Irrunytju Band Are Bringing Their Desert Reggae To Fremantle & Nannup Music Festival

West Australian desert reggae outfit Irrunytju Band are bursting out of their homelands to play a major venue and event early next month.

Marking a rare excursion out of their stomping ground near the tri-border of WA, South Australia and the Northern Territory, the band will hit the stage at te upcoming Nannup Music Festival before heading on for a free headline outing at the Fremantle Arts Centre the following week.

The good news doesn't stop there, though: the acclaimed Western Desert group — who are part of the cabal of acts being nurtured by Indigenous label Manta Tutura — have also been named as support act for Midnight Oil's Darwin appearance on their upcoming world tour.

Irrunytju Band have been turning heads outside their isolated surrounds for much of the past year, having come to our attention in June 2016 as one of the finalist acts selected for that year's Bush Bands Bash and accompanying Bush Bands Business program in Alice Springs back in August.

The band blend rock, funk, blues and reggae together to create the sound they've branded 'desert reggae', singing in both English and Pitjantjatjara languages, as exemplified on their 2012 debut album, Titji Kutju.

Their distinct sound drew the attention of not only Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett, which is how they came to be selected as Darwin openers on the upcoming run, but Violent Femmes bass player Brian Ritchie, who said in a statement: "Irrunytju Band play with authority and groove. Their musicianship is at a very high level, and they are showmen."

If you're headed to Nannup festival — being held from 3 to 6 March — or can get along to Fremantle Arts Centre on Sunday 12 March, you can find out more for yourself. Otherwise, enjoy their sweet sounds below via the magic of the internet.