Christian Livingstone of The Datsons
What's on your rider?Irish whiskey, vodka and beer. A general assortment of juices and sodas along with food. We also ask for the backstage to be decorated like a beach scene, complete with palm trees and real sand. Strangely, we have never once got the beach scene.
What would be on your fantasy rider?Socks. You can never have enough pairs of clean socks on tour. Having a fresh pair every day would be amazing!
What's your pre-gig routine?I spend about 30 minutes warming up on the guitar. I usually do a couple of half-hearted leg and arm stretches, too. Our show can be quite physical so it pays to be limbered up and ready to rock.
How do you get to the gig?Tour bus or van. Walking is overrated and limos have no room for amplifiers and guitars. One time we had to drive to a festival in Australia in a limo with most of our music gear. It was the most uncomfortable limo ride in history.
What's the best gig you've been to?Swedish band The Hellacopters in Auckland, New Zealand in 2000. It was the first time I saw a band play rock and roll with the high level of energy, showmanship and great songs that I had always dreamed of seeing live.
And the worst?I can't remember seeing anything tragically bad live, although I have seen many, many forgettable shows.
Ecologically speaking, are you closer to Radiohead or Motörhead?We're somewhere in the middle. We all recycle and none of us smokes or uses ozone depleting hairspray. We do, however, sometimes leave a trail of needless destruction in our wake.
Who is the most famous person to have shown up at one of your gigs?All sorts of people have turned up at our shows over the years. John Paul Jones, Lars Ulrich, Courtney Love, The Hives, Kings of Leon, The Strokes, blah, blah, name check. I don't care who comes as long as they have a good time and buy me a drink.
What's your crowd-pleasing number?Probably Stuck here for Days or Harmonic Generator.
What's the worst thing ever thrown at you?Hot chips, coins and death threats. All at the same time.
In conversation with Tony Clayton-Lea. The Datsuns play Dublin on Wednesday and Galway on Thursday
