Musical Big Name, No Blankets opens at Roslyn Packer Theatre
Warumpi Band original member Sammy Butcher is the guiding spirit of a new musical that revisits the group’s hits including My Island Home and Blackfella/Whitefella.
When the theatre starts to rock to Warumpi Band’s debut 1983 single Jailanguru Pakarnu (“out of jail”), it’s a reminder of the power of a pioneering Indigenous group that took the world by storm.
The song is a wake-up call about Indigenous incarceration, a thumping rock ’n’ roll number, and historically the first rock single in a First Nations language, Luritja.
A musical about the group called Big Name, No Blankets opens at the Sydney Festival on Thursday, with a song list that includes Warumpi Band hits My Island Home and Blackfella/Whitefella.
The group’s original guitarist, Sammy Butcher, said at the Roslyn Packer Theatre on Wednesday he was proud to take his culture and his music to the world.
“We have songs with messages, if only people hear what we say,” he said.
“We need to understand the learnings from the old people. It gives you more strength, and to help others.”
The original Warumpi Band – named for the honey-ant dreaming – was formed in Papunya, Northern Territory, in 1980, comprising Butcher, his brother Gordon Butcher, Yolgnu singer George Burarrwanga and white songwriter Neil Murray.
Sammy Butcher, recently nominated as Australian of the Year for the Northern Territory, is the sole surviving Aboriginal member of the group.
He suffered a stroke several years ago and rarely plays the guitar these days, but he is the guiding spirit of the musical-theatre show which has been five years in development.
His sons Jason Butcher and Jeremiah Butcher are in the show’s band, daughter Anyupa Butcher is the co-director with Rachael Maza, and niece Crystal Butcher is credited with sound arrangements and composition.
Anyupa Butcher said she hoped the show captured the spirit of Warumpi Band and its deep connections to Indigenous culture.
“It’s about continuing that legacy,” she said. “This is such a family story, the story of the Warumpi Band from the Butcher brothers’ perspective. It’s sharing our memories and … making sure that the story is properly told.”
The musical tells the story of the Butcher brothers’ origins in a humpy in Papunya and their success with the widely toured group.
“It’s the story of their journey that took them to the world, singing Luritja in England, in Germany,” she said.
“You see the journey from when they were young and the bush life they grew up in, and how that really shaped their character and sense of pride.”
After the world premiere at the Sydney Festival, Big Name, No Blankets will be seen at other capital city arts festivals.
“Music brings everyone together,” Sammy Butcher said. “Doesn’t matter – black or white.”
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