NT artists at Santos Opening Night Concert. Pic: Darwin Festival.

NT acts Duganda Street Sounds, Leah Flanagan and Shellie Morris will head a line up of interstate stars to perform at the Opening Night Concert of the 2010 Darwin Festival.

“Hailing from Ramingining in East  Arnhem, Dunganda Street Sounds comprises songwriting team Jason Durrurrnga and Michael Dhuwa along with singers Bobby Bununggurr and Jimmy Djamunba. The group also collaborate with other musicians from the Raminigning community.” Their song ‘Senor’ was nominated in the ‘Song’ and ‘Film Clip Of The Year’ categories at the 2009 Indigenous Music Awards, and is also being featured in this year’s Darwin Festival television commercial. Darwin Festival is billing their performace at the Opening Concert as “possibly one of the most anticipated debut live performance ever seen at this gig!”

NT singers Shellie Morris - already a legend in her lifetime – and rising star Leah Flanagan will be joined on stage by interstate singer Lou Bennett (ex-Tiddas), reprising their sell-out performance of ‘Liberty Songs’ from the 2008 Festival, alongside  “members of Darwin’s Liberian community.. and the African Gospel Choir and Liberian Culture Dance Group.” ‘Liberty Songs’ “is based on the shared experiences of a group of Liberian women who arrived in the Northern Territory as refugees and Aboriginal singer songwriters: Shellie Morris (Wardaman/Yanyuwa), Lou Bennett (Yorta-Torta Dja Dja) and Leah Flanagan (Darwin).” ‘Liberty Songs’ draws on the “experiences and musical traditions of both cultures.”

The Santos Opening Night Concert will take place at The Amphitheatre, Darwin Botanical Gardens, Thursday August 12 from 6.30pm. It is an alcohol-free event and is free entry. Gates open at 5.30pm.

For full details of the Opening Night Concert for Darwin Festival, visit the website.