Overcoming recent bureaucratic concerns, Victoria’s premiere Rock’n’Roll Party, helmed by rockers The Basics, has secured party status by the Victorian Electoral Commission in time for the state election on November 29th.
Formed by Basics member Kris Schroeder with bandmates Wally de Backer, aka Gotye, and Tim Heath as office bearers, The Basics Rock’n’Roll party began through discussions on the band’s Facebook page about a disenfranchisement with Australian politics. The band were quick to gather the necessary 500 members required for registration.
However, a few concerns were raised last week over verifying the details of some of those signees. At the time, party leader Kris Schroeder told Fairfax, “My feeling is that we will probably miss out,” he said. “I’ve had this feeling for a while.”
Today the band have announced that they have not missed out and their registration has been officially confirmed. “We’ve been doing this as a last-ditch effort to inject some faith back into our failing democracy,” says Schroeder.
“But we don’t want to give up on democracy yet,” he adds, “the vibe out there is that people are willing to give it one-more-go, they see hope in our last-ditch-effort to give power back to the people. So let’s shake it up!”
The band already kicked off their attempt to “shake” things up with the release of their latest single The Lucky Country which will appear on their EP of the same name, due out Friday, 7th November. The single was described by the band as a “rock’n’roll rant” that strikes back against “the age of entitlement” and “the Abbott-Shorten-Palmer-Milne circus”.
Schroeder and The Basics Rock’n’Roll Party will officially launch their campaign on Thursday, 13th November as part of the launch of Melbourne Music Week. The Basics will also hit the road from mid-December to tour the EP.
See the tour dates below and head to The Basics’ website for a raft of Rock’n’Roll Party policies.
Watch: The Basics – The Lucky Country
The Basics The Lucky Country Tour Dates
Tuesday, 16th December 2014
Newtown Social Club, Sydney, NSW
Wednesday, 17th December 2014
Newtown Social Club, Sydney
Friday, 19th December 2014
Sol Bar Maroochydore, QLD
Saturday, 20th December 2014
Old Museum, Brisbane, QLD
Saturday, 27th December 2014
Corner Hotel, Melbourne, VIC
Wednesday, 31st December 2014
Princes Wharf 1 “A Taste of Tasmania NYE”, Hobart, TAS
Thursday, 1st January 2015
Cataract Gorge “The Basin Concert”, Launceston, TAS
Saturday, 3rd January 2015
Rosemount Hotel, Perth, WA
Sunday, 4th January 2015
Mojos, Fremantle, WA
Friday, 13th February 2015
Aurora Spiegeltent @ The Garden Of Unearthly Delights, Adelaide, SA
