April 1 declared ‘DEVO Day’ after red hats ‘mysteriously appear’ in band’s Akron, Ohio hometown | NME
DEVO are one of the select few acts nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s class of 2021, and their hometown is boosting their campaign with a special holiday in their honour.
The band formed in 1973 in the Ohio town of Akron, and now the town’s mayor, Dan Horrigan, has proclaimed April 1 ‘DEVO Day’ in an effort to whip the band’s fans into shape and vote for them in the Hall of Fame race.
“The City of Akron has an unbelievable sense of pride, especially when it involves the success of our people,” Mayor Horrigan said on Wednesday (March 31).
“We are, and will continue to be, immensely proud to be the home of DEVO and will be rallying this great community to help them achieve the recognition they deserve.”
To help with the campaign, there will be 50 sculptures “mysteriously appearing” throughout Akron, made out of tiered tyres and painted red to resemble the band’s iconic headwear.
Each sculpture will feature a QR code that fans can scan which will lead to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s voting website.
In addition, according to the city’s website, the “Downtown Akron corridor will become a location for fans to interact with life-size cutouts of DEVO”.
At the time of writing, DEVO are coming eighth in the race, with Tina Turner and Fela Kuti sitting in the top two spots. The deadline for fan voting is on April 30.
Other nominees eligible for this year’s class include Jay-Z, Foo Fighters, Kate Bush, Chaka Khan and more.
