Some bands will go to any length in order to tour the UK, especially Asobi Seksu – who are so desperate to support White Lies across this fair land that they’re asking for fans to help out with the costs.

Dispersing with the myth that “Asobi Seksu will make loads and loads of cash touring England with White Lies”, the band have said:

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 [sic] 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!

The band are asking fans to help out and make their UK support slot a reality. They have until 31 December to raise as much money as possible and at the time of writing – midday on 4 December – they’ve managed to make 75% of their target.

Anyone who stumps up cash in support of the band won’t just be helping them come over here though, there are actually incentives for people to pledge more and more. Including…

• Pledge $1 or more: A digital download of one song from our new acoustic album, ReWolf.
• Pledge $5 or more: A digital download of the entire acoustic album.
• Pledge $10 or more: A personalized thank you postcard + Asobi Seksu buttons + the acoustic album download.
• Pledge $15 or more: A signed physical copy of the Transparence 10” (on clear vinyl!) which was released in August + the acoustic album download.
• Pledge $25 or more: A signed and personalized Asobi Seksu poster + a signed physical copy of the Transparence 10” (on clear vinyl!) + the acoustic album download + Asobi Seksu buttons.

You get the idea. Anyway, this goes on up to a pledge of $5,000 or more, for which the lucky donater will receive “a private acoustic performance for you and your friends anywhere in the New York/Tri-State area”.

Not bad, and certainly a novel idea. You can head over here to track the band’s progress, see how many people have pledged, and maybe donate a bit of cash of your own. They’ve been here with the band since November, and there are only three nights of the tour left – lets hope it’s all been worthwhile!