The multiple-choice covers for 'Joy As An Act Of Resistance' have been on display in art galleries

IDLES are auctioning off the 18 pieces of artwork which form the basis of the artwork for their album ‘Joy As An Act Of Resistance’, to raise money for Samaritans.

As well as selling off the original artwork for the album’s front and back cover, the auction will include artwork based on each song from the album. Artists who have created the pictures include IDLES singer Joe Talbot and former Maccabees vocalist Orlando Weeks. The artworks have formed the basis of pop-up exhibitions in London, New York and Paris.

The auction will go live at this link here from 9am on Friday December 7 at 9am. Bidding will end from 6pm on Sunday December 9 for the album cover artwork, with end times for each of the other 17 pieces staggered every 15 minutes from then. IDLES have long been supporters of the Samaritans charity, with one of the songs on ‘Joy As An Act Of Resistance’ titled ‘Samaritans’.

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Commenting on the auction, Samaritans CEO Ruth Sutherland said: “We are really delighted and grateful that IDLES are auctioning this fantastic artwork, inspired by the Samaritans track, to support the service our volunteers provide for people. Hopefully it will raise awareness of what Samaritans does, and encourage people to look after their own well-being and that of their friends and family, as well as helping Samaritans to be there for people when they need it.”

Samaritans has more than 20,000 volunteers in the UK and Ireland who can be contacted any time, free from any phone, on 116 123. They also provide support via email jo@samaritans.org or face to face support at their 201 branches. Samaritans volunteers respond to more than 5 million calls for help a year.

The different pieces of art are inserts on the gold-packaged limited-edition vinyl version of the album, which means that owners can choose their own cover for the album. The complete list of artists is: Joe Talbot, Nigel Talbot, Tao Lashley-Burnley, Robin Stewart, Elizabeth Cater, Ed Barrett, Huw Good, Orlando Weeks, Chris Nicholls, Russell Oliver and Tom Ham.

IDLES are currently on tour in Spain, with their next scheduled UK shows coming with a tour starting on March 26, which sold out in under an hour. Support comes from Crows and Life. Full dates are below:

March 26: Sheffield Leadmill
March 27: Cardiff Tramshed
March 28: Norwich UEA
March 29: Brighton Dome
April 1: Belfast Empire
April 2: Dublin Vicar Street
April 3: Manchester Albert Hall
April 4-6: London Electric Ballroom