We Want The Funds: A Crowdfunding Update

Lionel Richie's head, a special reissued version of U.N.K.L.E.'s classic Psyence Fiction, a chance to be the entourage of an awesome burgeoning Aussie comedian; it has been a good week for crowdfunding.

Name: David Quirk
Project: Edinburgh Fringe 2013
Current Status: 57 pledges, 50% ($2,510) of $5,000 goal, 27 days remaining.

For comedians, the Edinburgh Fringe holds an importance not dissimilar to SxSW does for burgeoning bands. Too many people, too many acts, a lot of great stuff, a lot of terrible stuff and something that you just have to be a part of at least once if you want to think about expanding your fan base in any way.

So, for David Quirk, getting to the 2013 event to showcase his Shaking Hands With Danger, which played to rapturous audiences and rave reviews through the 2013 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, is vital. He wants to leave his job and never return and Edinburgh is the first step in this exciting journey. But, it's expensive, so he's asking for your cash.

For $1,500 Quirk will set up a kissing booth in your office and kiss people for an hour (no tongue), for $5,000 he will fly you and three friends to the Gold Coast and take you to all the major theme parks, while for $7,500 he will fly you to Edinburgh, put you up for a week, give you a venue pass for the festival and probably even buy you a beer. Considering you'll be hanging out with a dude who is performing what will no doubt be one of the festival's hottest comedy shows, you can treat this as your Entourage moment in life.

Name: Hungry Castle
Project: An enormous, inflatable model of Lionel Richie's head
Current Status: 86 pledges, 67.9% (£3,328) of £6,000 goal, 19 days remaining.

The lads of Hungry Castle describe their project best: “It's a giant inflatable sculpture of Lionel Richie's Head.”

This isn't the first time the guys have tried to make this happen; last year they had a crack at crowdfunding the making of this enormous piece of art, inspired by the amazing film clip for Richie's 1984 single Hello, they failed last time but they're giving it another crack.

They are trying to make the project happen for the tenth anniversary of Bestival in the UK this September, though they say that the final design will pack well and be able to travel, thus allowing people all around the world to see it after it is made. If they manage to raise £10,000 then they will be able to make a six metre tall head, which people can walk around inside. Amazing.

A selection of merch packs are available for backers, which seems far more suitable to those who are in Australia, or you can kill two birds by purchasing VIP tickets for Bestival through the Kickstarter page and helping the project come to fruition. Fifteen bucks for a Lionel Richie mask? You have yourself a deal, Hungry Castle.

Also, if you have any doubts about how good a big inflatable character can make you feel, you need to look at this.

Name: Mo' Wax
Project: Exhibition to celebrate 21 years since label's beginning
Current Status: 54 pledges, 32.15% (£9,647) of £30,000 goal, 29 days remaining.

Urban Archaeology: 21 Years Of Mo'Wax is a proposed exhibition that will celebrate the rather considerable work that the label did in the decade or so it was operational. James Lavelle started the label when he was 18 years old back in 1992 with Tim Goldsworthy and, up until its final release around a decade ago, put out some amazing records.

UNKLE's Psyence Fiction, DJ Shadow's Endtroducing and key releases from the likes of David Axelrod, Money Mark, Dr Octagon, DJ Krush and Blackalicious were just a few releases that made the label such a strong force in its time. Now, Lavelle looks to celebrate its legacy with a big exhibition in London (which could potentially tour the world) and a couple of other exciting projects, and you can get involved.

Part of this campaign is the reissue of Psyence Fiction, the classic 1998 record made by Lavelle and Goldsworthy with some help from Kool G Rap, Mike D, Thom Yorke, Richard Ashcroft, Badly Drawn Boy and more huge artists of the time. At a rather pricey 40 quid (around $66) you can get the CD and a special 7” record delivered to your door, those who aren't quite that keen can chip in just a touch over $8 and get a digital compilation that Lavelle has put together exclusively for this project.

Watching his Kickstarter video, you do get the sense the Lavelle's collection would be a great snapshot of a part of 90s underground culture that gently pushed into the mainstream from time to time throughout the decade.

In other crowdfunding news this week:

-          Computer game Star Citizen has just hit the $10 million mark in their crowdfunding campaign.
-          A new service, Piggybackr, has been launched to help young people crowdfund for projects they need financial assistance with.
-          The Everyday Sexism Project is looking to expland and has taken to Catapult to try and raise the funds necessary.
-          A campaign has been started to help National Security Agency whistleblower Ed Snowden as he remains on the run in Hong Kong.
-          You can help Australian Aboriginal Gumbainggir activist, academic, writer, actor and thinker Gary Foley take a break.

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