Songs of Hope, Songs of Tribute: Songs of the Black Arm Band

Reviewed by Kat Tame

Celebrating its tenth anniversary, Songs of the Black Arm Band was a powerful illustration of Aboriginal and Indigenous history, culture, language and song, performed at Sydney’s City Recital Hall on Saturday night. The Black Arm Band have been performing and sharing their inspiring and emotive music and stories for over a decade, across Australia and overseas.

Captivating and soulful lead singer, Emma Donovan dances and smiles her way through the performance with vocalist Deline Briscoe, their exceptional vocals sung in stunning, warm harmonies of the heartbreak of Aboriginal and Indigenous history alongside a sense of hope and repair. Dirtsong, also the name of their third major project, is a song of understanding that there is a connection between all people, the country and songs, and that we must not forget this. They sung with their five-piece band, which includes incredibly talented didgeridoo player Mark Atkins, who also plays solo pieces that echoed and vibrated across the stage.

From where I was sitting in the top stand I could see the audience, glistening with coloured lights, making waves across their faces, moving in motion with the music. At first everyone seemed to sit in awe, no one moving or speaking, so as to take in everything happening on stage. Then Emma Donovan introduced a new addition to the band, Yirrmal Marika, whose heart-warming vocals and energetic spirit got the audience moving in their seats. Many from the crowd gave a standing ovation after each song, and I continuously found myself covered in goose bumps from the combination of emotions I was experiencing.

The Black Arm Band’s music took us on a spiritual journey through Aboriginal identity and culture, each performed to the backdrop of beautiful images of landscapes of the Australian outback and nature, as well as showing the essence of everyday life, the hardships and celebrations of many Aboriginal and Indigenous Australian people.

I can still hear the echoes of harmonies and chants, “Can you feel this country?” We were all taken on a heart-rending journey on Saturday evening, one that will forever be relevant and unforgettable to Australia’s history and culture.