Carousel (UK) – TOUR TIPS

In this Tour Tips segment, the indie band, Carousel, give you some tips for being on tour. You can check out their tips and their upcoming tour dates, after the break.

1. Always aim for a hot meal in the day – be healthy!
You can never guarantee what sort of a meal, if any, you’re going to get just before a show. It can be sandwiches, crisps, snacks etc. or you can end up with a nice hot meal/buyout for a hot meal if you’re lucky. Usually, you end up traveling for at least a couple of hours during the day and will undoubtedly want a rest. Tie in some hot lunch with that. We love using The Good Pub Guide App 2018 where we can easily find award-winning pubs with incredible food wherever we are in the country.

2. Try to arrive a good couple of hours before soundcheck.
One of the worst things about the job is that you get to go to a lot of different places, but you never get to see the beautiful towns and cities in which we perform. We strive to arrive a couple of hours before soundcheck and there is no stress, you get to see a little of the place you’re playing and you get to enjoy a bit of normal everyday life – such as doing a bit of shopping, grabbing a coffee at the local cafe and not sitting on the M6 pondering your life choices.

3. Find time to yourself.
It’s day 6 of the tour, you’re starting to get a bit tired, you’ve been sharing rooms with your bandmates for the last six nights and you’re starting to get a bit sick of everything and everyone. You MUST have a bit of time to yourself – before you start picking a fight with literally anything. This can be as simple as just sticking your headphones in and having a nap in the tour van for an hour. Or try and find some time to go for a walk before soundcheck or a room at the venue that you can sit in peace and play some music. It is absolutely essential to get that time. We are human and we are all individuals. It’s not a crime to want to have an hour to yourself. Just make it happen!

4. Try to have some sort of schedule.
This must sound like the most boring tip, but it is important. Having two weeks of complete randomness frazzles the mind. You get tired much quicker, you get irritable swiftly and it is mentally exhausting in what is already a very ridiculous life. When it comes to the musical work, which is from soundcheck onwards, try to arrange a schedule for it. For example, arrange what order people soundcheck in and how quickly you can get things sorted to everyone’s wishes. Arrange a vital 1 hour before the gig, to eat, relax and then warm up before playing. You will feel better for it.

5. Leave the egos behind.
The last thing any bandmate/audience member wants is someone pretending to be who they are not. We are all human and have our own characters, charms, and individuality. Be yourself on stage, off stage and the bits in between. We’ve very quickly learned in the three years of being a band that it’s so much more about the teamwork rather than letting us shine as individual musicians. Work as a group and the rest will follow!

6. Live every moment to the fullest.
Being a musician provides so many opportunities for you and brings you into contact with a collection of some of the most wonderful people around. It is a true privilege. See everyone you can, stay up till ridiculous hours, swapping stories and playing songs. There are so many gains from this, both personally and professionally. Give it a few years and you will have friends from all over the world. It is one of the most fulfilling things we have ever experienced, and long may it continue!

Upcoming UK Tour Dates:
September:
25 – Cambridge Portland Arms
26 – London, Green Note
27 – Brighton, Hope & Ruin
28 – Southend, Chinnerys

October:
1 – Manchester, Castle Hotel
2 – Birmingham, Hare & Hounds 2
3 – Exeter, Higher Eggbeer
4 – Bristol, Mothers Ruin

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