I met the band at a bar in town to have a chat about their experiences in getting to this point. Fliz, Gus and ‘O’ Zee – all vocalists and producers of Pott Street’s music (along with instrumentalist and vocalist Mandy ‘Dizzle’ Garling, who wasn’t able to make it) – were obviously still riding high on the wave of their recent successes.

“Winning those awards was just fantastic,” explains Gus. “It’s one thing to be nominated and to be there. But to win – I mean, there was some great competition, and we got to see some of the competition perform – they were just fantastic. But to win that award in that category, just blew our minds. We were so surprised after the Emerging Act Award that we were off out the back celebrating when they called out the Touring Award – we totally missed it.”

It is sheer persistence that has brought them to this point. “The name Pott Street came from the street itself in Moil, that’s where we grew up,” remembers Fliz fondly. “We were friends first, all of us big hip hop fans, and we just grew into a band after a while. When the digital revolution allowed us to start recording stuff on our computers – that pushed us to start creating for ourselves and our friends.”

And from creation to promotion, they’ve always been on the cutting edge, using technology the best that they can to get their name out there. Gus sums up how important and useful it can be.

“The internet is an ever-changing platform that allows you to promote yourself, whatever new tools come up, we’ll use them. One minute it’ll be Twitter, the next minute it’ll be something else. We just like to keep in touch with people however we can. Pott Street has family all over the place, and we like to communicate with them however we can.”

Pott Street group shot

And supporting the younger generation of hip-hop artists is also something that falls under family responsibility. “I think there’s a lot more local and indigenous music that people can look up to these days. There’s bigger groups having success, so younger bands who are starting out can see there’s successes to be had. And we’re doing our best to help them – whether it’s sharing beats, remixing songs, getting them up onto the same stage as us – whatever helps.”

Right now though, the band is just enjoying the exposure.

“We’re gonna keep paddling, waiting for the big wave. The album should be out by the end of the year. We’ll keep going with the momentum from the Indigenous Music Awards, and we’re looking forward to the tour next year through Artback NT.”

Artists: David Collins, Daniel Roque Lee (Gullawan), Walter Barrett and Donovan Fantasia; © Photo: Jacqui Sneddon

A sign by Larrakia traditional owners welcomes visitors to the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) on Bullocky Point.

It is the words of Gary Lee, an academic and artist whose cultural heritage gives a succinct snapshot of Top End history over the past 150 years – and beyond.
Born in 1952, he is one of eleven children who grew up immersed in a diverse artistic and culinary lifestyle, at a time when most Australians considered spaghetti bolognaise a rather exotic dish.

The ethnic mix includes Larrakia, Filipino, Japanese, Scottish, Chinese and Wardaman backgrounds.

“From each of our grandparents we gained a love of food,” enthuses Lee. “We would be out bush eating kangaroo, the next day, sushi … we had separate Chinese bowls and Japanese bowls for eating.”

His ten siblings include Billawara, the eldest, who headed the NT Indigenous Arts Unit; Roque, an artist who has work exhibited in MAGNT and the National Museum; artists Tony and Ian, the 2008 NAIDOC art award winners for their collaborative work; cook Danella; artist Jason; and sister Tina (Lee) Baum, a current curator at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra.

Gary & Mary Lee, photo by Francine Chinn

“We got our artistic streak from our father, and our mother is also very creative,” Gary Lee muses. “Both parents really.”

“Father was well known around Darwin for his graphic designs and logos which he did in his spare time.”

These apparently included signs on the outside of the original Darwin Fire Service, now lost, and many other businesses.

After studying fashion in Sydney, Gary Lee returned to the Northern Territory and became a trainee Aboriginal arts advisor with Chips Mackinolty at Mimi Arts in Katherine in the mid 1980’s.

This was the beginnings of his career as curator and anthropologist.

“We used to travel and work with artists from the Kimberley, down to Lajamanu, across to Borroloola, Numbulwar, out to Bulman (Wugularr) and north to Pine Creek,” says Mackinolty. “It was an area bigger than Victoria.”

“Gary was a really skilled arts advisor with a fantastic rapport with artists. They would come from the desert, all the way to the Gulf.”

During this time Lee and Mackinolty co-curated a ground breaking 1984 exhibition titled Bukngarru: An exhibition of Aboriginal feathered craft featuring around 200 pieces of Top End fibre and body adornment art which ‘took Sydney by storm’. In the following year they again collaborated on Aboriginal Artists of the Katherine Region, held at the Aboriginal Arts Australia Gallery, Sydney.

In 1993 Gary wrote a play ‘Keep Him My Heart: A Larrakia-Filipino Love Story’ about his great-grandparents, which was performed in the Tank at Darwin High School and is still well remembered by local audiences.

Asked if growing up in the Darwin environment helped nurture these artistic tendencies, Lee does not hesitate.

“Absolutely,” he says.

“As kids we were encouraged to draw, and with the environment, you didn’t need much inspiration. Everything was around you. “We took it for granted.”

“But looking back, I see how fortunate we were.”

Mackinolty puts it in his usual style, “When you look at the Lee family, it’s the rhetoric of multiculturalism made real.”

“They embody what it is to be a Darwinite.”

Expressions of Interest Wanted

New Work On Show
We are designed to offer a range of services including:

• Advisory – discuss the idea for a current or future project or performance program.
• Management – what administration will it need?
• Finances – what funding and budget support are required?
• Presenters/Partners – who might team up with the project?
• Further – look at the next steps after the first presentation … where can the project go, what’s necessary to make it move to the rest of the NT and beyond?
• Network – who to speak to next?

What you should do now

1. Contact: call, email, send a carrier pigeon
2. Meet: meet with the producer at Brown’s Mart or a place of your choosing; bring as much information as you can and be ready to discuss the work in detail
3. Then: the producer will advise how the Hub may help and what the next steps are to get the project from between your ears to in front of other’s eyes.

phone 8981 6876
email creative@brownsmart.com.au
person Browns Mart Administration building, Cnr Smith St & Harry Chan Av Darwin City

About Brown’s Mart

There are changes afoot in Darwin’s longest running community venue, Brown’s Mart, at the Waterfront end of Smith St. For those unlucky enough to have never seen a local work in this intimate theatre, excuses for such may soon be fast dwindling.

32˚, a new hub for the creation and development of local theatre and performance is taking shape within Brown’s Mart’s walls, and with it come a raft of changes for the venue. Redesignated as a home for Top End theatre, from next year it will offer rehearsal and management spaces for local and independent theatre makers and support to transport works from the heads and hearts of artists onto the stage.

Alex Ben-Mayor, the newly appointed creative producer of 32˚ says that the hub will “allow artists to concentrate on what is important in the creation of new work–refining creative teams, thinking beyond the first show, growing the creative capacity of theatre makers and taking their work to new audiences.”

Alongside the work of 32˚, Sean Pardy, Brown’s Mart’s new venue manager is helping to reinvigorate the space. “We’re allocating funds for the long-awaited upgrade of technical equipment in the theatre – a complete overhaul of the lighting system with a flown rig, new lights, desk and dimmers.” With a new website on the way and whispers of getting new music into the venue (did I hear someone mention Happy Yess?), the precinct looks set to soon be a ‘hub’ of activity.

Meta-Detective Cover

Meta-Detective by Levin Diatschenko

A perplexing, bewildering journey into the life of a man who becomes a detective in order to investigate his own identity, entirely forgotten in a momentary lapse of concentration. Meta-Detective experiments with our very understanding of consciousness and reality, introducing a plethora of arcane and occult ideas on almost every page.

Published by Wolfty & Cliff, 2009. Available from www.gamonville.com.

Brumbies in the Night cover

Brumbies in the Night by Diane Lucas & Colwyn Campbell

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This new collaboration between author Di Lucas, illustrator Colwyn Campbell and graphic designer Wilfred Russell-Smith takes the young readers through a sensuous and enchanting moonlit landscape with one boy and his beloved brumbies. This is a book that entices the reader to look very closely at, and connect with their surroundings; and to take part in a childhood where a life such as this is possible. – Susan Wills.
Published by Waterlily Publications, 2009. ISBN 978-0-9806422-0-9

The Devil You Know by Leonie Norrington

‘The Devil You Know takes you under the skin of a boy who learns to face up to those he fears most’ – and it does this with searing honesty. What it also achieves is an ‘under the skin’ view of a family under stress, a community at odds with itself, and a school that is at once part of the problem – and the solution. – Susan Wills.
Published by Allen & Unwin, 2009. ISBN 97 81 74 17 58 66 5 (pbk)

Terracotta Pigeons Album Cover

This new project from Roy Mackonkey drummer Steve Smith is best summed up by the word “ostentatious”. The guitar tone and riffs seem to be entirely geared towards making the maximum possible impact on the listener, and is aided by the pounding, steady drums. The sound is heavy and thick, strewn with ample melodies that range from brooding through to excitable.

The band tout their songs as being “crafted to sit on the edge where a metal vibe meets commercial appeal”, and proudly make their major influences known in such alternative rock outfits as Faith No More, Soundgarden and Muse, all of whom have a distinctive influence on the Pigeons’ overall sound. Really on the heavy side of alternative rock.

For more, please visit www.terracottapigeons.com.

Country Town Collective – Houses

There’s something pleasantly unexpected in Country Town Collective’s first album “Houses”. The eight original songs on this 26 minute recording really show the variety of styles and influences. The songs vary from minimalist soundscapes to folky to rocking to an almost country vibe, all of which is melded together seamlessly by songwriter Alice Rae’s composition. Her vocals also feature prominently and range from soothing to emotive, with a few singalong choruses in there for good measure.

For more, browse over to www.countrytowncollective.com.

My Private Pectus Cover

“I think it’s the only book on the market that deals so intimately with teenage male body image,” Shane explains. “Which really means it’s out there for mums and dads to buy for their boys,” he laughs. “Because in my experience, boys don’t buy books.”

The deformity that the main character – Sticks – suffers is Pectus Excavatum: a sunken chest caused by abnormal growth of the ribs and sternum. Shane explains how this deformity affects the dynamic of his character within the novel.

“More than anything, there’s a potent metaphor in the chest. It’s a sign of masculinity for men, and a young man without a chest feels he has a lot to prove. He feels has to make up for what he’s missing, and come to terms with his body.”

While still adjusting to the lack of surf in Darwin, unlike his native Queensland, Thamm has involved himself in the local arts community from the word go.

Author Shane Thamm

And of the book, Shane prides himself on the even handed descriptions of life as a young man.

“It doesn’t put any moral overtones on the reader – it’s just about young guys doing what they do. It doesn’t glorify anything, but it doesn’t vindicate either. There are still warnings in there, but it doesn’t hide anything.”

My Private Pectus is available from good book stores or www.fordstreetpublishing.com or www.shanethamm.com.

Darwin will be the final destination on the reggae artists’ current world tour, which kicked off at Merrepen Arts Festival back in May before taking him around the world – including a 2 week stint in Jamaica. Nicky also performed at this year’s Garma Festival, stopping off there between his last gig in Europe and a well deserved break back at home in Melbourne.

“Garma was wonderful,” Nicky says. “Such a beautiful part of the world, and such amazing people. I did a couple of workshops and wrote some songs with members of the community, who were great to work with.”

His live shows are often improvised, both the music and the lineup. He does have a regular band – Bomba – that he plays in with his brother, but travelling light, he finds musicians in each city he travels to and has them jam with him on stage.

“On this tour, some shows have been with the band, some shows have just been with a few musicians from the city I’m in. It has worked really well so far, and the jams are great fun, as it turns out different every time.”

For his Darwin show, Nicky will be collaborating with members of The NEO and other local musicians to bring us some smooth, funky reggae to suit these hot, humid nights.

Nicky Bomba supported by The NEO play at Darwin Entertainment Centre, Nov 21.
www.darwinentertainment.com for bookings and details.