Dedicated to the Business of Contemporary Live Music
WITH ARTISTES including Barbra Streisand, Lionel Richie and Celine Dion, the audio system at this year’s 65,000-capacity Barclaycard Presents British Summer Time in London’s Hyde Park, needed unparalleled clarity, according to production manager Mark Ward. Audio provider Capital Sound installed an MLA multi-cellular loudspeaker array by Martin Audio on the…
Read moreHALL AND Oates based the look of their UK stage show on a proscenium arch built of LED, supported by a block of video on the upstage screen The band used a total 150 square metres of UPADIII H05 panels by manufacturer Trinity LED, for performances at venues such as…
Read moreLIGHTING AND production designer Tom Sutherland wanted to create a set which changed “subtly and smoothly” throughout the show for Westlife and decided to use an automation system to create different spatial effects. Using a 64ft screen which split horizontally as a backdrop, he deployed nine lighting pods running from…
Read moreAFTER A period as a division of French construction multi-national the Altrad Group, Star Events has been purchased by British event industry entrepreneur David Walley. The 40-plus-year-old staging, rigging and structures specialist, which supplies clients such as British Summer Time (cap. 65,000), Adele and the Spice Girls, joins a stable…
Read moreDELIVERING A spectacular audio-visual presentation for Jack Savoretti’s flagship performance at London’s SSE Arena (cap. 12,500), Wembley, required logistical expertise and state-of-the-art equipment according to Pete McCrea, MD of visuals supplier Production AV. The display was created after production manager Neil Anderson decided to incorporate live footage and visuals into…
Read moreWORKING at Glastonbury Festival (cap. 147,500) with Pyramid Stage headliners such as Kylie, Stormzy, The Killers and The Cure, audio provider RG Jones assembled an array of 72 MLA loud speakers by Martin Audio, arranged in four main hangs. A further four MLA Compact arrays, flown from the stage’s proscenium…
Read moreLIGHTING DESIGNERS Ed Warren and Phil Kaikoura based their light show for Mumford & Sons on a brief from the band containing “cryptic” statements about what their latest LP Delta meant to the artistes. With show designer Ric Lipson of set design business Stufish planning an in-the-round (ITR) production, they…
Read moreLIGHTING DESIGNER Lee Stennett says he wanted to reinforce John Barrowman’s natural glamour for the variety singer’s Fabulous tour, which visited venues including Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall (cap. 2,475), Birmingham’s Symphony Hall (2,250) and London’s Savoy Theatre (1,150). Running both lighting and video on a grandMA2 lite console, Stennett’s positioned…
Read moreLIGHTING DESIGNER Alex Reardon says he needed a fixture which could provide soft atmospherics and hard-edged beams for Tears for Fears’ tour, in which he aimed to strike the optimum balance between illumination and special effects. He aimed to create designs which mixed every combination of the two features appropriately. …
Read moreSHORT CHANGEOVERS were critical to the success of the Legends Live tour featuring four chart acts from the 1970s, including Suzi Quatro, David Essex and Les McKeown’s Bay City Rollers, according to David Preston of Capital Sound. The London-based audio company deployed an MLA system by Martin Audio at venues…
Read moreDESIGNING AN audio system that would work equally well for rock and pop shows, comedy and club nights was critical for Steve Hoyland of venue operator Academy Music Group (AMG), when he installed a new in-house PA at Glasgow’s O2 Academy (cap. 2,500). The venue, which is hosting shows by…
Read moreLONDON’S 5,200-capacity Royal Albert Hall (RAH) has successfully installed a “game-changing” audio system as part of a £2 million refit, with no interruption to its schedule, says Pat Smith of audiovisual specialist SFL. A 465-box loudspeaker system by manufacturer d&b audiotechnik was fitted into the 148-year-old venue, involving work in…
Read moreFATBOY SLIM (aka Norman Cook) traditionally prefers more intimate venues to large arenas, but was able to transform London’s The O2 (cap. 21,000) into a club, thanks to the use of an in-the-round presentation and an audio system which brought him closer to the audience, according to Capital Sound Hire’s…
Read moreSIMPLICITY OF operation was one of the key factors in determining the choice of a new console by front-of-house (FOH) engineer Chris Leckie for the Kaiser Chiefs tour, which took in venues including London’s O2 Academy Brixton (cap. 4,900), Barrowland (2,100) in Glasgow, Exeter’s Great Hall (1,800) and The Engine…
Read moreAIMING TO create the atmosphere of a dystopian party on a tour supporting their Doom Days LP, Bastille used a backdrop with a “torn” look fabricated with layers of crinkly metallic mesh. Production manager Chris Speirs and show designer Rob Sinclair invited projection specialist Really Creative Media (RCM) to provide…
Read moreSNOW PATROL frontman Gary Lightbody’s idea for a video box with images on the four visible interior sides formed the look of the band’s latest tour supporting their album Wilderness. Lighting and show designer Davy Sherwin invited Tring-based Universal Pixels (Unipix) to realise the idea, creating a projection box brought…
Read moreLONDON’S 3,100-capacity Troxy has become the first UK theatre to install the new JBL VTX A12 line array system, by US-based manufacturer Harman Professional Solutions. The move follows a thorough investigation of rival systems according to Tom Sutton-Roberts general manager at the venue, which has concerts with Oh Sees, Taking…
Read moreSEEKING A daring and innovative set for their tour in support of third LP, A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships, The 1975 opted for several moving elements in their show. Three video cubes were suspended above the band, alongside the their “blade” trademark, at shows in venues including Manchester Arena…
Read moreA TOUCH of Las Vegas was among the creative ideas served up by The Vaccines to designer Dan Williams, as they prepared for their Combat Sports tour. Singer/guitarist Justin Hayward-Young proposed a neon-style light lining the edge of the risers, complemented by a pair of scenic palm trees. Williams worked…
Read moreTHE VARIETY of venues on the tour by vocal group The Overtones demanded a flexible sound system which could deliver the clarity of required by the singers, according to front-of-house engineer Mark Clements. He had to ensure that each singer had their own tailored vocal mix at venues including Watford…
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