Strange Tenants were the 'Godfathers of Australian Ska', emerging in the 1980s in the wake of UK two-tone ska bands like The Specials but producing their own original political ska songs unlike most other Australian ska bands. Thirty-six years later they're still around and still political.
With a career that spans over four decades and across the globe, Jamaican singer Pat Powell (Patou) is one of Australia’s most accomplished yet hidden vocal talents. He is the artist that everyone wants to work with – the singer’s singer who sings with 15 bands, including the ARIA award-winning Melbourne Ska Orchestra. Born in the UK to Jamaican parents, Pat left the racism of the UK as soon as he could, although he ‘stupidly’ found his way to Australia with its own racism issues. Father to four children from different mothers with varying ethnic backgrounds, Pat’s children all identify differently and discuss racism and where identity comes from.
