No Fixed Address is an Australian Aboriginalreggae rock group formed in 1979. The band was led by Bart Willoughby Pitjanjatjara from Koonibba Mission near Ceduna in the far south west of South Australia, together with Ricky Harrison Kurnai from Morwell in Victoria, Leslie Lovegrove Freeman, Ngarrindjeri from Murray Bridge in South Australia, John Miller from Port Lincoln in South Australia and Veronica Rankine, Ngarrindjeri from the south east of South Australia. Many members were related through family ties, Willoughby, Miller and Freeman were cousins. Freeman, related to Harrison through marriage, recruited him from Victoria and they all met and formed the band at the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music in North Adelaide, South Australia.
Biography
The band members were students at CASM and there first heard reggae music from Jamaica. The band were a very popular pub rock outfit among students and the alternative music scene, especially supported by community radio station5MMM. In 1979, the band played its first large concert at the National Aboriginal Day held at Taperoo, South Australia. In 1980 the band made a movie "Wrong Side of the Road" with another CASM band, Us Mob. The movie dealt with the trials and joys of touring and the contrasting receptions they received in Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. With the recording of the soundtrack, No Fixed Address and Us Mob became the first contemporary aboriginal bands to be recorded. On the strength of their live performances and airplay of their demo recordings on 5MMM they were the cover story on the August 1980 edition of national rock magazine Roadrunner. In 1982 the band were contracted to Rough Diamond Records, a subsidiary of Polygram Records and released their debut mini album From My Eyes. The album was launched at the Hilton Hotel by the Australian Prime Minister, Bob Hawke. The video for the single, "From My Eyes" was filmed at Hanging Rock, Victoria and the Old Melbourne Gaol. The band toured Australia in 1982, in support of Peter Tosh. Following the success of the Peter Tosh tour, the band became the first Aboriginal band to travel overseas, touring Great Britain, playing at nine cities including London, Bristol, Leeds, Plymouth and Manchester. Didgeridoo player, Billy Inda, made a guest appearance, Joe Geia played the introduction didgeridoo on folk rock band Goanna's single "Solid Rock" from their 1982 album, Spirit of Place – it peaked at No. 3 in October on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart – it is the first charting rock song to feature the didgeridoo. The 1984 video for "We Have Survived" was filmed at Palm Beach and Botany Bay in Sydney. The song has become an unofficial anthem for many of Australia's indigenous peoples. Returning to Australia Willoughby joined his cousin 's band, Coloured Stone in 1984. In 1987 Willoughby reformed the band and they toured Europe, including a number of eastern bloc countries, appearing at the East Berlin Festival. In late 1988 Willoughby joined Yothu Yindi and as result the group disbanded again. In 2008 the band reformed and played at the Dreaming Festival & Tarerer Festival in Woodford, Queensland, where they released a limited edition CD copy of From My Eyes. Also in 2008 the band's song "We Have Survived" was added to the National Film and Sound Archive's Sounds of Australia registry. In August 2011 No Fixed Address, along with Coloured Stone, were inducted into the Hall of Fame at the inaugural National Indigenous Music Awards. On 29 September 2016 the band performed at the Lomond Hotel in Brunswick East, Melbourne. At the event Willoughby mentioned that the band may be doing further shows.
