WAAX – TOUR TIPS

In this Tour Tips segment, the punk band, WAAX, give you their tips for being on tour. You can check out the feature, after the break.

1. Interstate M8s
What makes a good tour is a strong alliance. Having mates in other states is helpful because you can sleep on each other’s floors, like the bums that you are. Bonus points: if they are also in bands, you can exchange backlines. Triple high score: they have a pet! – Because there is nothing more soothing than a fur baby when you’re hung over or sleep deprived and unsure of where the fuck you are geographically.

2. Extra Phone Data
People: there is nothing more shit than coming home from tour – only to then be served a fat phone bill that you cannot pay because you’re already broke from said tour. You will be surprised how much data social media chews up while you’re documenting your travels. Get an extra data pack stat.

3. Try to Distract Yourself from the Fact that You’ve Been Car-ridden for Hours/Days
Being on the road can be monotonous most of the time, so we recommend you bring some quality entertainment to make your sore arse more bearable. We like to bring UNO with us because it kills hours and hours of time. Aux cord – it’s a given – and make a playlist for the road. We also have a running game of ‘Cows in Transition’ – which literally is what it is – you get a point each time you spot a cow about to stand up or sit down. Trust me, I know it sounds lame, but it’s riveting stuff. Chris is our reigning champ. He’s spotted 5.

4. Pick Your Party Moments
It’s fun to think that being in a band is about getting wasted all the time. Try doing that while trying to catch a plane, get a hire car, lug gear, load-in & soundcheck all before Doors, every day – then you have to load out and find a place to put your gear and fight with Google maps so you can navigate to wherever you’re staying – in a suburb you’ve never heard of. You gotta plan for this shit. You might have one night out of 14 when you can get proper shitfaced – like when a miracle moment occurs – the stars align, and somehow the venue lets you leave the gear overnight – that’s true beauty. You don’t know what heaven feels like til you get to leave your gear and grab a beer.

5. Be Thrifty
Don’t be afraid to ask for help! We managed to secure a fucken sick box-trailer for our gear, over beers and pizza one night with a Brewery (Young Henry’s). And we got to take it all over Australia with room to spare! Oh, and we got lots of free beer, which is nice. All of this didn’t cost us a cent – it was just mates helping out mates, and in the process, getting our names out there.

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(Photo credit: Luke Henery)