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Music

Style Rider: Clean Bandit Wouldn't Be Caught Dead in Short Shorts

Clean Bandit share their packing list for tour.

We're always hearing about bands' tour riders (who can forget that Van Halen refuses to be in the same room as brown M&M's, Britney Spears insists on bunless McDonald's hamburgers, and DMX requires three boxes of condoms and one gallon of Hennessey?). As for what they pack for tour? Not so much. When musicians hit the road, they're often gone for six months at a time, traveling in a beat-up van with little more than a duffel bag. The stuff they decide to bring along has to be comfortable enough to travel in, but cool enough to wear on stage—not an easy feat. So we're reaching out to our favorite artists to find out what they don't leave home without when they're embarking on tour. Chanel mascara? Black Chucks? That perfectly beat-up biker jacket that makes literally everything look infinitely cooler? We're about to find out, and we'll be reporting back with our findings each week.

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There are very few times when it's necessary, or even appropriate, to use the word "bodacious," but Grace Chatto of Clean Bandit totally warrants it. She's a blonde bombshell, all red lips and bold brows, and she's probably the only person in history to perform classical music—cello in hand—while wearing sequin-covered crop tops

Along with bandmates Neil Amin-Smith and brothers Luke and Jack Patterson, the British foursome, who met while studying at Jesus College in Cambridge, mixes electronic beats with classical compositions from Beethoven and Mozart. Thanks to their massive hit "Rather Be" (which, if you haven't heard all over the internet, you've definitely heard in that Coca Cola commercial they keep playing), Clean Bandit broke the UK record for most plays on Spotify, a claim to fame previously held by Daft Punk.

This week, they're embarking on their first headlining tour in the U.S., so we grabbed a minute with Grace to find out what she'll be bringing with her. While the dudes in the band mostly stick to button-ups and band tees, midriff-baring shirts and mini dresses dominate her on-stage style—basically the opposite of what you'd expect from a classically-trained musician (no offense to all the classically-trained musicians out there). Here are the other things she can't live without.

SUNGLASSES

"I never used to be able to keep them on but after many long nights in a field, I find them a festival essential! I have a cool pair by Hardware LDN."

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SUNSCREEN

"Being pale-skinned and outside a lot during the festival season, my nose tends to go a Rudolph-shade of red. I used to hate putting sun cream on my face because it's so oily, but I now have a lovely SPF 40 from Clinique that's not greasy and smells lovely."

SHORTS

"Levi's have some nice denim ones that are not too short."

MASCARA

"I use MAC waterproof mascara. It's the only makeup I find really easy to put on without a mirror (which can be hard to come by at festivals!). And waterproof is handy if it rains, or you might cry during Lana Del Rey's set."

TINTED MOISTERIZER

"NARS tinted moisturizer comes in nice colors for all skin tones and has SPF 15 in it. Love."

All she really needs, though, is an instrument.

Check them out when they come through your city.
September 19 - Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
September 20 - Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
September 22 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall September
23 - Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater
September 25 - Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
September 26 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
September 27 - San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
September 30 - Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre

Casey Lewis does this every week. She's on Twitter - @caseymlewis.

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