Rider Essentials: Leaving Lennox

After meeting at university in 2014 where they instantly clicked musically and as people, while both were studying a Bachelor of Music Performance, Australian pop-country duo, Leaving Lennox formed the following year and released their debut album, Wayward Minds.

They made the move to Nashville in April of 2019 and have been paving their way since. Combining pop-country with haunting harmonies, soulful guitar work and live-looping, the award-winning duo, comprised of Lauren Valatiadis and Mick Hambly, have performed alongside Lady A, Brothers Osborne, Lindsay Ell, Eddie Montgomery, and Tanya Tucker.

The duos musicianship, unique vocal blend and storytelling are influenced by the harmony of Fleetwood Mac, rawness of The Civil Wars, storytelling of Willie Nelson and guitar work of John Mayer. Their 2020 release, Not Ready (To Leave Just Yet), saw Spotify streams reach over 250K and charted at #16 on the Australian Country Charts, while also gaining them their CMT debut.

To get to know Leaving Lennox a little better, we caught up with the duo to find out the things they always take on the road for this week’s Rider Essentials.

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Lauren 

1. Face Masks 

Okay, this sounds super random, but face masks are a must when going on the road! A good sheet mask feels AMAZING after a hot summer show or a 10-hour drive to the coast. I find it so relaxing to chuck a cool mask on after a long day of driving! It really helps the wind-down process after an adrenaline-filled event. Even a cheap hotel can be spruced up with a skincare regime! Ha.

2. A Tripod 

COVID definitely taught us that online creation is so important – especially to reach a wider audience. When we’re on the road, we never know when inspiration might strike, and we’ll want to pull the guitars out of the trunk and film a quick video. I remember on our cross-country trip to California, this exact moment happened in Phoenix, Arizona. Not to mention, the breathtaking backdrops of the USA! Sometimes we just want to snap a good pic :)

3. Our DOG!!

Obviously, this one isn’t always practical, but whenever we can – we like to take our favourite travel companion… our miniature dachshund, Myles! He is small enough to ride in the front and his signature move is hanging out the window, watching his surroundings intently. Little Myles loves hanging out in a good green room (where the snacks are). Wherever we go, he makes it feel a little more like home!

Mick

1. TOO much clothing

It’s not that I overpack... ok, I overpack (still not as bad as Lauren though). One thing I acquired from working on cruise ships and what I like to think of as a “skill” is rolling as many shirts as I can into a small hand luggage. If anything taught us to pack light, it was packing 6 months worth of life into a suitcase. The first time we came to “visit” Nashville (I haven’t been back to Australia since), we only had enough clothes for a few months. I think I pack for that circumstance every time we go away now lol. But seriously, Doc Martens take up a lot of room!

2. Hydration Multipliers 

These are my new favourite thing to take on the road. It's so easy to get dehydrated when driving and performing constantly. Recently, I toured with Lindsay Ell, and we were playing amazing outside stages in 35-degree (celsius) heat. The adrenaline EASILY gets you through but once you’re offstage, you definitely need to replenish. I’ve been laying low on the red bull/sugary drinks and using these hydration multipliers instead. They rock!

3. Guitar Strings

This one isn’t super fun but definitely essential. Even though breaking strings isn’t common for us these days, it’s so important to have a spare pair... or two in your gear bag just incase. I’ll never forget one of our first Leaving Lennox gigs we had back in Sydney, Australia, I broke a string, and we had no spares. I play left-handed and I went to grab Lauren’s right-handed guitar... Let's just say, I played 3 hours upside down and I’ve never forgotten strings since.

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Keep up to date with everything Leaving Lennox and follow them on Facebook here.