THE entire crowd was mostly silent when Amos Roach, the son of the late Uncle Archie and Auntie Ruby Roach opened the First and Forever Festival recently.

Amos performed an appropriate and fitting tribute on the Yidaki, standing on the Uncle Archie Stage — a stage named to honour the ARIA award winner for his best independent release award for One this year.

On the lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung, and the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples, about 11,000 people gathered to celebrate Blak music and culture at Ngannelong (Hanging Rock) for the inaugural First and Forever Festival.