Singers and songwriters Nardi Simpson and Kaleena Briggs reclaimed an offensive term used against Indigenous women and turned it into a banner of strength and pride with their band the Stiff Gins. They’re a decade-old band with five albums under their belt and a loyal following for their remarkable storytelling and humour through song. They often sing in Wiradjuri, which is the language of Briggs’ family, and Yuwaalaraay, which is where Simpson’s family is from – reminding us of language that was outlawed and the survival of some of these 250-plus Indigenous languages in Australia.
Before the Stiff Gins perform at 8pm, there’ll be drinks and a Welcome to Country with Rhonda Dixon-Grosvenor before a performance by award-winning musician and R’n’B artist Mi-kaisha at 7pm. You might recognise her from last year’s Klub Koori, or perhaps that time she was on The Voice. Though her music is soulful and sweet, her lyrics are hard-hitting and often political messages about being a young black women in urban Australia.
