Anthony Albanese was spotted at a Gang of Youths concert in Sydney on Monday night, where the Australian prime minister obliged the cheering crowd by skoling his beer.
Albanese, wearing a Joy Division T-shirt, was filmed at the Australian rock band’s concert with his partner Jodie Haydon. The pair were seated in the mezzanine of Sydney’s Enmore Theatre, which is in his electorate of Grayndler.
After finishing his beer, Albanese toasted his empty cup to the crowd, before standing up, prompting cheers.
Rhanna Collins, the head of Indigenous news and current affairs at NITV, captured the moment, adding: “Quietly enjoying @gangofyouths with the Prime Minister at the Enmore Theatre.”
During the band’s performance, Gang of Youths singer David Le’aupepe called Albanese “a very nice man”, but described himself as an anarchist.
Both the positive response from the crowd and Albanese’s choice of gig are marked differences between Albanese and his predecessor, the conservative Scott Morrison, whose musical tastes were confined to the light pop stylings of Tina Arena and an awkward run-in with US rapper Fatman Scoop.
Albanese, whose fondness for hitting the decks at Labor events has earned him the moniker DJ Albo, kicked off his election campaign with a quote from Ramones’ Blitzkrieg Bop (“Hey ho let’s go”). His win was hailed by UK singer-songwriter Billy Bragg, who shared his joy at seeing “my old mate Albo become the prime minister of Australia … he has a socialism of the heart.”
Sinking a beer is somewhat of a tradition for Australian prime ministers, most famously the late Labor PM Bob Hawke, whose fondness for sinking a beer is immortalised on the wall of the Turf Tavern in Oxford, where he was a student. In 1954, he sculled a yard glass – two and a half pints – of beer in 11 seconds, an achievement that earned him a spot in the Guinness Book of Records.
In 2010, Tony Abbott was mercilessly mocked for ordering a “shandy lite” while on the election campaign, an experience that perhaps prompted him to later throw back beers for the camera for cheering students and in the crowd at a rugby game.
The reception to an Australian prime minister enjoying a drink on a night out stands in stark contrast to Finland’s response to their prime minister celebrating at a friend’s party earlier this week.
Sanna Marin, 36, was criticised over footage of her dancing and singing at a party, to the point that she agreed to take a drug test to allay concerns about her behaviour. The test came back negative.
