Green days: why outsider musicians are putting eco-consciousness on record

Anohni and THEEsatisfaction are in the vanguard of artists using their music to challenge ecocide and resist big business on behalf of minorities

Last month, Anohni (formerly Antony and the Johnsons) became the first transgendered artist to be nominated for an Oscar - a benchmark moment organisers felt was important enough to warrant a mention on their trivia page, but not a live appearance: "I want to be clear - I know that I wasn't excluded from the performance directly because I am transgendered," said Anonhi in an open letter, entitled 'Why I am not attending the Academy Awards'. "I was not invited to perform because I am relatively unknown in the US, singing a song about ecocide, and that might not sell advertising space."

It's true: despite decades of warnings from top scientists, ecocide remains an unfashionable issue, thanks in no small part to intensive lobbying and spin from agribusiness, biotech corporations and carbon barons, who use art world patronage to create an illusion of benevolence.