Restless Dream | Bob Weatherall, Halfway, Digi Youth Arts & Alethea Beetson
I was born and raised on Wiradjuri country. It’s the language I have been learning, it’s the land where I’ll be returned to someday to be buried. My great grandmother is a Wiradjuri elder and the woman that raised me since I was a child.
But through my mother’s side of the family, I have Kamilaroi bloodlines. Unfortunately, I never got to know my grandmother and great grandmother on that side of the family and that knowledge is something that hasn’t been passed down. There’s part of me that has felt distant from that connection to culture.
As I watched and listened to Restless Dream, there were moments throughout where I felt very emotional. Beyond a powerful performance this was something that had a much deeper connotation for me. It stirred up something inside and made me feel like I was meant to be there.
Restless Dream is a collaboration between Kamilaroi elder Uncle Bob Weatherall, Brisbane band Halfway, multi-instrumentalist composer William Barton and Digi Youth Arts. The songs and music are taken from the concept album of the same name that was recently released.
Taking the album and performing it on stage in front of a packed theatre at The Tivoli made it feel grand. The added elements such as the big screen which featured moving visuals, the choice of colours in the lighting, and the traditional dancing that unfolded throughout the night transformed Restless Dream from a live performance of the album into a multimedia event incorporating multiple styles.
Halfway are an indie and alternative country band that have been creating albums and playing live for around two decades. Their sound reminded me of Wilco, and there’s a real care with the music they provide to the collaboration and an understanding of the importance of the creation. The live sound ranged from contemporary songs to dreamlike soundscapes, and with the added traditional sounds such as the digeridoo, the fusion of genres meshed well and provided a beautiful result.
However, where it became powerful was the spoken word from Uncle Bob Weatherall backed with guitars, drumming and William Barton playing the digeridoo. ‘The Dawn’ was a wonderful example of how it all connected for me and was the highlight of the night. It is also a track that I have now had on repeat since I first heard it.
It’s through Uncle Bob Weatherall where the reality hits that we are experiencing more than art and performance - it’s truth telling performed with rawness and honesty. Restless Dream tells the real-life journey of Uncle Bob’s efforts of repatriation and bringing back the ancestral remains of those who have died to be buried back on their country, back to Kamilaroi. Bringing peace and ensuring a real passing can happen.
Repatriation and the reburial of Aboriginal remains is a process that happened in my hometown not that long ago. I can vividly remember my great grandmother telling me the stories and the process of it, and the relief that she had that our ancestors had been brought back to their land.
It’s important to understand the deeper meaning beyond the performance. We can appreciate and be entertained by great art and music, but if we don’t come out with knowledge then we’ve missed the point. That’s why as much as I recommend the live performance of Restless Dream, I also highly recommend the concept album and following Uncle Bob for more education and information.
I enjoyed the entertainment of the night, but it was the real journey that moved me and took me to a different place. It was an opportunity for me to learn more and reconnect with a culture that is part of me.
Image supplied by Brisbane Festival.
