If you want an Australian icon to execute some batshit crazy idea, all you have to do is ask. That’s what Oh Mercy singer/guitarist Alexander Gow learned when he solicited the band’s sophomore album artwork from artist and brand unto himself Ken Done. Pretty fitting really. Oh Mercy’s Privileged Woes followup is called Great Barrier Grief and Done is singlehandedly responsible for Australia’s visual identity for much of the late 80s and 90s. Hash tag Australiana.
Reports Mess and Noise: “Gow pitched the idea to Done via email, after which he was invited to the artist’s gallery at The Rocks in Sydney. “I met his family, and we just had a chat about art and music. It was enough to make him say, ‘Yeah, I’ll do it,’” Gow says. “His wife just said that I got him on a good day – he turns people away all the time. I consider myself lucky.””
Gow wanted an image that was “vibrant and “bold”. This is what Done came up with.
