Empire of the Sun collaborator Nick Littlemore has spoken out against the band’s past wardrobe decisions, saying that he “would not wear those costumes” today.
Littlemore, who is also a member of ARIA-winning trio Pnau, says that at the advent of Empire of the Sun, he and second member Luke Steele imagined a band driven by high fantasy and futuristic attire.
With a brand new understanding of the cultural roots that most of their costumes derived from, Littlemore has signalled that those old costumes would not be worn again as they were 13 years ago.
“There’s no denying the inspiration of other cultures that were woven into the first album,” Littlemore told the Sydney Morning Herald. “We shot music videos in China and Mexico and their cultures certainly carried the visual narrative from the landscapes, cityscapes and costumes.
“I’ve also personally always had a love of psychedelia and dream states which traditionally belong to shamanic cultures.
“I think society has learned a lot over the years about the sensitivity of using other cultural identities to drive their own projects. It’s important to listen to these voices and I do support them. It wasn’t ever the motivation behind Empire, however today I would not wear those same costumes as I did 13 years ago,” says Littlemore.
“I’d hate to think we ever offended anyone, we’ve only ever tried to express unity and create a magical world.”
Such awareness, though late, is always welcome, especially in the advent of such tragic events as Adele appearing on Instagram with Bantu knots.
