Sounds of the legendary Sandridge Band to feature across Western Australian music festivals

A legendary Borroloola band are making their way to Western Australia for a number of music festivals. Find out who they are.

When the Sandridge Band formed in 1995, the group’s lead singer, Gadrian Hoosan, had little doubt they’d ever disband. Picture: Supplied

When the Sandridge Band formed in 1995, the group’s lead singer, Gadrian Hoosan, had little doubt they’d ever disband.

“We knew it all along,” he said, responding to a question about the band’s longevity.

“Even though we’ve had some members come and go, we’ve stayed mostly the same … the one thing we didn’t do is give up after all these years.”

In the 30 years since their formation, the legendary band from Borroloola have become no strangers to touring, playing their hard edged rock ‘n’ roll and reggae mix at festivals and concerts around the country.

The Sandridge Band will perform at a handful of festivals across Western Australia in late-February and early-March. Picture: Supplied

The band of eight will officially kick off their latest Western Australian tour at the Nannup Music Festival, south of Perth, on Friday.

Later, they will play at the Honky Tonk Blues in Fremantle on March 7, then at the City of Melville Summer Series on March 8, before returning to Darwin on March 9 to play at Bustard Town.

Mr Hoosan said he represented more than the band when he was on the stage.

“I’m representing my home and the rest of us together,” he said.

“We’ll never give up this band, we’ll just keep on playing music because we love it.”

The Sandridge Band arrived in Perth on Wednesday. Picture: Supplied

The band’s keyboard player, Ryan Karkadoo, who joined the Sandridge Band in the early 2010s, said the group’s multi-talent meant they never needed to replace members.

“If there’s a band member missing, our guitar player for example, we’ll just move each other around and put ourselves in that position,” he said.

Mr Karkadoo said the band’s music carried strong meaning and was worth sharing with the rest of Australia.

“Music carries message; we sing about things that impact our land, our culture, our dreaming”, he said.

The Sandridge Band have performed at festivals in the NT for years. Picture: Supplied

“We want to keep that so we can share it with the younger generation to hear it and learn from it.

Mr Karkadoo encouraged more people in the Northern Territory to get involved in the music industry.

“Music can take you to different places and meet new people … we will support them no matter what,” he said.

Originally published as Sounds of the legendary Sandridge Band to feature across Western Australian music festivals