Iconic Australian rock band Midnight Oil lead today’s line-up announcement for WOMADelaide’s new sunset concert series from Friday 5 March until Monday 8 March 2021 in King Rodney Park, Adelaide.

Over their 28-year career and 11 studio albums, ‘the Oils’ have had five #1 albums, 11 ARIA Awards, been inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame and received two Grammy nominations. Midnight Oil, who performed at WOMADelaide 1997 and have not played in Adelaide since 2017, will close two of the four nights, in what are sure to be sold-out events in the limited capacity venue.

The band’s Saturday night show will feature an exclusive set of classic songs from their immense back-catalogue. Monday night will see the official world premiere of Makarrata Live, a unique concert presentation of songs from their acclaimed new #1 mini-album, The Makarrata Project as well as classic Oils songs which revolve around themes of Indigenous Reconciliation. This special event will feature prominent First Nations artists who collaborated on The Makarrata Project, which seeks to elevate public awareness of The Uluru Statement.

“We’re pleased and excited to be renewing our connection with WOMADelaide with these two very different shows. It’s an event with which our band has had a long and strong connection”, said Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett.

“Lots of the songs which have struck the deepest chords with our audiences over the years, like Beds Are Burning, Jimmy Sharman’s Boxers, The Dead Heart and Truganini, revolve around Indigenous issues so we’re particularly inspired to be playing a special set for Makarrata Live that combines older songs like those with newer songs that share similar lyrical themes.”

Friday night will feature the farewell WOMADelaide appearance by one of Australia’s most acclaimed singer-songwriters, 2020 ARIA Hall of Fame inductee, Archie Roach.

Coming to prominence with the release of his debut 1990 double-ARIA Album Charcoal Lane, Archie Roach shone a stark light on the impact of the forcible removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families.  Since then he has earned the love and respect of fans and musicians alike; and been made a Member of the Order of Australia and 2020 Victorian of the Year.

This year Uncle Archie released The Songs of Charcoal Lane, a re-imagining of the heart-wrenching songs of the original album, 30 years on, and this will be the nucleus of his WOMADelaide performance.

“We are delighted to once again welcome back Midnight Oil and, for a record seventh appearance, Archie Roach to WOMADelaide next year” said Director, Ian Scobie.

“2020 has been a year of extraordinary challenges, but in being able to present artists of the stature of Midnight Oil and Archie Roach, along with all the artists announced today for our reconfigured event, we are certain that WOMADelaide will truly be unmissable over the festival long weekend next March.”

South Australian Tourism Commission CEO, Rodney Harrex said that he was thrilled to see WOMADelaide announcing such a remarkable line-up for their 2021 event.

“WOMADelaide is an iconic event for South Australia and a great driver of visitation at the heart of our State’s renowned festival season and we are thrilled to see it proceeding with such a stellar line-up in this reinvented COVID safe format of the Sunset Concert series” said Rodney Harrex CEO South Australian Tourism Commission.

Joining Midnight Oil and Archie Roach at WOMADelaide 2021 will be one of Australia’s most explosive performers, Tash Sultana who will perform for the first time with a full live band.

Having clocked up over a billion streams of the breakthrough ARIA award-winning debut album Flow State, double-platinum single Jungle, and multi-platinum Notion EP, Tash have taken the world by storm.  They will make their WOMADelaide debut hot on the heels of the release of their new album TERRA FIRMA, out February 2021.

Also performing on Sunday night is Zambian-born, Botswana-raised Sampa The Great, who not only won the 2020 ARIA Award for Best Female Artist, but also Best Hip Hop and Best Independent Release for her stunning debut album The Return, which debuted on the Australian charts at #12.

On Friday night, Sarah Blasko will celebrate the 10th anniversary and re-issue of her 2011 album, As Day Follows Night. The album saw Blasko take out Triple J Album of The Year and the ARIA for Female Artist Of The Year, went on to achieve platinum status and was listed at #19 in the book 100 Best Australian Albums.

Friday night will open with the symphonic song cycle, Compassion, a unique collaboration between treasured Australian artists, singer-songwriter Lior and acclaimed Australian composer Nigel Westlake, accompanied by a 54-piece Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Compassion draws from the rich worlds of Judaism and Islam to present a collection of profound and poetic messages surrounding the idea of compassion between human beings.

Also playing on Saturday night will be sisters Vika & Linda Bull whose effortless harmonies journey through rock, country, gospel, reggae, R&B, soul and blues.  Their 2020 releases, Akilotoa – Anthology 1994-2006 and Sunday (The Gospel According to Iso) - made during lockdown and a reflection of their popular ‘Sunday sing-song sessions’ at home - have cemented their place in the hearts of the nation.

On Monday night the much-loved soulful blues outfit The Teskey Brothers hit the stage. ‘The Teskeys’ have become crowd favourites at major festivals the world over and recently took out back-to-back awards for Best Blues and Roots Album at the ARIAs.

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WOMADelaide 2021

5-8 March, King Rodney Park, Adelaide, South Australia

FRIDAY 5 March - Lior, Nigel Westlake & The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra - Compassion / Archie Roach / Sarah Blasko 

SATURDAY 6 March - Vika & Linda / Midnight Oil

SUNDAY 7 March - Sampa the Great / Tash Sultana

MONDAY 8 March - The Teskey Brothers / Midnight Oil & First Nations Collaborators: Makarrata Live

WOMADelaide Subscriber pre-sale tickets available from 09:00 ACDT Wednesday 9 December

General Public tickets available from 09:00 ACDT Friday 11 December