Perth community station RTRFM is set to celebrate its fortieth birthday with a celebration of its history on November 19 at Perth Concert Hall.
 

The Big 40 is a four-stage event marking RTRFM’s history and its deep connection with all corners of the WA music scene. Highlights include Abbe May performing with the West Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra, Odette Mercy and Her Soul Atomics performing with a traditional Tongan choir, a rare performance by ’90s band Adam Said Galore, hip hop trailblazers Downsyde reimagining their catalogue with strings and an exclusive performance of Red Jezebel‘s classic album Revelations. Plus, songs in Noongar language from Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse and a very special performance by WAMI Hall of Famer Rick Steele.
 
Four supergroups of current WA buzz-acts will perform on the Verandah stage as the Slightly Odway Orchestra. This will see members of Childsaint, Rag n’ Bone, The Love Junkies, Grievous Bodily Calm, PUCK, The Chlorines, Kitchen People, Jacob Diamond, Bells Rapids, Carla Geneve an0d Dream Rimmy all put their spin on WA songs written in 2017.   
 
Concluding this party is RTRFM – A Musical History, a specially commissioned projection and live show that combines audio, photos and video from the station’s archives with key songs from WA music history. A collaboration between Dr Adam Trainer (researcher), Davey Craddock (director), Steven Aaron Hughes (projections) and Timothy Nelson (musical director), this one off show will guide the audience through RTRFM’s unusual, sometimes rocky, history with the help of an all-star lineup of guest vocalists and musicians.
 
RTRFM general manager Stu MacLeod says The Big 40 not only represents the history of the station, but also the future. “It’s a way for us to showcase the last forty years and the next forty years at the same time, with the finest artists from our past and present, performing alongside each other and creating unique performances together that you simply will never find anywhere else.”