You know, we haven’t celebrated anything, but Indieterria turns 10 this year! And in a decade of going to shows, attending music conferences, reading through thousands of EPK’s and reviewing songs, we have heard one or two rock and roll stories. Some were ridiculous to the point that nobody would have believed us if we said it out loud, some were scary or sad, and some absolutely hilarious. YET, we have never heard of ANYBODY, EVER going on a tour on a bike. And here we are – talking to RUENA, a Nottingham based trailblazer who is attempting to do this. Amazed by the scope of TOUR DE RUENA, we sat her down to discuss the logistics, her plans, transportation and the charity aspect of her endeavour. Keep your fingers crossed folks, as RUENA is breaking all sorts of barriers to deliver her music to the venue near you – the ecological and sustainable way!
You have been called one of the most innovative new voices in metal music. Please introduce yourself to the readers of Indieterria.
RUENA: Oh wow, that’s wonderful to hear! Hey I’m Ruena, a metal core/dark-pop solo artist. My music is half cathartic rage, half ethereal grace and I give high energy live performances that’ll leave you feeling empowered!
You are going on tour – but this is a tour like no other. You will be travelling on a bike! We have never heard of any other artist ever attempting something like this. Please tell us, how did you come up with this idea?
RUENA: In my late teens/early 20’s, I did a lot of mountain biking with my Dad, but always swore I’d never get a road bike – they looked too skinny and twitchy! Last year, I signed up to do an Ironman 70.3 (a long triathlon), in which I needed to cycle 90km, so there was no avoiding road cycling! And to my surprise – I absolutely fell in love with it. The more I got into cycling, I learnt about bike packing, and that just seemed so cool to me. People go on absolutely crazy journeys via bike and I thought…why don’t I combine my loves and tour via bicycle?! I love touring, but reeeeally don’t love the endless hours stuck in a van, going to lots of places but not seeing anything – travelling via bicycle will allow me to spend so much time outdoors and make the journey part of the adventure!
Let`s talk logistics. Your means of transport is set But what about your gear? Will you be taking anything with you? And if so, will it go with you or separately? Or maybe you found a different solution to the everlasting issue of packing for the road?
RUENA: Even just carrying the basics: clothes, tent/sleeping gear, toiletries, tech, food/cooking etc – your bike is already HEAVY. We will be borrowing musical gear from the venues/other bands. I haven’t fully figured out the logistics as yet – in terms of music gear, we will probably only be able to carry a microphone, playback, and drum sticks really!
It`s both risky and boring to go adventuring alone. Is anyone coming with you on TOUR DE RUENA? Any band members or friends to keep you company?
RUENA: My husband and drummer Tom is doing it with me! He’s an amazing cyclist. He did the Ironman 70.3 too and this month he is doing a mammoth challenge of cycling 250 km with over 4000 m of elevation IN A DAY – INSANE! I’m very happy to be doing this together! Road cycling can be pretty scary in the UK, I can’t lie. Unfortunately many motorists just hate you, passing too close, too fast or even actually hurling abuse at you. We try to ignore it, but it can get pretty scary/upsetting when you have close calls! I feel safer doing it together. Also, hopefully we will be able to find gravel routes for some of it (where you’re off the main roads) but we’ll see!
There are 6 stops on TOUR DE RUENA. You will be playing Nottingham, Kingston upon Thames, Brighton, Southampton, Bristol and you will finish with a special acoustic set at the 2000 Trees summer festival. How are you preparing for this impressive feat? Do you have a special training regime?
RUENA: The first gig in Notts is local, so we can cycle to and then back home – nice and easy start. From then on, we’re heading south. It’s at least 150 miles to Kingston so we will need to allow a few days cycling for that one! After that, we will be going on a little holiday in Europe (undecided exactly where). I did reeeeally try to get a gig in France, Belgium or Netherlands, but sadly nothing came through! Booking gigs is actually really hard, but I’d allowed for it in my plan, so we’re just gonna go anyway. After that, we will be cycling from Dover to Brighton and onwards for the rest. We’ll either be stopping at friend’s houses or camping. We haven’t looked at the actual routes as yet, but even just that is over 500miles (not including getting home!!)… it’s a bloody long way! That’s the challenge! For training, we’re both just cycling as much as possible – biking before or after work and then bigger ones at the weekend. Plus some strength training to get ready for the extra weight!
What about shows that are further away, such as Brighton or Southampton? Travelling by car from Nottingham, it would take you about 3.5 hours to get there, by bike – it is a 17 hours escapade. How are you going to tackle the long distances?
RUENA: As we are bike packing, once we set off, we won’t be coming home until after the tour. We will stay local to each show before/after. There’s still a lot of figuring out in terms of actual routes, where we are stopping after each gig, but yeah it’s gonna be like one big loop!
The goal of the tour is to raise funds for Metal for Good. Tell us more about the charity itself, their goals and why did you decide to partner with them? Is there any link where people can donate or sponsor you directly?
RUENA: I really wanted to raise money for a charity that creates positive change in the community – and that’s exactly what Metal For Good too. Since launching, they have funded 22 grassroots projects across the UK. They awarded grants to organisations that use music to support mental health, help young people build confidence, create opportunities, and provide space for voices that are too often underrepresented. I just love what they do and am really proud to be doing this for them. If you can’t come to the gigs, but want to support the cause, you can donate directly here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/tourderuena
And all tour tickets are available here: https://ruena.co.uk/
We cannot forget to ask about the most important thing: your bike! Without it there`s no TOUR DE RUENA. Feel free to boast about your cycling companion. What brand is it? Do you have any special upgrades prepared for the occasion?
RUENA: Our wonderful bikes are made by Sonder, a British brand owned by Alpkit. We’ve both got the Camino Ti which are titanium gravel bikes, absolute MACHINES. I honestly have never loved a bike so much – it can do everything! And I also want to give a massive shout out to Altura Cycling who have so generously provided the bike packing bags we will need for our luggage – ABSOLUTE LEGENDS.
We know you want to add some European dates to the event. If any venue wants to join at the last minute, what is the best way to contact you about it?
RUENA: Yes! If anyone in Belgium, North France or maybe the Netherlands has any gigs going on between 23rd June to 1st July – email me at itsruena@gmail.com or message on IG!
Who will be supporting you on TOUR DE RUENA? Do you have the supporting acts lined up already? Please let us know so we can give these superstars a shout!
RUENA: I am SO SO SO SO unbelievably happy to be doing this tour with so many amazing bands! Huge love to all of them! I’m incredibly grateful that they are doing this with me! Got a couple left to confirm, but the lines ups so far are as follows:
Kingston Upon Thames (London): HENKA, Night Thieves, Mercy Falls and then an alt after part with DJ Jason GGT.
Brighton: Ziggy Phoenix and Spooky Huge
Southampton: Love As Always, Reawaken, Blinded By Embers
Bristol: Bitter Kisses, Pollyanna Blue, Juju
Last questions on Indieterria are fun. Cycling is a popular concept in rock music. We can name many anthems such as “Bicycle Race” by Queen, “Bicycle Song” by Red Hot Chilli Peppers or Kraftwerk’s “Tour De France”. Let’s say you plan to write your own song. What’s the title?
RUENA: There’s so many bike puns I could make! As cyclists love a coffee stop, “dropping” others (where you overtake another cyclist) and wheels rotate – let’s go for “Stop, Drop n Roll”!
You can follow Ruena on socials:
https://www.instagram.com/itsruena
https://www.tiktok.com/@itsruena
https://www.youtube.com/@ruena
https://soundcloud.com/ruena-music
https://ruena.bandcamp.com
Rita and Malicia Dabrowicz
Indieterria 