This is Tour Diary, where artists give us a behind-the-scenes look at life on the road. For the last month, D.C. punk band Ekko Astral have been playing to crowds across the eastern U.S. with IDLES and Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. Along the way, they used their poignant voice to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights throughout the entirety of Pride Month. Ekko’s lead singer Jael Holzman chronicled their travels and gave us an in-depth look at what they saw on the trail.
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These days, when a bunch of trans people have to go to Florida, the bar is set pretty low. But the beginning of our tour — our drive down from Washington, D.C. to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to play with U.K. rock heroes IDLES — wound up becoming an aspirational sojourn of kindness and solidarity. The first night, we played a bar opening party in the Outer Banks of North Carolina we scheduled to warm up for the road. And we met the most beautiful people.
Night two of our drive southward we crashed in Charleston, South Carolina with a librarian who left their job after members of the anti-LGBTQ+ group Moms for Liberty took over local school policies. On night three, we stayed with Jer (aka Skatune Network), who regaled us in Gainesville with positive stories of quiet resistance against a worsening status quo for queer life in Florida. [These are] new fans that Ekko met in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. / Jael Holzman
Blanket found at the home of former librarian. / Jael Holzman
Ekko having dinner and drinks at Harry’s Seafood in Gainesville, Florida. / Jael Holzman
As we played those shows, I thought often of the inspirational stories Jer told us in Gainesville. I asked them to provide a statement for this diary so you could hear the wisdom we received. Here’s what they sent:
“Florida’s the place I’ve always called my home! Fourth generation, with roots across the state, it always feels like home. There’s such a beautiful mix of cultures, diasporas, and types of people across the state. Growing up, I always found myself surrounded by people of different cultures and learning from them. Over the last couple of years, our legislation has targeted the queer community, from demonizing us culturally to outright coming for all our rights. Despite that, it’s still a place where I feel heavy support and solidarity from my community. Being an educator in several schools in rural Florida, I find my students have the space to express themselves and both faculty and parents generally support their identity as well as me and my identity. I attribute this back to the diversity of people, and how well mixed these diverse groups are. Not everywhere is fortunate enough to have diversity in people in their populace. And not everywhere has such a mix of cultures. Between the diversity in people and the overlooked natural beauty of the state itself, it’s a very odd place. Not perfect, but a place I still love to call my home, and will 1,000% fight for as many people here continue to fight for my existence across every front.” / John Lee
Then came the IDLES shows. Night one we rocked the massive outdoor stage at Revolution in extremely high heat. Night two we joined IDLES at House of Blues in Orlando, which is located inside of Disney World. On both nights, I spoke in support of trans Floridians whose healthcare access has been jeopardized. Despite public perceptions, I was only met by the kindest people, including individuals who told me their family members and friends were forced to leave the state. / John Lee
After Orlando, we drove straight through the night to New Orleans, a drive that felt like forever. When we made it, our show with IDLES was magical and the last we played in June with that immaculate band. We joined them onstage at the end of their set for a rendition of the Joy as an Act of Resistance closer “Rottweiler.” / John Lee
We picked back up a few days later on the Jersey Shore with Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, as part of a series of shows celebrating the 20th anniversary of their Bush-era masterpiece Shake the Sheets. All of the shows rocked, but they also had an eerie feeling that perhaps our country was going through a similar reckoning around military violence and queer living that rang loud when Sheets first dropped. / Kira Campbell
One highlight was in Philly when I used an instrumental break in our song “on brand” to call out the defunding of William Way, the largest LGBTQ+ community center in the city. Days earlier I had quit my day job as a reporter in Congress and written about how the media’s failure to properly cover that campaign contributed to my exodus. When I spoke about William Way, I felt the loud noise of the audience reaction on my skin. / Jay Leiby
Ekko Astral backstage in Philly / Jay Leiby
Jael and Ted hugging in Boston / Sarah Blair Wilson
On tour with Ted and the Rx crew, I and other members of Ekko would join them onstage for a rendition of “Dog Eat Dog” by Adam and the Ants. By the end of the tour, after so many interactions with fans equally struck by this fraught moment in our country’s history, the lines in the second verse never felt more powerful:
“You may not like the things we say/What’s the difference anyway?” / Sarah Blair Wilson
