An indie band from New Zealand took matters into its own hands when it comes to expanding its following on Instagram, and it’s led to an incredible feel-good story.
Emperors Night has been in Los Angeles washing cars for free. The catch? You have to follow them on Instagram. Sounds like a very fair trade!
The band explains on their Insta account, “We are a band of three brothers from New Zealand who sold everything and moved to North America at the end of 2019 to pursue our music career – only to be shut down by a global pandemic. After being locked down in Toronto for a year, we arrived in L.A. in 2021. We wanted to promote ourselves, but with live venues still closed, we decided to go old-school and print a flyer. The question was, what to put on it?”
What the band came up with was a simple flyer with a QR code that allowed people to find their Instagram and then have those interested in a free car wash to message them to set up a time for the band to wash their car.
But, wait! This story goes from cool to amazing.
After printing and distributing 25,000 flyers around L.A., Emperors Night noted “some cool things” have happened in the process. They include invites from podcasts and other radio shows, press from various L.A.-based news outlets and “a free photoshoot from pro photographer Matt Doheny.” They even washed the cars belonging to Flight of the Conchords actor Rhys Darby, Academy Award/Grammy-nominated songwriter Allan Rich and an Oscar-nominated screenwriter, who asked to not be named.
Believe it or not, there’s more.
The band adds, “Our carwashing promotion also led to us filming a music video for our single ‘Tidal Romance’ at a house in the hills originally built by Barry Gibb from the Bee Gees. Entertainment lawyer David Dubinsky got us over for a carwash and in exchange offered for us to film at his amazing house for free. He connected us with actress Stefanie Rozhko who loved the song and was happy to star in the video. Eric Zimmerman, cinematographer for music videos by Daft Punk and The Rolling Stones, had received a carwash from us earlier in the week and joined us on the day of the shoot to offer his expertise and guidance.”
Emperors Night concluded, “We’ve gained a fanbase in L.A. and have made a lot of good friends along the way, and we’re not stopping yet. Want a carwash of your own? Got a show you’d like us to play? Someone you think we should meet? Comment below or message us? We’d love to hear from you!”
The video for “Tidal Romance” can be viewed below. And give Emperors Night a follow on Instagram. Have a hunch they’ll have more to share in the near future.