Having recently unveiled the powerful music video for their fiery anti-Australia Day anthem ‘January 26’, the members of A.B. Original, Briggs and Trials, have responded to the campaign to change the date of triple j’s Hottest 100.
As Tone Deaf has reported, a growing movement has emerged that would like to see triple j move the date of their annual Hottest 100 countdown broadcast to a less inflammatory date than 26th January, a.k.a. Australia Day / Invasion Day.
“That’s definitely a conversation worth having… with triple j as well,” Briggs told Music Feeds during the recent BIGSOUND conference in Brisbane. The Yorta Yorta rapper said moving the broadcast would be a strong sign of solidarity.
“It’d be an obvious salute for us if they did move it,” he said. “That’s solidarity right there, for something that would be right… would be the right thing to do. That’s a conversation that we should all be having with why we are celebrating that day.”
triple j have long been supporters of Australia’s Indigenous community. In addition to their extensive work with the annual NAIDOC Week, last year they announced a partnership between the Hottest 100 and AIME, an Indigenous school mentoring program.
But whilst Briggs is in favour of moving the date, he admits the #ChangeTheDate campaign would be addressing a symptom of racism in Australia rather than targeting the root cause, which would require a drastic cultural shift.
“Changing the day is just a symptom of what racism is in Australia, and Australia’s attitude towards its Indigenous people,” he said. “We can address the symptoms every day of the week, but until we change the idea and the attitudes of what’s this perceived ‘Australian way’, then we’re not going to be moving a whole lot forward.”
In addition to a rapidly circulating Change.org petition which has amassed just over 2,000 signatures, Brendan Busch recently announced he will award a free Falls Festival ticket to anyone who can convince triple j to change the date of the Hottest 100.
