Albanese, Biden to tighten alliance at ‘Love Shack’ dinner

United States President Joe Biden has arranged for band The B52s to perform at a state dinner for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, in a sign of the effort being made in Washington DC to welcome the Australian leader on a visit that has been undercut by chaos in Congress.

The new wave band, known for hits such as Love Shack and Rock Lobster, will be the star act at the dinner on the south lawn of the White House when more than 100 guests join the two leaders and their partners on Wednesday night.

A state dinner will be closely watched as a guide to the relationship between Anthony Albanese and Joe Biden.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen/AP

Albanese, an avowed fan of 1980s music, has been tight-lipped about the event after arriving in the US capital on Sunday night with a stated mission to use four days of meetings to cement the AUKUS defence pact, act on climate change and deepen cooperation on the supply of critical minerals.

But the state dinner is being watched closely as a guide to the relationship between Biden and Albanese and how their personal ties will influence the next phase of the AUKUS alliance, which assumes the US will sell several nuclear-powered submarines to Australia and transfer technology to help build a new fleet in South Australia.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters the state dinner would go ahead despite the conflict in the Middle East, when asked whether there was any concern that the celebration might seem tone deaf to some because of the suffering in Israel and Gaza.

“We believe that there is no more important time than now to have this state visit with the Australians, and to demonstrate, of course, our strength and partnership and alliances,” she said.

“Having these conversations with one of our allies, like Australia, is incredibly important.

“You’re going to see two leaders come together, continuing to talk about the partnership that they’re hoping to continue to put forward.

“And so, look, it doesn’t stop the work that the president has continued to do, whether it’s these diplomatic conversations, these important bilateral visits, or whether it’s domestic issues here - right here in this country.”

While there has been speculation that prominent Australians ranging from Nicole Kidman to Margot Robbie might attend the dinner, the White House maintains tight control of the guest list and neither the US or Australia has leaked details of those who will attend.

However, this masthead reported that Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys has flown to the United States to attend the state dinner as a guest of the prime minister.

With Australian billionaire Anthony Pratt making headlines after this masthead revealed his remarks about former president Donald Trump, a source familiar with this week’s plans, but not authorised to speak publicly about the event, said Pratt was not expected to attend the Wednesday night dinner.

The last state dinner at the White House for an Australian leader was held four years ago when then prime minister Scott Morrison and his wife, Jenny, joined Trump and his wife, Melania, at a head table that also included Pratt, News Corp executive chairman Lachlan Murdoch and golfer Greg Norman.

Other guests at the September 2019 dinner included Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas, former secretary of state Henry Kissinger and Seven West Media chairman Kerry Stokes.

The White House confirmed to online news service The Deadline that the B52s would perform at the dinner, after the news was first reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the major newspaper in the band’s home city in Georgia.

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