Chatterbox: Butler trio play for peace

Can you remember what you were doing on July 10, 1985, the day the Rainbow Warrior was bombed?

Musician John Butler was a 10-year-old dealing with the divorce of his parents and an impending move from California to Australia. At that age he couldn't have contemplated the terror that had struck on the other side of the world, when French agents bombed an Auckland-based Greenpeace boat bound for Mururoa, killing photographer Fernando Pereira. Twenty years on, Butler has rejigged his tour of America to commemorate the event.

The John Butler Trio will headline the Greenpeace tribute gig at the St James tomorrow night, joining local acts Steriogram, D4, Che Fu, Don McGlashan, OpShop and Rhombus. "It's a huge honour to be asked," Butler says from New York. "Greenpeace are one of the most organised and influential activist groups in the world. They've done a lot of good things and put their necks on the line for all of us."

Butler has always treated music as a form of activism. Last year he donated the proceeds from his band's tour to a tree-sitting protest against the logging of Tasmanian bush. As a devoted environmentalist, he hopes the proceeds from tomorrow's concert will be used to combat global warming, the use of uranium and the clear-felling of the world's rainforests.

But the gig for Greenpeace will be a "double-edged sword", Butler says. "In one way it's going to be a very sombre moment because of the loss of life. It's unfortunate that organisations and countries feel they have to go to such extremes to stop really good things like nuclear power ruining our world.

"On the other hand, it's going to be a real celebration of how New Zealand dealt with it and how Greenpeace bounced back and really changed a negative into a positive. You said 'no' to nuclear vessels and no to nuclear power. You really stood up to the test and came out stronger because of it, with more pride and respect and dignity than most countries would."

* Musicians explain why they felt driven to play the Greenpeace gig.

Jason Kerrison, OpShop:

"Out of solidarity as a country, a sense of compassion for what happened and to celebrate that we stood up for ourselves as a nation. It is also a reminder that these issues didn't just go away 20 years ago. Being nuclear free is still relevant."

Jimmy Christmas, D4:

"To bring awareness about that particular experience, where there was also a loss of life within a peacetime situation."

Ahmen Mahal, Rhombus:

"New Zealand is a real player on the world stage of conservation, and the better the job she does, the more pressure on the rest of the world to toe the line."

Anton Carter, Rhombus:

"Greenpeace are about saving the environment and bringing important issues to people's attention. As an MC my kaupapa is similar but with music."

Koa Williams, Rhombus:

"I can only admire and respect those who actually put their lives at risk for these causes and hope that my small contribution makes a difference."

* Additional reporting by Jessica Satherley