Over the last year, Vauxhall has helped supply bands with a fully kitted out tour van. We take you through a year in the life of #vivaroontour.
“It’s a cliché that travel broadens the mind… touring bends it!” declares former Elvis Costello And The Attractions bassist Bruce Thomas in his autobiography The Big Wheel. Full of tales of tour bus pettiness and cautionary warnings about the brain-mashing dangers of sitting on the front seat while driving down endless roads, Thomas’ book is swapped by musicians the world over as they compare notes on the perils of touring. Of course, there are plenty of positives, but for every great gig or perfect road trip, there are drummers left behind at service stations and long, torturous journeys between shows.
Aware of the downsides of touring, Vauxhall decided they wanted to help.
Last year Vauxhall teamed-up with Independent Venue Week to launch Vivaro on Tour, an initiative which supports up-and-coming UK musicians by providing them with a free Vauxhall Vivaro van to tour in. Recognising that it’s not always financially possible for emerging artists to get out on the road – the cost of van rental and fuel alone often means tours make a loss – so Vivaro On Tour aims to take the financial pressure off artists by offering them use of a practical, Brit-built Vivaro to get them around.
Since we put our Vivaro on the road a wide range of acts – plus all their kit – have climbed onboard, clocking up over 100,000 miles right across as they’ve crisscrossed Europe. In the process we’ve saved British acts an estimated £30,000 in hire fees – plus we always hand the Vivaro over with a full tank.
But 2016 was just the beginning for “Vivaro On Tour”. Over the last year, we’ve given the van to more artists to take out on the road. Here’s what happened over the year.
In February, Frightened Rabbit took the van to Ireland