Last week, Tone Deaf announced the exciting results of the annual J Awards. No one was happier than Courtney Barnett, who nabbed the highly coveted Album of the Year award, and no one was more disappointed than triple j’s listeners.

As we noted, in the hours following triple j’s announcement the station’s official Facebook page was inundated with dissatisfied J fans who didn’t feel Barnett and her debut album were deserving of the Album of the Year title.

Many aimed criticism directly at triple j, accusing the national youth broadcaster of a number of (seemingly contradictory) charges, including parroting the pop charts, appeasing ‘hipsters’, and harbouring an indie bias.

But one band who won’t hear anything of it is The Basics, vanguards of all that is good and Australian. They recently took to Facebook to defend triple j from the slings and arrows, hailing it as one of the few places where you can actually hear Aussie music on the airwaves.

“Yet again triple j is under fire,” they wrote on Facebook. “It doesn’t matter what about (though we happen to think Courtney is feckin great) – the News Feed was burning alive with anti-J sentiment yesterday.”

“Why? What is it about the station that attracts the ire of so many? Is it because maybe they’re the only National broadcaster that actually *does* give two shits about trying to champion new music and sounds?”

“When are we going to start putting pressure on DMG (Nova) and Austereo (Fox, Triple M, etc etc) to significantly increase their support of locally-made music? We always excuse them from scrutiny because ‘they’re just after the advertising dollars.'”

“Well I’ve had enough of that apathetic attitude toward how these networks maintain a radio license without requiring them to support our industry beyond the absolute minimum.”

“If Triple J has done one thing well is consistently programme a balance of local and overseas content. And they’re killing it in the ratings!! Advertisers take note. Enough with the Triple J bashing.”

“Enough of the Richard Kingsmill bashing. Nobody’s perfect, but Triple J, Double J and triple j Unearthed are doing everything they can for your music (and mine). Rant out.” See the full rant in all its uproarious glory below.

Yet again triple j is under fire. It doesn't matter what about (though we happen to think Courtney is feckin great) -…

Posted by The Basics onSunday, November 22, 2015

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