In this regular series on The Void, we chat to the people working in dream jobs in the music industry – and not just the people playing in the band. As touring has become more and more crucial to the rock band’s bottom line and ultimate survival, there are more and more opportunities for music lovers willing to learn the craft to live on the road too. In this week’s edition, meet Cam Atkinson, drum tech for UK band Killing Joke who reveals that sometimes sex, drugs and rock and roll is more “Skype, microwave meals and Afrobeats.”
Name: Cam Atkinson
Age: 22
From: Brixton, London, England
Current gig: Killing Joke (Drums), Fuse ODG (Guitar, Bass, Drums) are the main ones.
Why did you want to be a drum tech?
Haha! I found out what a drum tech (give or take) was when I was about 10. I grew up as a diehard Metallica fan, and heard about this guy called Fleming who set Lars’ kit up for him. This made me realise that I could have a job that paid me to hang out with Lars Ulrich, and my mind was made up. Seems stupid now, but I was 10. Growing up, I was just determined to work in music, I love the drums and know a fair bit about them, and the travel was pretty appealing too.
How did you get into teching? Did you do other jobs on tour before you scored your first gig?
It was a pretty ’round about’ way of getting into the industry. When I was maybe 16 a friend set up a music blog and needed someone to film some footage for him. I shot some footage for the site and through that got hooked up with some awesome people, and a few great opportunities presented themselves after that (after countless thousands of emails). After about a year of filming I got an offer to go out on tour for a short time and shoot some footage, I did this a few times with some different bands but a few things quickly became apparent.
1. I hated it.
2. I was, at best, pretty shit at it.
3. I was much more handy making things work on stage.
And so bands that originally took me out as a cameraman brought me back as a tech the next time around.
What do you think are the personal qualities that the gig requires?
A willingness to work shit long hours and not to moan about it is really important. You will be tired and hungry at times, but the show has to happen, if you’re moaning too much, you’re going to bring everyone down and won’t be called back.
Punctuality is really important, a good friend in the industry once told me that being a great tech is 45% turning up on time, 45% not being an asshole and 10% knowing what you are doing. That 10% is damn important, but if you aren’t punctual for shows, and are hard to put up with for extended periods of time, you will be looking for a new job very quickly, tour busses are small.
Being able to learn from mistakes, it’s a cliché, but it’s so important. You will make a lot, god knows I have! But if you can gain something from them, you’re doing alright.
What’s the best first question to ask on your first day? What is the worst thing you could do on your first day?
Ask people’s names. Introduce yourself. Whether it is the in-house Stage Manager or your new Tour Manager, whether you will spend a day or a year with them. Get people’s names, it’s great for making contacts, and getting your name out there, but more importantly than anything else, it’s polite. In the mad rush of day to day touring life, people can overlook the small things, but a hello in the morning and a thank you after a show is over really makes the difference. Manners go a long way and you will work better in a tight team.
The worst thing you can do?
There are so many no nos, but assuming you have the right to take anything in the dressing room is always a bad one. If its your first day, don’t just assume you can crack open that bottle of Patron in the dressing room just because you are ‘with the band’. Its probably there for a reason, and it’s unlikely the reason is you.
What are the three most important lessons you’ve learned touring with Killing Joke and the other bands you’ve worked with?
When I started touring, I was under the impression that getting drunk every night was fine, and many of the bands I worked with at the start thought so too. When I moved onto more established bands, it quickly became apparent that this is not the case. I can think of a couple of times I should have been fired. Most lessons come hard learned.
A lot of these things come down to the way you act on tour. As for actual skill-based things, I can’t think of a particular tip I have picked up, but just chatting to other bands and crew, seeing how other guys do their jobs – if they’ve been at it longer, it’s almost certain they will have a better, neater way of doing things – following techs like Cedric Crouts on Facebook or Martin Oldham (Drum Tech Support on Facebook) online has been really helpful to me, those guys really are the top of their game.
Random YouTube Drummer Break: Mark Guiliana is, in my opinion, one of the top 10 drummers in the world. Few people can evoke such emotion, have so much feel, and mess around with your concept of time so easily. He is in a league of his own.
What’s been your best “pinch yourself” moment so far?
I spent my 21st birthday in Vancouver with some of the best guys I’ve ever toured with, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Trash Talk, Retox and Shining. That was pretty f*****g special. Also Wembley Arena was intense.
And playing with At The Gates. I F****** love that band.
Random YouTube Drummer Break: Billy Rymer from Dillinger Escape Plan is incredible. I have too much love for Billy, both as a player and as a guy, he is an all-round hero. It seems there is no style beyond his reach. That he has taken that skill, and put it into a metal context is just awesome. On his own, and with The Dillinger Escape Plan, Billy is a force of nature.
What’s your ultimate goal? Ultimate band, ultimate show?
I guess my ultimate goal is just to tour for as long as I can manage, if that happens to include headlining The O2 Arena in London at some point, I would retire a very happy drum tech. There are so many drummers out there that I’d love to work for, Mark Giuliana, Mario Duplantier, Brian Fraiser Moore, the list goes on – but it rarely works like that, jobs come up in the strangest ways and it’s been an honour to tour with every drummer I’ve worked with.
Random YouTube Drummer Break: Gavin Harrison is such a musical player, even friends who don’t play any instrument can sit and watch Gavin play for hours, and god damn he can tune a drum!
What are the benefits to working on the crew rather than playing in the band?
Well for a start, no one has to listen to me play, which is a big plus for everyone, but other than that I’m not sure there are necessarily any advantages, I’ve just always felt drawn towards the technical aspects of stage production.
What’s the biggest misconception in your opinion about the touring lifestyle?
Sex, drugs and rock and roll! Seriously. Skype, microwave meals and Afrobeats seems to be a more accurate representation of my life on the road. I also thought all the travel would be like one huge vacation. The reality is, you are in and out of most places so fast you barely get to see them.
What’s the hardest part of the job, in your opinion?
That changes daily. You are never sure of the challenges that will arise, so you have to know the equipment you are working with inside out, and find creative ways to solve problems with the limited tools you can fit in the trailer. If you can’t figure it out, it’s almost always explained somewhere on YouTube by someone who should probably just have your job instead.
You have travelled pretty extensively, what have been the standout festivals and venues around the world?
Soundwave Brisbane in 2015 was a beautiful way to round off a tour and one of the most fun shows I have ever worked, Monuments tours are always ridiculous fun.
Killing joke played just before Faith No More at Hellfest in france, and finally Glastonbury Festival with Fuse ODG. I grew up just down the road from Glastonbury and had never been, as one of the biggest festivals in the world that seemed insane, so to finally get there was truly special. We played Friday and I stayed for the whole weekend. It is the best festival I have ever been to and one of the best weekends of my life. You can get pretty jaded after a few months of festivals day in, day out. So it was really amazing to be so enthused by the whole event.
For a young aspiring Australian drum tech, what would you recommend they do first? Is it best to start teching for local bands or try and head overseas? What’s a good entry level gig to prove yourself first?
Learn, read, send emails to people, follow techs on Instagram etc. the Internet is an incredible resource that people exploit far too little. Get online and absorb everything.
It has to be said though, getting on tour is hard, and drum techs are a luxury for most – small bands can’t afford them, big bands already have them. It’s hard to find your ‘in’, but if you want it, it’s out there somewhere.
Get some other skills, learn to fix guitars, learn sound, sell Merch, go out and film tour documentaries despite being wildly under qualified to do so (maybe don’t, people don’t actually like that so much). But really, you’re going to have to make yourself a guy who can just get stuff done, get a cv together, make some friends and get touring.
After a little while and with a reputation behind you, then you can start to specialise, finding the way in is the bit you just have to be creative with. Learning to be a guitar tech really helped my career as a drum tech, and in all honesty, it’s just as fun, just as rewarding and a whole new set of challenges. I do as much with guitar now as I do with drums, and I love it all.
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