Foo Fighters, LCD Soundsystem, Radiohead Design Bikes For Charity
A host of top names from the world of music – Foo Fighters, LCD Soundsystem, Radiohead sleeve designer Stanley Donwood, Phoebe Bridgers, Underworld, Enrique Igleasias, Rise Against, Khruangbin, Nathan East, Dinosaur Jr, Oh Wonder, Sub Pop and Neko Case – have joined forces with Brompton to design a series of folding bikes for charity.
The unique, custom-built bikes will be auctioned to raise money for Live Nation’s Crew Nation, a global relief fund designed to provide support for those who work in live music and have had their livelihoods massively affected by the lack of gigs during the pandemic.
Each of the 13 one-off bikes in the collection will be offered on Greenhouse Auctions, starting on 28 May 2021 and ending on 21 June, with 100 per cent of the profits going to Crew Nation.
The campaign launched today (28 April) with the unveiling of Radiohead, Oh Wonder, Rise Against and Khruangbin’s designs on the campaign website, with the remaining designs due to be revealed in the weeks leading up to the charity auction.
It’s a cause close to the heart of Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien, who said, “Thank you to Brompton for asking us to be a part of their campaign to raise funds for Crew Nation. We love our crew and we love our Brompton bikes.” And Radiohead designer Stanley Donwood echoed the sentiment, adding, “I’m ridiculously happy to have been asked to design a Brompton bike that’ll be auctioned to raise money (and awareness) for Crew Nation. Brompton bikes are fantastic zippy folding freedom machines and crews are the unsung heroes of every gig, festival or live events that you’ve ever been to.”
Meanwhile, Rise Against’s lead singer and guitarist was equally happy to be on board: “Our road crew are our family and we rely on them to bring you the show we play in your town. While some of the gears of industry kept moving this last year, the live music industry ground to a complete stop and has yet to meaningfully resume. Consequently, our crew and the road crews around the world have been unable to do their respective jobs; we’re all very thankful that Crew Nation has stepped in to help bridge the gap until the lights come back on.”