Five people, one van, three records
The Copper Tides (sample) started as a covers band at a Springfield pub in 2016. The covers went; the five of us stayed.
Written in a rehearsal room, finished on the road
We write together, two evenings a week, in a rented room above a tyre shop (sample). A song is finished when it has survived ten shows.
We release our own records, run our own merch table and book most of our own shows. That is why the booking form on this site goes straight to us.
Where we stand
Our stage plot: the same drawing every sound engineer gets before a show.
Upstage, back wall
6 m
Kai Morrow
Bass, backing vocals
815
Mix 3, wedge
Ade Bello
Drums
1234567
Mix 5, in-ear
June Hartley
Keys, backing vocals
101116
Mix 4, wedge
Tomas Lind
Guitar, backing vocals
914
Mix 2, wedge
Ruth Okonjo
Lead vocals, acoustic guitar
1213
Mix 1, two wedges
Downstage edge, audience this side
4 m deep
The stage from above, audience at the bottom, as we send it to every venue (sample). Each player stands on a tape cross; the chips are their channels on the desk, 1 to 16.
The band
Five players from Springfield (sample), together since 2016. Positions and channels are the ones on our stage plot.
Kai Morrow
Bass, backing vocals
Upstage right
815
Plays a short-scale bass through the band’s own DI. Writes most of the bass lines on the piano first.
Ade Bello
Drums
Upstage centre, on the riser
1234567
Counts every song in and keeps the click for the two songs with backing tracks. Brings the band’s own cymbals.
June Hartley
Keys, backing vocals
Upstage left
101116
Stage piano and an old organ sound, both in stereo. Arranges the harmonies and sings the high part.
Tomas Lind
Guitar, backing vocals
Downstage right
914
One guitar, one amp, a small pedalboard. Plays the slide parts on Tidewater and sings the low harmony.
Ruth Okonjo
Lead vocals, acoustic guitar
Downstage centre
1213
Writes the words and most of the songs. Uses her own vocal mic; the acoustic goes straight into a DI.
How we work
Shows
Around sixty a year (sample), mostly Thursday to Saturday, with a summer of festivals.
Sound
Our engineer, Mo Reyes (sample), mixes every show over 200 people; smaller rooms use the house engineer and our plot.
Records
Self-released on vinyl, CD and download. Every record is mixed for vinyl first.
Travel
One van, five players, the backline and the merch. We arrive at load-in, not before.
Want us to play?
Venues, festivals, weddings and support slots: tell us the date and the room.