Spinifex Gum

The critically-acclaimed Spinifex Gum is coming to QPAC for one-night only on Friday, October 20, 2023.

Spinifex Gum brings together the sound of the Marliya choir led by Lyn Williams AM, with the music of Felix Riebl and Ollie McGill (The Cat Empire) and choreography by Deborah Brown.

The breathtaking concert combines the unique blend of choral music performed by a choir of young Indigenous female singers from Far North Queensland and the Torres Strait, with contemporary songwriting and dance, for a performance like you've never seen before.

Marliya’s lush choral vocals are performed with exuberant energy, blended with hard-hitting urban rhythms and uncompromising lyrics for a fresh sound that is built from the ancient culture of the Pilbara but is totally the music of today.

Commissioned to write a song cycle for the choir, Felix Riebl spent several years visiting the Pilbara to build relationships and gather stories. He and co-creator Ollie McGill went on to write the album Spinifex Gum about the region’s local tales and characters, true stories of racism and injustice, and the legacies of colonisation with music production that’s staunchly modern, built from found sound samples of the Pilbara – rustling leaves, bouncing basketballs and chugging trains.

“Full of the exuberance of youth, underwritten by basslines that would feel at home on a Beyoncé album.” The Guardian

“...entertaining...compelling, and the music carries its own cosmic energy.” Sydney Morning Herald

“The sweetness of the singing, the power of the words and the movement make this a magical experience.” The Adelaide Advertiser

Celebrate the passion and talent of our youth with Spinifex Gum.

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