A WORD FROM ABS:
I am so excited to be sharing with you the stories behind my second UK tour, this time celebrating the release of my latest EP ‘Learning To Know Myself’. I would firstly like to thank Fresh On The Net for giving me this platform to share my tour diaries, and especially Del and Neil for your support and kindness over the years.

I am (currently) a self-managed independent artist, making a blend of electro-pop, neo-soul and R&B music. Putting on a tour with no funding whilst doing a full-time job is no joke and was very hard to organise on my own! In all honesty I almost gave up at one point, but I am so glad I didn’t. This is one of the proudest achievements of my life and the gigs were all incredible! I am going to walk you through how we did each of them, share some insights about tour management, and all of the highlights from the week.

Leg 1: Problem Child Originals Festival 17/5/26
Journey: 16/5- London to Sheffield via coach, 17/5- Sheffield to Parbold, Parbold to London via trains

I booked the other shows first, and then was lucky enough to have booked this festival after applying for it, so tagged it onto the tour listings with the festival’s consent. It was run by Problem Child Brewery, located in the small village of Parbold, not far from Wigan. From booking the festival to performing, they were extremely supportive and accommodating to my band and I, and I would absolutely love to perform there again. With just one stage for bands, this small but vibrant festival has so much positive energy- even in the rain!

This was my first ever festival headline! What an accomplishment for the first gig of the tour. My music was very different to the other bands on that day, but I loved that. I love bringing something new, fresh and unexpected in my music. Unfortunately, the heavens opened and rain fell literally as I sang my lyrics ‘sunny’s how the sky looks’. I laughed at this, and everyone had to move to be sheltered under the tents far away. We still performed as much as possible and didn’t let the rain get to us, and had an absolute blast. A special mention goes to the two little girls who came and danced with me (possibly my youngest fans yet), and everyone else who came and danced for the last song.

After the performance we celebrated with some of their fine beer and then got a very long train home to London. We didn’t get home until 2am, and had work at 9am, so if that is not rockstar life I do not know what is! I have to pay the bills somehow! It was so worth it because it was a lovely festival and an amazing way to kick off the tour.

Leg 2: Hallamshire Hotel, Sheffield 22/5/26 Journey: London to Sheffield via coach
After a week back at work, arranging final logistics and ticket sales pushes, we were off again on a trusty Flix bus to Sheffield. I used to live in Sheffield for 6 years and started there as an artist, so I was very excited to do another gig there. The promoter supported this gig and was managing the ticket sales, so it was very scary going in without much knowledge of how many people were actually going to show up, especially when the last I heard it was not very many sold in advance.

I will be honest and say that trying to sell tickets for this tour was incredibly difficult this time round. I don’t know if it is the nature of live music / the industry at this time, but it did not make it any easier for me as someone with the aim to sell out. All I know is that I did absolutely everything I could, and even though it didn’t sell out, it all worked out in the end. The crowds brought the energy to make it feel like a full room every night!

As we arrived in Sheffield with all our gear, we went to one of the best pubs in Sheffield for a quick half, then made our way to the venue. It was HOT! It is very difficult to be your own roadie on the hottest weekend of the year, but we did it as a team. Once we got to the venue (the Hallamshire Hotel), the lovely Jack helped us on sound, and we found out advance sales had shot up, then later more sold on the door. Success!

The gig itself was one of the best gigs we have EVER DONE! We were slick, the audience was dancing and singing like crazy, and none of us felt nervous. Ode to a Toad and Daisy Peacock supported, and they were a wonderful start to the evening as well. A dream came true for me that night and people held lights up during my song ‘Sunrise on the Snow’, and it was very hard not to cry. Someone in the audience also told me they randomly found the event online, and wanted to come so much they travelled and booked a hotel for the night! I couldn’t believe it. I felt for maybe the first time ever how strong my fanbase actually is, and will be moving forward.

After the gig we piled into two cars and split between two of our friends’ houses for the night. We did a lovely walk to Forge Dam the next morning and had lunch and a catch up with friends, then prepped for the next night.

Leg 3: The Fox and Newt, Leeds 23/5/26 Journey: Sheffield to Leeds via two cars

My band and I live all over the UK, which takes a lot of planning in advance from me to plan rehearsals and big events like this. We also all work full-time, so it’s a logistical nightmare to plan things around our day jobs. It’s a testament to my lovely band’s commitment and my organisational skills that we have managed to achieve so much in such a short space of time.

Now we were all convened in Sheffield, travel then became splitting into two cars. For my first tour, I was privileged enough to receive a grant through Help Musicians, which helped cover the costs of things such as merch, accommodation, band fees and most importantly, van hire. This time, this whole tour was self-funded (and my bank account is feeling it!), and we couldn’t afford a van. So this time, two of my bandmates kindly offered to drive and we used their cars.

After a lovely walk and lunch, we drove up to Leeds and loaded into the iconic venue, the Fox and Newt. It was such a blessing that we could park right outside! We then split up a bit as a band and Zak and I went to spend some time with his family to catch up before the gig.

The venue was very warm as it had no windows and the fire escape had to shut during the music, so all I could think about during our set was how warm I was on stage! The crowd were extremely attentive and supportive, and I am partially grateful that we didn’t sell out as if there were any more people in there, we would have melted! Katie Alice and Aunty Freeda supported, providing a really beautiful mix of genres on the night. Eddie the sound engineer and all the staff were extremely supportive as well, and we stayed until close, catching up with friends and family. I had a friend there who I lived with in my first year halls of university, and made a post-it note collage in our halls window saying ‘STREAM VIBE’ (one of my first singles). It was so lovely to have him there and still feel his support after all these years.

I also received some of the best feedback I have ever received after a gig on this night. Bill, who is a music journalist and radio presenter based in York, has been supporting me for the past few years. He came to see the Leeds show and we finally got to meet in person, and he told me that after going to gigs since 1972, that my show was one of the best small venue live shows that he has ever seen! I will never forget that and I am truly humbled and grateful.

After the venue closed, we this time had to split the band in cars and Ubers between three houses of friends and family, with two people staying at each. It was when I got into bed this evening that I realised how tired I was, and how it was all starting to hit me a bit. It is extremely hard to manage a group of people, yourself, your performances, and the logistics of the weekend all at once, and it is something I am going to think about getting support for on the next tour. However, being able to achieve all that despite its challenges is something I’m really proud of.

Leg 4 (the final one): Cavendish Arms, London 24/5/26
Journey: Leeds to London via two cars, a train and a tube

We set off pretty early on Sunday morning to make sure we got to London in plenty of time. It was starting to feel pretty unreal and sad that it was going to be over after so many months of hard work. I was really excited about this gig though, despite my voice starting to tire, as London always brings amazing energy.

The drive was extremely hot as it was 35 degrees and neither car had air conditioning. I was sitting in the back and had to be blasted with the windows open on the motorway for a bit to cool down. Our band member Em’s family lives just outside of London, so we stopped there for a really lovely lunch made by her Mum. We all had a cold shower and rejuvenated before setting off for the evening. We didn’t fancy driving through London, so we took a train and a tube to get to Stockwell carrying all of our gear. Anyone who knows London will know that the Victoria line is horrific in the heat, so this was not the nicest journey, especially carrying everything! Thankfully the venue was air conditioned and we had time to rest before soundcheck.

I will be honest and say that soundcheck was difficult, as it was delayed and I was struggling to hear myself on stage, so I started off the evening feeling really worried about how the night was going to go. I get in my own way sometimes, and what’s worse is that when I get nervous my throat dries and closes up, which does not help my singing ability. It’s a bit of an annoying vicious cycle I am trying to break, but I think I will always get nervous before a gig because I care so much about them. Luckily I picked myself up and reminded myself that this was the last night of the tour, and I needed to focus on enjoying myself. My dear friend Tom reminded me of this before I went on stage as well and this helped a lot.

The support acts, Myah and Anastasia, were an incredible fit for my genre of music, and were both extremely amazing! I was dancing so much to their sets. The gig itself went so well, and during my song ‘BREATHE!’ I had to stop because of how loud everyone was singing! I reloaded it so I could hear it again and take in the fact that so many people were screaming the lyrics to one of my new songs- another dream come true! The lovely Gaurav also joined us on stage again for ‘What Did I Even Say?’ which is always a treat. I am really grateful to the venue for being so accommodating. They gifted us a drink so we could celebrate once the tour was finished, and that was really appreciated. 

I came off stage and could not process it was over! I think it was a mixture of disbelief, exhaustion, sadness, relief and pride all in one, and with that the tour was done! We did it!

Final thoughts

Even after a week booked off work, sessions with my therapist and mentor, lots of conversations with friends and self-reflection, I still have not processed enough how amazing the tour was. I worked insanely hard for such a long time, and the fact it is over is a really strange feeling. On Monday I went to the park with friends and I couldn’t comprehend that I didn’t have to think about anything! Everyone in the industry knows that this is not an easy-going task, and I am so proud of myself that we made this happen. I self-managed a UK tour with no financial backing whilst working a full-time job- how many people can say that? I think that’s pretty cool, and I am certain we gave the EP the celebration it deserves.

A special thank you goes to Zak Michaud who helped with everything along the way. He not only plays bass in the band and produces all the music, but he is also the one behind the scenes helping my crazy ideas come to life, sorting logistics and keeping me sane, and I would not have been able to have done this, or any of my music achievements, without him.

For anyone reading this who is out there on this mad journey with me trying to make it in this industry, please please never give up. You can do anything you set your mind to as long as you have the right support system around you, believe in yourself and work hard for it. And always make sure to find time to rest and reflect.

I have come off of this tour feeling really energised for what’s next. I have a few gigs and festivals coming up, and I am going to spend a lot of time this year finishing my unfinished songs and scheming up what is next for my music. What I can guarantee is that this is only the beginning for me, and big things are on the horizon. I am an artist you definitely don’t want to sleep on! I can’t wait to get back on the stage and meet you at one of my next gigs.

Thank you so much for reading, and make sure to go and listen to my EP “Learning To Know Myself”!
Love always,
abs x

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