Lajamanu Teenage Band exploded onto the national music scene 20 years ago as a pioneer of the distinctive desert reggae sound.
Formed in 1993 by a group of teenagers in Lajamanu, a remote community 800 km south of Darwin in the Tanami Desert, the Teenage Band quickly became popular with young people from the bush and town.
Their debut album ‘Echo Voices’ was released in 1995, telling stories of the changes to their homeland brought by by western civilisation.
The second album ‘Vision’ released on CD in 1997, attracted national media interest – never before had a young group of musicians from Central Australia gained such celebrity.
With feature articles in Rolling Stone Australia, gigs all over the Central Desert and Top End, as well as East Coast tours and reviews, Teenage Band sang both to indigenous youth and on their behalf.
20 years on, Teenage Band continues to be a voice of social conscience, performing deadly live shows and preparing for a 6th studio album.