Through Balanda Eyes

The Long Grass Band - Neil Murray

Neil Murray has a new album out! I know it's been available for a quite a while but Nobody told ME! The album is called Witness

Neil will be back in Darwin this dry season and will perform a 'Solo acoustic concert' at The Groove Cafe in Nightcliff on 30 & 31st July 8:00PM.

The last time I saw him perform was at the Groove 6 years ago!
The Groove is an undercover but open walled cafe. It's not a huge space but gets a bit of passing traffic and is quite a nice place to sit and listen to music. Last time I saw Neil at The Groove he attracted quite a crowd of fans who watched from outside the venue and the mood was great. Of course, (as sometimes happens) there were some more vocal and rather intoxicated fans hanging around who kept humbugging him to play their favorite songs.
"Hey Neil.... Ppppllaaiii 'Islannb Hom!'...... "Hey you! You play 'My I-land HOM!' "HEY!!! when you gonna play my Song?" "That's my song it's lovely!" You sing it now!"

Anyway this went of for a little while so Neil just shouts back "Hey you can bloody well wait! I'm not a bloody Duke Box" or words to that effect! It was kind of funny but probably a pain in the arse for Neil. I've seen him perform only about 3 times and each time he has to compete with the audience. Another time at Mindil Markets also in Darwin a pretty good crowd was gathered around to hear him and a bunch of Thick head youths came through the crowd and let off firecrackers right beside the stage!

As a native born Australian trying to find where I belong in this place Neil Murray's writing describes exactly all those things that are right at the heart things for me but I have rarely heard expressed by anyone else! I hope he keeps writing and performing his truth for years to come!