Albo Presents Midnight Oil With Support Act Award

Support Act's beloved fundraiser Music In The House returned for the first time in two years last night to The Grounds Of Alexandria in Sydney, celebrating their 25th anniversary. 

Music industry figures from around the country attended the sold-out event, including PM Anthony Albanese and Arts Minister Tony Burke.

Albo, who has already had a busy week in music, chugging a beer at the Gang Of Youth show on Monday night, presented the Excellence in the Community Award to Midnight Oil, commenting on their community work and the importance of Support Act as a charity. 

The prestigious award was created in 2006 to recognise those in the Aussie music scene for their musicianship and their broader contribution to the community. Midnight Oil were honoured for not only their longstanding contribution to the Australian music scene, but also their work in support of the environment, nuclear non-proliferation and Indigenous rights.

On receiving the award, the politically active band stated: "Music workers in particular, and arts workers in general, face all sorts of urgent challenges after being largely unable to ply their trade due to the pandemic. Support Act provides important help to the needy in that community, so we were very pleased to lend a hand to their lifesaving fundraising efforts.

"We call on governments at all levels to urgently put real money behind the people who create Australian culture and to provide more support for the tens of thousands of people who are employed in the creative industries.”

Hosted by powerhouse presenter Zan Rowe, the night featured stunning acoustic performances of Midnight Oil classics by William Barton & Veronique Serret, Olympia, All Our Exes Live In Texas and Dave Faulkner. 

Clive Miller, CEO of Support Act, added: “Midnight Oil are one of the greatest bands in Australian music history. Their output over 45 years has been characterised by outstanding musicianship and unwavering principles, and their influence on our thinking in relation to Indigenous rights and the environment has been felt by hundreds of thousands of people here and around the world. It was an honour and a privilege to celebrate them tonight, as they prepare to perform their final shows over the coming weeks. 

“It was also a wonderful opportunity to reflect and celebrate the past 25 years of Support Act, and to acknowledge the many inspirational people who have been part of our journey so far.”

In addition to the tribute and award ceremony, the night hosted a raffle with all proceeds going towards furthering Support Act's mission of creating a mentally well and supported music industry for all of the people within the community. The auction and raffle included a specially-created Fender Vintera '50s Telecaster wrapped in a custom print of Midnight Oil’s 10-1 album artwork and signed by the band, the actual surfboard used to promote the Scream In Blue live album, watercolour prints of the band at soundcheck by artist Christabel Blackman, some rare band vinyl and highly sought after tickets to the last shows of the band’s final tour, which sold out in minutes earlier this week.

Also on offer, were rare paintings from Troy Cassar-Daley, a studio monitor and headphone set from Sennheiser, a production consul from RØDE and tickets to some amazing concerts, all of which raised $100,000 dollars for the charity.