I’d like to start this article by thanking Music NT, AUM and the traditional owners of the land – the Larrakia people – for being wonderful hosts and inviting myself and Johnny up for what was a fantastic weekend in Darwin; our first ever visit to the top end.
I was struck by the strong sense of community that exists within the music scene, by the eclectic talents of those we experienced along the way, and by the great work Music NT is doing to support such a small, yet vibrant and enthusiastic, group of musicians. I’ve come to a conclusion at the end of my trip that Darwin is without a doubt a scene to watch; one filled with hope for the future and a promise for plenty of exciting things to come.
I arrived in Darwin after a four and a half hour flight from Sydney, slightly delayed by the growing Sydney winds which would later delay Johnny for several hours, and was greeted by the blistering winter heat which the top end is famous for. Indeed the wet season (aka “Summer”) is pretty unbearable, but having not seen a single cloud the entire weekend, there are definitely more than a couple of positives to travelling North in the winter.
After finding my bearings, checking into the iNTune conference at the Vibe hotel and getting to see the beautiful Waterfront for the first time, I made tracks to the Darwin Entertainment Centre for the iNTune showcase, keen to experience some local music. Things kicked off with the lovely Leah Flanagan, who whom we’re no strangers to on the AU review. The beautiful, talented performer ran through a half hour set with her band, easily impressing with her fine voice and sweet ukulele skills. Skank MC followed, proving solid foundations have been built for a hip hop community in the NT. Travelling up from Alice Springs to perform – a solid 1500km journey – the artist works with the sort of lyrics that, in his own words, “reflect my surroundings”, but ultimately serves as something anyone can relate to. That said, it’s hard for me to imagine growing up and trying to create a music career out of a place as remote as the Alice. However the drive of artists like Skank MC and the other artists I saw over my weekend here, seem to provide me with a positive outlook on it all – that this is only the beginning…
Young talents Skarlett are the pop punk alternative to Stonefield – two sets of brothers, who are cousins, with an age range from 12 to 18, bringing an influence of bands like Blink 182 and a hair style typical of the genre. As is also typical for the genre, the music is far from original – fast beats (by 12 year old Lachlan, who make drumming look easy – clearly a drumming prodigy), hard-edged vibes and short tracks that have one intention: to make you jump around and have fun. The have the sound and the style to achieve this perfectly, and when you do this right, what more do you need? While I daresay they haven’t quite found the song that will “make them” just yet, this is a young band who shows great promise, and speaking with them over the weekend, their focus, drive and energy will take them far beyond the boundaries of their hometown.
Hip Hop was again well represented by MC Requiem, who showcased some impressive freestyles as well as his recorded materials, which, in one particularly memorable track, talked about the “death of the CD”. Moving over to the venue Happy Yess next, the adorable Thelma Plum kicked things off in front of a packed house. The recent triple j Unearthed NIMA winner is but 17 years of age, though she projects an air of comfort on the stage, as though she has been waiting her whole life for this moment. It very well may be the truth. The young talent has a phenomenal presence and a great sound – something uniquely Australian, while something that could easily be enjoyed by music fans around the world. The future is bright indeed for Ms Plum, and only time will tell where that will lead.
Mark Hilton followed Thelma with a little bit of Country and Blues music. An older performer compared to the rest of the talent on display at the venue, Mark and his band have clearly been honing their skills for quite some time, with the songs I saw being tight and well considered for the genre. Meanwhile, out on the festival outdoor stage, Country Town Collective, a band who ironically don’t play country music, were holding the flag highly for the Darwin scene. With Blues, Roots and Folk influences and a delectable sound, the group could fit comfortably on any festival stage fit for the genre.
Having been witness to a wide range of genres and talents the night before, Saturday was spent taking in the iNTune Conference, where a group of industry figureheads – from triple j Unearthed’s Stephanie Carrick, to AIR’s Nick O’Byrne, BigSound/Footstomp’s Graham Ashton and yours truly – provided insight to local musicians; many of whom we witnessed the night prior. It was a privilege to have been invited along to speak alongside members of the industry who I both admire and respect… and may enjoy a drink or two with. I think that what all speakers took away from the conference with them was that the scene in Darwin is full of musicians desperate to be heard. Their isolation feels like a wall all-too-difficult to climb, especially in a city that generally leans towards cover bands and electronic music.
Our consensus and advice was simple. You now have our attention. Keep at it, keep building your scene, and eventually it will grow to the point that you will be heard and acknowledged by the nation. I for one am humbled by the dedication everyone I spoke to has for their music and hope that in this spirit, a new world class music scene will be born. I daresay it’s possible that they’re already well on the way to this outcome…
My musical adventures in Darwin came to an end with the National Indigenous Music Awards – also known as The NIMAs. Queensland’s The Medics were the big winners of the night, edging out other favourites including Busby Marou and Troy Cassar-Daley to win album of the year, while Gurrumul once again took home the trophy for Artist of the Year. The Medics also took home Best Single for “Griffin” and best New Talent. East Journey, a favourite of the crowd, took home two trophies for Best Film Clip (“Song of Arnhem Land”) and the G.R. Burarrawanga Memorial Award for significant achievement in the NT music industry. The group also performed an impressive set which infused modern sounds with traditional Indigenous music and dance. In addition to The Medics, East Journey are a band that we should all be paying attention to.
Among the other musical highlights of the evening, the crowd was treated to quite a few special performers from yesteryear. These included the Hall of Fame inductees the Sunrize Band, the Lajamanu Teenage Band and a special appearance by Bunna Lawrie of Coloured Stone during The Medics set, where his own track “Black Boy” was performed. Thelma Plum also came onto the stage to join The Medics to lend her voice to a spine chilling cover of Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind”, in which Bunna translated part of the track into his Indigenous language (please excuse my ignorance on the specifics on that front). Talk about a talented family! Bunna is the father of Jindhu Lawrie from The Medics, and Jindhu’s sister, Catherine Satour, is also an accomplished performer in her own right. An emotional tribute to “Uncle Jimmy” (Jimmy Little) was delivered by Buzz Bidstrup and other performers of the night included Troy Cassar-Daley, Yabu Band as well as a premiere performance from Warren H Williams and The Warumungu Songmen. It was certainly a jam packed night.
Following a few celebratory drinks with The Medics, we all finished our evening with a dance at the Spiegeltent, which is sitting in the Botanical Gardens for the duration of the Darwin Festival (held until August 26). With this, my weekend came to an end as it had begun, enjoying the wonderful Leah Flanagan performing cover songs with an impressive backing band and a few special guests that made me rather keen to pop out my old copy of The Blues Brothers. A wonderful way to bring it all to an end.
It was an honour to be invited to Larrakia land to witness this special evening that celebrated Indigenous music, a scene with plenty of diversity, and a wonderful dose of young talent who are bringing their sounds and their culture to the triple j generation. It’s something which the community present seems to hold with pride, as they certainly should. Once again a huge thank you to all involved for having us up. We’re already looking forward to returning to Darwin so that we may once again immerse ourselves in what is a truly exciting and ever expanding music scene.
