HELP BLONDINE AFFORD TO PUT MUSIC OUT...WITH CENTIPEDES

Hello everyone! We are a grungey-electronic Manchester band called Blondine, trying to put out an EP we've wanted to do for years. And we have planned our first tour (and its a headline tour!) For May. This is financially tricky atm (neurodivergent/zero hours contract members/DIY band) but we have a plan. It involves centipedes.

THE PLAN:

We have written an EP, we have the visuals and the music vids planned out, and we are so desperate to put out a body of work that shows what we've been up to together as a 5 piece, and progress this band and keep the tiny bit of momentum we have right now. We also have got 5 gigs outside of Manchester for the first time, and want to get on the road so badly!!

HOW DO WE FUND THIS?

We're bringing back 'Merch first'!! Centipede is our first single. We want to make a load of centipede clothing happen before the single release, so we can fund the music!

WHY 'MERCH FIRST' ?

Having merch makes this band self-sustaining. Merch is the best way to support bands in the early stages! Money from this goes back into merch, but it's also a reliable way to get enough funds for the actual music/actual projects we have!

And we LOVE making these mini clothing lines! Designing the merch is so much fun and another creative outlet. Its so cool when people have requests and we can tailor it to individuals, and we see them wearing them, and it honestly fills our heart.

DONATION TIERS:

we wanna give something back as soon as we can. So if you donate anything in these ranges, this is what can happen!

£5 -9 - centipede patch!

£10-14 - centipede tote bag!!

£15-29 - centipede t-shirt

£30+ we will make WHATEVER you want (if it's possible with the equipment) - dress?Jacket? Shirt? Skirt? Anything else you can think of? We are sooooo down.

If we make over our goal, it's gonna go towards the EP, and if it's in one of these price ranges, we will send you centipede merch!!

Just make sure we have a way to contact you/an email/DM us on insta (@blondineband) with proof of donation. We will aim to get this to you by May 2nd (if we hit the goal!)

you can stop reading here if you like! The next bit is just showing exactly where this money is going, how it will work, and about the EP!

WHERE IS THE MONEY GOING?

- We do things a bit different, and we do it ourselves! The stock comes from charity shops, which is a great way to help us, and help the causes these shops raise money for!

- it's the screens/equipment. And getting it here. A one-time cost pretty much, that'll last ages!

(Screens, ink, getting my gear from Bristol)

- it goes back into the creative community! For the EP it's going towards film-makers/producers/photographers who are local to us, who we love, and supports them! Since this is how they make their living.

- paying our friend who does all of our merch design! He is very talented and puts in a lot of time and work for us!

HOW THE PRICING WILL WORK AT OUR GIGS

Wherever we sell it, we like to do it as a 'pay what you can' - sometimes people have a little bit extra at the time, and they want to support us, so it's a bit more! Sometimes people would love something, but it's just not totally viable for them at the time, so it's a bit less! It all balances out in the end, but it's a model we all feel good about, and feels more inclusive for everyone who comes to see us!

Just makes sense right?

THE EP:

Total multi genre. There's alternative, there's electronic, there's shoegaze, there's acoustic. Covers friends helping eachother through addiction, idolisation/intense relationships, S.A, but all with a kind of hopeful/optimistic lense? We think for some people, you gotta have that lens to survive and get through things sometimes! Also we're doing a music video series for all of them!

We're excited about it!!

We hope you think so too. And no pressure! But if you got a spare couple of quid, that would really help us kick-start this band again!

Thankyou!

- Evie

(Pictures feature the last stages of the centipede design process, and our previous line of leech clothing, which will be a similar vibe!)