A meeting of indigenous cultures on stage at Candelo

A meeting of indigenous cultures on stage at Candelo

Posted On:31.03.2015
Every two years the village of Candelo on the far south coast of NSW celebrates its musical community and rural lifestyle with the Candelo Village Festival.

Curated by acclaimed muso David Ross Macdonald, who you might know as the drummer from The Waifs, Candelo attracts some serious talent.

The 2015 festival  kicked off with a showcase entitled "Travelling Tunesmiths", where Azadoota joined legendary indigenous performer Frank Yamma, Canadian troubadour Scott Cook and French songstress Melanie Horsnell in a spontaneous on-stage collaboration.

Later, members of Azadoota joined Frank Yamma on stage for his headline set, before Azadoota closed the festival on the main stage.

The natural synergy of indigenous Australian and indigenous Mesopotamian musical spirit impressed ABC South East NSW, whose journalist Bill Brown wrote:

"An unexpected delight at the Candelo Village Festival was Frank Yamma, delivering his powerful songs in Pitjantjatjara and English, joined on stage by Azadoota, bringing their funky, Cuban, Middle Eastern influence."

Watch the video for a quick snapshot of how the day unfolded.