Dr Gay Breyley: When Politics, Humour and Music Meet: From Laibach to Kneecap and The Coconuts

This seminar is presented as part of the Louise Hanson Dyer Colloquia Series.

When people in positions of power make proclamations so extreme or absurd that it is difficult to distinguish between satire and the real thing, how might comedians or politically-minded artists approach their work? When the far-reaching effects of cruel histories are forgotten or weaponised, when popular discourses around wokeness and privilege are directed at those surviving structural inequalities, what role is there for humour? This paper examines these questions through three musical examples. First, the Ljubljana-based collective Laibach, self-described as a ‘music and cross-media group’, draws on theories of Gesamtkunstwerk(‘total work of art’) to invite its audiences to reconsider the mis/representations used by those in power. Laibach moves from the juxtaposition of historic and contemporary symbols and sounds to the production of popular song covers that subvert or extend assumed meanings and associations, usually to simultaneously humorous and political effect. Secondly, the West Belfast-based hip hop trio Kneecap raps in Irish and English about the effects of colonialism, practising what its members describe as ‘cheeky storytelling’, appealing to listeners’ senses of humour and justice. Kneecap’s name refers to the paramilitary practice of taking violent retribution in the absence of access to official justice systems. Finally, the Adelaide-formed duo The Coconuts are multidisciplinary artists Leela Varghese and Shabana Azeez, who produce musical comedy that addresses ‘being Brown in Australia’, the contradictory discourses and practices around ‘diversity’ and the problematic politics of entertainment industries. Together, these three examples invite us to consider the multidirectional possibilities of music and political humour.

BIO

Gay Breyley is an adjunct associate professor in the Elder Conservatorium at the University of Adelaide. Her research focuses on music cultures and sociopolitical change, especially in Australian, Asian, European and diasporic contexts.

PARKING

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