Fast rising singer/songwriter Lauren Ray is currently gearing up for the start of her UK tour which kicks off in Manchester later this month and wraps in London next month:
25th October, Manchester, The Kings Arms
30th October, Inverness, Velocity Café
2nd November, Aberdeen, The Coffee House
6th November, Birmingham, Kitchen Garden Cafe
7th November, Bristol, Cafe Kino
10th November, Chesham, The Drawingroom
13th November, London, Troubadour
Here we chat exclusively to Lauren Ray about her upcoming shows:
How excited are you about starting your new tour?
Very excited! I love touring and I haven’t performed much since I finished the tour with Anastacia in May as I’ve been busy writing and recording. I am particularly looking forward to playing some of my new songs for the first time and seeing how people engage with them (nervous/excited might be more accurate).
What can fans expect from your set?
Apart from London where I’ll have a band, people can expect stripped back performances of songs from my debut album ‘We Will Need Courage’, a couple from my latest EP ‘Inside This Silence’ and I’ll be unveiling new songs from my second album (yet to be titled and a release date announced). The venues I’ve chosen are pretty relaxed because I want the opportunity to chat about the songs during my set as always but then I’m looking forward to being able to chat to everyone who comes before and afterwards too.
What is your most and least favourite thing about touring?
Most favourite thing is meeting everyone who comes to the shows and getting to share my music each night – I always love it when people tell me what songs they like and why…because I wrote them they mean one specific thing to me so it’s just fascinating to see how they are being interpreted and internalised for anyone else. Least favourite things is that I can’t cook, which I love to do. I always bring my blender on tour with me so I can make smoothies, soups and ginger shots on the go but apart from that I have little control over the food I eat (I’m a foodie).
Do you have any pre stage rituals?
I like to take a few minutes on my own just before going on to take a few breaths and chill out because beforehand I can often be rushing around getting ready, sorting merch, soundcheck etc.. and I don’t like going on flustered.
What do you do before a gig to prevent any possible stage fright?
I like to try and chat to one or two people in the audience if I can before I go out – if it’s not possible I just take a moment to take a sneak peak at the audience. I don’t know why but if I feel like I ‘know’ who I am about to perform to I don’t get as nervous.
What’s your favourite song to perform live?
I always like to perform ‘Come To Me’ because it is the song that seems to grab people the most and I always feel like everyone is really listening to every lyric and hearing the story which is a great feeling.
What does your tour rider look like?
Access to hot water for pre-show and then still water for on-stage. Sometimes if I’m feeling extravagant I ask for a lemon…but I hardly ever do.
Which city are you most excited about performing in?
I’m looking forward to all the shows because I have different friends supporting me in each city and I am looking forward to seeing them perform. However, I am particularly excited about performing in Inverness because I love Scotland and can’t believe there are people all the way up in Inverness who are buying tickets to see me perform.
Make sure you follow Lauren on Twitter @laurenraymusic to keep up to date with all her latest music and tour news!
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