Archie Roach has suffered than his fair share of hardships over the last three years. Following the passing of his partner and soul mate Ruby Hunter in 2010, Roach suffered a stroke and went on to lose a lung to cancer not long after that; both times seeing the beloved Aboriginal artist head into rehabilitation.
And then, in late 2012, he surprised us all by not only rising from the ashes, but producing an album that – in his own words – featured “more uplifting songs that are not so much about suffering and pain but rising above that”. In spite of all his heartache and physical torment, Archie Roach delivered a powerful, poignant and joyous record in Into The Bloodstream. And this past weekend, as part of Sydney Festival’s Australia Day weekend celebrations, Roach performed his new record in full, spreading that joy to thousands across Sydney and Parramatta, with an ensemble that reached over thirty by the time the show ended.
I had the fortune of experiencing his intimate performance on Friday night at the State Theatre, ahead of his free outdoor concert the following night (Australia Day) in Parramatta, and it was every much the beautiful rendition of the record that it was advertised to be – and then some. Much like the record, the show was equal parts tribute and memory, celebration and looking forward. The show was accompanied by a thirteen piece ensemble, a ten piece choir and an additional ten piece choir who joined Roach on stage for the set’s final number – not to mention Tim Cole’s accompanying visuals, taking us on a journey through Roach’s life.
Amongst the ensemble behind him were plenty of familiar faces, including Jack Charles (pictured below), Radical Son (I Am Eora, Sydney Festival 2012), Emma Donovan (Walk a Mile in My Shoes, Sydney Festival 2012) and Vika and Linda Bull. The 13-piece ensemble was directed by Craig Pilkington (producer of Archie’s new album), and a 10-voice gospel choir was led by Lou Bennett (Black Arm Band, Tiddas).
Jack Charles is one of the coolest men alive. I think this goes without saying.
In spite of the large numbers on the stage, the set was a relatively simple affair. Roach remained seated until the show’s final number, which attempted to get people up off their seats, but in traditional State Theatre Sydney Festival fashion, failed to get much of a rise out of anyone. But that did little to deter the dozens on stage from dancing up a storm. The preceding numbers saw choruses move and change, new vocalists join Roach and the horn section come and go. It was a well orchestrated performance, but at the end of the day it was all about Roach and the stories he had to tell.
Most songs were preceded by an anecdote from Roach. With one, we were told to not worry about how far up the mountain we still had to climb, but look back and celebrate how far we’ve come. Before another, we were told to let go and get our dancing shoes on. And in one beautiful instance, we were told about the true meaning behind the song, and the images behind it – a pelican representing Ruby’s dreamtime. A beautiful, emotional moment. And for “Song To Sing” we were told how we all had a song to sing, and we shouldn’t stop ourselves from singing it, and it was here that we closed out the night.
The music itself was varied in its influences. Some contained more traditional Aboriginal elements, while others, such as “Wash My Soul In The River’s Flow” gave us lots of organ and transported us to a Gospel church in New Orleans. “Big Black Train”, meanwhile, felt like an American sort of classic – think Woody Guthrie and “This Train Is Bound For Glory”. Others had an ounce of swing or even disco in them, and others were more traditional of Roach’s expected Australian sound. But this album proves just how versatile the artist is, has always been, and will continue to be. My favourite moment of the night was when Jack Charles played the role of Paul Kelly for the wonderful “We Won’t Cry”.
The end of the evening saw Roach receive a well deserved standing ovation – though honestly the crowd should have probably been on their feet several songs before, dancing along with Roach and his band. The ensemble, with Roach now on his feet, dancing arm in arm with Charles, all draped in orange and black, took their bow and left the stage. They performed the album wonderfully and that was that. No encore, just the man, his music, and a backing troupe that made it all shine that little bit brighter.
Header photo by Jamie Williams.
