By Stuart Munckton
PERTH — More than 600 people turned up at the Ozone Bar on May 16 to a "Rock against Racism" band night organised by Green Left Weekly.
The gig featured some of Perth's best bands. The large and diverse crowd helped refute the myth that Pauline Hanson's racist policies reflect the views of some mythical "mainstream Australia".
The bands offered their services for free and put on a fantastic show. The night opened with the Velvet Janes — it was a shame that more people had not yet arrived to hear such a great band.
They were followed by Apartment 25, Jah Aree (an East Timorese and Aboriginal band), Axolotl and Aboriginal band Acoustic Dreaming. Then Perth favourites, Humbug, gave a rocking performance that got the crowd going. The audience was well and truly primed by the time headline band Cinema Prague came on. Their set capped off a fantastic night and the crowd called them back for an encore.
The audience was not just there for the bands, but also to express their anti-racism. It responded positively to talks presented by Aboriginal activist Yaluritja (Clarrie Issacs) and Resistance organiser Arun Pradhan. Pradhan told Green Left Weekly that the band night was "a timely public statement that we will not accept racism or the politics of hatred."