The Tamworth Country Music Festival has wrapped for another year, and for country music fans, they couldn’t get enough.
It was a Blackout on the Fanzone stage, placing culture & mob front and centre at one of the biggest events in the country.
The festival attracts over 300,000 people, and the Annual Cultural Showcase brings together some of the best and brightest First Nations artists.
The showcase was a testament to the rich history of music that has long been a part of Aboriginal culture, and one that’s now a regular fixture in the country music capital.
Featured up-and-coming artists included Aimee Hannan and family band Castlereagh Connection, along with veteran and world renowned didgeridoo performer Mark Atkins.
The showcase is an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of renowned First Nations artists Troy Cassar Daley, Uncle Roger Knox and more recently, 2023 Starmaker winner and.
Ryan is already inspiring the likes of Gomeroi performer Kyla-Belle Roberts.
"She won Starmaker and it was just a really big inspiration to show that if she can do it, I can do it too," she told NITV.
For Mark Atkins, who has been coming to Tamworth for years, the doors haven’t always been open to First Nations artists, who were largely overlooked in years gone by.
“I’ve been here 30-odd years and I’ve seen it change," he said.
"Once upon a time, you wouldn’t see any Aboriginal performers performing anywhere really.”
Hailing from the small town of Coonamble, Wailwan father David Jones and his three sons form the family band Castlereagh Connection.
Mr Jones said it's important to respect those who paved the way for such events.
“As a teacher and a father, I've always mentioned the old fellas: Manny West Roger Knox, Mop & the Dropouts, Johnny Huckle, all of them," he said.
"I make sure that my boys know the Old People before them. It's good that they've met some of those people as well and some of them will be here when we do our showcase tonight.
"It's going to be just awesome."
Having a platform for the next generation and a pipeline of First Nations talent at Australia’s largest country music festival, it’s only a matter of time before we see the next Troy Cassar-Daley or Loren Ryan.
