Tjaka
Cairns Esplanade, Esplanade, 4870 Cairns City Kort
fös. 28.08.2026 18:00
Where do we start the festival? At the beginning. With a diverse lineup including local legends The Pad Boys, Brisbane royalty Tjaka, and award-winning headliner Electric Fields, this lineup is giving Blak excellence and we’re here for it.
ELECTRIC FIELDS
Multi-award-winning Electric Fields create a striking and haunting merging of living traditional culture with electronic music, bringing breathtaking beauty and power to the stage. Featuring the extraordinary voice of Zaachariaha Fielding, and the brilliance of producer Michael Ross, their music ranges from soulful pop to epic-scale electronic works.
TJAKA
This Brisbane/Meanjin-based trio, descendants of the Jabirr Jabirr tribe in the WA Kimberley, fuse lava-hot rap flow, blistering guitar, and electronic dance elements, which melt audiences in a crucible of funk, alt rock, and hip-hop. Tjaka's high-energy bangers introduce the use of Didjeribone (a slide didgeridoo), ripping guitar solos, and the deep sounds of the FaceBass to create a contemporary Indigenous experience like no other.
THE PAD BOYS
Fusing roots-based reggae, ska and indie rock with Djabugay language, within a broader soul groove, the group’s songs have become mini ‘anthems’, and are now part of a longer Djabugay music tradition.
Flytjendur
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TjakaFresh from a run of international shows in the UK, Tjaka return home to launch their debut EP, Elevate, across Australia. Blending electronic, hip-hop, and funk with powerful Indigenous influences, the Magandjin-based band has been turning heads with their genre-bending sound and unforgettable live energy.
With Elevate, Tjaka showcase their ability to effortlessly cross genres and experiment with sound, all while staying true to their cultural roots. The EP charts their musical and cultural journey so far, reflecting growth, transformation, and a deep connection to Country. It captures the feeling they experience when stepping on stage and tapping into something greater (likened to gaining “superpowers”) as they become a heightened version of themselves through music. Each track is crafted to energise and uplift, offering listeners a glimpse into the sound, spirit, and unstoppable force that define Tjaka.
Tjaka have shared stages with legends including Michael Franti (US), Xavier Rudd, Cat Empire, and BARKAA, and have got crowds moving at major festivals including Splendour in the Grass, Dark Mofo, Woodford Folk Festival, and plenty more. Their live shows feature signature instruments, the Didjeribone (a slide didgeridoo) and the FaceBass (a seismic microphone), melting blistering guitar, razor-shap rap, and pulsating bass into a sound so infectious, it’s impossible not to dance. -
Electric Fields
Electric Fields is a potent new music bringing together the brilliance and creativity of music producer and composer Michael Ross, with the mesmerising sensitivity of Zaachariaha Fielding - whose rare and beautiful voice has been described as 'taking soul to the stratosphere'. These two feminine brothers create a striking and haunting merging of living traditional culture with electronic music. Co-writing music and delivering an immersive and evocative live performance, Electric Fields bring moments of breathtaking beauty and power to the stage. Often featuring Zaachariaha's traditional languages of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara people, Electric Fields music encompasses neo-soul-pop, through to epic-scale electronic works, and intensely intimate story-songs.
