Review by Alison Stoddart
Big Name, No Blankets is the story of the Warumpi Band, an indigenous act that came out of the Northern Territory in 1980 and grew in fame such that they toured with the likes of Dire Straits and Midnight Oil. Seeing this show makes you want to go back in time and see the Warumpi Band at their starting out point. In the 1980’s the focus was on Yothu Yindi, who grabbed the headlines with a breakthrough single but the foundations for indigenous rock music was laid years before with the Warumpi Band.
The Warumpi Band was started by Sammy Butcher and his two brothers, Gordon and Brian, who teamed up with white fella Neil Murray and lead singer George Rrurrambu (played with intense charismatic presence by Googoorewon Knox). It was with great pleasure that the opening night crowd were introduced to the remaining living member of the band, Sammy Butcher whose presence in the audience was singled out by the spotlight and a round of applause.
After the welcome to country was ably delivered by Aunty Joan Bell, the set/stage took on an ethereal feeling due to the smoky atmosphere. One side of the stage was a setting comprising gum tree, campfire (with a billy boiling away) and a ramshackle humpy made of a corrugated galvanised iron. The other side contained the performance space (with backing band members) for the actors to deliver rousing renditions of Warumpi Band hits like Go Bush, Stompin’ Ground and Black Fella/White Fella.
The show was a mix of acting and musical with vignettes portraying how the band started and some background of the land the Butcher family belonged to (the land of the honey ant). The first song was in native language with the next in English, with the use of both throughout the rest of the show. Scenes which stole the show were the duet between Sammy and Neale (and his amp and his motor car), an ingenious piece of storytelling, and a hilarious retelling of the band’s introduction to Germany and German customs officers.
A few songs were performed without the backing band, with just the actors playing their own guitars, which was moving and riveting. And a standout song was We Shall Cry, George’s lament over his lost home.
Big Name, No Blankets definitely has the hand of creative authority stamped all over it, so it was no surprise to see that it is co-directed by Rachel Maza, bringing her wealth of experience to the show, along with Butcher family member Anyupa Butcher. There were many indigenous faces in the audience, family and friends of the show.
The show finishes with the lament and acknowledgement that, no they didn’t get the land rights they campaigned for, nor did they achieve the changes or the jobs they wanted. But they told Australia their stories and we listened.
Original video footage of the Warumpi Band performing in the 80’s was projected onto the curtained backdrop behind the band to accompany the final song of My Island Home.
With the failed referendum still ringing in our ears, the audience responded with a standing ovation and a feeling of mutual respect hanging palpably in the air.
We listened.
Image Credit: Brett Boardman