If you’ve lived in Australia at any time over the past few decades, there’s a good chance you’ve heard Warumpi Band’s music. Hailing from the remote Northern Territory community of Papunya, the trailblazing group behind songs such as Blackfella/Whitefella and My Island Home made Australian music history as the first rock band to sing in an Aboriginal language. Warumpi Band fused country and blues elements with vivid imagery of culture and home, and rallied for solidarity across the racial divide, leading the way for bands such as Yothu Yindi and King Stingray.
Big Name, No Blankets is a joyful musical, soundtracked by the work of the Warumpi Band. Credit: Brett Boardman Big Name, No Blankets uses Warumpi Band’s music to tell the story of Sammy Tjapanangka Butcher, the group’s Pitjantjatjara-Warlpiri guitarist and co-founder, and of Papunya. Written by Andrea James and co-directed by Rachael Maza and Sammy’s daughter, Anyupa Butcher, for Ilbijerri Theatre Company, the musical – named after the band’s 1985 debut album – is a joyful celebration of the man, the music and the community.
The show resonated with audiences when it made its debut at Sydney Festival in January. “We had standing ovations every night, even sometimes during the show,” Anyupa says. “My favourite thing was after the shows, when the old Warumpi Band fans would come up and share their memories .
.. It felt like we were all reunited.
” “There was such a hunger for this show,” Maza.
