Aussie band The Occupants penned their latest single “Alison” for the recent Gallipoli miniseries. It didn’t make the soundtrack, but the band were so proud of the song that they decided to release it anyway. I’m so glad they did.
The Occupants were irked by the way the ANZAC story has been commoditised, appropriated, co-opted, and over-marketed, especially by government officials, and the song is a response to that.
“I guess we, as a band, like to think that if there is a genuine stand to make now, then it’s in helping people who are fleeing war, violence, conflict and persecution overseas in this day and age. That might be something worth fighting for, even if our current government doesn’t think so,” explained frontman Flynn Gower.
In light of that, The Occupants will donate half of the proceeds from the single’s sales to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, an organisation that delivers health, legal, counselling, casework, food, and material aid services to thousands of asylum seekers.
You can support the single and the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre’s work by downloading “Alison” through iTunes.
Image used with permission from Secret Service Public Relations
Now that those New Year shenanigans are behind us, we can start looking forward to the next big public holiday, right? Melbournians have their plans sorted with the fifth annual Australia Day weekend fundraiser concerts.