Music

Your Favourite Aussie Artists Have Formed A New Supergroup To Protest Hillsong

Meet Thrillsong, coming to a religious gathering near you very soon.

by Joseph Earp  14 January 2022
Aussie supergroup Thrillsong protests Hillsong double standard

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A group of some of the most acclaimed musicians in Australia have banded together to form a supergroup named Thrillsong, designed to draw attention to the inconsistencies in the government’s approach to live events, as evidenced by the Hillsong gig that went down this week.

For those not in the know, the government has this week cracked down on live music events, banning singing and dancing in an attempt to stop the spread of the omicron wave of the coronavirus pandemic. This safety measure was dropped with little consideration for artists affected, adding to a growing tally of injustices committed against performers. Public safety is important, of course, but so is the financial security of the nation’s creatives, and they have been offered no financial renumeration for this latest swathe of cancelled gigs.

And then there’s Hillsong. While artists around the country have been put under the crunch, the religious organisation held a packed gathering, featuring dancing, music, and little in the way of social distancing. Hillsong are protected by health measures that state that religious events tend not to involve much in the way of movement, which is clearly not true — just one look at the footage of the event proves that.

When footage of the event went live, musicians were horrified by the double standard. Now, many prominent entertainers have banded together to form Thrillsong, including Alex The Astronaut, Annie Hamilton, Art vs. Science, CC:DISCO!, Confidence Man, Dune Rats, Hatchie, Illy, Jack River, The Jungle Giants, KLP, Lime Cordiale, Montaigne, Odette, Peking Duk, Set Mo, Stace Cadet, Sycco, Thandi Phoenix and What So Not.

“We firmly support measures to protect our fans and communities and to safeguard our health care workers, we simply ask that if rules are made, they apply to everyone equally.” the supergroup said. “We need to be in this together.”

It’s not just artists that are against the double standard, either. Since the footage went viral, Twitter has been aflame with memes and reactions from concerned Australians who see this as part of a long trend in the government’s war against the arts.

If this infuriates you too, then remember to support your local artists, support Thrillsong, and be loud about the double standard that is hurting our extremely important arts scene.