Touring Tips

Preparing to go…

• Plan a route of where you would like to tour, go on myspace, find bands/promoters from those towns, make friends with them and take it from there. Also ask for local message boards etc. - anything that might be able to help you.
• Gig swap with bands from other towns and put on your own gig at a venue is always the easiest way to do it. Once you make mates with these bands you will find it more and more easy to get shows out of town.
• It's important that just ONE person takes on the responsibility of getting everything at least venue wise sorted out. I've seen a couple of bands suffering from lack of communication and winding up with pretty cruddy tours.
• Don't rely on AA routefinder, if you can a list of addresses (venues and where you'll be sleeping) and sat nav if you can get hold of one will save A LOT of hassle.
• Get AA cover before you go.
• Make sure there is a jack and you are able to get the spare tyre off of the van.
• Always check your oil, water and tyres before you set off, and keep an eye on them.
• Make sure you have replacement keys for your car/van etc.
• Make an itinerary and print off a copy for each band member, the driver, and one for the van, list the gig with full address and phone number, the promoter and his mobile number and note any fee and rider details, note also any special loading and parking instructions.
• Prepare in advance of a tour by taking vitamins and take while on the road also, there is nothing worse than a van load of poor sick musicians.
• Make a list of every possible thing you will need that makes you independent of the venue and other bands, leads, extensions, four ways, DI patch leads etc etc etc etc etc etc, and don’t forget them at the end of each gig, mark 4ways with the bands name so there is no argument at pack up time, its an idea to mark leads with tape or a coloured cable tie as well.
• Take spare guitars, spare guitar head if you can, spare strings etc obviously.
• You can't have too much Gaffa tape.
• Bring a video camera
• Take a pair of sunglasses with you
• Make sure you have enough sleeping bags etc to keep warm – there’s always going to be a threat that you'll end up with nowhere to stay, your transport will break down, b+bs/travelodges are full, etc.
• Take a cheap easy to put up tent with you, just in case you get let down - far comfier than sleeping crumpled in a van with 5 others.
• Take a couple of unbreakable flasks, if the venue has tea and coffee facilities you can take some tea and coffee away with you.
• A torch is always handy, and cigarette lighter chargers for phones and stuff.
• If you are on the cheap, take rice and couscous, a tub and a pan with you, and ask the people you are staying at if you can make a pot of food to keep you going if you don’t get any at the gig.
• Insert a tracking device into your drummer.

Travelling

• Make an effort not to get in each others faces too much.
• Never discuss band politics when you're pissed.
• A good book might save your sanity.
• Driver gets the best bed/chair/floor.
• Always have one person awake in the front to keep an eye on the driver and stop them drifting off.
• Have more than one driver if possible. Failing that, try and get a driver who has nothing more strenuous to do during the gig than man the merch stall.
• If your driver is not a band member, make sure he's fed and watered on a very regular basis, don’t all fuck off at the end of the show and leave him with all the gear... unless your paying him to do that of course.
• One navigator at a time.
• Travel at night if it's viable.
• Listen to traffic reports on the radio so you're aware of any trouble ahead.
• If you get stopped by the feds, swallow your pride and be nice. Never try to be funny.

Finances

• Manage your finances with eagle-like vigilance - don't buy food from over-priced service stations.
• Remember that its false economy to live on supermarket sausage rolls, a decent meal every day or two makes good sense.
• Buy booze collectively to get case discounts.
• Start smoking rollies instead
• Any money you make from DIY touring will go to petrol, petrol, petrol, so its not really worth planning, as long as you have a money box/keep a record of the money box/aren't an idiot.
• Merchandise is a good way to add to your petrol money and obviously getting people to remember you, even if its just a tour cd-r or whatnot.
• Also, for a first tour there's no point in even dreaming about making wads off of merch. Sell lots of t-shirts and CDs for a tiny profit instead of one or two for probably the same profit overall. At least you're getting your name out there too.

Health/welfare

• A box of baby wipes in your bag is a good idea, if you cant get a proper wash they are better than nothing and your band mates will love you for it, if a band member has very smelly feet, a wipe down every day with surgical spirit can keep the smell at bay, baby powder and fresh socks daily is a must.
• Tying smelly shoes to the back of the van is a great way of making them smell less.
• Take washing line with you so you can hang your towels.
• Have deodorant and chewing gum available at all times.
• Remember to eat. It's easy to spend three weeks pissed and having nothing but the odd kebab and Ginsters, but you'll soon have no energy for the shows at night. All you can eat pizza places are your friend. Collect offer vouchers before you go.
• It sounds boring, but take a day's break from the boozing and whatever else every week.

When you arrive

• If you have an hour or two to spare seek out the local swimming baths, its fun and keeps you clean.
• Do something other than sit in a bar or the van waiting to play a gig. Get out and about, take a football or whatever. Saves you getting too pissed in the afternoon through boredom.
• Visit guitar/music shops in every city and tell the staff you're a band on tour, they might give you some free/cheap stuff. Even if it's just picks or some gaffa tape, it's still worth it.
• Always try and get into record shops in town and see if ye can get cds in.
• A bit of flyering in the town never goes amiss. especially if there is a university in town and its term time.
• Keep things light-hearted...be a gang...don’t separate off into splinter groups too much but also if you can get away from each other for a bit...do it!
• If in Leeds and Huddersfield area, go and visit the Matamp factory to kill a bit of time. Great drive, great scenery and the best amplification in the world.
• Find the promoter and make yourselves known to him, if you have an arrangement with him regarding fuel money/food/fee get that confirmed as soon as possible, find out running order and stage times and be at the venue well before your due on.
• If you are unsure about the area/parking restrictions of where you are staying, get someone to sleep in the van.
• Remember that no matter how big you reckon you are in your hometown, when you walk into a venue somewhere else, to them you're nobody. Acting big is a sure way to get shot down. And be as professional as you can with setting up, soundchecking etc. The crowd's expectations will be higher for a touring band, so you have more to prove.

The gigs

• Look after your equipment - if you are using decent heads and whatnot, its not really advisable to let other bands use them, unless you don't care and like the idea of trying to find replacement parts, etc.
• Don’t leave your small stuff in venues, try and take it with you or lock it away somewhere. stuff gets nicked very easily.
• Always make a point of thanking and appreciating everyone involved with the show, feeding/putting you up. be sociable with them, try and get some banter out of them and the other bands etc. introduce yourself to the other bands. You will find that if you are nice to the local bands they stick around and so do their mates. Plus, they might take you out on the sauce and then rave about you to everyone who didn’t go to the show and the next time you come back you have loads of people eager to see you.
• Remember and be super nice to all concerned at the gig, sound guy, promoter, bar staff, toilet cleaner etc etc, they will remember you for being nice.... if not your music!!

Finally…

• What happens on the road, stays on the road...