Touring Well with Brooke Singer



  •  What do you always do before you go onstage?
    I normally like to have at least a few minutes backstage where I don't have to talk to friends or fans. We make sure we have water for the stage, I write out some setlists, make sure everyone in the band is there and feeling good - then we go on! Some bands have pre-show rituals, but we don't really.

    How many days in a row can you perform? - before your voice/body needs a break.
    French for Rabbits' overseas tours are normally quite intensive - the most shows I have played in a row is 14. But six shows and then a day off is best. Our last tour in the USA was 22 shows over four weeks - it felt like a nice length of time and included a few days off in nature. The hardest part was getting eight hours of sleep each day, as we often had late nights and early starts.

    What hacks do you have to make sure you get enough rest?
    I think the best option is to build rest days into the tour. Our drummer Hikurangi is the master of sleeping in the car, and he can fall asleep mid-sentence. It's legendary. I find it more difficult - a good travel pillow, an eye mask and some headphones or earplugs is a good start! I have an app called Headspace and if I can't sleep I listen to their sleepcasts, they put me to sleep quickly. It's great! There is one narrator who sounds like David Attenborough.

    If eating a balanced diet is important to you, how are you able to find healthy options while you are touring?
    I'm vegan so eating well on tour is super important and sometimes difficult! I don't really want to eat Oreo's and chips all the time! I've done tours where we always have sandwich ingredients in the car, which is great. In America, we went to Wholefoods a lot and it was so good. I also use this app called 'Happy Cow' which tells you what vegetarian restaurants are around! I like having snacks in the car in case anyone gets the hangry's (combination of hungry and angry!)

    What do you enjoy most about touring?
    Touring is wonderful - I love visiting new places and sharing our music with new and long-time fans. Touring is both incredibly mundane, and incredibly soul enriching! It's an odd combination. I always feel like I grow as a person when I go on tour, and I feel very lucky to experience new things and meet so many kind hearted people along the way.