As December Falls vocalist Bethany Curtis guides us through the 10 items she cannot hit the road without.
George The Racoon
“Our first time in Germany we were super excited to see real life raccoons or trash pandas as we like to call them, and some lovely fans taught us how to say racoon in German – Waschbär – that kind of turned in to a core memory from that tour so when I found the cutest racoon plush in a service station we just had to pick him up, he was quickly named George and now he’s our little mascot on every tour we go on!”
Kettle
“I live off copious amounts of green tea and honey so having a kettle and mug is essential. You’d be surprised how many venues don’t have kettles, or if they do, they’re in questionable conditions. We once played at a venue where someone had urinated in the kettle. Nice. Which is also why I have major kettle trust issues.”
Headphones
“In our tour van wearing headphones is a sign of ‘please leave me alone’ making it an absolute must have! You don’t get much private time when you’re on a tour so it’s as close to your own room as you’re gonna get. I like to listen to lofi early in the mornings, podcasts for long journeys, and then emo bangers near show time!”
Hair Scrunchie
“Honestly I don’t know what I’d do without a hair scrunchie. I have long hair, but I hate having my hair down as it’s constantly in my way, but I also refuse to cut my hair because it’s taken me so long to grow it! If you’re ever at an ADF performance where I’m wearing my hair down, it’s probably because I forgot my hair scrunchie.”
Cutlery
“Okay so my reasoning for this is, when we have a rider, it’ll often be sandwich based items and I can’t count how many times I’ve had to wipe pieces of bread across butter because they haven’t provided us with a knife. And yes, this does completely destroy both the bread and the butter. Also, I find ramen super soothing on my throat after singing, and again, attempting to eat ramen with a soggy wooden fork is not something I wish to repeat.”
Vocal Steamer
“A must have for me on the road, I use it every day, sometimes twice a day. On our last EU tour I was extremely sad when our van got broken into and they took my vocal steamer. I started having the steamiest showers in the world after that, but nothing beats having a little portable pot of steam to soothe and heal a scratchy throat!”
Mirror
“On tours I’m constantly doing my makeup whilst travelling in a van, (a skill in itself,) so having a mirror is a key item! When I do get ready backstage, I find some venues don’t think about it and don’t have mirrors readily available, but if I’m about to sing to hundreds of people, it’s always nice to check I don’t have food in my teeth or toothpaste on my chin.”
Kindle
“Every tour I pack so much stuff to entertain myself on long journeys, and every tour I end up ignoring all of it and only using my kindle. I always find on tours I end up re-reading books, e.g. the whole of the twilight saga (I know it’s terrible but I love it so much,) I find it comforting when I’m away from home. It’s the same as when people constantly re-watch tv shows, like how many times have you honestly re-watched ‘The U.S. Office’?”
Pillow
“Imagine this, you’ve spent 6 hours travelling in a van, then you load in your gear, soundcheck, and grab some food before show time. Next job is to play a super energetic rockshow, pack down, load out, and travel to your evening accommodation. There you have a hot shower, put on your pj’s, and just as your head touches the pillow, BAM. Nothing but pillow disappointment. Is that the saddest story you’ve ever heard? I thought so. My point here is that there is no better feeling when you’re tired than to rest your head on a super soft pillow and be instantly greeted by a good night’s sleep!”
Amazing Crew Members
“I will preach this at every available opportunity, your crew brings you all the vibes and the good times so having a great crew is essential to any tour! They make you sound great, sell your stuff, help you out and hype you up! I know for a fact I’d be lost without our incredible team mates!”
As December Falls have just kicked off their European tour, arriving in the UK later this month. Check out the dates below:
