Part protest, part celebration, Spinifex Gum is an Australian festival show created by Felix Riebl of The Cat Empire. Created in close collaboration with Michael Woodley, Chief Executive Officer of the Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation, Riebl crafted this production, interweaving Woodley’s poignant texts throughout. Led by conductor Lyn Williams, Marliya is an all-female ensemble of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait singers. The music is composed and arranged by Felix Riebl and Ollie McGill, and the choreography is by acclaimed First Nations artist Deborah Brown. Notable collaborations with artists like Emma Donovan, Briggs, and Peter Garrett further amplify Spinifex Gum’s impact, fostering dialogue on Indigenous rights and reconciliation.

Spinifex Gum confronts challenging political and environmental issues in contemporary Australia: social disparity in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, land rights, disproportionate incarceration and deaths in custody. Marliya sing in both English and First Nations languages, primarily Yindjibarndi, disarming and inspiring their audiences in a way that no individual voice can.    

Since its premiere in Adelaide in 2018, Spinifex Gum has been performed at every major Australian arts festival. Equally at home in the concert hall and on the festival stage, the show has received repeat invitations to BluesFest Byron Bay and the Woodford Folk Festivals.

"The haunting choral harmony that breaks the dark night, ethereal and resonant, wields the power to silence the audience and, seemingly, to transcend time and place." The Sydney Morning Herald