Sand Tracks 2023: A Milestone Event for Remote Desert Music and First Nations Bands
Natalie de Rozario
After a hiatus of three years, the Sand Tracks tour took place in November and December 2023, taking original contemporary music by First Nations bands to six remote desert communities across three states. The tour was eagerly anticipated and attracted audiences of over 3,100 to host communities surrounding the Tri-State border of WA, SA and NT that all together, have a total population of around 1,350.
Regional Arts WA delivered the tour in partnership with local First Nations organisations Wilurarra Creative (WC) and NG Media. Headline acts were the Desert Reggae All Stars from Papunya in the Northern Territory and Docker River Band, also from NT. Main support bands were Red Sand Beat Band from Warburton and Moonlight Reggae from Wanarn, with additional local bands engaged at each concert making 135 paid musicians in total for the tour. In addition to the confirmed performers, a lot of other bands turned up hoping to play, including from over the border. This was accommodated as much as possible and resulted in more than 140 additional musicians given the opportunity to experience performing with a professional sound and lighting setup.
The reintroduction of Sand Tracks was celebrated across the region and the appetite for live music proved to be insatiable. At some concerts, audiences were more than four times the official population of the host community and performances ran late into the night. The excellent response was a testament to the effectiveness of partnering with trusted local organisations who had both the skills to present professional concerts, and the ability to harness regional networks to spread the word.
One audience member observed that coming together for song and dance is an integral and incredibly important part of traditional culture in these areas, and the tour became a contemporary expression of an activity grounded in centuries of traditional practice. The funds to support Sand Track were generously provided by Creative Australia through Playing Australia and the Contemporary Music Touring Program.
