Artists Archie Roach, Brett Clarke and Andy Alberts will travel from Warrnambool and take to the Sidney Myer Music Bowl stage on Tuesday to a crowd of more than 3000 to celebrate Survival Day.

Presented by Songlines Aboriginal Music, co-chief executive Robbie Bundle said a special tribute would be paid to Archie Roach, a Gunditjmara and Bundjalung man, recent ARIA Hall of Fame inductee and 2020 Victorian of the Year.

READ MORE: Archie Roach honoured by ARIAs Hall of Fame induction

"We're putting on a special tribute to him with a cloak presentation which his good friend Uncle Jack Charles will present to him," Bundle said. "There will also be a line up of artists for the tribute which will be a surprise. It's going to be amazing."

The possum-skin cloak has been handmade by Roach's family.

"We dearly love him so much and respect him for all he's done," Bundle continued.

"He has inspired a whole generation of singer-songwriters and he supports every single one of them.

"This is our way of saying thank-you."

Bundle said he was excited to welcome Boorook, a music project started by Kirrae Whurrung, Gunditjmara nation man Brett Clarke to the festival for the first time.

Clarke started Boorook Music Project in November 2019, with the name Boorook taking after a sacred volcanic hill in his traditional country where his great grandmother was born.

"I feel a little bit nervous and excited all together especially being a country boy going to the big city," Clarke said with a laugh.

"There will be a lot of Indigenous music royalty enjoying the stage.

"It's my first time playing the festival; my music is healing music, I'd like to inspire people with stories of my traditional homelands with cultural, holistic music that brings in cultural, spiritual, emotional and social well-being for my people.

"January 26 to me is a pretty emotional day; it's a national day of mourning, a day that needs to be one of great healing and changing the date so we can learn from the bloody histories of the past. There was a lot of blood shed so it's a very emotional day for our people.

"We need to talk about the dark secrets of yesterday.

"The true original custodians of the land have been ill-treated since the occupation of the Europeans arriving on our traditional spirit lands, it's a very emotional time and changing the date would be a very important step forward for not only traditional people but for the whole of Australia."

Clarke remembers being kicked out of history class as a boy when he and other Aboriginal peers questioned the whitewashing of Australia's history in the classroom.

However he believes the tide is changing.

"Our people are from ancient songlines; we carry great songs and stories - the true history of our people -especially in our region, the traditional Kirrae Whurrung, Gunditjmara people have a very unique story.

"I think people are wanting to learn these traditional stories that were never taught.

"We were literally kicked out of our history class because we learned form our Elders the Dreamtime Stories, and to us they are true; of our ancestors being creators of actual life itself."

He hopes Share the Spirit can bring all Australians together through the power of music.

"We all know that music is a universal language and music brings people together and brings great healing, to join in this concert sharing our spirit, sharing our stories - it's beautiful to be able to share music and bring healing.

"I think more people are becoming a bit more sensitive and aware about the hardships, the massacres, and the importance of us as Indigenous people asking for the date to be changed, people are definitely opening up to the sensitivities of it all.

"But as I say that there are still people who put a big dampener on it all which is pretty sad because for generations the Indigenous people haven't been listened to.

"We ask them to listen to our stories and our hardships, that is the only way to move forward as strong multicultural nation - learning from our past history and building together the beautiful multicultural nation that Australia is."

Clarke writes songs to create positive change and to awaken a sense of environmental awareness and to evoke cultural unity.

He released his latest album Positive Change on January 1 this year.

Andy Alberts is a Gunditjmara Koorie singer-songwriter from the Warrnambool region and has travelled the country playing various festivals and venues, winning a strong following from audiences either playing solo or with his fantastic band 'The Walkabouts'.

He was one of the first Indigenous artists to play Share the Spirit Festival and is looking forward to playing again.

"On January 26 it's great to be able to get out a recognition to Archie Roach and pay homage to our Country.

"Archie has led a lot of the way for Indigenous performance so it's great to return the favour and thank Archie.

"We've all come a long way and he's made a pathway for us there's no doubt about that."

Following on from his award-winning debut album 'Gunditjmara Land' produced by Shane Howard, Alberts has since released 'Life and Land', which received much airplay across the country.

For Alberts, January 26 is about putting reconciliation back on the map.

"I know it's a big step to change the date but it's been put by the wayside, we need to get back onto it and be serious about it and what we've been trying to achieve.

"Personally I think we've got to be showing we are moving on, we've got stories and non-indigenous people have got stories... we've got to come to an agreement and get along in the world.

"Like Brett said music does that, people can come to the concert and listen to the stories.

"It's a big thing at the moment, but it's like that every year when we get to Australia Day, we have the same discussion. Maybe we will get closer to an agreement.

"It's so frustrating, it's like going around in circles."

Share the Spirit has been running annually since 2003. The 2021 concert will be live-streamed online.

"It's nearly in its 23rd year yet it resonates among community every January 26 which we call Survival Day," Bundle said.

"It's about the sharing of spirit on Survival Day which is a day significant to all mob and wider community.

"People seem to be more recognising of the fact that there are a lot of things now emerging to really set the record straight to get into that area of truth-telling.

"More specifically, it's a day putting into the context of survival and a day of mourning, bringing together all our artists with a Welcome to Country and Closing Ceremony.

"We're all still here, we have survived and we invite people into that space to walk and talk with us."

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