This film contains
some strong language
GENTLE COUNTRY MUSIC PLAYS
You're listening to your very own
Nyungar Boodjar Regional Radio,
raising the bar in community-funded
local broadcasting.
Regular listeners won't
need reminding that
"boodjar" means "country",
and we respectfully
acknowledge the Nyungar people -
traditional owners
of this beautiful land -
and pay our respects to their
elders, past and present.
And what is it I always say
at this point, friends?
That's right. Another
year, another Westival.
Has it really been a year?
How did that happen?
As John Lennon said,
"Life is what happens while
you're making other plans."
And were the great man alive
today, he might very well say,
"Hey, Yoko,
"let's make plans to visit the
Gladstone Heritage Village in
Noongar Boodjar
"for the 16th wonderful Westival,
"Western Australia's premiere,
rurally-based community folk
event."
It's a camping holiday,
but with folk music.
What's not to love?
# Follow
# Follow the sun
# Which way the wind blows
# When this day is done. #
Another fabulous Westival!
Or some other word starting with F.
Sir? Only headline
artists on site, sir.
That is blue-tagged vehicle.
You are tagged
green for camping.
I need you to exit the
area immediately.
I have to have power to rehearse.
I've got permission.
Open the back of the vehicle, sir.
OK, I've got the tags and
passes, wristbands, also keys.
Don't lose them.
Yep.
So they put us in the same rooms.
I'm in Woody Guthrie and you
guys are sharing Dolly Parton.
If only.
SCATTERED LAUGHTER
Gets funnier every year, guys.
Sir, I do not see an instrument.
No, you're right. It's actually
a mobile bomb factory.
Wrong decision!
HE SCREAMS IN PAIN
It was a joke! It was a joke!
It's a musical instrument.
It's a theremin.
A lot of people think Brian Wilson
used one on Good Vibrations,
but that was a tannerin.
Sir, security is never
a laughing matter.
You have had your first
and your last warning.
Do not disappoint me.
DISTANT LAUGHTER AND CHATTER
Hey.
Hey.
Just settling in, Da.
So I'll see you in the bar?
You read my mind, love.
Not a very long book.
Gramps, we got our usual place.
Brilliant. Same as every year.
Ruby, darling, can you keep it down,
please? I need to finish this call.
No, I can't come back. This weekend
is sacrosanct mother-daughter time.
But I will be on my tablet,
so I'll be checking e-mails
and reading texts.
Hi.
Not quite the same this year, Rubes.
No, Grandad, of course not.
But Grandma would want you
to still have a good time.
So you have to.
For her.
Nobody played accordion
like your gran.
Good to go, Neilo!
Good to go, Glenys!
Let's go. Back it nice
and slow. Cone, Glenys!
OK. Steady, steady,
steady, cone, Glenys!
Steady, steady, steady, steady back,
back, back, back, back, all right!
Lock and load! Great parking, Neilo.
Well done, Glenys. Nice cone work.
You're still
listening to Festival Folk
and, with us this morning,
the very lovely Diamond,
a top little singer
from Mandjoogoordap
and an old friend of Nyungar
Boodjar Regional radio.
We're going to be chewing
over all things Westival
for the next half hour or so
but, first up,
would you give us a song, Diamond?
I certainly would, Queenie.
That would be awesome.
I'd like to play for you
an alternative take
on a much-loved Aussie folk song
which I think better
reflects the sexual politics
of post-invasion Australia.
It's called Raping Matilda.
Please don't sing along.
# Once a jolly sexist
Conforming to his gender role
# Within a colonial patriarchy
# And he sang as he sat
Just another white supremacist
# Who'll come invading
Australia with me?
# We're Feminasty, we own this town
# We're driving to the festival
Nobody gonna stop us all
# Driving in a hot pink car
Word!
# Don't be fricken with my bizzle
# We're Feminasty shizzle
Go Courtney in the back
And Indi on my side. #
# And her ghost may be heard
# As she dances around the billabong
# Who'll come castrating
the swagman with me? #
No tax on tampons.
Thank you. You've been amazing.
No, thank you, Diamond, for a
very thought-provoking and
contemporary take
on a tale of
early Australian wanderers and
perhaps the appropriate
moment to reflect on the fact
that our very own
Gladstone Heritage Village
was once home to many
homeless little wanderers.
That is so true, Queenie.
Poor, ravaged and
rickety Pommy mites
sent here under
the UK Child Migration Scheme.
Nearly 65 years since
I first stood on those steps.
I know, Grandad.
Funny.
We didn't even want to come here.
Now everybody does.
Well, I couldn't find anyone
playing the rubab,
but there are a number
of mandolin recitals.
Which is similar to the rubab,
although of course
with 12 less strings.
HE CLEARS THROA I wonder if we should be
pushing for a response.
I'm not pushing.
I'm trying to connect.
Members of Westival's
Recovering Alcoholic Community,
your meeting's venue
has been moved to
the place they used to have the bar.
Bob and Sharon in the Festival
office clearly have a sense of
irony.
Don't you love it?
DOOR OPENS
Delivery. Four cases of beer.
Who wants it?
Steady, people. Steady.
See this as a challenge.
So, Diamond, do you
have any personal must-sees
that you've picked out
from the Festival brochure?
Well, Queenie, I love anything
that challenges form,
so today I'm super excited to
check out the theremin revolution.
Mm!
Which you Westival folk can find
down at the small workshop hut.
Yes!
Thank you, Queenie.
And, of course, the theremin
was the instrument
that Brian Wilson used to get
the weird woo-woo sound...
..in Good Vibrations.
Oh, my God, bitches!
I just got a 99.9 Atar.
I'm school Dux.
Damn, girl, that's amazing!
Isn't it?
I...I mean, not that I give a...
..swag. It's all bullshit.
Obvs, Courtney.
What up?
What is up?
I'm Dexter.
Got some quinoa falafel or
small batch, slow-brewed,
steam-filtered
bottle-conditioned
organic sarsaparilla.
And you're on Tinder.
Ah, excellent.
Later?
Maybe.
Quinoa falafel and an
overcomplicated sarsaparilla,
please.
Totally. Ain't no thing.
My annual protest
to demand the closure of the
Gladstone asylum seeker detention
camp.
This is actually very important.
No, so I need the ceramics checked
and shipped by close of business.
Asylum seekers.
Detention camps.
If we'd have just left them on their
boats, we wouldn't need to lock 'em
up.
Gramps, they're refugees.
We have a UN obligation.
Refugees?
Pull the other one!
They just want to come
and live here.
Well, what if they do?
You were an immigrant once.
I was seven years old
and I wasn't given a choice.
And I was put straight to work.
I had to earn my bit of Australia.
I didn't just turn up and demand it.
THEREMIN MUSIC PLAYS
MUSIC STOPS
So...
..welcome to
the theremin revolution.
Both in the room and streaming to
the International Theremin Community
worldwide.
Hiya, Adalbert.
It's pretty late in Norway,
so thanks for checking in.
Cos this revolution is
all about what I call
techno folk funk.
What drum'n'bass and hip-hop
were to Generations X and Y,
I believe that techno folk
funk will be to Generation...
Well, whatever the next letter is.
It could be Z.
Settled in for the full
session, have we, Eamon?
Trawling for business, are you?
We don't trawl.
People have to come
of their own accord.
Oh, don't be so coy, Pam.
You know you're itching to get me
into your joyless little losers'
club.
Well, I think you
may have a problem.
Well, you see, Pam,
if you take a teaspoonful of sherry
of an evening and it causes
you to beat your wife,
then it's a problem.
You follow me? It's complex,
but I'm with you so far.
But on the other hand,
if you drink all day,
every day, but you do your
work, you pay your tax,
and you love your daughter,
then you don't have a problem.
You have a...
..a habit.
And I...I'm a creature of habit.
Well, leave you with your mate.
THEREMIN MUSIC IN DISTANCE
MUSIC STOPS
Just to dispel a couple
of popular theremin myths.
The instrument that Brian Wilson
used on Good Vibrations is a
tannerin.
The theremin's pitch is controlled
by a single vertical oscillator.
Sorry to state the obvious.
MILD LAUGHTER
How do you, like,
compose on a theremin?
I don't think you do
compose on the theremin.
You sculpt music.
Sick image.
So sick.
The air is my clay.
SUPPRESSED LAUGHTER
SHE CLEARS THROA Hay fever.
SHE SLURPS
Man, this is crap!
They only booked us so they can
tick off the diversity boxes.
You're getting paid, and
you're keeping out of trouble.
What's your problem?
Jumping round in a nappy
for a mob of white fellas.
That's fucking what!
20! Jessie did another 20!
17 rhymes with clucks
and three rhymes with hunts.
That's a dollar in the lolly fund.
Gidday, folks! Name's Jack.
Welcome to my country.
That's a lot of cables.
Lot of dials.
Not organic enough for you?
Well, let's just say it's not what
you normally find at a folk
workshop.
Yes, of course, we want
wood and bone and gut,
don't we? We want...
..bits of animal skin stretched
over hand-turned hazelnut.
We want things that we can
touch and strum and blow.
That's what you're
thinking, isn't it?
No, certainly not.
I don't judge people.
Even people who seem absolutely
determined to be judged.
OK.
I actually liked what you did.
Really? You liked my music?
Well, I liked your passion.
Your commitment.
But did you like the music?
I'd buy a CD.
A CD? What century is this?
Well, I can put it on a USB and you
can stick that in your computer.
I don't have a computer.
I have a phone.
I mean, maybe you could
give me your e-mail
and I'll send you a link?
OK.
So who do you play
your theremin with?
Are you in any bands?
No, I play alone
to tracks I make myself.
And how do you avoid
disappearing up your own arse?
I don't.
I quite like it there. Maybe one
day the world will join me.
What kind of tracks do you make?
I like, uh...
..found sounds.
Finding music in stuff
where there isn't music.
A creaking door. A dripping tap.
I once captured a cane toad fart.
In a bottle?
On an iPhone. I know.
Well, it sounds like
a real crowd pleaser.
I'm not interested
in pleasing crowds.
In which case, you have
picked the right instrument.
It was nice chatting.
My gig is...is here at 4.30,
you know, just if
you were interested.
Maybe.
OK, bye.
Bye.
Anyone can drum!
Try this!
And this.
Put it together, what do you get?
You see? Now you're all drummers.
It's that simple!
Come on, tighten it up.
That's it. Good, good, good, good.
Bob, look like you mean it.
OK, lads, hold up.
Ah, can I have a word, Henry?
Mm-hm.
Look, I'm no Muriel,
but I am doing my best
to sit in with Rodney.
Muriel always considered you
a very fine player, Gwyn.
I was thinking
that we should maybe do some
fundraising for cancer research
in her honour.
Yes. What about doing
a nude calendar?
You know, with bells
and flowers over all our bits.
What do you think?
I think she'd prefer
a cake stall, Gwyn.
Why do I have to be
on the end of the line, Henry?
Somebody's got to be
at the end of the line, Bob.
It's the nature of a line that
there's somebody on the end of it.
Yeah, but I've...I've got no-one
to click my stick against.
I'm just waving it around.
Makes me look silly.
The fact that there's nobody
at the end of the line
to click your stick against
is a problem that's bedevilled
the Morris dancing community
for hundreds of years.
Couldn't we just dance in a circle?
We dance in a circle
when tradition dictates,
and only when tradition dictates.
We could change it up a bit.
Like doing a nude calendar.
We are not doing
a nude calendar, Gwyn!
You can't change traditions.
It's...it's a
contradiction in terms.
All right, lads,
one more time, with music.
FOLK MUSIC PLAYS
Well, here we all are again.
Yeah, here we are again.
Lovely.
Yeah, lovely. Cheers.
Cheers.
Another botski?
Oh, why not?
Good idea.
Lovely.
THEREMIN MUSIC PLAYS
SCATTERED APPLAUSE
That was my take on Smells
Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana.
SHE LAUGHS
Excuse me, that's funny?
Just...I didn't recognise
a single note, that's all.
Well, if it sounded the same,
there wouldn't be much point
in my reinterpreting it
now, would there?
OK. Do you jam?
Do I jam?
Yeah.
Brought my fiddle.
Well, this is a recital.
It's not a party.
You start. I'll come in on top.
Well, these people have come to
hear the theremin, am I wrong?
Actually, I think adding a
fiddle might be really special
in a random sense.
Have you got anything
a little less funky,
a little more folky
in your box of loopy tricks?
OK.
Let's see here.
FOLK MUSIC PLAYS
Yeah, that's good.
THEREMIN-FIDDLE BATTLE
SHE GASPS
How was it for you?
It...it was pretty good.
There's only 14 people
in the audience,
but there's over 40,000
years of history on the stage.
Fuck this show!
Listen here, Jessie.
I stuck my neck out for you.
The only reason you're
not in detention right now
is because I told Juvie
you were a dancer.
So you will be a dancer.
Oh, we really played up
a storm, didn't we?
I've never blown up
an amplifier before.
Well, that's cos you've
never played with me.
Did...did you get
the music I e-mailed?
Oh, no. I'm sorry,
I don't really check e-mail.
I'm more of a Facebook girl.
We just use e-mail for bookings
and stuff. My dad does that.
I'll get him to dig it out.
And I'm Keevey, by the way.
Roland. Hi.
Keevey, that's a...
that's a nice name.
Thanks, yeah. I'm Irish, like you.
Real Irish, or been living in
Australia for seven generations
and still claiming to be Irish?
Is it important?
I think it is.
I think we live in an increasingly
globalised, homogenised society
into which every
culture is dissolving.
Right.
But instead of
meeting that challenge
and creating new social paradigms,
people claim spurious
ethnic credibility,
courtesy of Google family trees.
Wow, OK.
"Oh, my great-grandmother's
from Tipperary
"and that makes me a feisty
rebel with the soul of a poet."
How about being a rebel?
How about writing a poem?
Both my parents were
born in County Cork.
Is that good enough for you?
Yes, that's OK. One degree
of separation is legitimate.
They had a right to call you Keevey.
Phew! Thank you,
that's so generous of you!
You need to chill.
I don't want to chill.
Chilling is a post-modern
word for apathy and indolence.
Seriously? Definitely seriously.
You have to maintain your rage.
Johnny Rotten said,
"Anger is an energy."
Well, so is glucose, but
you can have too much of it.
Excuse me, I think I have
the room booked now.
Oh, uh...
Not to be heavy.
No, no, I... Let me put my
equipment in the corner
and I'll be out of your hair.
Then coffee?
Yes.
Two seconds.
So, Jack, can you tell us a
little bit about the dance
you're going to do?
Well, I'd like to,
Queenie, but I can't.
Because, you see, I'm Aboriginal
and therefore not actually here.
I think I know where you're
going with this, Jack.
Is this Terra Nullius?
When those white fellas
first turned up,
they said the land was empty,
that all those black fellas they
were shooting didn't actually exist.
So, if you weren't here then,
then you can't be here now.
That's right, Queenie.
But I'm joking, of course.
I am here,
and you're here because
Australia was never empty.
Your mob invaded it
and, since no treaty
was ever signed,
Australia remains
an occupied country.
Fair cop, Jack.
Now let's enjoy
the wonderful Westival sights
and sounds and
shapes of Dancing Dream.
Occupied country, my arse!
I bloody helped build this country!
TRIBAL DRUMMING
Don't look so glum!
Come and have a drum!
In the sun, it's fun, fun, fun!
Yeah, yeah, banging is not drumming.
Yes, it is. What's this?
Well, in the absence of fills,
flams, ghosts, polyrhythm,
paradiddle, quarter notes,
rolls, shuffles, triplets,
quads, backbeat, drags,
descendos, bembe and bossa nova...
..I'd say it was just banging.
And it's fun!
For you, maybe.
Not for us.
Oh, God!
Ukuleles!
You don't like ukuleles?
I love ukuleles.
It's the people playing them
that I can't stand.
What?
The ukulele isn't
an instrument any more.
It's a lifestyle.
It's a low-tech dating app
for middle-aged divorcees.
How can you be so judgmental of
other people's musical choices?
Well, music is my life.
Your living?
No, my living is a small
dog-washing business
but, if it helps,
I was the youngest ever member
of the Irish Youth Orchestra.
On the theremin?
I played a few other things.
Like?
Mandolin, harpsichord, guitar,
double bass, piccolo and bassoon.
And you chose the theremin?
Eventually.
I just wasn't good enough
at the others.
I came to accept that
I'm not a true artist,
just a gifted technician.
So I challenged myself to the
world's most technical instrument.
Sounds to me like you
just chose an instrument
that so few people play,
you could have a good shot
at being the best at it.
No, I've given up trying to be best,
but I know it when I see it.
And I see it in you.
Who's the handsome fella
Keevey's with?
Do you know him?
No, she loves 'em and leaves
'em, just like her dad.
I suppose she saw what a big
mistake her mum made, settling
for an arsehole like you,
and she doesn't want to repeat it.
That may be it. The women in my
family always had the brains.
Oh Jesus, Eamon,
can't you even drink
your coffee straight?
I could, my darling,
but I do not choose to.
Where did you train?
Didn't. Music's just in the family.
Your parents play?
Dad does. Mum did.
Sorry,
don't buy that.
Music isn't something you choose.
If you can just drop it,
you never had it.
She died.
Ah.
That old excuse.
Car crash. Hit a tree. I was 16.
Well, if there is a heaven,
which I'm afraid
there definitely isn't,
I imagine she's pretty proud.
I don't think she'd
really care that much.
She dumped me anyway.
Dumped you? Left.
Dad came home pissed
one too many times
and she shot through.
So in fact she dumped him.
Put it this way.
I wasn't enough to make her stay.
Rolly, mate!
Hey, Jack!
Didn't expect to
see YOU at Westival.
Too many actual tunes for
you, I'd have thought.
HE LAUGHS
This bloke plays the dumbest
instrument in Australia,
and that's coming from a fella
who plays a hollow stick.
HE LAUGHS
This is Jessie.
He plays a bit of guitar.
I told him you might
show him a few shapes.
Not interested.
If I dock his money,
he'll be interested.
Roland's an amazing fella.
Any talent a kid's got,
he'll find it and work with it.
Jack does a midnight jam for kids
in Freo who are out on the streets.
That's very cool.
So, how about it?
Will you give him a go?
Well, sorry, Jack,
I'd like to help, but you can't
teach a reluctant student.
They have to want to learn.
Come on, you two.
Bye.
You know, I like that song
you were playing.
Impressions of Nirvana?
I kind of liked the
not remotely like Nirvana.
But, no, it was the other one.
You were playing it
in your workshop.
It was...it was pretty.
It was like a siren voice.
Oh, just the freeform.
Extemporising.
Yeah, that was sculpted
and then forgotten.
Not by me.
FIDDLE PLAYS
That's incredible.
I can't believe you remembered it.
Yeah, well, I liked it.
It drew me in.
It's why I call it Siren Voice.
Well, that's all from me
for another day
and, uh, I'll be
at the WArrikins gig later.
And for my younger listeners,
a band called Feminasty
will be playing
right here in the chapel,
and they tell me they intend
to really kick some bottom.
So, uh, that sounds like fun.
This is Queenie, wishing you
all a folking good night.
It's a joke. Please don't write in.
Nice digs.
You think?
Well, I'm sleeping in my microvan.
It's a bit of a squeeze.
Room enough for one,
if you sleep at an angle.
No Mrs Theremin, then?
No genius techy girl geek
blowing your fuse?
Being a musician is
not great for relationships.
Oh, tell me about it!
I'm never anywhere for more
than a couple of days.
I've been trying Tinder,
but, really,
to be honest, I'm kind of over it.
Tinder? Mm-hm. Wow! Really?
Yeah. People always think it's
weird when girls are on it,
but plenty are, otherwise
it wouldn't work, would it?
And it would be Grindr.
It does get lonely
on the road sometimes.
Mm.
But anything truly worthwhile
requires sacrifice.
Music can't be a part-time thing,
particularly for someone like you.
I just play the fiddle.
It's no big deal.
You don't just
play the fiddle, Keevey,
really, you don't.
You...you inhabit it.
You have a special gift.
Bet you say that
to all the violinists.
No. Just you.
Oh, wow, that was really,
really nice. Thank you.
It's not very cool to thank
a girl for a kiss, Roland.
It's a little weird.
Oh, sorry. Of course, it's just,
you know, it's been a while.
I like your hands.
They're really soft.
Well, I shampoo dogs for a living
and play a non-contact instrument.
You're not going to build
up a lot of callouses.
Maybe you should play a
contact instrument sometime.
Tea? Yes, please.
It'll have to be herbal.
I don't have any milk.
I love herbal.
Keevey?
You need to make a plan.
What sort of a plan?
A music plan to raise your game
and match your potential.
A gift like yours isn't going
to find that kind of stimulus
playing crappy little
festivals like the Westival.
It's a great little festival.
It's too safe.
It's too comfortable.
What's the point of a festival if
it doesn't push the boundaries,
invert forms?
Instead, they book idiot
drummers with pirate hats
and dinosaur pub rock bands,
like the West Australian Rikins.
I think they pronounce it
the WArrikins.
It's a play on larrikin.
The West Australian Larrikins.
Oh, I didn't get that.
Have you ever seen them play?
I don't need to.
I've read the programme.
"A grand bit of Irish craic."
If you've never seen an act, then
how can you know anything about
them?
I've never seen the Earth's core,
but I know that it's approximately
90% iron and nickel,
and I know that
the West Australian Rikins
are at least 90% shit.
And you, Roland, are 100% arsehole.
Sorry?
Which is a shame, because
you have really nice hands.
Now, I need to get ready
for a gig and you need to go.
But what about the herbal...
The tea is cancelled.
Door is that way.
Unless maybe you want to...
..buy a poster or a CD? 18 bucks.
Fuck!
INDISTINCT CHATTER
Hey, hey, great festival, eh? It's
great, isn't it? Hey, buddy.
Pretentious twat!
We're off to see a show, Jafaar.
You should come.
Honest, the WArrikins are brilliant.
Who's pushing now?
No? OK, no worries.
What are you writing? Letter?
Don't interrogate him!
I'm not interrogating him,
I'm talking to him.
Well, it sounds like interrogating.
Name's Henry, son.
That's Ruby.
Adopted? Gramps!
What?
He's obviously not related.
He's a completely different colour.
Gramps!
Fostered?
Yeah, I was kind of fostered myself.
Not to a family, to a farm school.
They told him he was an
orphan, but he wasn't.
Doesn't make a great deal
of difference, Rube.
Well, the Prime Minister apologised.
Not at the time, obviously.
Chin up, son.
No point in looking back.
Got to get on with it.
Gramps!
What?
FIDDLE PLAYS, AUDIENCE CHEERS
# As I was going over
# The Cork and Kerry mountains
# I saw Captain Farrell
And the money he was counting
# I first produced my pistol
# Then I produced my rapier
# I said stand and deliver
Or the devil, he may take ya
# Musha ring dum a doo dum a da
# Whack for my Daddy-o
# Whack for my Daddy-o
# There's whisky in the jar
# Some men, they like fishin'... #
In your dreams.
Excuse me?
Any minor stepping onto premises
operating under
State Temporary Licence
must be double tagged on both wrists
and accompanied by a
registered supervising adult
holding photo ID.
Your carer's signature
will need to be witnessed
by a non-family member for whom
photo ID is also required.
Although a photocopy
is permissible, if witnessed.
I just wanted to go inside
and get a drink of water
so I don't dehydrate
while I'm dan...
Oh, be-de-de-de-de-de,
do not make me take you down!
I'll just go.
Oh, absolutely delicious, girls!
Same every year.
First night...
I do mains.
And I do sweets.
Second night...
I do sweets. And I do mains.
Nasty lasty!
Or nasty nexty, I suggest.
The night is still young!
Same every year.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Hi. Thank you.
Enjoy, guys.
Thanks for coming. Bye.
Well.
Look who came to see the West
Australian Rikins, then.
I didn't know
it was your band.
Mm. Well, now you do.
So were we at least
90% shit, as presumed?
Look,
I'm not going to pretend
that pub rock is my scene.
It is not pub rock! It's folk rock.
Folk rock is pub rock.
The punters love it.
Punters loved Hitler.
Wow!
That...that is a big leap.
Well, I'm here to sell CDs.
Do you want to buy a CD?
Yes.
Yes, I would. No, actually,
you can't have one
because you don't
even like our music.
So I suppose you're loitering around
to have another
shot at me, for which,
incidentally, you can wait until,
I don't know, the end of time.
Goodbye, Roland.
Keevey, let me just
put your music on the Net.
We don't want our music on the Net.
The WArrikins are a live band.
Live is what we do.
I wasn't talking about
the WArrikins, just you.
There is no just me, Roland.
So you're happy playing
covers in a pub folk rock...
..pub folk band?
Oh, no, I'd much rather be a
multi-instrumental genius
dog-washer.
This isn't about me, Keevey.
I think it is. I think
it is all about you.
You are an inspired player.
I'm just a technically
competent one.
Have you heard of the
Academie Conservatoire?
Of course I've heard
of the Academie Conservatoire.
I saw Peter And The Wolf
there when I was five.
They do a one-year
creative composition programme.
I was on it, but I dropped out.
Roland, I have absolutely
no qualifications.
It's entrance by audition.
And the Academie's going to pick me,
a mature age step-dancing
fiddle player,
over a bunch of classically
trained 18-year-old
private school kids?
They might. Their whole thing
is searching out the exception.
Coming to the bar, Keevey?
Yeah, I will.
Da, this is Roland.
He's a theremin player.
Yes, it's
an electronic instrument...
I know what
a fuckin' theremin is, son.
Brian Wilson used one
on Good Vibrations.
I'll see you there, Da.
Look, you seem to think I need some
kind of directing but, if you ask
me, you're the one who's lost.
I'm not lost because
I'm not going anywhere.
You are, and you're wasted
in the WArrikins.
Roland, I make my living in a band.
I took over from my mum
when I was 16 years old.
How am I supposed to
just restart my life now,
even if I wanted to? By...
..expanding your horizons.
By having a horizon, not just
inheriting your mother's.
Nice.
ALL: We will never give up.
We will never give in.
We will stick together.
Feminasty forever!
# I stole some Jack
and smoked some crack
# To go down with my food
# And when I get there
Well, you'd better beware
# Cos I'm in a real good mood! #
Hey, bro, you got a problem?
I didn't, but I do now.
OK, bro, just chill.
I'm not your bro, white boy.
All my bros are in detention.
Hey, it's Jessie, isn't it?
And Kalti?
I'm Ruby. We're camped in your area.
You're all camped in our area, girl.
This is Nyungar land.
Don't beat yourself up, son.
You're not the first fella
to lose his heart to Keevey.
She's too good for your band.
Much too good.
Too good for the WArrikins?
Yes.
She's a truly gifted musician,
and a composer too, if her
improvs are anything to go by.
And you're a party band
for middle-aged pissheads.
You think you're the first
person to notice that, do you?
Maybe the first person to say it.
I'm her dad.
I know how bloody good she is.
Even better than her ma,
and that's saying something.
Well, then, why don't you tell her?
Don't insult me, son.
I'm not a fella
it's clever to insult.
OK, bye. I have told her.
Every Westival, I say to myself,
if Keevey's back here with you
next time, you've failed.
She's got to leave the WArrikins.
Get away from her drunken old da.
But until she decides
that for herself,
there's nothing any
of us can do about it.
PHONE CHIMES
Excellent!
You should have come, Jafaar.
It was absolutely brilliant.
Well, we'll...
We'll leave you to it, mate.
OWL HOOTS
Oh, awesome!
Mm.
Mm, totally. We were awesome.
That was some good sex right
there, lady, am I right?
Dexter, you know
you can't sleep here, right?
Why not, sweet lips?
What up is that you have to go now.
Like, go for real?
Sort of, yeah.
So it's just wham, bam,
thank you, Dexter?
Well, you know, it's a tiny bed.
I have a headline show tomorrow.
You probably snore.
I definitely snore.
You know, it's for the best.
Yeah, yeah, totally.
Cool.
It's not a thing.
Um, it's fine. I'm busy.
Heaps of things to do.
So, yeah, it's all good.
Want to hook up tomorrow?
Rise and shine,
all you wonderful Westifolks!
Our wonderful Westival
is over for another year.
And remember, the Westival
doesn't happen once a year.
The year happens once a Westival!
KNOCK ON DOOR
Better get a move on, love.
Kalgoorlie tonight, eight o'clock.
Back on the road again, huh?
Yeeha!
SHE WHISTLES
Gidday, little fella. What's up?
Young lady, are you stamping?
No, I'm wearing step shoes.
Sometimes, I like
to tap when I play.
Saves money on a drummer, you know?
This is an acoustically sprung,
Tasmanian oak concert floor.
Please do not
tap dance.
Right, sorry, I won't.
Now, we do not appear to have
your Curriculum Vitae on file.
You were asked to supply one.
Yeah, I brought it with me. I can...
The Conservatoire is earth-friendly.
We're striving
for a paper-free environment.
Kindly scan it and e-mail it.
I don't have a scanner.
Or a computer.
I live mainly on the road,
out of a trailer.
My dad has a laptop
we use for band stuff. Maybe I could
type it out and...
I presume this means that you'll
also be working from paper sheets?
Sheets?
Sheet music.
What do you intend to play from?
I wasn't going to play from
anything. I was going to improvise.
I see.
I thought all of your candidates
would be able to read music,
so maybe you'd want...
..I don't know, a bit extra.
A bit extra what?
Just a bit extra.
Well, then, Keevey...
..perhaps you could give us
your chosen recital.
Plus a bit extra.
OK.
SHE CLEARS THROA This is my take on a lovely piece
called The Mountains Of Mourne.
SHE CLEARS THROA MUSIC: THE MOUNTAINS OF MOURNE
HAIRDRYER BLOWS
BARKS
BARKS
Oh, yeah!
FIDDLE MUSIC SLOWS
Thank you, uh, Keevey.
You may go.
Another year, another Westival.
Come rain, come shine,
you can't stop us Westifolk
getting properly folked up.
OK, same rooms, new names.
I'm in Kris Kristofferson
and you guys are sharing
the Dixie Chicks.
Ooh, things are looking up!
SHE GROANS
And all the way from Mandjoogoordap,
Diamond is with us again.
Yay!
And what little gem do you have
in mind for us today, Diamond?
Well, Queenie, I'd like to
offer you a contemporary take
on the famous Aussie
Laughing Kookaburra song.
Oh, and what Aussie
doesn't love that one?
They may love the song, Queenie,
but not the kookaburra as,
due to deforestation,
there aren't any old gum trees
left for them to sit in.
# Kookaburra stuffed
in a glass display case
# Habitat destroyed
by the human race
# Cry, kookaburra, cry
# Kookaburra, soon
you'll be extinct. #
SILENT MURMURS FROM AUDIENCE
Good to go, Glenys.
Good to go, Neilo.
Let's make it happen.
Back it in. Cone one, let's go.
Nice and slow, Neilo. Nice and slow.
Cone two, Glenys, cone two.
That's nice. Back it in, back it in.
Nice and steady as she goes.
Cone three, Glenys.
That's it. Hold it there.
Lock and load.
Well, an exciting
weekend ahead, I think.
Don't you, Jafaar?
Yes, Barbara. Very exciting.
Bitch didn't have it. If you want
to make it, you've got to own it.
A bitch just can't give up
and go to uni.
Feminasty pledge.
BOTH: We will never give up.
We will never give in.
We will stick together.
Feminasty forever.
Check it out. Wow!
That is so cool!
Jessie, that's nothing
to be proud of, mate.
Ain't it?
I am chatting with our very
own Westival success story.
Roland, every dog has its own bark.
What is it about this specific bark?
Just a quality, Queenie, a timbre.
I'd been shampooing a Schnauzer,
massaging in the conditioner,
when she gave this little
modulated staccato yelp,
and I just thought,
"Oh, yeah."
You'd found a sound?
Well, my view is, Queenie, that
you don't really find a sound.
It finds you.
I caught that yelp on my iPhone,
sampled it onto a theremin
lick and put it on my site
and, next thing I know, everything
has gone all kinds of crazy.
American rapper Koolaz
was using your sample?
Exactly.
He'd been searching the Net,
looking for special interest sites,
as you do.
He typed in "yelping bitches"
and by lucky chance...
He found your Schnauzer.
He sampled my thero-schnau mashup
onto his latest urban gangsta rap.
My Bitch Be A Dog?
That's right, Queenie.
My Bitch Be A Dog.
SCATTERED APPLAUSE
Have you been coining millions?
EMBARRASSED LAUGHTER
Not quite millions,
but I do get a healthy 0.0002%
of each download.
Which comes to?
About 800 so far.
Well, it's not too bad
for a random bark.
Yeah. Although, after
taking legal advice,
I have agreed to split the money
50-50 with Mrs Boo-Boo.
But it's great
to be back here at the Westival.
That shitty little festival?
I'm really looking
forward to seeing Umid.
The traditional folk group
from Afghanistan? Yes, yes.
It's great to see the
Westival pushing boundaries
as opposed to taking the usual
easy, populist options.
Shut up!
I also love the way that the
Westival makes really good folk
music
so exciting and accessible.
I think the WArrikins
are the best example of that.
Oh, we all love the WArrikins.
I used to be a little
dismissive of folk rock myself,
but it's through bands
like the WArrikins
that I've really come
to see its value.
THUNDER RUMBLES
Ruby, darling,
there's a storm coming in.
I need to check these messages.
Can you please come out here and
help me with this... Fuck you, Mum!
You're a complete bitch and I
hate this shitty festival.
Excuse me!
No, no, no, no, no, the FedEx
notes are still in transit!
Well, here we all are.
No matter the weather,
old friends, good times,
just the same.
Although, sometimes, I think
a change might be nice.
Why not?
Well, they do say
it's as good as a rest.
Here's a thought.
Why don't the girls swap around?
What? What?
Cherie can do mains tonight
and Glenys can do dessert.
Well, personally, I think things
work fine just the way they are.
Tell you what,
why don't we discuss it
over another botski?
Now you're talkin'!
For me, techno folk funk
is all about combining
the infinite potential
of the digital age with
real world found sounds.
I think that's what drew
Koolaz to my work.
Let's just lay down a simple groove.
And then we're going
to add the found sound.
BARKING
But I mean, alone,
it's just a dog barking.
So we add the thero-lick.
And you've got techno folk funk.
And then the Koolaz rap kicks in.
Yeah, well, I'm afraid we don't
have the rights to that bit, so
why not just sit back and enjoy
the sick sounds of techno folk funk?
See the Merry Morris
Men of Olde England.
Traditional dances brought to
Australia by the very first
settlers.
Gidday, Henry.
Been thinking of doing a little
slot about Australian folk dancing
on my show.
Interested?
Bloody oath, I'm interested!
We were wondering if you could give
our charity calendar a bit of a
plug, Queenie.
It's called Cheeky Morris.
Have you done a nudie calendar?
Not us. Just Gwyn.
It's Gwyn all year.
January to December.
The print version's a bit slow,
but the website's gone mad.
I'll bet it has.
I'm her IT resource.
Digital is the way of the future.
Save a tree, go paper-free.
TRIBAL MUSIC PLAYS
Thank you, friends.
And despite the fact that
another year has gone by
without recognition of
invasion in our Constitution,
meaning you're still
an occupying force,
you've been a great crowd.
Jack, I need you.
I'm doing a show about traditional
dance, and you're in it.
Whatever you want, Queenie.
That's right.
Hey.
Hey.
Whaddup?
Whaddup?
Yeah, it means how's things?
Oh, I know what it means.
I just thought you had to be
15 or a dickhead to say it.
Congrats on the Koolaz thing,
by the way.
It's pretty amazing.
Well, thanks. I'm...I'm not going
to lie. It feels pretty good.
What, pleasing a crowd?
I pleased myself.
If other people like it,
well, that's cool.
Well, of course,
people liked Hitler.
Oh, right.
I get it. You think
my techno folk rap fusion is
succumbing to populism?
Well, it's popular, isn't it?
And you have certainly succumbed.
I saw all those young ladies outside
your workshop, taking selfies.
I didn't succumb.
I've been embraced.
I'm not an elitist. I don't
object to being popular.
Right. So on what level is you
and your mate, Koolaz, making
bong-toking music
for stoners any different to the
WArrikins making drinking music for
drunks?
Every level. OK, OK, not...
not every level.
I do admit I've been...
..a little dismissive
of what you do.
Really? You think?
You're angry at me because...
..because I've shown you
what you're scared to do.
To take a risk.
To follow your talent.
Really, have you? How's that?
Last year.
I left an envelope under your door.
Yeah, an application for the
Conservatoire. I got it.
Well, clearly, you didn't act on it
because I know they would have
killed for...
Actually, I did.
You did?
Yeah, I applied and I auditioned,
and I was sent on my way.
I keep it with me, just to remind me
how lucky I am to have a
band and to make a living.
Those crazy idiots!
See, Roland, they're not crazy.
They're just realistic.
I gave that audition everything
I had, and guess what?
It wasn't enough.
I knew it, they certainly knew it,
and the only reason you
still don't know it is
cos you're thinking with your dick.
Oh, God, no, absolutely not!
Come on, Roland, be honest.
If I was a 50-year-old fat dude,
would you really be so concerned
about my unique talent?
No, that... Look,
that is beside the point.
Roland, I'm not your fantasy girl.
I am a 26-year-old folk chick
who dances a bit,
plays the fiddle a bit,
and is lucky enough
to get paid for it.
Now leave me alone. Go back to your
groupies and your barking bitch.
But these bloody boat people
are just jumping the queue!
Except, if you think about it,
the first Poms were boat people.
The people
the British displaced
were Aborigines.
So if you're seriously
suggesting to me
that their culture
is of equal value to ours,
then you're an even bigger
bloody idiot than I thought.
Look at that dance troupe.
If you call skipping around
naked, covered in paint,
pretending to be an emu,
a dance.
Ha! Bloody ridiculous!
Ruby, it's a brand-new phone!
I left it right here on the table.
SHE SIGHS
Well, luckily, it's on the
Cloud, so, I don't know,
I'll just Find My Phone
or something.
Find my... Oh, here we go.
OK, OK, OK, it's searching.
Searching.
BEEPING
Oh, dear.
BELLS JINGLE
Australia's a proud nation.
Founded on armed invasion
and ethnic cleansing.
What's to be proud of?
Come to an Anzac dawn service,
mate. You'll find out.
Where's the dawn service
to all the black fellas
who died
when the Europeans first came?
Where's the bloody memorial?
You'd need a wall as big as
Uluru to put their names on.
It happened, all right?
And it's still happening!
I was taken away from my family
when I was eight years old.
Think about that.
Australia's a proud country.
SHE WHISTLES
Well, boys, if we're going to
discuss the Stolen Generation
and the Anzac legend, we might
need a...a little bit more time.
But at least we're talking.
Jack,
you'd better come.
Jessie's in trouble, and it
isn't for saying fuck.
You're a bloody fool, Jessie.
You're a bloody idiot.
You know you're tagged.
Call the police, Olivia.
Come on, he'll get youth detention.
Let me deal with him.
I swear I'll sort him all out.
You're big on the law
when it comes to your treaty
and your land rights,
but when it comes
to other people's property...
We're dealing with
a deprived kid here.
Oh, I know plenty
about deprived kids.
I was one,
and I didn't steal.
Dad, I don't think that we need to
call the police. We found the phone.
No, but what about the rest of us?
We don't want to share
our campsite with a thief.
Well, if you won't
call them, I will.
I stole it!
I stole it, Gramps,
and I gave it to that kid.
Ruby, darling, I know
you want to help him,
but you hardly know him.
I didn't steal it for him.
I stole it because you're a bitch!
You get a brand-new iPhone,
and I get Gramp's old Nokia.
I gave the phone to him because I
could see that he wanted it and we
stole his country and...
..and Gramps is a racist!
Ruby!
You are so grounded
when you get home.
Um...
Sorry, can I grab the... Yeah.
Thank you.
So...
..you still going to call the cops?
Have the little white girl arrested?
No?
I thought not.
Well, it looks like us mob'll have
to share the campsite with a thief.
Nothing to see here.
Come on, boys.
I think maybe you should have
let that kid keep your phone.
What's that, Dad?
Oh, I've just been sitting here,
having a bit of a look
at myself as well.
I thought maybe you should too.
Mind you, you can't see yourself
if you're staring at your
bloody phone, can you?
# Jack took two pistols
from his belt
# He proudly waved them high... #
Hey, Roland!
# I'll fight but not surrender
Cried
# That wild colonial guy
# Whoo! #
Can we get a photo? Sorry.
Stop, stop, stop!
Watch the gig.
I'm sorry for any of you trying
to enjoy our poor, old-fashioned
little gig, but there is
a techno urban folk funk
dog-washer up the back,
doing selfies with his fans.
Now this is Whisky In The Jar.
I thought perhaps we might go
and see a bit of music later.
Really?
That's not like us.
But something different
could be nice.
Yeah, but different isn't
always a good thing.
I tell you what.
Why don't we have another
botski while we decide?
Hey!
I'm going to give
my voice a rest now
and pass you over to my da,
Eamon O'Reilly.
Thanks, Keevey.
I'd like to sing you
a little song that was...
..might have been written many years
ago but I've always felt that it was
kind of written just for me.
You see, I met
my beautiful wife, Mary,
when she was just 16.
And I lost her when
our lovely daughter, Keevey,
was the same age.
So, this is my favourite
song in all the world...
..which is funny because
it always breaks my heart.
MUSIC: SWEET SIXTEEN
# When first I saw
the love light in your eyes
# I thought that life
held not the joy
# For me
# Although we may have
drifted far apart
# I never dreamed
but what I dream I feel
# I love you
As I've never loved before
# Since first I saw you
on the village green
# Come to me
Or my dream of love is o'er
# I love you as I love you
# When you were sweet
# When you were sweet
# Sixteen. #
Piss off, son.
I just want to talk to her.
Listen mate, she doesn't
want to see you, all right?
She's not interested in your
or your academy bullshit.
I don't care that
the academy didn't get it.
I think Keevey's good enough to...
Oh, she's good enough.
Good enough for what she wants to be
and way too good for a pretentious
little bumfluff hipster like you.
At least the blokes who normally
pester her have got some balls
and they don't slag her off for not
being Stephane fucking Grappelli,
either.
Just keep away, Roland.
And if I see you bothering
Keevey again, you'll regret it.
Hey dude. I'm Maddison.
That's Indiana.
Can we talk to you for a second?
We have lots of Muslim
girls at our school.
Some of the wear the headscarf,
which, like, I respect,
but as a woman it kind of makes
me feel uncomfortable about.
Hey guys. Hi. Sorry, I just...
Rube, can I have a quick word?
What?
Oh, yeah OK. What?
I've turned it off.
I've put it in the car.
Put what in the car?
My phone. You're kidding.
Are you ill?
No, I'm not ill, I just...
I'm sorry.
I know I'm always on it,
and I'm sorry...
It's OK. No, darling, it's not OK.
I want things to be different,
and you stealing that phone was
making some kind of statement and...
I didn't steal it.
The dancing kid did.
Did he?
I just didn't think
he should go to prison for it.
No, no, no, I... No, definitely not.
No, he... Anyway,
it doesn't make any difference.
The point is, I've turned
my phone off, it's in the car,
and I would love it if we could
do something together tonight.
What?
Well, we're at a folk festival.
We could go and see an act.
We could take Gramps.
Yeah, OK.
Sorry, I have to... That's OK.
So that biddy didn't
want to know, right?
She went off with her mum,
but that's OK.
I'm used to people
not wanting to know.
You think she's hot?
I don't know.
Oh, yeah, you do!
She's all right, too.
Me and her got a connection.
He can hook you up if you want.
It's a nice dream.
Dude, we're Aboriginal.
Dreams are real to us.
You girls are great.
You're really, really talented,
and music's always
going to be in your lives,
there's no doubt about that.
But you have to ask yourself,
is it your vocation?
Is it the only thing you want?
Yes.
Then you have to
make music for itself,
not because it'll get you a hit.
You have to know that, even if,
after a lifetime of playing,
you never get that hit,
you'll still believe
you made the right choice.
Wow.
That'd be so fucked up.
Yeah.
There's a band playing
tonight, an Afghani folk band.
My guess is they're unlikely to ever
get a hit and they probably know it,
but still, they play.
I can't believe the guy
who worked with Koolaz
just showed me
how to open tune a guitar.
He's such a dope dude.
It's like he really
cared about our music.
He actually took us seriously,
and he didn't even
try and hit on us.
Yeah, that was a bit weird.
Good evening.
My name is Baktash,
and we are Umid from Afghanistan.
Umid is the Hazari word for hope,
and we humbly hope you enjoy
our Afghan music tonight.
FOLK MUSIC PLAYS
Three more jellybeans
and I'm up another level.
Oh, that's nice.
Interesting article on the
advanced vacuum distributor.
Hm.
Red and white wristbands
are required
for express glamping
bathroom access.
White and red wristbands for the
general purpose bathroom facility.
If the red part of the band
is closest to the armpit,
then you are good for glamping.
If the white part of the wristband
is closest to the armpit,
then you must only access
general purpose bathroom facility.
TOILET FLUSHES
Is that clear?
Ooh! Ah!
Good to go.
Steady.
You've given us such
a special night tonight.
What has been special for you?
Well, Queenie...
..we come from a place
where there is no music,
no laughter.
A place where our freedom
is oppressed,
where we are imprisoned
without trial...
..without hope.
My friends, we come from hell.
But the hell I described
is not the homeland we ran from,
seeking freedom and a better life.
It is in the land we ran to.
The hell I described
is the detention camp
where we are imprisoned
without hope.
We are forgotten.
We are dying.
I would like to thank Queenie
and the Westival organisers
for arranging this concert
and the authorities for allowing it.
But above all...
..I would like to thank
my young friend, Jafaar,
for thinking up the whole plan.
Jafaar was just ten
when he arrived in Australia.
He had lost his parents
and his home.
When he came, he was...
..confused. He was alone,
was traumatised.
And Australia was...
..not kind to him,
did not welcome him.
It put him in that camp.
I can see that our brief
moment of freedom is over.
We must return to camp.
We've lost everything...
..and we ask for nothing.
Nothing but the chance
to begin again.
So, please,
remember our name.
Umid. Hope.
We've never done that before.
No.
It's a change.
No, I'm sorry Jools,
I don't want to do this.
Babes, we're right here. Come on...
No, really... I don't want to.
I thought I did, but I've
changed my mind, OK?
Oh, you've changed your mind.
OK, what am I? A pizza?
Why would you Tinder me
if you don't want a root?
Swiping right isn't a contract, OK?
It is an expression of interest,
and I have lost interest.
Oh, come on, babes!
It's too late to hook up with anyone
else. Let's just do it. It's fine.
I said no, Jools!
Now fuck off!
Hey, thanks for the great
bloody evening...
..in opposite world,
you prick-teasing bitch!
Hey!
That's my daughter
you're talking to.
And what are you
going to do about it?
Yeah, mate?
Dad, stop it! Leave him alone!
Be careful, lad.
You're half my age but, in a fight,
what counts is experience.
Get out of here before he kills you.
Go on!
Dad, you can't just punch
people out for being dickheads.
Really, love?
I thought that's exactly
why you DID punch them out.
I'm always going
to be here for you, Keevey.
You know that, don't you?
Yeah, I know, Dad.
Goodness gracious!
Another year, another Westival!
Back her in, back her in,
back her in, back her in!
Tags, passes, keys!
HE YAWNS
So, yeah, I just, um,
pray for the strength to keep going.
My name is Smoko, and
I'm four hours sober.
To be clear, Smoko...
..four hours sober means four hours
consciously pursuing sobriety,
not four hours
unconsciously shitfaced.
You do see the distinction?
This year, we have another real
community star to celebrate,
and guess what?
It's the Westival itself!
Yes, the Westival has joined
numerous other great WA institutions
like Bumbles Hardware,
Rockmantle City Council
and the famous
Academie Conservatoire
in going entirely paper-free.
Well done us!
I have two things to tell you.
Hey, I'm glad you
shaved that beard off.
Wasn't a fan.
The Academie Conservatoire
is paper-free!
I don't want to hear anything else
about the Academie Conservatoire...
"While we accept initial
applications by post,
"all further correspondence
will be to the e-mail address
"entered on the application form."
Is that one of the things
you came here to tell me?
What e-mail address
did you supply, Keevey?
The WArrikins'. My dad's.
It's the only one we've got.
Do you still carry that
rejection letter with you?
You all know Henry of the
Merry Morris Men of Olde WA.
What have you got for us, mate?
Well, Queenie,
we'd like to invite your listeners
along to a very special show.
And let me promise you,
this is one Morris Dance
you do not want to miss.
Not that you'd ever want
to miss any Morris Dance.
Another Westival, another round.
I need to lubricate
my picking fingers.
It's a great gig, isn't it?
Keevey, darling,
will you have a beer?
Roland accessed your
deleted e-mails, Da.
He doesn't know the password.
"thewarrikins", all lower case.
I got it in one.
They accepted me.
They even offered me a scholarship.
You deleted the e-mail.
You forged a rejection letter.
And how can you do it?
You're my dad.
I didn't mean to... I...
It was...
When I got that e-mail,
I was so pleased for you, darling.
I really was. And...
And, uh...
And then...then I got scared.
Keevey, I...
..I didn't know what
I'd do without you.
You're all we've got.
You're all I've got.
What was the other thing?
What?
You said you had
two things to tell me.
What was the other thing?
Oh, right, well...
..I was going to mention
that I'm in love with you.
It's probably the wrong time.
Maybe a bit.
Your dad did a terrible thing, love.
But he's a sick man.
He's a sick, lonely, old man.
Hello, Keevey.
Didn't know you had
a problem with drinking.
She's had a problem with
drinking all her life, mate.
Yours.
Yeah, well, things to do. Thanks.
Well, Pam.
Can you help me?
Let's hear it for Henry Foreman
and Chief Squire of the Merry
Morris Men of Olde England.
Thank you, Queenie.
Well, this is a lovely little
festival, isn't it?
We all meet, we all mix.
"Australia in a tent,"
as Queenie likes to call it.
You have all sorts of people
come along to Westival,
with all sorts of stories.
Now, take mine, for instance.
I didn't have
the easiest start in life.
No, not complaining, you understand,
just...just saying.
And it made me who I am.
A fellow who even my mates
sometimes find hard to like.
Who even my lovely
granddaughter sometimes
found hard to like.
I think the problem was that I was
only looking at my own story,
as if it was the only one
that mattered.
And then I started
to have a look round...
..at all the other people
in the tent.
Like young Jessie here.
And Jafaar.
And I heard Jafaar's story,
and I realised
that it wasn't
all that different from my own.
What I reckon is...
..that unless we start listening
to each other's stories...
..we won't begin to
understand our own.
So today, in my capacity as Foreman
and Chief Squire of the Merry
Morris Men of Olde England, WA...
..I would like to honour
and celebrate
the oldest Australian story
of them all.
And I'd like to thank you, Jack,
for allowing me to share in your...
..your culture and your spirit.
DIDGERIDOO PLAYS
APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
I am seeking to contact
one of the festival artists.
Kindly assist me.
I do not see a wrist tag, Madam.
Health and safety regs require
all visitors to have one.
Do I look like the kind of person
to allow my wrist to be tagged?
Well, you will not have
access to the portaloos.
I will not require
access to the portaloos.
I would rather die.
Where I went to school,
girls were taught to hold on.
Are you going to assist me
or aren't you?
You look like a very smart,
efficient, useful kind of girl.
Madam, how can I help you, madam?
That remains to be seen.
Hi.
Thought maybe you'd come by.
Well, no. I thought that, you know,
you'd have a lot to think about,
what with your dad and all.
Well, not really.
When he's been dry a
year, then we can talk.
I'm going to play tonight's
gig and then, after that,
he's on his own.
But guess who did come to see me?
Who?
Professor Wellborn.
Ah, good! She said she spoke to you.
Yes, I...I did. I hope that's OK.
Yeah, of course it is.
In fact, she, uh...
..she still wants me
for the scholarship.
That's great!
Yeah.
Well, I told her I'd think about it.
You'd think about it?
Yeah, well, you know,
there's a lot to take in.
Besides, anyway, I mainly
talked to her about you.
Me? Mm-hm.
She told me all about
how you inspired her to
audition for the Conservatoire.
Hello, Professor Wellborn.
I didn't realise
you were still here.
She wants to talk to you.
About what?
About music!
Keevey tells me that
you love to talk about music.
And you can play it
on ten different instruments.
Yes, Keevey, but there are ten
people that are better on each
of those.
Maybe 100.
Not everybody can be the best.
But everybody can be the
best that they can be.
But to achieve that,
they need enablers, Roland.
Mentors and tutors who can
see their potential but have
a passion for unlocking it.
She means teachers, Roland.
Come and work for me.
Unlock talent, enable passion.
You can start by convincing Keevey
here to take up her scholarship.
Linda and I are leaving now.
But I will be expecting
to hear from both of you.
Oh, don't disappoint me!
Do not disappoint her.
Linda!
Wow, I seem to be the object
of some sort of intervention.
Well, yeah, it's a bit of a taste
of your own medicine, huh?
Come on, Roland, be a teacher.
It's what you do. Will you
give yourself a chance?
I don't know.
Maybe.
Will you?
I don't know.
I mean, I think I want to.
Well, you're going to have to now,
otherwise Professor Wellborn
will set her girlfriend on me.
And then there's the other thing.
The other thing?
You said that you
were in love with me.
And I was just really confused.
You know, it was...
..it was so the wrong time
and actually I'm...
..I'm sorry because I...I
shouldn't have said anything...
Roland, Roland, Roland!
I was confused because
it made me realise that...
Well, I'm...
..I'm totally in love with you too.
Really?
Yeah, really.
But just...I was scared.
Why?
Because love is based on trust,
and I barely know you.
You know, we've had one amazing kiss
and about 15 massive fights,
and we're just not
exactly an obvious fit.
But the best harmonies never are.
Your lines are really improving.
I just don't want
to get hurt, Roland.
I know what that feels like,
and it sucks.
I'd never hurt you, Keevey.
I...I love you too much.
I've loved you since the day
you blew up my amplifier.
Just give me a chance...
..to prove it.
OK.
Would you please make welcome
the WArrikins and techno folk funk?
APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
THEREMIN PLAYS
FIDDLE PLAYS
# There was a wild colonial boy
# Who left his native home
# And to Australia's sunny shores
# He was inclined to roam
# He robbed the rich
He helped the poor
# He shot James McEvoy
# A terror to Australia was
# That white colonial boy. #
And a real Westival favourite,
Diamond, is with us once again.
Do you have another treat
in store for us, Diamond?
Yes Queenie, I do. A recitation.
Oh.
100 years ago, a very
talented and strong woman
named Dorothea McKellar wrote,
"I love a sunburnt country,
a wide brown land for me."
Oh, wonderful inspiring poem, yeah.
Yes, well, I think if
she were writing today
she would probably write
something quite a lot more angry.
I hate a gender-specific country,
a land of sweeping bigots,
of ragged, transphobic
Internet trolls,
of inadequate intolerant white men.
And I've been taking
guitar lessons with Tman.
Tman?
He calls him the Theraman
because he plays the theremin.
See what he did with that?
Here we all are again, eh?
Yep, here we are. Good year?
Oh, absolutely.
We resaid our vows on the beach.
It was so romantic.
Oh, we did ours again too!
Barefoot in white pyjamas.
We were barefoot in white pyjamas!
No! Oh, what? What? That's crazy!
Well, you know, that funny
old night we had last year.
Shook things up a bit.
ALL: Yeah!
Back to normal now, eh?
Oh, yeah.
Well, the quicker we get set up,
the quicker we can get
stuck into the botskis!
ALL: Yay!
Don't even think about it.
Hey.
I'm Maddison, and I'm Feminasty.
This is quite a sad song, actually.
It's about regret, broken
dreams and betrayal.
Mostly, it's about betrayal.
I hate her lack of horizon,
I hate her poison sea,
her bankers and her miners,
a wide, shit-coloured land for me.
Thank you, Diamond.
As ever, plenty to think about and
apologies for the fruity language.
Binge drinking and
anti-social behaviour
will be met with zero tolerance.
Know your limits,
drink responsibility.
Enjoy your night.
Microbrewed beer in the bar?
I don't recognise
Australia any more.
Too hoppy. Too fruity.
Don't want that much
taste in a beer.
"A rich amber brew with hints of
burnt grapefruit and vanilla."
It's a beer, not a puddin'!
Thank you. You've been amazing.
# I got a new friend
I think I met her outside
# She's so lovely
She said she'd give me a ride
# So many new friends
I think I'm having a ball
# And in the morning
I'll remember them all
# New friends, new friends
New friends
# Gonna have them all
# I got a new friend
# I got a new friend
# I got a new friend
# I got a new friend
# New friends, new friends
New friends
# Gonna write on my wall. #