The raw music style of Drum Drum is set to thrill Yarra Valley audiences.By Kath Gannaway
WARBURTON has been included on a tour bringing the culture and music of Papua New Guinea and The Pacific to Australia in September.
Drum Drum is the English translation of the name of a village found on the south east coast of Papua New Guinea.
The once-small village grew a reputation for feasting, singing, drumming and dancing, and it is this spirit that brought Drum Drum together and underpins the group’s work.
Featuring dancers and musicians from PNG, the Pacific and northern Australia, Drum Drum’s exciting new sound is a mixture of invigorating island chants, highly energetic log drumming and dance.
Backed by dynamic rhythms, the raw music style is truly powerful.
The group performed during the Commonwealth Games in March and is now taking the show on the road along the east coast of Australia.
Drum Drum will thrill audiences with its unique blend of traditional and original contemporary music.
Colourful costumes and traditional body painting make Drum Drum’s performances even more spectacular.
Drum Drum has been described as “leading the charge” in Pacific music with performances at Womad, United Kingdom, the Chicago World Music Festival, and headlining the Riddu Riddu festival in Norway in 2004 and is touted as the leading Australian World Music Group.
Wherever it performs, the group has received rave reviews.
ABC Radio National described the performance as “hypnotic and invigorating … ancient traditional instruments and chants are reborn with an influence of funk, ska and soul”.
The tour brings to the Yarra Valley a mix of contemporary and traditional performance, which will provide local audiences with a rare insight into the unique musical heritage of PNG.
Drum Drum will appear at the Upper Yarra Arts Centre in Warburton on Saturday, 2 September at 8pm. Phone 5966 5160 to book.
