Top 5 touring essentials according to Harbinger
HARBINGER have detailed the top 5 essentials to make any tour that little bit more comfortable!
Having returned with their rip-roaring new single, No Vermin, earlier this month, the UK technical deathcore band are looking to make 2025 a successful year. On the back of the new single, the band are now underway on their supporting role to DISTANT and ENTERPRISE EARTH on their co-headlining European and UK tour.
But, what makes life on the road to be a little more comfortable? Bassist Kris Aarre and vocalist Dani Alves, give us their top 5 touring essentials!
Kris Aarre: A fast-drying travel towel
Sometimes you’re lucky enough to find a warm shower and a stack of towels at the venue. Sometimes… not so much. On the all-too-frequent occasions when towels aren’t provided, a fast-drying travel towel becomes a lifesaver. A fast-drying travel towel dries in minutes, even in suboptimal conditions (like the Scandinavian winter we are about to endure through Norway, Sweden and Finland). Also it’s important to remember that drying yourself with a dirty t-shirt isn’t as effective as you think it will be and the option of not showering is detrimental to yourself and everyone around you in the touring party.
Power adapters and bunk extension leads
On our upcoming Euro tour, we are fortunate enough to be travelling on a nightliner tour bus with the other bands. Each bunk has a little light, some kind of pouch to store things, and a standard wall socket. Every tour bus we have ever been on seems to originate from the continent so these sockets will be the two pin EU sockets. Now, you might think that whacking in a travel adapter will do the job, and it does, but you need to think bigger. Just a single plug isn’t usually enough for all of your tech, so bring a UK multi-plug extension lead into the travel adapter and you will have all the power you will ever need! The bunk multi-plug hack is a big brain strat.
Earplugs and in-ear monitors
Gig life is LOUD. Protecting your ears isn’t just for musicians—it’s essential for anyone attending shows. The long term effects of a sustained noisy environment can range from tinnitus to total hearing loss, and once your hearing is damaged, there’s no going back. We’ve recently partnered with ACS Custom who produce moulded in-ear monitors and earplugs, and we can’t wait to road-test them on this tour. Hearing health is non-negotiable.
Noise-Cancelling Headphones
Touring is a social whirlwind, and sometimes you need to recharge. Noise-cancelling headphones are a godsend when you’re trying to sleep in a moving bus or drown out post-show chatter. Whether it’s for music, podcasts, or blessed silence, they’ll keep you sane in even the noisiest situations. These come in clutch when you’re just trying to drift off to sleep and the bus has just started moving. Some of the crew might be having a few drinks in the lounge, you’ve been given the bunk near the stairs with people coming and going frequently, and the huge bus engine is right below you. Noise cancelling headphones give you that zen headspace to start zoning out.
Keep your stage gear separate
Stage clothes have one job: to keep the show consistent and survive the chaos of your set. They’ll get sweaty, smelly, and downright disgusting over the course of a tour – but that’s okay. The key is to keep them separate from your everyday clothes. This way, you always have a clean, dry set to relax in post-show. Putting on your specific stage gear before a set can be a grounding ritual—it reinforces focus and helps you get into the right headspace for performing. Treat your stage gear as a uniform—it’s there to get wrecked so the rest of your wardrobe stays fresh. Plus, having a clear division between “work” and “rest” clothes helps you mentally unwind after a high-energy show.
Dani Alves: Books that I think I’ll read but never do!
I’ve been meaning to read George Orwell’s 1984 for a long time, and seeing as I’ll have so much down time in the next few weeks, my plan is to get through it. I’ll bring The Hunger Games too, though. My girlfriend’s re-read it recently and swears by it so I think I should give it a read. My plan is to hopefully chew through at least one of the books but knowing me I probably will read two pages, get distracted, and never pick it up again!
Magic The Gathering deck for the on road wizardry
When we were touring with SYLOSIS last year, there was a storm and our ferry to Ireland got cancelled. So we decided we’d get some shelter in a local Welsh pub in the middle of nowhere as the weather pounded our van. In the midst of our chatter, Ben pulled out a couple of Magic The Gathering card decks and showed me how to play – so that paired with my previous exposure to other bands’ love for Magic The Gathering (shout out FALLUJAH and INFERI, neeeerds), I decided I’d try getting into it too!
Notebook (I can’t actually read)
I am a very forgetful person, both in my quotidian life as well as when reminiscing old times – so this time around I’m taking a notebook with me on the road to document my days. I’ve never accomplished keeping a journal going for long, but there’s no harm in trying!
Cigarettes
Firstly, this is NOT an endorsement for smoking, I encourage people to NOT smoke! In my normal life I do well in staying away from smoking. That being said, there’s just something about touring and being surrounded by people all day, every day, that makes my body beg for a ciggy. Meeting people behind the merch desk is great but I have trouble hearing in really loud unpredictable environments, so I find I prefer meeting people outside the venue and smoking unfortunately helps me in staying somewhat social, even in those times where my social battery is dead and I’d prefer being cosy in my bunk.
Extra pillow, gotta stay cosy!
This one is pretty self explanatory. On top of everything Kris mentioned, which is highly highly important, I like bringing an extra pillow and covers. As you can imagine, a thin mattress in a bunk of what is effectively a converted school bus doesn’t lend itself to the most luxurious sleep, so anything I can bring along to aid my comfort is very appreciated!
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