A smiling Anthony Albanese’s selfie with some of his favorite Australian musicians led to him getting caught up in an epic online feud.
The Prime Minister, who has a long history of being photographed with rock stars and attending their shows, took to X to share his latest star-studded encounter.
‘I love Australian music. So when two of my top 100 picks, Budjerah and Lime Cordiale, came to Canberra, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to say hello to them,” she wrote.
But Albanese’s joy at meeting the young Australian rockers was not shared by most of the hundreds of commenters who responded to his post.
Using the Prime Minister’s phrase against him, one disgruntled person wrote: ‘Correction. You couldn’t miss the opportunity to use your position as Prime Minister to get another photo op.
“That will help with the cost of living crisis for Australians, you are the most out of touch PM ever,” wrote another.
A third asked: “Do you actually do anything else besides take selfies?”
Another said Mr Albanese was “destroying our livelihoods and all you can do is pose with everyone for photos”. Absolute shame!’
A selfie of a smiling Anthony Albanese with Australian musicians Budjerah (left) and duo Lime Cordiale (right and second from right) sparked epic controversy on the internet on Wednesday night.
Anthony Albanese (left) and his fiancee Jodie Haydon (right) are pictured with Australian musician Marcia Hines (center) at a Foo Fighters concert.
In October 2022, just over four months after becoming prime minister, Albanese proved his political moves are more adept than his dance moves at Midnight Oil’s farewell show in Sydney.
The Oil’s ‘number one fan’ was caught on camera dancing with a father at the concert at the Hordern Pavilion, pursing his lips as he shifted awkwardly from foot to foot as his 1982 anthem Power and the Passion blared.
The show was a reunion for Albanese and Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett, who worked together 10 years ago when the singer was a Labor MP and both were in the cabinet under Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard.
That concert came just six weeks after Albanese presented the band with the 2022 Community Excellence Award for their “incredible” contribution to music.
The prime minister called the band a “force of nature” and said their music was the “national soundtrack.”
In June 2022, he also gifted then-New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern a Midnight Oil LP, along with albums by Spiderbait and Powderfinger.
Last December, Albanese released his picks for Triple J’s Hottest 100 ahead of the radio station’s annual music countdown, prompting a divisive response and accusations that he is out of touch with everyday Australians.
‘People are struggling to feed their families, pay bills and repair broken down cars. They live in tents and cannot pay rent. “People lost their homes, people died in the floods and you’re worried about Triple J’s top 10,” one user wrote.
“You just turn up the music with the cost of living crisis,” said another.
The Prime Minister listed his top ten picks for Triple J’s Hottest 100 (pictured) and published his list on X.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been named Midnight Oil’s number one fan and presented them with an award for Excellence in the Community. Albanese is pictured on the right with Midnight Oil singer and former Labour MP Peter Garrett.
Anthony Albanese (pictured doing a DJ set) has come under fire from users who labeled him out of touch as millions of Australians struggle during a cost of living crisis.
On Wednesday night there was a barrage of criticism on the Internet against Anthony Albanese. One of hundreds of tweets is shown in the image
‘Actually? People in Queensland suffer… die. And this is the best post you can publish?’
As well as his love of Budjerah, Lime Cordiale and Midnight Oil, the Prime Minister was also seen at a concert by Australian goth rocker Nick Cave, and later talked about him on Instagram.
Albanese is also known for doing DJ sets in Marrickville, his home base in Sydney’s inner west.
But his love of all things music couldn’t stop Wednesday night’s attack, where one sign spoke for many.
“When are you going to announce that Australia is in recession?” they wrote.
