New single release
They Built Ankle has shared a new single titled “Pay for Rent” while launching a campaign to raise awareness “to help maintain the light of the turbus.”
The song serves as the second preview of the experimental dance punk outfit’s upcoming fourth album, ‘Hard Times Furious Dancing’, set to be released on March 28 through the Leaf label (Pre-order here).
About the campaign
According to the members of the Austin group, the inexhaustible electric sound captures the essence of “Dancing on the suffering of the situation,” addressing the challenges that people in the arts face during the cost of living crisis.
“Gas tuning!” the group warns listeners during the furious single before questioning: “How will we pay the rent?“
According to the press release, the campaign targets the “architects of Brexit” who have intensified issues, making it nearly impossible for touring artists to sustain their livelihoods.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brlqkbnbnbk7w
The London group has also announced the Gofundtrees campaign launching tomorrow (February 21) at 10:00 on Greenwich time. Register here
This initiative allows fans and the public to understand the true costs of touring in 2025 while offering a chance to donate to the group before their upcoming tour. The hope is that this will “help keep the turbus lights” shining as they hit the road.
“As part of the awareness campaign, fans can join a live virtual HIIT session, attend a fierce dance party at Epping Forest, purchase the infamous Ghillie Ghillie costumes, and buy exclusive merchandise,” the description states.
Built Ankle is set to embark on their largest tour to date next month, which includes a performance at Fabric in London on May 15. See the full schedule below, and Find remaining tickets here.
Upcoming tour dates
MARCH
05 – Bedford Esquires, Bedford
06 – Junction, Cambridge
07 – Norwich Arts Center, Norwich
08 – Kolchester Arts Center, Kolchester
11 – Crookes Social Club, Sheffield
12 – Crescent, York
13 – Georgian Theater, Stockton-on-Tees
14 – Room 2, Glasgow
15 – Gross Trade, Liverpool
18 – Face Bar, Reading
19 – CLWB iFor Bach, Cardiff
20 – Lantern Hall, Bristol
21 – Babbels and Gonchiki, Birmingham
22 – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
MAY
09 – Forum, Tunbridge Wells
10 – Kitten, Guildford
13 – Old Market, Brighton
14 – Papillon, Southampton
15 – Fabric, London
16 – Tin, Coventry
17 – Melstersky Festival @ Projekts Skatepark, Manchester
The upcoming “Hard Times of Furious Dancing” will follow Smapped Ankles’ 2021 album “Forest of Your Plas.”
This new album aims to explore the chaotic challenges of our time, including “technocratic rulers, the cost of living crisis, and the weight of simply paying rent.” The LP also features the recent single “Raul.”
In 2023, reports indicated that nearly 50 percent of British musicians have experienced reduced work in Europe since Brexit. Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham criticized the “ridiculous” post-Brexit rules affecting artists touring Europe, advocating for a “free exchange” of performances.
This concern arose following warnings to the British government about the potential for mass unemployment among musicians and crew in 2022, as testimonies revealed the damage already inflicted by Brexit on artists wishing to tour Europe.
Figures from the British music industry previously discussed with NME how the first summer post-pandemic revealed that Brexit complications are “suffocating the next generation of British talent in the cradle.”
At the end of 2023, the inaugural “Out of the Music Conference” in Manchester examined the multiple crises facing the music industry, including the ongoing impacts of Brexit on British artists attempting to tour Europe.
https://www.nme.com/news/music/snapped-ankles-share-new-single-pay-the-rent-launch-gofundtrees-campaign-3839861?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=snapped-ankles-share-new-single-pay-the-rent-launch-gofundtrees-campaign
