ARIA award-winning band, musical juggernaut and maestros of fun, the Melbourne Ska Orchestra, led by Nicky Bomba, will headline the official launch party for Bleach* Festival at Bond University this week (Thursday, 29 March).
From 5pm, the independent Gold Coast university - a Foundation Partner of the music and culture festival - will throw open its doors for the opening night under the stars.
Formed in 2003, the Melbourne Ska Orchestra comprises up to 36 members of Australia’s finest musicians and performers and is led and directed by the energetic and charismatic Nicky Bomba, formerly a part of the John Butler Trio.
Melbourne Ska Orchestra's explosive and infectious live performances, which provide a unique take on the genre of ska - a Jamaican-born reggae style, have taken the group to stages around the globe.
Leader of the Melbourne Ska Orchestra, Nicky Bomba, said he was excited to launch the Bleach* festivities at Bond.
“We always love bringing our Ska extravaganza up north where the sun shines consistently,” he said.
“Our music celebrates positive energy and a sweet multicultural mix and we feel the festival carries the same flavour.
“The Orchestra is a spectacle in motion - 20 plus musicians on stage creating fun and mayhem, almost like a ramshackle train that threatens to fall off the tracks but never does, connecting with an audience to create a unified experience they will tell their grandchildren about."
General manager of Bleach* Festival, Matt Wilson, said the festivities wouldn’t be able to be pulled off without the generous support of the University.
“Our partnership is incredibly important, testament to that is the elevation of the partnership status to foundation partner,” He said.
“This is really the culmination of the long journey we have both been on. As we welcome people to the city that may not have been before for the Commonwealth Games we are still very much about Bleach* Festival. We want to pay homage to these partnerships and this community we’ve established over time and Bond is a very important part of that.”
“The official opening of Bleach* Festival at Bond will be a watershed moment, both in terms of the partnership and how big of a year it will be for the Festival. It’s just such a magnificent location, the campus itself and that whole area around the lake is just stunning. We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to do something big there.”
Bond University Vice Chancellor Tim Brailsford says he is proud of the university’s commitment to one of the cultural cornerstones of the Gold Coast.
“Bond University is proud to be a foundation partner of Bleach* festival and this year we are thrilled to be presenting the Bleach* opening night concert under the stars,” says Brailsford.
“Bond has believed in the Bleach* vision since the festival’s inception, embracing it as part of our own commitment to the Gold Coast’s cultural landscape. We are equally delighted to contribute to Australia’s cultural future as one of the country’s leading educators in film, television, media and the creative arts.
“We hope you will all join us in this annual celebration of the rich, vibrant and dynamic cultural soul of the Gold Coast.”