Auto Italia teams up with Upset the Rhythm, London’s premier independent music promoter and record label, for Yes Way! a celebration of new, alternative and emerging music and art scenes from throughout the UK. Building on the success of last year’s inaugural, sold-out event, Yes Way! sees 41 bands, representing the length and breadth of the British Isles, perform over two stages alongside collaborations, stage designs and specially commissioned work from over 30 artists.
The three-day event will see the bands from Upset the Rhythm’s line up performing among myriad artworks: from a soap opera dealing with choreography, sculpture and football to stage sets referencing Russian Constructivist theatre design. Bold colour fields representing advertising and pornography will appear alongside sculptures that depict imagined interactions between the different groups involved. Selected bands will be kitted out in huge, specially designed capes that will harness all the world’s energy.
LuckyPDF set up their own TV station opening the festival up to an online audience, transmitting live throughout the weekend. There is also a temporary supermarket, specially constructed to sell records, fanzines, publications, Upset the Rhythm merchandise, counterfeit t-shirts and a selection of material from alternative project spaces around the UK.
Yes Way! is an expression of independence, creating a context outside of the commercial scene and reinforcing the DIY, self-supporting system that characterises both the musicians and artists involved. This project is part of an ongoing relationship between Auto Italia and Upset The Rhythm – two organisations that dedicated to supporting new and alternative cultural production, and cultivating the often-ignored kinship between the art and music worlds.