CLEVELAND High School student Braxton Hunt-Nissen may have always seen himself on the stage, but he has since discovered the joy of putting others in that same limelight.
And that is exactly what he will be doing when his company, Dead Trigger Records, hosts Skate Punk, a free alternative music and creative arts festival at the Capalaba Skate Park on April 14 from noon to 7pm.
“I am an independent event organiser who wants to make music accessible to all ages,” Braxton said.
The festival will feature 11 artists across two stages, offering free entry, food, and drink.
The lineup includes artists from Redlands, Wynnum, and Ipswich, including Braxton’s own band, Amphetamines, Harper Thomas’s four-piece anti-folk band, Slym, hip hop artist Alobaid, and the headliner, Findaway.
Braxton noted the importance of giving emerging artists the opportunity to perform, sharing that last year, Ipswich band Palinola found its feet at the festival and is now a favourite at multiple venues.
“It is super cool if bands can get these opportunities and use this as a stepping stone,” he said.
“My focus is on emerging youth talent and giving accessibility to young people who might not be able to afford to go or are too young to go because the gigs are held at 18-plus venues.”
The event is sponsored by Redland City Council, Queensland Government, The Y Queensland, Rotary, Head Space, and several others.
At 17, Braxton, a Thornlands resident, has been involved in the music industry since his father introduced him to his own gigs.
As a student at Mount Cotton State School, Braxton had been part of Triple Threat at Birkdale and has been actively releasing his own work on Spotify for the past two years.
He describes his music as alternative rock.
“That feels like home,” he said.
“My Spotify tracks are all my own work.
“I wrote the instrumentals, set the backing tracks and for any show, do the set list and lighting design.
“I think the detail pays off when you go to a show.”
Having worked in the stage crew at school, Braxton said he knows what it takes to create a successful event.
“I’ve had to have a bit of a break from some of this to focus on school,” he said.
“Here’s a fun fact. I’m a bit of a procrastinator when it comes to school.”
However, Braxton remains motivated to run events, which was sparked after playing at a youth festival in Lota.
“I always wanted to be on stage, the centre of attention with all eyes on me,” he said.
“But as I’ve got older, I have grown away from that and love running events and seeing other people succeed.”
Frustrated by the lack of responses from promoters, Braxton decided to take matters into his own hands and started his own event company.
In 2023, he organised two gigs at the YMCA, with the second event featuring four acts and merchandise on sale.
“People came to see these bands from the Sunnie Coast,” he said.
“It was incredible.
“These bands have followers, but they don’t always get to be seen live.
“It was a great chance to connect.
“I didn’t realise how much we need the music.”
Braxton’s vision is to build a supportive community of musicians and music lovers, where both bands and gig-goers can meet up and enjoy live performances together.
“I want to foster this ideology,” he said.
“The collective goal is to have accessible and affordable live music.”
