Reviews

dirtsong Reviews, MIAF 2009

26 October 2009

Apologies come in many forms. [ . . . ] Sometimes, they're a spirit that engulfs an entire auditorium when, through a powerful journey of song, the audience grasps, perhaps for the first time, the gravity of what happens when people are taken from the possession they treasure most: their country.

WOMAD UK 2009 Reviews

27 July 2009

Having given a workshop on the Saddlespan Stage earlier that afternoon, indigenous Australian performers Shellie Morris and Mark Atkins joined the sprawling supergroup The Black Arm Band in the Siam Tent. There, before a backdrop of powerful and damning archive footage and to backing from strings, horns and piano courtesy of UK-bandleader Alex Wilson, some of Australia's best-loved artists delivered a history of Aboriginal folk protest song.

Yarrabah rocks to Black Arm Band, The Cairns Post

22 July 2009

*MUSIC rang out at Yarrabah on Saturday night as about 1000 people crammed into Jilara Oval for a free Black Arm Band concert.*

Reviews: Hidden Republic premiere, MIAF 2008

25 October 2008

Hidden Republic confirmed my belief in the richness of Australian culture and the talent it possesses. Throughout the year I go to gigs in all sorts of places: dingy pubs, small bars, community centres and folk festivals. I get to see and hear some amazing talent. This very same talent was showcased at the State Theatre with the production values they deserve. The spirited playing of the musicians and the arrangements were great. The sound was great, as was the lighting, the direction, the song selections, the concept, the design and the choreography. As for the singers and the songs, they weren't just great, they are among our finest and they were DEADLY.

Oz still has its wizards, Evening Standard, UK

27 June 2008

Part Aboriginal soul revue, part civil rights statement, The Black Arm Band have been a huge hit in Australia, where this year's official apology to Indigenous people felt long overdue. Organisers took a huge risk bringing this sprawling 28-piece collective to London. Last night, it paid off.

Solid Rock, London, UK 12/07/08

12 July 2008

It's not every day London is privy to large goups of colourfully dressed Aborigines. Which is why this one -- assembled for a photo call outside the Southbank Centre on the Thames -- is causing a pedestrian traffic jam.

Perfect time to celebrate indigenous Oz, 25/02/2008

25 February 2008

"Only 10 days after the nation said sorry to its Stolen Generation, this incredibly moving multicultural tribute to Aboriginal life and music called Murundak ⎯ which means alive in the Woiwurrung language ⎯ could not have been better timed.

Murundak - The Black Arm Band, X-Press Magazine, 21/02/2008

21 February 2008

Against a backrdrop of lyrical and provocative film images, Murundak unfolds as recognition between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. . . . "Murundak presents both established and emerging artists and others that have been around for a long time but aren't really known outside the Indigenous community."

Inspired songs of the lost and profound

24 January 2008

"In a concert without any weak moments it's hard to select highlights, but a few moments particularlyimpressed. One was Mark Atkins's pair of extraordinarily virtuosic solo didgeridoo pieces. Another was Kutcha Edwards, a member of the stolen generations, walking away tearfully after singing the moving Is This What We Deserve?, aware that his parents were not around to see him on stage at the Opera House. Moments such as these and a bittersweet Over the Rainbow, performed by Ursula Yovich and Pigram as one of a trio of encores, helped make this a concert that will be hard to forget."

murundak, Sydney Festival - Arts Hub, 24/01/2008

24 January 2008

It's not every night that Jimmy Little welcomes you into his extended family. Last night Jimmy and a group of Australia's most talented singers and story-tellers did just that, literally, through words spoken... and figuratively, through their every nuance of gesture and presence.

Musical journey to Aboriginal heart, Sydney Morning Herald, 31/12/2007

31 December 2007

Who would have thought conservative historian Geoffrey Blainey would inadvertently provide the name for a music group? Calling yourselves the Black Arm Band is wryly subversive, given its members are mostly indigenous singers, songwriters and performers.