Interview with Superbus guitarist Patrice Focone: On tour with Gravity

Over the years, the French band Superbus (the name is Latin for ‘sublime’ and ‘proud’) has built up a large and loyal fan base. The five-piece band, fronted by singer Jennifer ‘Jenn’ Ayache, was honoured with an MTV Europe Music Award as ‘Best French Group’ in 2005 for their creative mix of pop and rock elements, among other accolades. However, Superbus feel most at home live on tour. This year, the band took an extensive Gravity tripod setup with them on the road, including an LED-lit Glow Stand for special lighting effects! We had a chat with guitarist Patrice Focone about the band’s choice of equipment. And, since Superbus is always on the go, the motto was: short questions – quick answers. Happy reading!

You’re on the road a lot as a band. How many shows do you play per year?

Patrice Focone: It depends on whether we’re working on a new album or not. When we’re working on a new album, we play between 60 and 120 shows over a period of two years. When we’re NOT working on a specific album, we play about 20 to 30 festivals over the summer.

How would you describe yourselves as a band? What makes you stand out?

Patrice Focone: Musically, we’re a typical pop/rock band with two guitarists, bass, drums, and a singer. Every now and then, there are also keyboard parts. On stage, we’re much rockier and seek interaction with the audience. For us, the audience is something like the sixth member of Superbus!

“Anyone who makes music professionally will inevitably come into contact with Adam Hall and Gravity at some point.”

Patrice Focone, Superbus

What’s important to you as a band when it comes to equipment, especially tripods? What experiences have you had in the past in this regard?

Patrice Focone: If you want to climb the highest mountains, you need the right shoes! In other words, good equipment is one of the keys to a perfect show. We have to be able to rely on our equipment at all times, because we don’t have time to deal with bad equipment when we’re live. If the products also look good, then of course that really helps too!

How did you find out about Gravity? When did you first use Gravity products?

Patrice Focone: Anyone who makes music professionally will inevitably come into contact with Adam Hall and Gravity at some point. The specific trigger for the collaboration in our case was an advert for the Glow Stands, which we happened to see on social media. We then contacted Gravity directly, but didn’t actually expect to work together. We were very surprised and pleased that it worked out so easily!

What do you like about Gravity stands?

Patrice Focone: Quite simply – they are robust, reliable and look good.

What qualities make your life as a musician on the road easier?

Patrice Focone: They’re quick and easy to assemble and disassemble. The tripods are simply very ergonomically designed. Plus, they’re not too heavy.