D.C. punk band Ekko Astral have teamed up with nationwide collective and not-for-profit group Gender Liberation Movement to stage a brand new music and humanities pageant. Liberation Weekend will happen Could 30 and 31 in Washinton D.C., that includes performances from Ekko Astral themselves, Home Is Where, Ted Leo, Speedy Ortiz, and extra. Take a look at the pageant poster and full billing under.
“The rationale we’re placing this occasion on is easy: artists of all genders and genres ought to stand in vocal assist of the trans neighborhood,” Ekko Astral bandleader Jael Holzman mentioned in a press assertion. “If you happen to stand for freedom of expression, you assist trans rights. If you happen to consider in loving your neighbor, you assist trans rights. Music is humanity’s most common language—and we’d like our greatest artists to come back collectively in assist of our neighborhood now earlier than it’s too late.”
Proceeds from Liberation Weekend will fund Gender Liberation Motion’s rallies, demonstrations, and direct actions in protest of anti-trans companies and policymaking. The occasion can even embody a dance afterparty and a “showcase” of Red Hot Organization’s Transa compilation that includes L’Rain, Bartees Strange, and Asher White. Ekko Astral are set to carry out at each Pitchfork Music Festival London and Pitchfork Music Festival Paris later this yr.
Revisit Nina Corcoran’s assessment of Ekko Astral’s Pink Balloons at examine it at No. 1 on “The 30 Best Rock Albums of 2024.”