The Treasury Gardens is set to come to life with a musical explosion of rock, roots, reggae and hip hop at Melbourne’s premiere Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music Festival, Share the Spirit, on Monday 26th January.

The line-up includes Australian music legend Bart Willoughby; one of the country’s most powerful singer-songwriters, Archie Roach; Deadly award-winning performer, Ruby Hunter; Jazz aficionado, Liz Cavanagh; and the multifaceted musical melting pot that is Sol Nation. Sharing the stage will be a group of young Indigenous artists - including Little G, Rakia and DJ Deadly - from the independent Indigenous hip hop label, Payback Records.

Payback Records was established by Essendon footballer Nathan Lovett-Murray twelve months ago to create opportunities for young and talented indigenous hip hop artists to make their way in the music industry. At Share the Spirit, Melbourne audiences will have the unique opportunity of catching some of Australia’s best underground hip hop musicians on the one stage.

The festivities will kick off at 2pm with a Welcome to Country and Healing Ceremony, which will be followed by a spectacular fire dance performance by the Koori Youth Will Shake Spears and a smorgasbord of non-stop music.

Share the Spirit also plays host to the colourful Koori Market - where Indigenous artists and designers will be selling their locally made crafts, boomerangs, traditional artefacts, t-shirts, bags, CDs, homewares, photography, art and much more.

Once the sun goes down and the music stops, festival goers can continue to kick their heels up at the official after party at Section 8 in the city.

Presented by Songlines Aboriginal Music Corporation and proudly supported by the City of Melbourne, Share the Spirit is a day that has been created by Aboriginal People for all Australians to come together and celebrate the beginning of the post-Apology era.