Indigenous Australian Blues on the Horizon
We were fortunate to be at WOMAD this year to witness a phenomenon of strength, humour and pathos wrapped up in a package called Kankawa Nagarra, an 80-something Australian singer-songwriter-storyteller-guitarist (no-one seems quite certain exactly how old she is). As a child, she was taken from her parents and sent to a mission. She is one of the Stolen Generations of indigenous Australian children.
Kankawa plays what has been called “desert blues“. It’s certainly gospel and country-blues inspired, and she does it with the biggest smile. In 2024 at the age of 78-ish, she won the Australian Music Prize for her album Wirlmarni, chosen above acts like Nick Cave and Amyl and the Sniffers.
She’s here on her first ever UK tour and we came away determined to catch her again if she came anywhere near us. Get this – she’s only playing at BANTHAM on Wednesday 12th August!
She’ll be supported by her tour manager Darren Hanlon, who will open with a set of his own, and he will do a Q&A with her prior to her set.
It’s not exactly Totnes, but it’s not exactly a long way either. Let’s face it, if Kankawa can make it all the way from Western Australia, we can handle the 14 miles to Bantham.
Highly recommended. Don’t miss this incredible opportunity.