Warumpi Band 4 Ever
Iconic Aussie Indigenous rock band Warumpi Band are the subject of a new 2CD release entitled ‘Warumpi Band 4 Ever,’ out on Festival Records through Warner Music.
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Featuring acclaimed songwriter Neil Murray, renowned guitarist Sammy Butcher and fronted by the late George Rrurrambu – one of Australia’s most charismatic frontmen – the Warumpi Band blazed a trail out of the Northern Territory in the early ’80s, taking their message and their exciting sound to the whole nation. They were one of the first Indigenous bands to play the thriving national urban pub circuit and the first to get airplay for a song sung in language, with their much loved indie debut single “Jailanguru Pakarnu (Out From Jail).” They developed a close allegiance with the then biggest band in the country Midnight Oil; indeed it was the joint Warumpi Band/Midnight Oil ‘Black Fella/White Fella’ tour in 1986 that inspired the Oils’ highly successful ‘Diesel & Dust’ album.
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In the ’90s, Christine Anu took the Warumpis’ beautiful “My Island Home” to the top of the charts and into the national consciousness, and a young Brisbane outfit named Powderfinger paid tribute to the Warumpis’ influence with a rocking cover of “Black Fella/White Fella.”
The 2013 feature documentary on the late Warumpi Band front man, George Rrurrambu, ‘Big Name No Blanket’ featured at both the Melbourne and Sydney Film Festivals.
‘Warumpi Band 4 Ever’ sees the band’s three albums – ‘Big Name, No Blanket,’ ‘Go Bush!’ and ‘Too Much Humbug’ – remastered for the very first time, and supplemented by some non-lp material, including that original recording of “Jailanguru Pakarnu (Out From Jail),” a live recording from one of the band’s last gigs of a never-before released song, and a handful of rocking covers that reveal their early energy.Â
The lavish 2CD package features numerous unpublished photos and includes liner notes by Neil Murray, author Clinton Walker and Midnight Oil guitarist Jim Moginie, as well as words from guitarist Sammy Butcher and testimonials from members of Powderfinger and the Medics, Dan Sultan and others.
It is a belated but fitting tribute to a great Australian band; one that changed lives and had a substantial cultural impact on our country.
