Abmusic 25th AnniversaryShowcase @ The Bakery, Perth(05/11/11)

Tue 8th Nov, 2011 in Gig Reviews

Saturday night at The Bakery was a great night of celebration for Ab Music. It was the night to celebrate their 25th Anniversary, alongside the launch of a compilation album. It served as a graduation ceremony for current students and a showcase of past and present graduate talent.

Early in the evening, Damian Thornber was asked to present on “Desert Feet Tours”, a not-for-profit program aimed at bring music concerts and workshops to remote indigenous communities. They recently also completed a workshop at Broome Prison and Curtin Detention Centre in Derby.

Ab Music is described on their website as a place that offers “a meeting and learning facility for Aboriginal musicians, groups and individuals”. The concert on Saturday represented this as people gathered with food, friends and family to celebrate each other’s achievements and share their music.

After all of the presentations were complete, Delly Stokes from Yabu Band performed a few songs; including a Wongi version of We Are Australian; a song about petrol sniffing; and a love song for a Nyoongar woman. Stokes is a great singer with a great voice but most of all, an awesome storyteller, the kind of person you could just listen and listen to. Yabu Band are playing on Thursday at The Bakery.

Frank Morton and band played next, after Morton was named student of the year. Some background was given to Morton’s recently released CD Middle of Nowhere, with Morton donating the album’s cover art painting to Abmusic. Morton appeared slightly nervous but thisdidn’t affect the quality of his performance. His gravelly voice was a great combination with the rollicking rock and roll of the band. Jailbird started the set with an upbeat boogie rock, then along came Black Man, more of a blues feel, as well as How Can I a catchy easygoing number.

Falia sang next, a young woman who has received funding to release an EP in Feb/March of next year. She started with a cover of Beautiful by James Blake, but it was her original songs that created more interest. Falia is obviously someone with a large heart and message to tell, in between songs she talked about wanting to show that people who have been victims or been through hard times can be strong and work towards their dreams. She had a great voice and some earnest story-telling abilities.

Band Kolo Yeddi played without singer Maxine Hansen. Warren Masters and band played next after a raffle was drawn. Bright Light City was their first song with a classic rock sound with good energy. Doubts was next with interesting lyrics and another good story of a song. Heart Won’t Cry came next, another honest song from the heart without needing any bells and whistles. The Walk brought in some fun with an audience member giving an example just of what the “walk” should be. Masters had gotten into the moment and wanted to keep playing, with the rest of the band half agreeing to continue on with Rocking Good Time a fun end to their set.

Oz Island were a talented bunch of men playing reggae rock and getting the crowd going. People up the back started dancing along as the energy from the band jumped off the stage. Old Flames continued on the same path of amping up the crowd with the boys up the back showing off their stuff. Nyoongah Rock really got the crowd going and the singer’s bantering riled people up even more. It was quite a joyous performance which the crowd fed off.

Bryte MC was next, before Black Poet finished off the night. These two young hip hop artists have skills in rhyme, both choosing to use powerful lyrics as storytelling tools. Green Eyed Monsters showed off Bryte MC’s skills; and *Black Poet*’s Always Follow Your Heart had a good message and lovely melody. Both men should be commended for their achievements so far.

It was a great night of showcasing local indigenous music, it was a positive gathering of celebration. The support within Ab Music was evident and it was great to see so many great artists in the same room who have a connection with Ab Music. Hopefully these artists can continue gaining recognition to allow their music to be shared on a larger scale.