Performing to Packed Venues

Indigenous musician Marcus Corowa played to a full house at The Front Gallery and Cafe in Lyneham earlier this year.

Mr Corowa played a set of nine of his own songs as well as covers of some classics such as What a Wonderful World.

“I grew up in a small town, Bowen in Queensland, and my dad and grandpa both played the guitar,” Mr Corowa said. “I started as a young kid. Four years ago I decided to take it professional so I moved from Brisbane to Sydney and have spent the last few years travelling around Australia.”

While touring, the 31-year-old initially found live performances daunting, but has since found his confidence.

“There were no nerves tonight although it was a bit disorganised and that put me off a bit,” he said. “You have to just get used to that and are able to plug in your guitar and play.”

The singer-songwriter has been touring Australia since 2010 after receiving a $10,000 grant from indigenous organisation Gadigal to record his first EP.

Mr Corowa has traveled through Western Australia, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and the northern New South Wales coast, but playing at Uluru was a favourite.

“You’re out playing in the desert at the outdoor restaurant with Uluru as a backdrop. I did two single month stints there, although I’ve also flown back to do single nights.”

“As a songwriter some songs write themselves. Other times you need to give it a rest and take your mind off it.”

He feels strongly about Polynesian history, including the use of Polynesia as forced labour for plantations in Australia and that background influences his work.

Mr Corowa’s next big event is a gig at Homeground 2014, a music festival held at the Sydney Opera House foreshore.

“It’s going to be special because it will be my first time performing there at Homeground and at the Opera House,” he said. “I’ve got a couple of friends who will be there, as well as a lot of other indigenous artists.”

In the future Mr Corowa looks forward to releasing a second EP, featuring some of the songs which he played that night.

Test by David Byrnes