WOMAD

Stiff Gins

From Australia

"They sing beautifully and with joy…catch them when you can”"
Sydney Morning Herald Vocal harmony group Stiff Gins – Nardi Simpson, Kaleena Briggs and Emma Donovan – have only been performing together since late March 1999, and their resume would indicate they have been extremely busy.  From winning the University of Sydney bands competition, to performing at the Sydney Opera House Millennium Party, to Survival 2000, the Moomba Festival earlier this year, and the recent Hemispheres event, plus a string of media appearances in between, Stiff Gins have arrived.  From diverse musical backgrounds, a mixture of country, classical and contemporary styles, the girls represent a myriad of Aboriginal experiences and are indicative of the vitality of contemporary indigenous life. Respecting the past and taking charge of their future, the trio have reclaimed the name ‘gin’, a derogatory term for an Aboriginal woman, and turned it around to mean ‘proud, talented, black woman’.  The harmonious grooves of the Stiff Gins can be heard on the recently released EP Soh Fa.