Big Name, No Blankets

A rock ‘n’ roll story celebrating the trailblazing music icons, Warumpi Band, inspired by tales from founding member Sammy Tjapanangka Butcher.

"You might think we're flash up here on this big stage, with big lights and big hair but we come from a little place with a big heart and a big story..."

Big Name, No Blankets cranks the amp and plugs into the heart of Papunya (Warumpi), where for the first time, we hear the stories of the Warumpi Band through the Butcher Brothers' perspective, narrated by founding lead guitarist Sammy Tjapanangka Butcher.

Warumpi Band is the original First Peoples rock band to sing in language, known for their anthems ‘Blackfella/Whitefella’, ‘My Island Home’ and ‘Jailanguru Pakurnu’. Big Name, No Blankets is inspired by their rise to the top through their politics, presence, and potent rock 'n' roll riffs.

Sammy weaves intimate storytelling with big rock 'n' roll songs. He takes us on a journey from the band's beginnings in the ‘70s—when Sammy and his two younger brothers, Gordon (drummer) and Brian (bass), learnt music by jamming on a flour drum in Pupanya—through to their wild nights conquering pub rock and touring the world.

Warumpi Band had a massive influence on the likes of Yothu Yindi and Coloured Stone. True to their roots, the show weaves in culture from Central Australia and North East Arnhem Land, and two ancestral languages—Luritja and Gumatj (Yolngu Matha)—as the band navigates divides between bush and city, white and black, fame and family.

You’re invited into the world of these central desert legends. Stomp your feet, clap your hands and sing along as you get swept away by this big-hearted story.