Choosing not to take the easy route, 3% decided to take their debut tour into Victoria’s prison system for the first time—five shows in five days
In a huge shift from the norm, Blak collective 3%, comprised of Dallas Woods, Nooky, and Angus Field, have just come off the back of their debut tour, and it’s as far away from your typical Aussie venue you can get.
But here’s why its such a big deal—3% didn’t hit up the traditional venues. Nope, they took to the stage inside undisclosed Victorian Prisons. Five prisons in five days to be exact.
Late November saw them sneak into the lineup of Treaty Day In, an event organised by The First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria.
Hosted by The First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, Treaty Day In is a unique nod to First Nations prisoners who cast their votes in the 2023 Treaty elections. It’s a gesture that’s hard to ignore.
3%’s debut single, “OUR PEOPLE,” laced with a sample from The Presets’ iconic track “My People,” is a fusion of Angus Field’s vocals and the rap mastery of Woods and Nooky.
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It’s an anthem tailor-made for this pivotal moment in First Nations history, a defiant stand against Indigenous deaths in custody.
On their recent debut run of shows, 3% says it best:
“It could have been easy and predictable for 3% to do a run of shows around our single “OUR PEOPLE” up the east coast of Australia. While planning a tour and hearing the news of another Black death in custody in WA, we paused to think about what it all means to us.
3% will take our first-ever tour run into the prison system in Victoria. Five shows across five days taking our stories and our art to the mob locked up and trapped in this insipid cycle of poverty, injustice, incarceration, trauma and racism.
We want for people to understand how our first single speaks to the serious issue of over 400 Black deaths in custody with no convictions. Kids as young as 10 years old locked up in criminal institutions – to be traumatised and damaged by the system, forever!
We want to celebrate our release with ‘OUR PEOPLE’ who continue to be locked away in cells from country and family and to let them know that we are with them, that they are loved and that we will use our voice and our music to scream loud and to let everyone know that we will not be silenced.
We dedicate these shows to our people who have lost their lives while in custody. A multitude of Royal Commissions and yet, still no convictions! RIP to our fallen warriors & fuck the broken system”
“OUR PEOPLE” isn’t just making noise—it’s a force, and making a serious impact on the community.
The video, directed by Nick Rae and Brayden Fun Films, paints a vivid picture of the history and struggles of First Nations peoples, earning 3% a nomination for triple j’s 2023 J Awards for Best Video and rage’s feature video accolade upon release.
