In the green room of their first show on a new tour, I caught up with Ebony Buckle and her husband, musician Nick Burns. We chatted about pre-show rituals, some unexpected tour moments (including a kilt situation), and why ham, cheese, and chocolate are (apparently) the ultimate backstage essentials.

What’s one thing you absolutely need backstage before a show?

Ebony: “Honestly, just a bit of time to myself. To breathe and be in my own head for a moment. Otherwise, I get a bit frazzled.”

Nick: “For me, it’s ham, cheese, and chocolate. I don’t know why, but if I need something quick to eat, it has to be satisfying. That combo just ticks all the boxes for me. And you put it here in our dressing room!”

Ebony: “It’s his dream snack.”

Nick: “When I saw it lying there, I thought, ‘they know me!’”

Do you have any pre-show rituals or quirky habits to get in the zone?

Ebony: “Everything always feels a bit rushed before a show.”

Nick: “Yeah, but remember what we did at the Camden Club?”

Ebony: “Oh right, we had a little huddle with the band!”

Nick: “If it’s just me and Ebony, we don’t really have a ritual — but we should.”

You often perform with a full band, but on this tour is just the two of you, right?

Ebony: “Yeah, when we have the full setup, we play with violin, cello, bass, drums, and extra vocals.”

Nick: “But for this tour, it’s just us — the compact version. It makes it easier to support bigger artists since the setup is simpler. That’s also why we use backing tracks, so people still get the full experience of our sound.”

What’s the most unexpected thing that’s happened to you on tour?

Nick: “Being surrounded by ten women trying to put a kilt on me.”

Ebony: “That was hilarious. Nick got rolled into a kilt.”

Nick: “In my underwear.”

Ebony: “Yep.”

Nick: “I was okay with it — it was for the show. But it was… revealing. And wearing a kilt is already a bit exposing, you know?”

Ebony: “It was for our album launch last year, for my album Hearts Go Silent.”

Nick: “Yeah, and since I’ve got Scottish heritage, it felt kind of right. But I had no idea that properly putting on a kilt involves lying down while people wrap you up in it like a Swiss roll.”

Ebony: “A very Scottish Swiss roll.”

If you could swap places with any artist for a day, who would it be and why?

Nick: “Nuno Bettencourt from Extreme. He’s my guitar idol — such a cool musician. I’d love to see what a day in his life looks like, working on collaborations, playing insane riffs, just doing his thing.”

Ebony: “I’d go for Australian artist Kate Miller-Heidke. She represented Australia at Eurovision a few years ago, singing opera while balancing on this huge, bendy pole. It looked so cool — I’d love to try that.”

If you could give your past self one piece of advice before stepping on stage for the first time, what would it be?

Nick: “Nobody cares.”

Ebony: “That’s a good one.”

Nick: “Not in a bad way! Just — everyone’s busy with their own stuff. No one is sitting there, waiting to judge you. There are actually a lot of lovely people out there who just want to see you do your thing.”

Ebony: “Yeah, and I’d add that the audience is actually on your side.”

Nick: “Exactly! People do care — but not in the way that makes you nervous. They’re not hoping you mess up. They’re just here to enjoy the music.”

What do people think is super ‘rock & roll’ about backstage life that actually… isn’t?

Ebony: “Getting dressed in random toilets around the world.”

Nick: “Yep.”

Ebony: “Seriously, I’ve changed outfits in so many weird places.”

Nick: “You don’t always get a proper dressing room.”

Ebony: “Nope. Once, we had to change in a fire escape hallway. Another time? A particularly lovely toilet. So yeah, that’s the reality — glamorous, right?”

Anything exciting coming up after this tour?

Ebony: “Well, our second album, Hearts Get Started, just came out. We’re fully independent, so yeah, we’re funded by Patreon. And as well as this tour with Anneke (van Giersbergen), we’ve got lots of UK shows lined up — hopefully, we’ll be back in the Netherlands soon too!”

Nick: “Yeah, we do love playing here!”