To celebrate their tour announcement, Pillow Queens have collaborated with Dublin visual artist David Balfe to create a unique accompaniment for the album’s song ‘Liffey’.
The band reached out to their fans, friends and family and asked them to submit photos of themselves. David then incorporated these hundreds of self-portraits to create his stunning visuals.
David Balfe: “The whole thing for me is this video being an effort to maximise direct engagement with fans (which I think is a beautiful thing to do and also really beneficial) and it just seemingly being impossible to make films at the moment if you’re adhering to the guidelines in place. I think this kind of video is one of the few alternatives in place to make film pieces fully socially distanced while also engaging with the human form and not just fully falling into the realms of animation.
At its heart, this video is a reimagining of the story of Medusa, building from its mythology and offering an alternative and contemporary take on it. Tying together the real and surreal into an immersive and psychedelic look at modern isolation in uncertain times.”
Events currently taking place throughout the world only serve to stoke a fire under the likes of Pillow Queens, who find themselves continually inspired by a Dublin that is no stranger to fighting social injustice. Street artists, fashion designers, musicians, film makers and more comprise a scene which routinely champions queerness and marginalized groups, and engages with and activates young people in response to the likes of the city’s ongoing housing and mental health crises. Pillow Queens’ songs of togetherness and unity ring out louder than ever before.
In their short lifespan as a band they’ve released two demo EPs, performed on a successful string of UK & Irish dates & festival appearances, had playlisting from BBC 6 Music, and found themselves opening for the likes of American Football and Pussy Riot, as well as stadium performances opening for IDLES and Future Islands.
With all this under their belt, the band began working with Mercury Prize nominated producer Tommy McLaughlin for their single ‘Gay Girls’ – which received a nomination for the RTE Choice Music Prize song of the year, as well as International pickup from NPR’s World Cafe and KEXP. The song also found its way into the heart of actor Cillian Murphy and his BBC6 Mixtape show.
2019 saw Pillow Queens venture into mainland Europe, as they lit up the Eurosonic festival and completed a string of tour dates opening for Soak. The tour was a messy and joyous affair captured beautifully in the DIY video for the bands summer single ‘HowDoILook‘.
The band were then invited to perform a live session for KEXP at Iceland Airwaves, then further shows in NYC and LA, before SXSW 2020 beckoned. Tour dates are being rescheduled for 2021.
PILLOW QUEENS – Ireland / UK tour 2021
19.02 Listowel Mike the Pies
26.02 Dublin Button Factory
04.03 Kilkenny Set Theatre
05.03 Galway Roisin Dubh
06.03 Limerick Dolans
11.03 Belfast Ulster Sports Club
12.03 Dundalk Spirit Store
13.03 Derry Sandinos
25.04 Glasgow Stereo
26.04 Manchester Yes
28.04 London The Lexington
29.04 Brighton Green Door Store
30.04 Liverpool Arts Club Loft
04.05 Birmingham Sunflower Lounge
06.05 Bristol Crofters Rights
In Waiting tracklisting:
1. Holy Show
2. Child Of Prague
3. Handsome Wife
4. HowDoILook
5. Liffey
6. A Dog’s Life
7. Gay Girls
8. Harvey
9. Brothers
10. Donaghmede
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