Touring is unpredictable. One night you’re playing a sold-out venue, the next you’re holding a broken DI cable together just to make it through the set.
For Glitterer, that unpredictability is half the appeal. From Jakarta madness to a benefit show in a donut shop parking lot, here are some of their best (and weirdest) moments from the road.
Jakarta: A First That Couldn’t Happen Anywhere Else
Some shows just hit different. Glitterer’s first time in Southeast Asia was one of them. “We played in Jakarta, Indonesia last November, and that was crazy” Glitterer’s Ned Russin said. “It was our first time ever going to South East Asia, and it was a pretty incredible experience. The people were very excited, and we were so excited to be there too. It just felt like a show that couldn’t happen anywhere else in the world.”
There’s something about being somewhere completely new—where the energy isn’t just about the music but the shared moment of a band and an audience realising they’ve both been waiting for this.
DIY Done Right in DC
A record release show is one thing. A record release show that brings together local and national acts for a cause is something else. “Earlier last year, we played the record release show for Rationale, which we booked ourselves. It was at this venue called Songbyrd, and we brought our friends Fury from California” Russin said when discussing the important gig.
“We also had some great local bands play too—Clear Channel from DC, and Expiration Date from the DC area. And it was actually a benefit show for a local legal organisation that works on behalf of the homeless in DC.”
For Russin though, it wasn’t just about putting on a show. “It was really important to me personally. It felt like it was bringing our friends together, both locally and across the country, and booking a show that we wanted to book for the community.”
Wilkes-Barre’s Finest: A Show in a Donut Shop Parking Lot
As Glitterer have found, sometimes the best venues aren’t actually venues at all. “We played a show in 2021 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where I’m from, in the parking lot of a donut shop called Curry Donuts” Russin noted when asked about hometown shows. “They’ve done shows forever there, and they still do shows, I think, once a week. A couple of friends and I threw this one together, and it was a benefit for a local mutual aid group called The People’s Guild.”
It also happened to be their first post-pandemic hometown show. “It was just a really nice, familiar feeling in the new weird world at that time” Russin added.
Holding a DI Together With One Hand at The Smell
Before Glitterer was a full band, it was just one person on stage. And in 2020, that meant handling every technical issue alone—including literally holding a broken DI cable in place just to make sure the set didn’t fall apart.
“I had this little Roland SP-404 sampler that I played all the tracks on. It was plugged into a DI, and the DI was broken somehow, so I had to hold the cable in at the right angle, like when your headphone jack is all janky. It was that, but with the DI! I had to hold the piece in my hand throughout the entire set.”
Remarkably though, it actually worked. “Kids were stage-diving and singing along like crazy. I feel like that’s one of the only times from that era where people really ‘got’ it!”
Wrapping Up a UK Run in London
Touring internationally can be exhausting, but some shows make it all worth it. “In September of 2022, we played New Cross Inn in London. It was the last show on our UK run before we did one in mainland Europe—Barcelona, which my brother booked, and it was awesome. But for this London show, the energy was just different.”
It wasn’t the usual hardcore crowd. “People were just moving to the music, and it felt like a really exciting and unifying show for us. We were wrapping up our first international tour in a very important, cool city, and people seemed genuinely happy to be there. It felt really great.”
No Such Thing as a Normal Tour
For Glitterer, touring isn’t just about playing shows—it’s about the unpredictable moments in between. Whether it’s a packed club in Jakarta, a parking lot gig at a donut shop, or holding a set together with one hand, the best moments are the ones you can’t plan for. And by all counts, they wouldn’t have it any other way.
Glitterer are supporting Balance and Composure on their upcoming tour of Australia. They will be also be performing at New Bloom Festival in Melbourne and Sydney. Tickets for these upcoming shows can be accessed here.
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