Balmy Nights 2022. Photo: Rosie Henderson.
The entrepreneurial Kyron “Kyza” Smithson appears to have realised his ambition to establish his annual Balmy Nights concert as the nucleus of a weekend festival, with music and supporting activities spanning four days and two towns.
Balmy Nights kicks off 6pm Thursday with the Esperance Art Awards opening at the Cannery, accompanied by local songstress Jemma Donovan.
Meanwhile over in Hopetoun former Broome musician Tanya Ransom is offering a workshop in performance technique at the YAS.
On Friday things rev up a notch with Ransom and Tahlia Storm live at Taylor Street Quarters happy hour from 4-6pm, with YAS Hopetoun’s concert featuring Legs Electric, LUCI, Sunny Flowers and Soft Corn.
The main event for Esperance is the Saturday concert at the Cannery gardens from 5-11.45pm. At the same time, concert goers are invited to check out the Esperance Art Awards in the main gallery, open studio in the pottery rooms, live art with Rani Fankha in the print studio, and Zen Den and The Swan Effect in the Cannery Music Centre.
On Sunday all are invited to reconvene at the Museum Village for “Balmy Brunch” from 8.30am, before hopping over to Lucky Bay Brewery for a live sound workshop with Chad Cooper at 1.30pm, and at 2.30pm the concert Balmy Beats with Volleyball, Sun Flowers and DJ FunKnight Live.
Also at 2.30, Tanya Ransom will be putting on another workshop, in contemporary music grant writing this time at the Cannery.
“It’s all action,” Kyza said.
“My goal with Balmy Nights was organic growth over a number of years to slowly build a weekend, and that is coming to the fore.”
