The story of the Warumpi Band has usually focussed on lead singer George Rrurrambu Burarrawanga or Neil Murray, who wrote the anthemic ‘My Island Home’. But they both grew up outside the Central Desert where the band formed. So it’s a pleasant change to see this version narrated by the eldest of the Butcher brothers who powered the rhythm section.
Sammy Tjapanangka Butcher’s recollections follow the band’s journey from the community of Papunya to (modest) international fame. And while the travelogue format doesn’t always prioritise character development – obscure tour dates get as much stage time as two Butcher brothers quitting the band to return home – the music remains as fresh as ever.
More than a dozen songs are woven in as the action jumps between the desert and a rock stage with a lighting rig that echoes the arched form of a humpy. The show opens with a bang, George (Taj Pigram) strutting across the stage with the explosive energy of peak-era Jimmy Barnes while screaming Waru (Fire) in Gumatj and Luritja. His incendiary performance fuels this show and he is backed by a high-octane band featuring two of Sammy Butcher’s sons as he regularly incites the audience to their feet.
Warumpi fans are rewarded by a script strewn with Easter eggs and regular moments of levity, including a slapstick Peter Garrett impression. But Big Name, No Blankets also serves as an ideal introduction to this trailblazing band whose music still resonates 40 years after it was first recorded.
Big Name, No Blankets, Her Majesty’s Theatre, run ended