Veteran NT rocker Sammy Butcher will be honoured at 2025 Barunga Festival
One of the Territory’s first and best rock bands will be honoured at this year’s Barunga Festival. Check out who.
Northern Territory
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This year’s Barunga Festival will mark a homecoming for one of the Territory’s iconic musicians and celebrate a foundational and ground-breaking Australian rock band.
Sammy Tjapanangka Butcher and the Warumpi Band he helped form will be honoured when the live theatre phenomena Big Name, No Blankets is performed at Barunga, which will be held this year on the King’s Birthday weekend from June 6 to June 9.
Melbourne-based Ilbijerri Theatre Company are behind the production, which festival organisers say will deliver an epic rock ‘n’ roll theatre show to the red dirt of northern Australia.
Named after Warumpi Band’s debut 1985 album, Big Name, No Blankets, the historic recording was the first ever to feature songs sung in Luritja and Yolngu Matha language.
The Warumpi are best-known for hits including Blackfella/Whitefella, Jailanguru Pakurnu and My Island Home.
Reshaped from its stage production into a touring version, Ilbijerri and a cast of nine will perform on Sunday June 8 at the specific request of Sammy Butcher.
Ilbijerri’s artistic director and Big Name, No Blankets co-director Rachael Maza said there is excitement among cast and crew to be taking the production to its spiritual home at Barunga.
“We are excited to perform Big Name, No Blankets in a community that has direct family connections with the original performers of the Warumpi Band,” Ms Maza said.
“Developing this major scale work about an iconic Aboriginal band hailing from Papunya with band members from Barunga and Elcho Island promotes community pride and social inclusion, both enlivening and celebrating remote bush stories.
“It has been brilliant to see the impact the show has had at major international arts festivals, but most important now is that we take the show out bush, to share with the people whose story it is.
“The effect the show has on all audiences highlights the importance of our stories, and the critical role that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders play in Australian art, music and culture.”
As well as Ilbijerri, three traditional dance groups including Redglag, Tiwi and Jawyon will perform at the Bunggul grounds on Saturday and Sunday.
This year’s festival ticket also includes live performances by Same Blood J, Yung Milla and Yothu Yindi front man Rrawun Maymura and Aria Award winner Thelma Plum.
Emerging talent including Kootsie Don and veteran Arnhem Land performers Yilila and Ngulmiya will also perform.
Beyond the music, visitors can pay to participate in community guided tours, cultural weaving, digeridoo making, bush medicine, bush tucker, ground oven and, for the first time, culturally led clay making workshops.
There will also be a camp dog challenge, fashion parade, food vendors, art market, information stalls, spear throwing and a weekend of movie screenings.
Barunga tickets include a permit to camp in the community and weekend adult festival tickets are available until sold out for $130 plus booking fee, with discounted youth and family bundles on offer. Only a few powered camping sites and stall holder spots remain. Purchase tickets at https://barungafestival.com.au
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Originally published as Veteran NT rocker Sammy Butcher will be honoured at 2025 Barunga Festival
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