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THE electrifying duo Mama Kin Spender (MKS) is on a limited run of shows in intimate venues around the country and will stop off at Brunswick Heads in February.

If Freemantle-based Danielle Caruana (the artist known as Mama Kin) is the soul of MKS, producer and multi-instrumentalist Dingo Spender is its heartbeat.

Long-time friends and collaborators, the duo combines drums, percussion and blistering guitar with lightning arrangements and smouldering harmonies.

The duo’s two ARIA-nominated releases, Golden Magnetic and Are You Listening, presented a journey through grief, rage, reflection and arrival.

Caruana previously released two acclaimed solo albums, Beat and Holler (written almost entirely on an old Wurlitzer organ) and The Magician’s Daughter, named after the singer’s mother.

As one of six children in a profoundly musical family, she studied classical piano from age five. All the siblings were expected to play an instrument and be in the family band in church. Her brother Nicky Bomba leads the Melbourne Ska Orchestra and was a former member of Caruana’s husband John Butler’s trio.

A significant driver for Caruana is her philanthropic work in the arts, environment and music industries. She and Butler founded The Seed Fund (formerly the JB Seed Fund) to support artists and musicians in becoming self-sufficient and shaping a sustainable future for the sector.

Since its inception, the fund has raised and distributed over $1.5 million in funds to the artistic community and continues its mission of fostering collaboration, mentorship and creative growth.

In August 2023, Caruana was appointed one of eight members of the newly formed Music Australia Council, a division of Creative Australia.

Audiences have been known to clutch their heart and howl to the music of MKS. The transformative performers are richly engaging and almost meditative, with an ardent festival fan base.

For a chance to get up close to Mama Kin Spender in intimate mode on February 13, visit brunswickpicturehouse.com/mama-kin-spender-up-close-tour-13-feb