AmplifyMORE is a series where we take Australian music to a political point and feature artists who are making noise about social justice causes.
This week I spoke with Felix Riebl, who you may recognise as the front man for formidable ska and jazz icons The Cat Empire. He's been working on a new project called Spinifex Gum, which grew out of a collaboration with the Gondwana Indigenous Children's Choir and features himself and a group of young Indigenous women from Far North Queensland, the Marliya choir.
The first track Spinifex Gum has released is a stinging attack on the response to the tragic death of a Yamatji woman Ms Dhu, who was taken into custody in the Pilbara in Western Australia over unpaid fines in 2014, and would later die of a critical infection whilst in jail. The track was released with permission of the family, just after a coronial inquest into Ms Dhu's death found that police had treated her inhumanely, saying her life could have been saved had police and hospital staff treated her properly.
No one has been charged over Ms Dhu's death. Here is Felix Riebl, talking about the project and the importance of keeping the case in the spotlight.
Watch the clip for the track
here.