Ahead of a support tour with US pop rock legends and labelmates Hellogoodbye in May, indie-punk/emo collective itoldyouiwouldeatyou are delighted to reveal the lineup for The Queer Escape 2019, set to take place during The Great Escape Festival on 9th May 2019 at The Richmond, Brighton.
The Queer Escape is an annual alternative celebration of the vibrant queer scene coursing through underground culture across the arts in the UK, featuring some of the band’s favourite musicians, artists, poets and collaborators on one bill.
Alongside a set from itoldyouiwouldeatyou, the lineup includes Melbourne punk trio Cable Ties, Brighton noise-rock quintet DITZ, the heartbreaking emo-inflected indie of flirting., Lucinda Livingstone of shoegaze/lo-fi punk band Cultdreams, a short-form theatre piece by frequent visual collaborators Clumsy Bodies, recent Welsh hip-hop collaborator KINGKHAN, and a poetry recital fromAlison Rumfitt.
Commenting on the event’s drive to raise funds for UK charity Mermaids, ITYIWEY vocalist Joey Ashworth says: “To mature as a member of a marginalised group in the UK means growing up constantly aware of our infamous tabloids, the power of which make us the envy of fascists across the world. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of noticing the slowing of the British news cycle and wondering if this time it’s hatred of you that they’ll use to kick start it again.
“Few charities have courted quite as much bile from the UK’s right wing press as Mermaids who, frankly, must be doing something right to have become the right’s snowflake-du-jour over the last few years. They could have been gifting solid gold to old ladies and the headline would read ‘Extremist Charity Weighs Down Our Brave OAPs – How To Stop It’.
“So let’s talk about what they’re actually doing. Mermaids offer support to trans and gender-diverse kids and teenagers, as well as offering rare and vital support to parents. They provide practical information on trans rights in school and the workplace, as well as safety information on the correct use of binders for your chest. On their website they moderate forums for kids to discuss their experiences and their feelings about gender dysphoria, school or just whatever they like.
“What matters is that in a world where too many people are attempting to derail discussions about LGBTQIA+ issues with pearl-clutching ‘think of the children’ rhetoric, Mermaids is allowing young trans people to just be kids on the internet. That shouldn’t be so unusual.
“They are giving the help trans and gender diverse kids need, whether it’s advice to parents as to how to understand and talk about gender diversity or guides for teachers navigating queerness in students. Mermaids has been doing this work since 1995, which is the year I was born. I wish when I was a non-binary teenager I had known, my parents had known, my teachers had known. Mermaids makes the step to opening up a world where that’s possible for the next kid.
“So come to this show, stick some money in the bucket and let’s all go hard for a good cause.”
Following a support stint with hotly-tipped Liverpool punks Queen Zee, the band recently revealed a packed UK festival run for the year, including Moving North Festival, Washed Out Festival, Stockton Calling, Strangeforms, Handmade Festival, The Great Escape, and 2000 Trees Festival.
ITYIWEY’s latest single ‘Almost Zero’ is out now on Alcopop! Records x Failure By Design, released alongside hip-hop collaboration b-side ‘KO#1’ which premiered with Complex Magazine recently. The track features vocals from Signor Benedick the Moor, Master Peace, WORSTWORLDPROBLEMS, and more.
Over the past year, ITYIWEY have slowly but surely been assembling a family of like-minded fans and friends across the country. Building on their previous material, 2018’s Get Terrified EP and debut album, Oh Dearism, were a further exploration of the band’s talent for finding balance within their own sound, as they straddle a range of genres from punk, emo and math-rock to wall-of-noise guitar parts and lo-fi indie.
itoldyouiwouldeatyou UK Live Dates:
March 16 – Moving North Festival, Manchester
April 12 – Washed Out Festival, Brighton
April 20 – Stockton Calling Festival, Stockton
April 27 – Strangeforms Festival, Leeds
May 05 – Handmade Festival, Leicester
May 09 – The Queer Escape @ The Richmond, Brighton
May 11 – The Great Escape Festival @ The Prince Albert, Brighton
May 21 – O2 Academy, Birmingham *
May 22 – The Sound House, Dublin *
May 23 – King Tuts Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow *
May 24 – Bush Hall, London *
July 11-14 – 2000Trees Festival, Cheltenham
* w/ Hellogoodbye