Dayglow is an indie pop band from Fort Worth, Texas that is currently on a world tour in support of their latest album Harmony House. The four main band members of Dayglow are lead vocalist Sloan Struble, guitarist Sean Waugaman, bassist Kevin Bissonette, and drummer Matthew Kindred. For their current tour, Dayglow has brought on several additional touring musicians to round out their live sound.
Opening Acts
For the first leg of their Harmony House tour in North America, Dayglow has tappeed indie pop artist AG Club to open their shows. AG Club is a solo project from Ana G Clubb based out of Brooklyn, New York. She has opened for acts like Coin and slenderbodies in the past couple of years as she has risen on the indie pop scene. Her music features electronic production paired with introspective lyrics and airy vocals. She has one EP out currently titled Emotions and is expected to release more music soon.
In Europe and the UK, Dayglow has brought on 19-year-old bedroom pop singer Rosie Darling as their opener. Hailing from Wolverhampton, England, Rosie Darling started releasing music on Soundcloud as a teenager before getting noticed by indie labels. She now has two EPs out, with her latest 2022 release Coping Mechanism introducing more layered production and vulnerable songwriting. Dayglow has expressed being big fans of Rosie Darling’s music, so having her support them on their European tour dates seems like a natural fit.
Touring Band Members
In addition to the four core members of Dayglow, there are five other musicians joining them on tour to reproduce the lush instrumentation heard on their albums in a live setting.
On guitar is Dillon Matthew, who has been playing with Dayglow since their early tours supporting their first album Fuzzybrain. Matthew provides additional guitar lines and textures to complement frontman Sloan Struble’s parts. He has been praised for his high energy stage presence that syncs up with the upbeat nature of Dayglow’s music.
Multi-instrumentalist David Parry is pulling triple duty on this tour, contributing keyboard, guitar, and trumpet parts. His versatility allows the band to switch seamlessly between instruments live and cover even more sonic ground. Parry’s experience touring in other indie acts like Leif Vollebekk and Wild Child make him a road-tested addition to Dayglow.
Dayglow has also brought along drummer Jimmy Thompson to play percussion alongside main drummer Matthew Kindred. The extra percussion allows them to recreate the dynamic rhythms of their recordings. Thompson’s background drumming for artists like Ariel & The Culture has primed him for Dayglow’s synth-driven pop sound.
To round out the rhythm section, longtime bassist Kevin Bissonette now has Nick Sullo joining him on tour for added bass guitar. Sullo is a session bassist based in Dayglow’s hometown of Fort Worth, having played on albums for rising country acts like Logan Samford. His groovy and melodic bass lines give Dayglow’s music even more depth and solidity live.
Lastly, keyboardist Alex Casanova contributes synth textures and organ parts to flesh out Dayglow’s ’80s-inspired pop sound on stage. When not on tour, he works as a music instructor at the Los Angeles-based music school Silverlake Conservatory of Music.
How the Touring Band Came Together
When Dayglow first started touring behind their initial EPs and singles in 2018, it was just main songwriter Sloan Struble on vocals and guitar, Sean Waugaman on guitar, and session musicians filling out the live band. But as Dayglow gained popularity and began prepping their debut album Fuzzybrain, they solidified the lineup by adding drummer Matthew Kindred and bassist Kevin Bissonette as official band members.
For their early tours, Dayglow recruited touring members through recommendations from peers and local musicians they knew in the Fort Worth music scene. Over time, they developed relationships with certain touring musicians like Dillon Matthew and David Parry, who continued joining subsequent tours. Other new additions like percussionist Jimmy Thompson and keyboardist Alex Casanova were brought on through auditions as Dayglow required more musicians to reproduce the full band arrangements on new albums like Harmony House.
Frontman Sloan Struble has said a major priority when constructing the live band was finding musicians who could capture the energy and spirit of the recordings, even if the instrumentation needed to be adapted for a stage setting. He feels the current touring musicians achieve that goal, bringing the essence of Dayglow’s aesthetic to life in a vibrant way during shows. Fans have agreed, praising the band’s ability to translate their infectious pop hooks into compelling live performances.
Band Member Backgrounds
Here is some more information on the backgrounds of each Dayglow touring band member:
Dillon Matthew
- From: Fort Worth, Texas
- Age: 25
- Musical background: Played in metal bands in high school before transitioning to indie rock projects like his former band Life in Deep. Started playing occasional shows with Dayglow in 2018.
David Parry
- From: Houston, Texas
- Age: 31
- Musical background: Studied jazz trumpet in college before touring with folk and Americana acts. Plays multiple instruments including keyboards, guitar, trumpet, and bass.
Jimmy Thompson
- From: Dallas, Texas
- Age: 28
- Musical background: Drummed in jazz bands in school and has been an in-demand session player for R&B/soul acts in Dallas. Toured supporting avant-pop artist XYLO in 2019.
Nick Sullo
- From: Fort Worth, Texas
- Age: 32
- Musical background: Has played with Texas country acts like Sam Riggs and Casey Donahew. Plays both electric and upright bass.
Alex Casanova
- From: Phoenix, Arizona
- Age: 29
- Musical background: Studied classical piano and composition. Has toured with indie folk acts like The Lonely Biscuits andsister band act Joseph.
How the Live Show Comes Together
Even though Dayglow has expanded to a 7-piece touring outfit, frontman Sloan Struble remains the musical director for their live shows. He works closely with each musician to adapt their instrumental parts from the album arrangements into versions that will work on stage. There is a lot of communication to ensure every member has enough musical space to shine while still complementing each other.
The band also employs stage technicians to set up musical equipment like keyboards, percussion, guitars, and bass to meet the tour’s specification. Setup is extremely important for clean transitions between songs and making sure all the musicians can hear themselves correctly with in-ear monitors. The crew are experts at problem solving any technical issues that may arise at venues.
In terms of setlist, Dayglow has about a 90 minute performance which includes songs spanning their entire discography, with emphasis on newest material. They sequence the set to have a natural arc, starting with upbeat songs to grab the audience’s attention before shifting to more emotional material in the middle, then ramping back up for an energetic close. The setlist can change night to night based on how the band is feeling and what they sense audiences responding to.
For the visual component, Dayglow uses vibrant lighting designs coordinated with each song’s mood and dynamics. They incorporate elements like confetti cannons, balloon drops, and artificial smoke to punctuate big moments. However, the focus remains on the band’s infectious pop melodies and Struble’s earnest vocals and guitar playing. Fans have praised Dayglow’s live shows for feeling like joyful communal celebrations centered around the music.
Life on the Road
Touring full-time can be both exhilarating and grueling for bands. Here is a little glimpse into what life on the road is like for Dayglow and their crew:
- Days start early with the crew loading in all the equipment first thing in the morning.
- Soundchecks happen in the mid-afternoon to dial in the sound at each specific venue.
- There is lots of waiting around between soundcheck and showtime, which is passed by watching movies, playing video games, reading, and listening to music.
- Quick fast food dinners are eaten before the opener and Dayglow take the stage.
- Shows are usually 45 minutes for the opener and 90 minutes for Dayglow.
- After performing, the band unwinds and rests up for the next travel day.
- Tour buses and vans transport the crew overnight to the next city where the whole cycle repeats.
It can be tiring logging so many hours traveling and performing, often functioning on little sleep. But the thrill of playing live shows makes up for the grind of tour life. The band has said it’s been amazing meeting fans all around the world who have connected with their music. They feel very grateful for the opportunity to do what they love!
Conclusion
As Dayglow continues ascending in the indie pop world, their live shows have grown from scrappy three-piece gigs to fully realized productions. While the touring outfit has expanded, the band’s infectious energy and spirit remains the same. For this tour the musicians and crew were handpicked to accurately capture the essence and excitement of Dayglow’s music in a concert setting.
The Harmony House tour has seen rave reviews so far, with fans loving the blend of new and old material. Dayglow has proven they can translate their feel-good recordings into euphoric live performances. With a breakout album and a beefed up touring band, Dayglow seems poised to continue playing bigger venues to even more fans.