On the first weekend of the Alice Desert Festival the Main Stage of the Anzac Oval was the venue for the seventh Bush Bands Bash; a unique project that celebrates the music emerging from the NT’s remote communities. Around 4,000 indigenous and non-indigenous people including travellers and international tourists turned out for the grog-free event to see a diverse line-up of bands from communities around Alice Springs.
In an event that has become hotly contested, 18 bands applied for the six spots, with the final line up being Young Pukatja Band, Desert Mulga, Tableland Drifters, Alunytjuru Band, Tjupi Band and Sunlight Band. Also on the bill were two bands who were part of the Sandtracks Tour: Iwantja, who fuse heavy metal, desert reggae and blues with wild guitar work and Manuel Ngulupani Dhurrkay who performs as a soloist and lead singer with the Saltwater Band.
