Australian rock greats Midnight Oil have just released their first new single since 2003 which is both as politically charged and anthemic as you'd expect. It's titled "Gadigal Land" and the band say it "takes its name from Sydney’s traditional owners, many of whom continue to live in the city. The Gadigal (also sometimes spelt 'Cadigal') lands include what is now the CBD plus areas from South Head through to the inner west. ‘Gadigal Land’ is a provocative recount of what happened in this place, and elsewhere in Australia, since 1788." Listen below.
"Gadigal Land" is the first single off Midnight's forthcoming The Makarrata Project mini-LP which will be out in October, and features Kaleena Briggs, Bunna Lawrie, Dan Sultan plus "a lyrical section written and delivered by Gadigal poet, Joel Davison." Stay tuned for more info on that. You can read a statement from the band below.
We’ve always been happy to lend our voice to those who call for racial justice, but it really feels like we’ve reached a tipping point. We urge the federal government to heed the messages in the Uluru Statement From The Heart and act accordingly. Hopefully this song and 'The Makarrata Project’ mini-album we’ve created alongside our First Nations friends can help shine a bit more light on the urgent need for genuine reconciliation in this country and in many other places too.
After centuries of struggle for recognition and justice, 2017’s Uluru Statement called for the establishment of a ‘First Nations Voice’ enshrined in the Australian Constitution and the establishment of a ‘Makarrata Commission’ to supervise agreement-making and truth-telling between governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We will donate our share of any proceeds received from this release to organisations which seek to elevate The Uluru Statement From The Heart in particular and Indigenous reconciliation more broadly (ulurustatement.org). Sony Music Entertainment Australia will match any artist contribution.
- Midnight Oil
Check out photos from Midnight Oil's 2017 shows at Webster Hall:
