Blak & Deadly: The First Nations Gala Concert Photo Recap

The Blak & Deadly concert honors indigenous people with a star-studded lineup of musical performances at the Sydney Opera House.

The Sydney Opera House Concert Hall was packed near capacity as hundreds of people came out for the Black & Deadly: The First Nations Gala Concert last Thursday, March 2, to experience the artistry of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait LGBTQIA+ community. 

Made by and for First Nations people, the concert was the only official Sydney WorldPride event at the iconic Sydney Opera House, with comedian Steven Oliver hosting the night of amazing performances, including the incredible opera singer Deborah Cheetham Fraillon AO collaborating with her wife conductor Nicolette Fraillon for the first time. Fraillon’s vocal stylings were accompanied by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Sydney Philharmonia Choirs.

Other featured performances also included Casey Donovan, music duo Electric Fields, pop singers Samuel Gaskin and the Merindas, and indigenous Canadian tenor and musician, Jeremy Dutcher, whom I’m sure captured several hearts, fans, and followers after his melodic tribute to indigenous people around the world. Ru Paul’s Drag Race Down Under star Kween Kong brought the fire with her hair-dryer-wielding background dancers giving her a not-so-subtle Beyonce hair-blowing effect.

The two-hour concert wrapped up with Jessica Mauboy – the Australian Idol equivalent to American Idol star Kelly Clarkson – who stunned the audience with her vocal range belting out a melody of Whitney Houston songs including “I’m Every Woman” and “I Wanna Dance with Somebody.” And at one point in the performance she was joined by contestants of the Miss First Nations Supreme Queen competition. 

I’m sure the crowd from the special night and concert is still buzzing about the stellar performances. Pictures will never capture what it meant to be there, but here’s a quick photo recap of some of the featured performances for Black & Deadly: The First Nations Gala Concert at the 2023 Sydney WorldPride.