Antinuclear

The band also show their passionate connections to country in the song “Story”, whose deep story belies its brief lyrics. “Behind the lyrics lie one of the darkest stories of modern Australian history,” says Basil. “The dispossession of desert people by our country’s involvement in the atomic bomb-making industry.

“In the ’50s and ’60s, two groups of desert people living thousands and thousands of kilometres apart were taken out of their homelands. The song’s lyrics name those places. “In the north, Pintubi people were taken to Papunya. Blue-streak rockets fired from Woomera landed on their country. “In the south, Maralinga pe

Anti-nuclear brothers are radio activists, Green Left , May 21, 2012,By Mat Ward Nuclear Kop The Super Raelene Brothers  www.superraelenebrothers.com.au

Anti-nuclear activist band The Super Raelene Brothers first made it into the pages of Green Left Weekly in 1995. But the duo, who have just dropped their latest atomic-bomb-atomising EP, Nuclear Kop, were making m usic way before then….. We create songs that celebrate what we see and where we are. We also build songs that voice concern about what is happening or not happening in our local community.”

Those concerns have led them to release songs such as “‘Wiya Angela-Pamela”, which went to number 1 on Triple J’s Unearthed charts in 2010, and a cover of Redgum’s 1980 classic “Nuclear Cop” ― both available as free downloads on their website .

“The decision of the Northern Territory government to invite the world’s largest uranium miner to explore the Angela-Pamela lease, just 10 kilometres across the plain from four Indigenous communities on the edge of Alice Springs, led us to join the Stop Angela-Pamela campaign and release the Luritja and Arrarnta Campaign single ‘Wiya Angela-Pamela’,” says Basil.

“‘Wiya’ is the western desert word for ‘no’. “In response to a strong grassroots campaign in Central Australia, the Territory Labor government withdrew its support for the development of a uranium mine so close to Alice Springs. But the Country Liberal Party is committed to the mine going ahead. “If it gains government in August, the Stop Angela-Pamela campaign will have to crank up and go nationwide.”

Basil said that is one reason why “Nuclear Kop”, was the EP’s first single. “The crew from the Arid Lands Environment Centre in Alice Springs helped with the making of the clip ― shot on the land where they want to put the Angela-Pamela mine …..

The band also show their passionate connections to country in the song “Story”, whose deep story belies its brief lyrics. “Behind the lyrics lie one of the darkest stories of modern Australian history,” says Basil. “The dispossession of desert people by our country’s involvement in the atomic bomb-making industry.

“In the ’50s and ’60s, two groups of desert people living thousands and thousands of kilometres apart were taken out of their homelands. The song’s lyrics name those places. “In the north, Pintubi people were taken to Papunya. Blue-streak rockets fired from Woomera landed on their country. “In the south, Maralinga people are removed from their country, which was turned into an atomic bomb testing ground.

“But the song voices hope, because this story is not over. People are returning back to the country of their ancestors. Back to Kintore. “So the song really has just four words: Papunya, Woomera, Kintore, Maralinga.”….. “Bands stuck out in the desert and the north of the country don’t get to tour much,” says Basil. “And audiences are small. “Being an activist band means government grants and so on are not likely to come our way. It’s only via grassroots support that we distribute our music and soundtracks for change.”

[Green Left has a CD copy of the Nuclear Kop EP, worth $20, to give away. Just email your name and address to ward.mat@gmail.com before the next issue of GLW comes out on May 29. Winner picked at random.]   http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/51091