"PSYCHOSIS TOUR´23. Los Putos Arkada in Europe.

Psychosis Tour ´23

Fulfilling our dreams

France, Switzerland and Germany. Beautiful countries with incredible landscapes that we all wish to visit. We in “Los Putos Arkada” know this well, since for work reasons we have traveled quite much around Europe. The bass player is the expert in Northern Europe and Scandinavia. The singer, in Eastern Europe and the Balcans. The guitarist and drummer, Switzerland. All about work.

But when one has been playing for years in a band and go for gigs in all these countries, one can’t help it. You see yourself in those stages. The crowd dancing to your music. Dreams are for free.

This is when the “live music virus” that we all carry starts to manifest. We all in the band have carried this virus for long. We share the same passion, the same interests, and often fantasize about the same crazy idea: we should leave everything behind and just show what defines us best. What we really are.

VERKAMI could be an option.

The reason why we have decided to use Verkami to ask for your support is to fulfill this dream. What every musician wants, to take their music as far away as possible. Especially to discharge it live.

This project aims to cover the cost of a tour that will go around France, Switzerland, Germany and maybe the Czech Republic over a month.

Several shows are already confirmed, although we are still working on closing many more. The idea is to be as self-sufficient economically as possible. However, this is difficult to predict in advance, and this is where the potential money from Verkami plays a role. It may for example help covering accommodation for a couple of days if there is some time between shows. We’ll explain this more in depth later.

Our VERKAMI project “PSYCHOSIS TOUR´23” is aimed to start on 29.11.23 in Montilla (Cordoba, Spain) and end 31.12.23 when we would get back home again. In between, 32 days, 9000 km, 5 countries, and a huge load of cities.

Crossing the first border.

The first show outside Spain will be the 1.12.23. In France, more specifically in Le Crès, near Montpellier. The collective “Le KJBI” accepted our idea to commence the Tour´23 with them. [Youtube video unavailable]

Afterwards we’ll head towards Lyon and enter Switzerland through Geneva until Basel, where we will also play. From here we will have a long way north through Germany almost until the Danish border.

Is a Verkami project necessary to organize this tour?

This trip will require a remarkable budget. Expenses in tolls, fuel, accommodation, food, and the likely unexpected circumstances that always arise in these situations, will surely require a good amount of cash.

Highways in France are all about tolls, and fuel is very expensive. Crossing all France and Switzerland through Geneva can entail spending over 200€ in tolls. Thus, we are trying to close as many shows as possible so that we can cover the highest amount of expenses. We have a few confirmed, but we continue to work to get many more. As many as possible during those 32 days.

The problem may come if there are a few days without gigs. Then, covering the accommodation in a hostel and food for 6 can be expensive, in the range of 170€ per day. Sleeping in a van 6 people in northern Germany in December when it’s probably below 0º does not seem a great idea 🙂

But closing gigs this long in advance is not easy. After sending over 100 emails to venues, pubs, collectives, etc., linked to live music, they mostly do respond very positively, but they do not dare to book dates this early in the year. It’s too early.

Promoters in France, Switzerland, Germany and Spain agree, underground gigs for December are often closed from September onwards. This is, once the season starts again. “And why not, -you reader may ask- doing it in summer?” Well, summer is not the season for underground concerts in Europe, but rather for festivals. After summer holidays are over, workers and students are back in the cities, and the programs of live music venues start running again. In addition, we are an international band. The bass player lives in Norway, the drummer in Switzerland, and the guitar player is a professional in a Spanish orchestra with most dates over the summer. Thus, the only time when we can all do this is December.

We have informal confirmation and commitment from more than 10 other venues to close shows. However, the majority of these places are collectives, who gather periodically in order to organize the plans for the venues and make the crucial decisions. This entails that decisions for December will be made from August-September, and therefore we cannot announce those informal dates.

As a result, the Verkami Project becomes vital. It can be a way to ensure that if some of those gigs finally do not take place, at least we can cover the costs of staying there until the next.

100% confirmed shows are Le Crès on 1.12.23, Basel on 11.12.23, Braunschweig on 15.12.23 (1314 km away) and Elmshorn 16.12.23 (233 km further north).

Places in between where we will surely play (90%) are Zürich, Schopfheim, München, Leipzig and Berlin, as well as the Basque Country on our way back to Spain. However, 100% confirmation of these shows will not come until September onwards. Other promoters ensure that they will take us into account, but cannot confirm anything yet. Our experience suggests that some will not work out, while others will surely come up.

As such, there is the possibility that some gigs get canceled, that new ones are confirmed, and that the route needs to be modified accordingly. Our overall idea is to have an organized route up north following a straight line. Economically and ecologically efficient. But things may change.

Arriving in Switzerland

After France, we’ll head to Geneva in Switzerland where we will most likely also close a show. Upon entering in Switzerland, we’ll have a first expense of approximately 40 € to obtain the famous “Vignette”. This is a requirement that allows the circulation in Swiss "Autobahn" or highways for a year. But this will be a minor expense compared to others we can expect in Switzerland, one of the most expensive countries in the world. Diesel above 2€/L, food, or accommodation. High prices according to the very high life standard in the Alpine country.

Other places we expect to visit in Switzerland are Berna, Basel, Lucerna and Zürich. All fantastic cities surrounded by jaw-dropping scenery. We have already gained good experience in Switzerland, since last year we played an incredible gig in Basel. This took place in Hirscheneck, a collective that includes a restaurant and live music venue, and which for many years has acted as a gathering point for many other social collectives. An institution in Switzerland for social movements but also for art displays, live music and other cultural expressions. Fantastic venue and fantastic people. However this year, our gig in Basel will take place in Off Bar, another well-known venue for underground music. It is likely that on our way back to Spain, we will perform again in Basel, possibly in a different club also renowned among rock, punk and metal enthusiasts.

Willkommen / Welcome

From Switzerland, we’ll move into Germany, where we have high interest in performing since there is an important scene in the type of music we play (Punk, Hardcore, Thrash, Metal). Two shows have already been confirmed in Germany, both of them in the north: in Braunschweig (Café Bar Spunk) and in Elmshorn (club Apollo). In Germany there is a wide underground scene in rock punk and metal music, and we expect to close several gigs on our way between Switzerland and the two already confirmed. Many venues and collectives have already been contacted, obtaining very positive responses and a clear willingness to collaborate, however a final confirmation from many venues will still have to wait for a couple of months.

We also intend to play at Flensburg, just on the Danish border. Here is based Kamikaze-radio, a friend radio station that periodically plays us in their reproduction lists. If this cannot be arranged, we would return towards Spain through Bremen, Frankfurt and Freiburg. Luckily, Germany’s highways are free of tolls, but fuel is expensive if compared to prices in Spain, and we will travel a lot of km in this country. From Freiburg, we would again cross Switzerland and France, entering Spain through the Basque Country and spending from 25 to 30 of December there playing some shows.

Overall, this is our Verkami Project - PSYCHOSIS TOUR´23. An adventure in which we have embarked and which we really wish to realize. Maybe this is more possible with your help.

Gifts for supporter

Gifts will be stuff related to the band, such as CD’s, vinyls, patches, tickets for gigs, and the cherry on the cake... SUPPORTER T-SHIRTS! Nobody except you will have this custom supporter t-shirt, if you collaborate with the appropriate quantity. Not even the members of the band will be allowed to wear one of these, just YOU as a die-hard supporter. For those who have bars, live music venues, or for gig promoters who wish to collaborate, we also offer something special... A LIVE SHOW!

And of course, our dedicated ACKNOWLEDGEMENT! We will reflect in our website and social media, one by one, the names of those that collaborate with us

LOS PUTOS ARKADA.

Los Putos Arkada was founded in 2006 by three young dudes highly influenced by the Basque Punk Rock from the 80s and 90s known as “Rock Radical Vasco”. Over time, the band changed member several times, but kept the underground essence of the origins, although accelerated and incorporating aspects from d-beat, UK82 HC-punk and Thrash.

Last December’22, we already undertook a similar adventure to the one we are planning now. We planned ourselves a small tour that took us all the way to Switzerland, performing an incredible gig in Hirscheneck, Basel. At that time, we were just three: Jose A., guitar player and singer; Kike, bass player and lead singer; and Sanchez, drummer. Only three in a three-seats van that we owned.

Planning for three is relatively easy. Sleeping can sometimes be done in the van. Food can be also be carried in the van so we can eat anywhere and cheap. This was a way to try and save money in accommodation and food. However, although we got some money from the shows to cover part of the costs, it wasn’t enough, and we had to add some money. You know, travelling in Europe in December 2022 was extremely expensive!

Since then, the band has become much stronger and serious, and the team has grown. Now we have two more members: Sergio, singer and original member of the band; and Pablo, professional sound engineer who knows us, the band and its sound, like the palm of his hand. Both are crucial for us.

However, having 2 more members makes the planning of a European tour much more difficult. For example, the three-seat van is no longer useful, and we’ll have to rent another one for 6. This is because we will also travel with a sixth person that will take care of the merchandising and media. We calculate that renting a van for 32 days, assuming an extra cost of 0.15 € + VAT per km over the first 200 km, will cost approximately 3000 €. Only the rent.

This is where the Verkami platform comes in place. It may allow, of course with your support and collaboration, that we can tour around, display our art and make people under the stage happy!

How will we spend your money?

Every euro and cent you contribute with, will be used for the expenses generated during the tour. Here is a list of what we think these expenses will be:

Vehicle rental. We estimate that only this will account for 3000€ of total

Fuel. This will account for approx. 1600€ of expenses

Highway tolls and vignettes. The drummer has huge experience in travelling from Spain to Switzerland. His estimations say that these costs between La Junquera (ES) to Geneva (Ch) will be approximately 250 €, a 3.58% of the total costs.

Accommodation. This is a huge expense. Assuming 25/30 nights and 170€ per night, accounts for 4250/5100€ of the budget.

Food. This is a more difficult cost to estimate. We have assumed approximately 750 €, a 11% of the total budget.

Unexpected circumstances. Car breakdowns, changes in route, extra fuel or tolls. We have estimated also 750€

Cost of your gifts. Also difficult to estimate in advance since we don’t know how many we will have to prepare. But no doubt, this is a cost we will assume happily.

As you see, the amounts do not match. We’ll lose money anyway.

This is the reality, it is very difficult for an underground band to gather the sufficient funding to cover such ambitious project. However, we expect to at least cover some of these costs with some earnings resulting from sale of tickets at the door, or voluntary collaborations in the gigs.

We do not intend to make money here, our only aim is to fulfill our dream of touring around Europe with the band. We will try to cover as much of the costs as possible, but primarily to enjoy the experience and let the crowds under the stage to also do so! Of course, we guarantee that those of you who support us get your gifts and we hope to meet you on the road or at the gigs!

Important info about the gifts

First, THANKS!! To everyone, from those contributing with 5€ to those giving 10.000€! Intention is what counts and all your support is deeply acknowledged irrespective of the amount.

We’ll produce high-quality t-shirts, 180 gr. They are printed with classic serigraphy, which guarantees long-lasting images, much longer than laser printing.

In respect to tickets for shows, all info can be found on our website.

All supporters will appear in our web www.losputosarkada.com in an exclusive web for them. Let us know your name, name plus surname, or a nickname, whatever you prefer.

Plan and calendar for gift delivery

On wednesday 29.11.23 we’ll leave from Montilla (Córdoba) towards Madrid, on 30.11.23 we’ll be in Barcelona and on 1.12.23 we’ll have our first show abroad, in Le Crès (Francia). We’ll return to Montilla, our hometown, on 31.12.23. The shipment of your gifts, we estimate that they will be delivered before the start of the Tour, although due to the fact that several components work outside the country at that time of the year, there is a possibility that it will be postponed upon its return. In this case, all Supporters will be duly informed. In this case, once they are settled in our city again, we will go on to count the Stock of material, replenish stock, send them to be manufactured (if necessary) and send all the rewards to each SUPPORTER.

As vinyls take 11-12 weeks to make, we'll set a reward delivery deadline for mid to late April (at the latest). I repeat: THIS SITUATION WOULD BE VERY STRANGE, but there is a possibility. Both the CD's and the t-shirts, foreseeably there will be no delay in delivery, but the vinyls, due to the shipping times they handle, we cannot guarantee punctuality. However, any delay we will contact you directly / ace.

Extra info

We are an old-school band that has been playing for more than 15 years, and thus the social media management is not our best skill. But anyhow, we try hard to keep updated primarily in Instagram, as well as Facebook, Youtube, etc. Below you can find links to our social media to know more about us and listen to our music. If you want to contact us, please do so through email, website or instagram. Cheers!!
[email protected]
losputosarkada.com
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