Spinifex Gum facts for kids

Spinifex Gum is a special music group from Australia. It brings together the Marliya Choir, who are young Indigenous singers, with musicians Felix Riebl and Ollie McGill from the band The Cat Empire. The group also includes Lyn Williams and Deborah Brown.

They share amazing stories from the Yindjibarndi people who live in the Pilbara area of Western Australia. Their music helps everyone learn about Indigenous culture and important issues.

How Spinifex Gum Started

The idea for Spinifex Gum began in 2014. Lyn Williams, who started the Gondwana Choirs, visited the Pilbara region. She invited Felix Riebl, a musician from Melbourne, to join her.

While there, the group met and started working with the Yindjibarndi people. Felix Riebl loved their stories so much that he visited the community seven more times over the next few years. He wanted to learn all about their history and ancestors.

In 2015, Gondwana Choirs asked Felix Riebl to create new music inspired by the Pilbara. He worked with his friend Ollie McGill from The Cat Empire. They also worked with the Marliya Choir. This choir was formed just for this project. It includes young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls from the Cairns area.

They performed their first show, called Spinifex Gum – a Song Cycle, in 2016. It was a big success!

Who is in Spinifex Gum?

Spinifex Gum has about 30 members in total. Usually, 12 to 18 of them perform on stage. All the performers are girls and young women, aged between 12 and 20.

They sing in both English and Yindjibarndi, the language of the Yindjibarndi people. Felix Riebl and Ollie McGill are the main composers and creative leaders. Lyn Williams guides the choir, and Deborah Brown creates their dance moves.

Their songs tell old stories from the Yindjibarndi people. They also speak up about how Indigenous Australians are treated. Some songs talk about protecting the environment in the Pilbara. This includes places like the Weelumurra Caves and Juukan Gorge.

Spinifex Gum sounds different from a normal choir. Each singer has her own microphone. Their beautiful harmonies mix with sounds recorded from the Pilbara environment. They also use modern pop music beats.

Their Music and Albums

The songs from their first show became their first album, also called Spinifex Gum, in 2017. They toured with other amazing artists like Emma Donovan, Peter Garrett from Midnight Oil, and the rapper Adam Briggs.

The group also released two singles with Briggs. These songs were "Locked Up" and "Mrs Dhu." Both songs speak up for Indigenous people and their rights.

Their second album, Sisters, came out in 2019. It included a cover of the song "Dream Baby Dream." They sang it in English and Yindjibarndi. This song was part of a special campaign. It included the voices of 10,000 Australians. This campaign asked for First Nations people to have a stronger voice in the Australian parliament.

Spinifex Gum's third album was a live recording. It was from a sold-out show at the famous Sydney Opera House in 2019. This album, Spinifex Gum Live at Sydney Opera House, was released in January 2021. A special moment from that show was Emma Donovan singing "Make It Rain" by Tom Waits. She sang the last part in Yindjibarndi. Tom Waits himself said her performance was "gorgeous" and shared the video on his YouTube channel!

Awards and Achievements

• Nominated for the 2019 Helpmann Award for Best New Australian Work

List of Songs and Albums

• "Locked Up" (single) (2017)
• "Mrs Dhu" (single) (2017)
• Spinifex Gum (2017)
• Sisters (2019)
• Spinifex Gum Live at Sydney Opera House (2021)