This June, rock and politics stand shoulder-to-shoulder for Unbleach The Reef, a joint effort to combat and raise awareness of destructive coral bleaching in one of Australia's revered natural wonders.
“The [Great Barrier] Reef is one of the world's greatest treasures and to have something like that so severely damaged is beyond tragic,” says Ben Corbett, vocalist for Gentle Ben And His Sensitive Side.
“It's actually species threatening, including the human species so it's pretty huge. We need to see it in those terms and if by playing a show we can help in some small way, then that's the least we can do.”
Unbleach The Reef will also be the official campaign launch for Kirsten Lovejoy, The Greens' federal candidate for Brisbane in the upcoming federal election.
Kirsten Lovejoy - image © Facebook
Although Gentle Ben & His Sensitive Side have never been overtly political, Ben says the issue is too dire to be limited to political preferences. “While we're not an obviously political band, the individuals within the band definitely have a social conscience and we basically can see that The Greens are the only major party in Australia that can actually be bothered creating real policy that's not based on fear-mongering, or kowtowing to massive corporations or the worst elements of Australian society.
“It seems only fair that we try and support them, because it really seems that we have entered a period in Australia's history that I don't think we're going to be too proud of when we look back on it. And certain things, such as environmental destruction, are very difficult to reverse once they reach a certain point,” he says.
The event features performances from Gentle Ben, Georgia Maq (Camp Cope) and Evil Eddie among others, and will be hosted by Jay & Lindsay from Frenzal Rhomb. “Funnily enough, they're old mates of ours from years and years ago from touring with SixFtHick,” Ben says. “We used to stay with Lindsay every time we were in Sydney, so that'll just be a silly old get-together.
“Those guys are great, they're really passionate and probably not a lot of people realise they actually put their money where their mouth is with this stuff. They're really committed politically and they really practise what they preach. They're really fun people as well, so I'm looking forward to a little catch up with those guys.”
If a full roster of rock music and environmental awareness isn't enough to get your blood pumping, Unbleach The Reef also features a very special DJ set from none other than Greens senator, Scott Ludlam, appearing under his musical moniker DJ S-Ludz. “I have not seen Senator Scott Ludlam on the decks, I've not seen Senator Scott Ludlam in the flesh before and that's unfortunate because I hear he's quite the babe,” Ben laughs.
“I've seen him on tele; I have a number of friends who would be very thrilled to meet the man, and I have some other friends who have met the man and were thrilled. Someone like Scott Ludlam is exactly the kind of politician Australia needs; he's articulate, he's angry, obviously very hardworking and he's able to remain on message.”
And while no-one expects the reef to recover in a single afternoon of music, Ben assures audiences they're in for one hell of a treat. “We're a band that operates in fits and starts,” he says, “we usually just decide the week before what we're going to do, then go into a practice room and muck about... so at the moment I couldn't tell you what we're going to do, but I can tell you it's going to be absolutely spec-fucking-tacular.”
Gentle Ben And His Sensitive Side perform at Unbleach The Reef at The Triffid (Brisbane) 5 June.
