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Traveling tent shows were once a revered Americana tradition, but they died out in the mid-twentieth century. Now, a British band may bring the tradition back, with the help of two bright yellow Bedouinflex™ marquees from Stretch Structures, a multinational manufacturer of stretch tents, stretch fabric creations and inflatable structures.
Duncan Disorderly and the Scallywags, a band known for its world rhythms, positive lyrics and catchy melodies, has been traveling throughout the United Kingdom, turning its tour bus with attached tents into a stage at every stop. The ease of set up and the ability to pack down to a small size for transportation make the tents “unbeatable” for the band’s performances, says Duncan Stewart of the record label Good Times Music.
Stewart opted for two tents fabricated from Stretchflex Lite fabric, which is Stretch Structures’s economic, lighter weight version of its range of fabrics. A waterproof joining system allows the tents to be used together or separately.
“We run our own festival called Field Good Music, and we’ve attached the tent to the side of our tour bus, which is then used as the main stage at the event,” Stewart says. “It serves double duty as we then took it to another festival and used it as a cafe for the weekend, off the side of the coach. Over the course of the summer, we’ll be taking it to many festivals and it’ll be used as a cafe and/or a stage.”