‘Deadly Hearts’ at Adelaide Cabaret Festival

This coming Monday the 15th of June some incredible Indigenous artists will hit the stage for the exclusive ‘Deadly Hearts’ Concert as part of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival. This unique event, inspired by ABC Music’s ‘Deadly Hearts’ albums, is a celebration of music and culture through Australia’s next generation of First Nations artists. The festival will be showcasing the big name artist Dan Sultan, and up and coming artists such as Tia Gostelow. ‘Deadly Hearts’ will be a celebration of identity and pay homage to those who have inspired and paved the way for today’s Indigenous musicians.

Deadly Hearts line-up. Courtesy of Adelaide Cabaret Festival, 2021.

The event will be hosted by comedian Steph Tisdell - rising star on the Australian Comedy Scene. Tisdell has a huge passion for Indigenous rights and advocacy, and loves to talk about her experiences as a Yidinji woman (The Sit Down Comedy Club, 2021). Headlining will be Dan Sultan, a multi ARIA award musician and storyteller. His honest lyrics, soulful voice and memorable rock, roots and blues sounds captivate audiences (Dan Sultan, 2021).

The second musician in this incredible line up is singer-songwriter, Tia Gostelow. She released her debut album in 2018 ‘Thick Skin’ which won ‘Album of the Year’ at the QLD Music Awards. This young musician from Mackay has burst onto the scene. At only 21, she has now released two albums. Her sound spans from folk-influenced to glam electro-pop, which is featured in her new album ‘Chrysalis’ (Triple J, 2020).

Kee’ahn will also grace the stage with her soulful music that weaves melodies and words of heartbreak and healing. The proud Kuku Yalanji, Jirrbal and Zenadh Kes song woman was awarded the Archie Roach Foundation Award at the 2020 National Indigenous Music Awards for her debut single ‘Better Things’ (Kee’ahn, 2021). This song and it’s message became a mantra for many who were struggling through the challenges of lock down (Adelaide Cabaret Festival, 2021).

Last up is Aodhan, an incredible young talent. At just 15, he won Triple J’s Unearthed High Indigenous Initiative for his self-produced song ‘When your Eyes Speak.’ The Dharawal singer-songwriter brings together heartfelt writing with soulful musicality, taking influences from a broad range of writers, genres and era’s of music (Adelaide Cabaret Festival, 2021).

Deadly Hearts Album 1. Courtesy of ABC Music, 2021.

So you can see, the show will feature a stunning lineup of remarkable young Indigenous artists. As mentioned earlier, the show is inspired by ABC Music’s ‘Deadly Hearts’ albums. Each is a celebration of music, culture and identity from the hearts and voices of young First Nations musicians. The albums showcase the modern sound of Indigenous Australia through the next generation of Indigenous storytellers (ABC Music, 2021).

If you live in Adelaide we highly recommend getting to this amazing one-night-only show!

If you live elsewhere in the country, have a listen to ABC Music’s ‘Deadly Hearts’ Albums and discover some amazing young Indigenous artists.