A Festival Called PANAMA
March 8th, 9th and 10th 2024
Lone Star Valley
lutruwita
PANAMA #10 invites another collection of moment-makers into the valley. We’ve tried, as always, to bring the highest calibre through a broad range of the quiet, the stunning, the epic, and the immense.
KING STINGRAY
We Love King Stingray.
Growing up together in Yirrkala in North-East Arnhem Land, founding members Yirrŋa Yunupiŋu (frontman) and Roy Kellaway (guitar) have been playing and making music together for as long as they can remember.
Yirrŋa and Roy formed King Stingray with mates Dimathaya Burarrwanga (rhythm guitar backing vocals and yidaki), Campbell Messer (bass) and Lewis Stiles (drums). The band seamlessly blend ancient indigenous melodies with surf, indie and funk influences to create a unique sound of their own: Yolŋu surf-rock.
King Stingray headline PANAMA 2024, playing the mainstage on Saturday, March 9th.
THE BETHS
Ask anyone who’s into music about the Beths and they’ll say, “The Beths? Yeah - I know them… Kiwi band right? Yeah, they’re cool.”
And that’s cos they are cool. In fact, they’re “Album of the Year”, cool - they’re “Best Group in New Zealand”, cool - they’re “just supported The National on their US tour”, cool.
Anyway. Don’t take our word for it. See for yourself.
KAIIT
KAIIT returns to the PANAMA mainstage with full Band in tow. An artist in every sense of the word, Kaiit’s creative vision is sustained by a deep spiritual connection with her ancestors. Her music is timeless, shimmery and nostalgic.
FLOODLIGHTS
Five lives collide to make a stamp of their own.
Floodlights’ dynamic live performance is raw and intimate, intertwined with powerful outbursts and marching rhythms. Evocative lyricism lies at the heart of their songwriting and is enhanced by their distinctive sound.
JEN CLOHER + T’HONI
Jen’s taut, terse brand of rock is charged with the static tension that comes with being an eternal misfit; they have spoken truth to power with the shrewd eye that only an outsider can possess. Admirers have naturally gravitated towards her incisive, generous songwriting.
At PANAMA, Jen and her band will be joined by THONI kapa haka, a Māori cultural performance group known for their energy and passion.
EMILY WURRAMARA
Lutruwita local, and award-winning songwriter Emily Wurramara is set to take to the hallowed stage of the speakeasy for PANAMA #10. A raconteur, an educator and a national treasure.
MILDLIFE
A mellifluous mix of jazz, krautrock and, demon grooves, MILDLIFE are the word-of-mouth sensation among open-minded DJs and diggers searching for the perfect beat. This is music you can dance to rather than ‘dance music’, and it’s all the better for it.
CC:DISCO!
From rural Victoria to the world, CC:DISCO! has built her life around one guiding principle: music first! CC’s career has given her the perfect creative outlets to express her first love – be it DJing around the globe, holding down a regular radio show, or curating her acclaimed First Light compilations. On her road from radio host to warm-up DJ to headliner, CC has never once compromised on her sound. Slow, pumping, romantic, playful, uplifting – these are the feels that people around the world have experienced listening to CC in action. Ultimately it’s about connecting with other music lovers on a physical and emotional level: less chin-stroking, more dancing!
SKELETEN
Emotive but understated, entrancing but genuine, Skeleten builds a space for the listener to step out of time, if only momentarily.
SUMNER
Hometown heroes SUMNER are taking on the late-night slot at Hello Darling. Expect wild moves and huge moods from the world-beating duo.
ELSY WAMEYO
Hailing from the Nilotic tribes of Kenya, Elsy’s music embraces her cultural heritage alongside her experiences growing up in Adelaide, Australia. A powerful producer and performer, Elsy plays the PANAMA Mainstage in full band mode on Saturday, March 9th.
FULL FLOWER MOON BAND
That rock‘n’roll, eh? That rock’n’roll, it just won’t go away.
Frontwoman ‘Babyshakes Dillon’ walks in many shoes, from snakeskin boots to stilettos. This alter ego can act as a convenient buffer between the songwriter and their words, particularly when they’re bowing at the altar of excess.
YIRINDA
Yirinda is Butchulla Songman Fred Leone and musical innovator Samuel Pankhurst. Together, they combine ancient Aboriginal language with sublime modern production to invoke the sounds of thousands of generations.
DANIKA
Danika performs a raw, timeless style of folk. We think her songs are so good, it’s criminal.
GUT HEALTH
Hypnotic art-punk with an edge. Six-piece ensemble Gut Health has emerged from the Naarm underground as one of Australia’s most compelling new acts.
MzRIZK
DJ Extraordinaire MzRIZK knows what's good. And she’s bringing it to PANAMA.
AUSECUMA BEATS
AUSECUMA BEATS: a group consisting of master percussionists from Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Gambia and Cuba, all now living in Naarm/Melbourne and backed by some of the finest jazz players that city has to offer. Yes, please.
FOLK BITCH TRIO
Folk Bitch Trio are a band born out of a mutual love for songwriting and truth. This is folk music perfection in three-part harmony.
KUDU JOY
With a set full of new bangers - Kudu Joy is set to play the Pavilion late Saturday night. It’s past your bedtime.
FFLORA
FFLORA are an 8-piece that make up pop bangers on the spot. No two shows alike, prepare to rhapsodically ascend into the realm of FFLORA.
エミエミ (emi emi)
エミエミ (emi emi) is the experimental J-pop project from nipaluna (Hobart) based, Emi Doi. The debut single ‘ngu’ is a straight-up bop. エミエミ plays Friday and Saturday at PANANA. Two bites of the apple.
FFLORA X GRACE CHIA
Gritty, intoxicating hip-hop, defined by uplifting harmonies and heavy grooves.
THE BURES BAND
Who are these guys? And how do you pronounce that band name? These are questions we have. But low-key… you might leave PANAMA with a new favourite band.
SHADE
Expansive-astral-instrumental alt-pop featuring, synth soundscapes, bass, experimental guitar and drums.
WARREN MASON
Warren’s music is a reflection of who he is and where he comes from. Healing past injustices is what Warren’s music is about.
FINN REES ENSEMBLE
60s modal and spiritual jazz, psychedelic soul, lush orchestral arrangements and heartfelt piano.
ARAUCO LIBRE
A traditional Latin American band, Arauco Libre, was formed in Hobart in 1987. Comprised largely of political refugees who fled the Pinochet regime in Chile to exile in Tasmania in the late 1980’s, the band has remained true to its original path over the preceding 34 years.
FOX RANSOM
Fox was born and bred on the North West coast of lutruwita, and is a proud Plangermaireener/Trawoolooway man.
A self described 'Punk Rock Country Bumpkin', Fox brings together many influences to deliver an authentically emotive portrayal of lutruwita, its people, and their stories.
After cutting his teeth in the Blackened Thrash band Aesthemortal and fronting Punk outfit Grave Grinder, Fox now arms himself with an acoustic guitar and Folk rock edge.
Kani tunapri ‘Talking KNowledge’
A conversation with Uncle Puralia Meenamatta - Jim Everett
A place for the Panama community to gather and share in the knowledge and cultural interface of the Tasmanian Aboriginal community.
In its inaugural year, kani tunapri will see esteemed elder Uncle Puralia Meenamatta - Jim Everett share his thoughts on First Nations philosophy, storytelling and palawa understanding of the world around us. Held at The Pavilion, kani tunapri will take place on a Saturday afternoon.
Uncle Jim Everett - was born on Flinders Island, lutruwita, in 1942. He is from the clan plangermairreenner of the turbuna (Mt Ben Lomond) people in Tasmania
Jim has had over 50 years of formal involvement in the Aboriginal struggle; with a long history in government, aboriginal affairs, and community organisations. He has travelled to Australia and overseas, visiting remote aboriginal communities along the way.
Jim began writing poetry at an early age. He wrote his first play, We Are Survivors, in 1984, before producing directing and acting in it. His written works include plays, short, stories, and political papers. Jim has also produced and been an associate producer in many documentary films, and a major feature film has been published in many anthologies.
Currently living on Cape Barron Island, Jim is writing and researching aboriginal philosophy under a master's at the University of Tasmania.
BERT SPINKS: BIRDS OF THE PANAMA FOREST
Bert Spinks is a storyteller, poet and bushwalking guide. For years, he has frequented the bush around the Panama Valley, exploring backroads and hidden tracks in pursuit of folklore, beauty and birds. At the Pavilion stage on Sunday afternoon, Bert will share a series of tales that weave wondrous and mythical perspectives into the Panama forest.
SMALL WONDERS - A ROOKE CABARET
It is said that PANAMA was built on the bones of the Circus. A curious collection of small wonders for your pleasure. Some old favourites, some new. Expect the strange and the beautiful.