The Nannup Music Festival is excited to welcome the recipients of our Remote Aboriginal Artist Development Program. 

Kiwirrkurra Band join us as our 2025 Mentee band, hailing from the community of the same name (Kiwirrkurra) located more than 2600 kilometres from Nannup, in the far east of Western Australia’s Pilbara region. Kiwirrkurra Band who were selected from eleven worthy acts, will travel to the WA’ s South-West region to record new songs with award winning producer James Newhouse at Lamb Chop Studios over four days, before travelling to Nannup to perform alongside over 100 international, national and West Australian artists.

The band will be mentored through this ten-day experience by Bidyadanga community and Nannup Music Festival favourites Family Shoveller Band, who have previously recorded with James Newhouse and recently returned from performing in Europe and at the famous Bush Bands Bash in Alice Springs. Throughout 2025, the Kiwirrkurra Band’s freshly recorded songs will be released to Nannup Music Festival ticket holders, followers and the wider music industry sector. The band will then return to perform in Nannup at the 2026 festival and mentor the second recipient of the Remote Aboriginal Artist Development Program.

Kiwirrkurra Band formed in the early 2010s and have performed across WA’s north-west and at the 2014 Bush Bands Bash in Alice Springs. The band sing songs of love for their ngurra (home country) in Pintupi language and create an infectious blend of desert reggae and rock to get festival crowds up and dancing. The band currently have some great momentum, touring to Perth and Fremantle this week.

Family Shoveller Band are proud Karajarri family band from Bidyadanga community in WA’s Kimberley region. They’re prolific songwriters having released three albums and multiple singles. The band have shared their and saltwater good times in song across the nation and in 2024 the band toured Europe for the first time.

Our Remote Aboriginal Artist Development Program, supported by the West Australian Government’s Contemporary Music Fund, is building on our continued support for remote community Aboriginal bands, musicians and culture in Western Australia.