live show is an exhilarating experience that dances between the familiar and the futuristic, weaving intricate soundscapes with poetic lyrical prowess, stadium-filling energy and masterful instrumentation, topped off by Hamilton-Smith’s expressive vocals.

BLEACH Opening Night