Gurrumul, Archie Roach, Shellie Morris, Ernie Dingo & More To Play Boomerang Festival

The first round of performers announced for the inaugural Boomerang Festival has just been announced, with some of the most famous indigenous Australian performers in the realm of music, dance, comedy and more all set to descend upon the Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm this October.

On the music side of things, the brilliant Gurrumul will headline the event, fresh from topping charts after a dalliance with the mainstream, and he will be joined by a double bass player and the 24-piece Queensland Virtuosi Symphony Orchestra.

Archie Roach will once again prove why he is one of our most incredible storytellers, premiering the Creation show, which sees him team up with a ten piece ensemble and vocalists Lou Bennett, Emma Donovan and Deline Briscoe for a set of deeply spiritual songs.

The wonderful Shellie Morris will showcase her unique Australian folk music, hopefully giving us the chance to hear some songs from her latest LP Ngambala Wiki Li-Wunungu (Together We Are Strong).

A couple of incredible young artists round out this first announcement, with Cairns bred and now Brisbane based rockers The Medics showing why they are considered to be one of the most exciting young bands around and the unstoppable Thelma Plum dropping by to win over even more fans, no doubt.

It's not just about music, though.

A couple of great speakers have been announced in this first lot of acts; one of our country's finest actors and TV hosts Ernie Dingo and academic and writer (and current Professor of Indigenous Research and Director of Research at the Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning at the University of Technology, Sydney) Larissa Behrendt are the first of what will be an enlightening program.

Renowned comedian Sean Choolburra will also be on hand to deliver his show Fifty Shades of Black.

Tammy Anderson will star in the long-running Aboriginal play I Don't Wanna Play House and Jeff McMullen will host a screening of a new documentary about the life of Archie Roach, as well as the new children's series Butcher Paper, Texta, Blackboard and Chalk which was developed by Roach and his sadly departed life-partner Ruby Hunter over many years.

The brilliant Arakwal Dancers, who you may have seen at any number of major Byron Bay events, have also confirmed their appearance at the event, showing all those who attend their traditional dance relating to the stories of their region.

The festival runs from Friday 4 October through to Sunday 6; tickets are available from the festival website.