John Butler Trio Are Leading A Big Anti-Fracking Concert In WA This November

Revered, iconic Aussie musician and activist John Butler and his players in the John Butler Trio are leading a charge of musicians taking a stand against fracking plans in Western Australia, with the announcement of a special protest concert, titled Frack Off!, to be held in the Margaret River region this November.

Joining Butler & Co. in raising their voices against the gas industry at the licensed all-ages concert — due to be held at Cowaramup's 3 Oceans Winery — will be The Pigram Brothers, Mama Kin and Ten Cent Shooters, all hosted by actor/comedian MC Peter Rowsthorn.

The gig is supported by a raft of anti-fracking organisations and supporters, including Gasfield Free Southwest, Lock The Gate, Environs Kimberley, Frack Free Future and The Wilderness Society, and comes in response to the industry's current attempts to tap into millions of hectares of land that are currently not totally fucked as a result of human intervention.

"Think about it this way: Who has the most to gain by telling you that the onshore gas industry is safe? The industry itself!" Butler exclaimed in a statement.

"We have nothing to gain by having an onshore gas industry in our state but everything to lose. OUR vested interest lies in our home and communities. Our land. Our water. THIS INVASIVE INDUSTRY puts our water, our tourism, our agricultural industries, our wineries and our health ALL at risk."

According to Lock The Gate WA spokeswoman Jane Hammond, the gig comes at a time when the wider global community is increasingly taking a vocal stand against the incursion of fracking projects in their local areas.

"Victoria is legislating a ban on all unconventional gas mining and the Northern Territory has a moratorium on fracking pending an inquiry," she said in a statement. "Communities in WA are not alone in standing up to this industry with places like New York state, France, Bulgaria, Spain and Scotland having already brought in bans on fracking."

The John Butler Trio-led Frack Off! event will be held on Saturday 26 November; tickets (which are strictly limited, FYI) are available from this Friday, 23 September, via Oztix, and are — very consciously — priced affordably ($20+bf adults, $10+bf children). Proceeds from funds raised through ticket sales will be used to cover the costs of the concert and donated to the anti-fracking lobby.

"The ticket price is really cheap because we want as many people as possible to come along and get informed about what the gas industry has planned for our region and our state," Butler explained. "We want the community to be empowered by knowing that we have a voice in this, and that there is something we can do about it.

"We can tell the gas industry to Frack Off! We can run these pirates out of town."