Scott McLaughlin (Unwritten Law’s Tour Manager) – TRICKS OF THE TRADE

In all of our other features, we highlight bands/artists; now we want to take you into the world of the people who work for a band on tour, their crew. For this feature, we teamed up with tour manager, Scott McLaughlin. You can find out more about Scott and advice he has for people interested in hitting the road (his “Trick of the Trade”), after the break.

Name:
Scott McLaughlin

Touring Resume:
Current – Unwritten Law
Previous – Voodoo Glow Skulls, Snuff

What positions have you held (i.e. Tour Manager, Front of House, etc.)?
Current – Tour manager, guitar tech, driver.

Your first touring gig:
My first proper tour was with the Hits and Pits Festival in Australia

Who did you work for?
The first one of those I did was the Voodoo Glow Skulls. Before that tours were usually a bunch of friends driving cross country together, learning the ropes.

How did you get the gig?
I live in Australia, and I met this guy that started bringing out punk bands. We got to talking and he saw that I had the motivation to get into it. Or at least see if I was ready for the next level, which meant actually working.

What was (is your continued) motivation for wanting to start working for tour bands?
Once I started to meet and be involved with so many bands including a lot I grew up with, it’s hard to think what else could top the job. It’s a whole other way of life, and it’s hard to go and sit in an office after that.

While growing up were you involved in your local music scene? If so, how did you get involved?
I started playing in bands when I was about 14, and I played in some semi-proper bands up until my early 20’s. But once I found another way into the fold I followed up on that.

If you could recommend one piece of advice (“trick of the trade”) to current or aspiring crew members, what would it be?
It’s hard to give general advice because every band or artist is going to be different. But just enjoy yourself, and try to have a routine. There’s always a lot to do, try to stay on top of things or they can get out hand very quickly. And get used to living in close quarters with the same few people. Day in and day out, learning how to get along.

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