Hello hi, we’re Girl Ray and we’re a band originally from North London, trying to make disco music. We released our third album ‘Prestige’ in August on Moshi Moshi Records, and for the first time since the C-word we’re going out on the road again. Over October and November, we’ll be touring North America, Europe and the UK. From our ancient and dusty memories of touring, we present our Top 5 tour essentials, which we’ll no doubt use on the road this time around….
TOOLBOX A.K.A TOOLEY B
Sophie: “A treasured companion, a loyal friend. This box has all things boring but completely needed. This one is for the prepared heads. Jack leads, patch cables, a compartment for guitar picks, spare batteries, spare power supplies, Velcro for keeping cables neat, stickers for setlists, masking tape… It goes on. The Mary Poppins of boxes. There is a sense of safety and hope when things go wrong on stage, knowing that Tooley B is in the van.”
ROLAND SPD-SX PRO
Iris: “This may seem like a basic item to some audioheads out there, but we really are head over heels with the latest Roland SPD. Especially since the last one we had seemed to be a little haunted, glitching out at crucial moments on stage (Maybe we didn't treat her right, she did just live in a backpack…) This bit of gear is very reliable, easy to use and has the capacity to transform our sound through the magic of uploading samples. I couldn't live without the snare trigger add-on too; it can trick the audience into thinking we've brought any number of instruments on stage.”
FLAPPY DUNK
Sophie: “As much as touring is fun, hours upon hours in the van is a test of the mind as well as of the arse. We all love each other deeply, but we need an element of light competition to keep things spicy. On our last tour in the USA, we turned to the game Flappy Dunk. It’s literally like Flappy Bird, but it’s a basketball with wings and some hoops you want to dunk without touching the sides. This dunk is called a swish, and swishes have ruled our world. We compete for the highest score, and whoever has the highest score is truly respected and hated. It’s hypnotic; it brings us together and really passes the time.”
MCDONALD'S EGG MCMUFFIN & HASH BROWN
Sophie: “Okay, I appreciate this can’t technically classified as a piece of kit, but it’s a morale-boosting classic that we don’t go without when we’re on tour. On those excruciatingly early morning starts we sometimes have to do, or just on a simple hangover, this dish is everything. It’s a smell and a taste that signals that the tour is on. It’s very nostalgic. Warm, simple, squishy, healing. For bonus enjoyment, we like to dip the hash browns in maple syrup.”
FILM CAMERA
Sophie: “Having pictures that you can’t look at until the end of a tour is a beautiful thing. I love bringing this camera along on tour, and I love that the shots never really come out as you expect them to. Having the physical pictures makes me feel like a happy gran sitting by the fire reminiscing about life, and I always want to feel like that.
Girl Ray’s ‘Prestige’ is out now.
