Next week Pagan return to the UK for a run of shows in support of their debut album Black Wash, so we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to hear their top tips and stories from the road. Here’s what they had to say!
Favourite thing about touring:
Spending time with the Pagan famiglia! We’re all super busy people away from the band, so it’s nice that the four of us get to be together away from our jobs/lives/commitments and just focus on being a band and having a good time for a little while!
Least favourite thing about touring:
When you can’t find anything tasty to eat and when strangers help themselves to your rider. The band makes very little and we earn even less, or nothing as individuals, so having the rider stolen still feel like stealing money to us.
Five essentials for the road:
Phone charger, a towel because you just never know, a sufficient amount of underwear, the wifi password, a good belt.
Your favourite way to pass the time:
We just talk a lot and make each other giggle really. It’s funny, we talk so much! Whenever we’ve done long drives we don’t even play music because we’re too busy talking shit. That aside, most of us bring books to read and we also just drink a bit.
“The Most”
Memorable moment:
Playing the beautiful Tivoli Theatre for Dead of Winter Festival in Brisbane to hundreds and hundreds of people who took time out of their day to catch us play. This was like, two days after Black Wash was released and people already knew words to the new songs. Such a vibe!
Hilarious moment:
Driving from Sydney to Newcastle and being stuck in the most horrendous traffic with our beautiful friend Drew when we toured with his band, Totally Unicorn. We learned a lot about ourselves and each other on that car ride and that’s all I will say about that.
Embarrassing moment:
Nikki dedicating a song to the “late and great Andrea Boccelli” who is evidently still alive. This was to an arena crowd opening for Rise Against.
Outrageous moment:
I vomited under a crucifix at a church during BigSound Festival in Brisbane last year. That was a pretty Sex Pistols thing to do I guess…
Drunken moment:
I think the most pissed I’ve ever seen anyone was Matt after we played a show with Clowns and went to a party at a venue called the Old Bar. He dropped three consecutive drinks on the dance floor and was trying so hard to dance but he just couldn’t keep it together. Poor boy. Then I had to drive him home and listen to him ramble about fuck knows what for half an hour only to watch him pull out a half eaten chocolate bar from his pocket and try so hard to eat it. This is when I learned that my best friend does this thing where he eats half a chocolate bar and saves the rest for later. It was a rough night.
Rewarding moment:
I think just watching people turn up to the shows on our album tour with tickets! There was one point where I remember just watching people file into one of the venues, and it kinda hit me that we weren’t the support band and that shit was for us! So humbling and we’ll never ever take that for granted the more we get to do this.
Pagan‘s debut album Black Wash is out now via Hassle Records, available to purchase HERE.
See Pagan live at one of the following dates:
November
Tue 20th – LONDON – Old Blue Last
Wed 21st – BRISTOL – Mothers Ruin
Thu 22nd – MANCHESTER – Satans Hollow
Fri 23rd – LEEDS – Key Club
Sat 24th – BIRMINGHAM – The Actress & Bishop
Sun 25th – MILTON KEYNES – Craufurd Arms
Tue 27th – BOURNEMOUTH – The Anvil
Thu 29th – AMSTERDAM – Cinetol
December
Sat 1st – HAMBURG – Molotow Skybar
Sun 2nd – COLOGNE – MTC
Mon 3rd – MUNICH – Strom
Tue 4th – BERLIN – Maze
