Sydney musician Joe Gould has made a name for himself by creating politically charged music, and now he’s started a new band protesting Sydney’s lockout laws.
The band’s name, The Lock Outlaws, gets straight to the point; however the catch is that they’ll only exist until the lockout laws are repealed.
It’s not the first time that Gold has used the name of a band to protest a political agenda, previously forming Until Abbott Gets Gone, which broke up after old mate Tone was no longer PM late last year.
“It must have been effective,” says Gould. “We only got to release two singles before Tony got gone and we honoured our promise to break up.”
Gould and local singer-songwriter Leroy Lee have released The Lock Outlaws first song today, a grunge/blues-rock track called Just Go Home. Gould has also released a manifesto with suggested guidelines for others who might want to create a band to drive their own social justice issue.
Gould says that this latest venture is in response to the affect lockout laws have had – not just on bands but on workers and Sydney’s nightlife in general. “They’ve closed bars and small businesses, they’ve affected shift workers and of course bands,” he says.
“The flow on from having less people out and less nightlife in Sydney means less opportunities to perform. With the recent exemptions for live music venues a welcome step forward, we aim to be the only artists in the city who will miss out when the laws disappear altogether.”
This Saturday will see local elections take place in the City of Sydney, and Gould is urging punters to vote to keep Sydney independent and vote for Clover Moore; who has been a regular voice of opposition to the lockouts.
Listen: The Lock Outlaws – ‘Just Go Home’
