It’s Saturday afternoon, and we’re here to celebrate a birthday.
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we → ’ → birthday
Fitzroy’s The Night Cat normally comes to life when the sun has gone down, but today is different.
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today → come → life
Around me, I can see parents with their children on their shoulders or in front of them to ensure they get a good view, as I hold my toddler in my arms for the same reason.
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I → see → reason
The Yolngu rapper and dancer bursts onto the stage, his signature braids flying.
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braids → burst → stage
“Are you guys ready to party with Baker Boy?,” he asks.
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he → party → Boy
He shakes the hands of young fans in the front row, crouching down and rapping to connect to them at their level.
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He → shake → level
The electric guitar roars and drums pound as he launches into Biggest Mob, setting the tone for an electrifying set.
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he → roar → set
We’re all here to mark his 30th birthday, and the one-year anniversary of his sophomore album Djandjay.
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We → ’re → album
After this all-ages gig, Baker Boy — real name Danzal James Baker – will follow on with another for an 18+ crowd.
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Boy → follow → crowd
The Night Cat is where the album campaign was first launched, so it feels full circle to celebrate this momentous occasion here.
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it → launch → occasion
After touring the album nationally across April and May this year, he also released a deluxe edition in August with additional tracks Disappear, Curse and Yolŋu Fever.
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he → tour → tracks
Djandjay is named after his grandmother and an octopus spirit that guides souls into the afterlife.
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that → name → afterlife
Baker Boy’s artistry is recognisable for its approach to celebrating pride in culture and community.
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artistry → celebrate → culture
He’s won multiple ARIA Awards and received an Order of Australia medal for his work.
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He → win → work
He seamlessly integrates Yolŋu Matha (a traditional Aboriginal language from northeast Arnhem Land) and the yidaki into his music.
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He → integrate → music
He’s also brought yidaki into the mainstream through collaborations with other artists: it was featured in his performance with Snoop Dog at the 2025 AFL Grand Final and live renditions of Keli Holiday’s hit Dancing2.
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it → bring → hit
Throughout the set, he effortlessly joins in with the band playing the yidaki, in between dancing and rapping – and when synced with the electric guitar, it brings the heat.
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it → join → heat
One young fan showed their adoration by holding up a hand-drawn sign with the rapper’s name, another handed him a wrapped birthday gift with a picture of the rapper with a yidaki on top.
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another → show → top
The children ranged from tweens to teenagers; my daughter, who is 2½ years old, plus another baby carried by a parent, were two of the youngest in the audience.
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who → range → audience
The kids were engrossed by Baker Boy’s performance, surprisingly bearing through the heat in the packed room and cheering on his dance moves.
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kids → engross → moves
The stage production mirrors the Djandjay album cover, with dried reeds encasing the musicians and platform.
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reeds → mirror → musicians
The crowd raps along to the lyrics, jumping, and raising and clapping their hands to the beat, matching Baker Boy’s energy.
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crowd → rap → energy
During Peacekeeper, he flips the mic towards a young fan who recites the verses verbatim.
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who → flip → verses
The rapper raises his eyebrows, impressed by his skills.
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rapper → raise → skills
At the end, his guitarist cheekily states that there’s only one song left to sing, leading the crowd into Happy Birthday.
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guitarist → state → Birthday
He stays behind after the show to take selfies with fans.
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He → stay → fans
I hear one young child tell their parents in excitement that Baker Boy shook their hand twice.
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Boy → hear → hand
As we walk back to the car, I hear my two-year-old daughter utter “Baker Boy”, and it heartens me to know there are local artists like this for future generations to look up to.
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generations → walk → this
Get it delivered every Friday.
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it → get → ?
The Aporia
