From Bob Dylan's classic 1960s folk songs to the shocking, electric frenzy of the Sex Pistols in the '70s, the most compelling popular music often reflects the political climate and turbulent times in which it was created.
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Creedence Clearwater Revival, Woody Guthrie, Billy Bragg and United States rock band Rage Against the Machine all penned protest songs that targeted hot-button political issues, opening a wider public discussion about the tragedy of war, the role of government or social injustice.
In time for Australia Day this year Melbourne four-piece the Smith Street Band have taken a swipe at the Abbott government's policies on asylum seekers with the provocatively titled track Wipe That Shit-Eating Grin Off Your Punchable Face in a bid to keep the plight of refugees firmly in the spotlight and on the political agenda.
The group's 24-year-old songwriter and frontman, Wil Wagner, told Fairfax Media that money from this month's sales of the song would be donated to a charitable fund for refugees, but the aim was primarily to shift focus from a "political vote-winning monster" to those "fleeing something really horrible" in the hope of a better life.
"We were a bit apprehensive putting it out, thinking people might take it the wrong way or there might be a bit of backlash, but the response has been pretty amazing," Wagner says. "It's been a really uplifting, quite powerful response to what is such a massive issue. All the horrible rhetoric that gets thrown around about refugees is so poisonous, so it's our little way of putting a point forward and trying to stand up for people who really don't have a voice."
A powerful, rollicking live show and three albums over four years have earned the Smith Street Band a strong local following, which is likely to grow when they return overseas later this year following a national tour.
Meanwhile, Wagner hopes their new song is not seen as "unnecessarily aggressive" but rather "a bit jokey" in a way that raises awareness of an issue he's passionate about. "We have so much space, money and resources here, surely we should be doing what we can to save people who are fleeing the most horrible, barbaric situations," he said.
"Who really gives a shit what a 24-year-old in a band thinks, but hopefully a lot of people around our age and our demographic will think about it and become a bit more aware of this issue."
The Smith Street Band will play a fundraiser for various asylum seeker and refugee organisations on Australia Day, January 26, in Melbourne at The Corner, Richmond, with the Bennies, Joelistics, Curse Ov Dialect, Fear Like Us and Stockades.
 
