About this project

There are some very exciting things going on for Asobi Seksu in the next few months.

In a couple of weeks we fly to England to tour with a band called White Lies, who are a very big deal over there. We're thrilled that they've asked us to play because it means we'll be performing in the largest venues we've ever played - and for a lot of new people who probably haven't heard much about Asobi Seksu. Such great exposure is priceless, and a wonderful opportunity for us.

But with the exposure comes a huge financial loss for the band!

Confused as to why we won't strike it rich on tour?

Let’s play a little game called Myth & Reality.

Myth: Asobi Seksu will make loads and loads of cash touring England with White Lies.

Reality: Support bands on large tours like this make next to nothing. The headliners rely on the fact that the exposure is incentive enough – so they don’t offer much in the way of actual money. It’s nothing against White Lies – we most definitely appreciate the chance to tour with them. It’s simply the nature of this business we’re in. And since we're traveling all the way to England from New York, we have to spend a lot of money on necessities: plane tickets, gear rental, van rental, tour manager, sound engineer, hotels (even the cheap ones without heat are expensive!), gas, food, etc. These costs add up quickly, and each day we'll spend more money than we earn. So we actually stand to lose over $10,000 on the tour. That's the trade-off to play for 4,000 people a night, instead of, say, 300. Worth it? We think so!

You all – our friends, family, fans, and supporters of independent artists – are the reason we’ve been able to keep Asobi Seksu alive all these years - and we want to keep on growing. We have until December 31st to raise as much money as possible, and we're going to need every penny to fund the tour. So please make a pledge today - it will go a very long way towards keeping Asobi Seksu on the road - and out of debt!

Also coming up is the release of our acoustic album, ReWolf, in November. To celebrate we are planning a one-time only acoustic tour of the US in January. We want these shows to be really beautiful and intimate, so we'll be playing smaller venues than usual - which in turn means less income. So any extra money we can raise here will be put towards expenses of the acoustic tour in January.

We understand times are tough for everyone so this might not be the best time to tackle both of these tours, but we have a feeling the shows are going to be some of our best ever. It'll be rewarding for us in so many ways...just not financially.

We'll be posting many updates throughout this fundraiser that will be exclusive to you guys who donate money - so please come back to check those out.

Thanks for reading - we love you!

------
INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING:

We've had several inquiries about shipping outside the US. We are happy to do it. For all rewards that include vinyl, simply add $30 to your pledge and we'll ship to you anywhere outside the US.

If your reward does not include vinyl, the international shipping cost is only $10 extra.

The way this works is that at the end date of the project (December 31st) all Backers will receive an individual message asking for your shipping address. Once we have your address we'll be shipping out the goodies right away. Hooray!

Again - please add $30 to your pledge for shipping outside the United States if you are receiving vinyl, and only add $10 to your pledge if your reward does not include vinyl (just t-shirt, postcard, buttons, etc).

Please send us a message with any questions and we'll be happy to answer them for you.

ACOUSTIC US tour dates:
Jan 14 Santa Barbara, CA @ Soho Restaurant & Music Club
Jan 15 La Jolla, CA @ UCSD at The Loft
Jan 16 Los Angeles, CA @ The Hotel Cafe
Jan 17 San Francisco, CA @ Swedish American Hall
Jan 19 Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
Jan 20 Seattle, WA @ The Triple Door
Jan 21 Vancouver, BC @ Media Club
Jan 27 Utica, NY @ Mohawk Valley Community College – Performing Arts Theatre
Jan 28 Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
Jan 29 New York, NY @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
Jan 30 Boston, MA @ Café 939
Feb 01 Toronto @ The Drake
Feb 02 Detroit, MI @ The Cafe at the Majestic Theatre
Feb 03 Chicago, IL @ Schubas
Feb 04 St Louis, MO @ Old Rockhouse
Feb 05 Gambier, OH @ Kenyan College at The Horn Gallery (free show, open to public)

------

UK TOUR DATES
Nov 18 Bournemouth UK @ Academy w/White Lies
Nov 19 London UK @ Academy w/White LIes
Nov 22 Leeds UK @ Academy w/White Lies
Nov 23 Norwich UK @ UEA w/White Lies
Nov 24 Sheffield UK @ Academy w/White Lies
Nov 25 Nottingham UK @ Rock City w/White Lies
Nov 27 Manchester UK @ Apollo w/White Lies
Nov 28 Glasgow UK @ Academy w/White Lies
Nov 29 Newcastle UK @ Academy w/White Lies
Dec 01 Portsmouth UK @ Guildhall w/White Lies
Dec 02 Bristol UK @ Academy w/White Lies
Dec 04 Cardiff UK @ University w/White LIes
Dec 05 Birmingham UK @ Academy w/White Lies
Dec 07 London UK @ Cargo - Asobi Seksu headline show

166

Backers

$8,173

pledged of $7,500 goal

0

seconds to go

Project By

Asobi Seksu

New York, NY

Send Message

SPIN **** (4 stars): “This Brooklyn group's previous albums established them as shoegaze confectioners, molding candy swirls out of Yuki Chikudate's soaring, translucent voice and guitarist James Hanna's Kevin Shields–worshiping production. But here, Asobi Seksu do something My Bloody Valentine can't -- leave Shields behind."

MOJO **** (4 stars): “Cavernous, post-shoegazing pop from Brooklyn”

NEW YORK TIMES: "What was once called shoegazer-rock -- shimmering, multilayered guitars enfolding confessions of longing and ambiguity -- is back in Asobi Seksu, a New York band that wraps its guitars and keyboard around well-made pop melodies and the girlish ache of Yuki Chikudate's voice."

PITCHFORK: "Yes, the guitar overload, massive reverb, and deceptively sweet vocals are all there, but this New York quartet is anything but a My Bloody Valentine retread. Frontwoman Yuki Chikudate gives the band a charismatic focus, and her vocals range from a soulful croon to a delicate wisp. Whether she's singing in Japanese or English (she does both in about equal measure), she always keeps it catchy, and that squishing sound you hear when she sings "put your tongue up to my battery" on "Nefi+Girly" is indie boys melting across the country."