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THE WAR on Drugs, who play London’s The O2 (cap. 21,000) this December, have chosen an L500 Plus mixing desk by Oxford-based manufacturer Solid State Logic to manage the sound. Monitor engineer Laurence Eaves and front-of-house engineer Bob Strakele need to balance up to 80 inputs, with each band member…
Read moreEXPANDING THE series of 7,500-capacity Classical Ibiza concerts this year, Revival Productions and partner Ministry of Sound needed an audio system which provided a smooth sound in sensitive settings, according to Revival’s Lisa Ward. They also needed a provider capable of logistical back up on unusual sites including Yorkshire’s Harewood…
Read moreINVESTMENT IN a full-sized Martin Audio MLA system by Stourbridge-based Stage Audio Services (SAS) allowed the company to deploy a smaller system at Shambala Festival (cap. 15,000), yet provide better coverage than previous years, according to SAS MD Kevin Mobberley. Acquiring the system also, says the company, gives it capacity…
Read moreLIGHTING DESIGNER Hayden Borgars says he was aiming for atmospheric lighting with a modern edge when US rock band Glassjaw played a showcase at London’s O2 Academy Brixton (cap. 4,900). Instead of using a backdrop, Borgars created a curtain of light by deploying Philips Vari-Lite VL800 BeamLines by manufacturer Signify,…
Read moreSHROPSHIRE’S ROCK and Bowl Festival (cap. 6,000) wanted to celebrate its 10th anniversary with a dramatic visual impact on stage, according to lighting designers Ashley Heritage and Nic Farman. Headlined by REWS and Think Floyd, the three-day event chose a “dynamic, fast moving” lighting rig provided by Chester-based CSP AV,…
Read moreMOVING THE site of MAMA Festivals-organised events Citadel and Lovebox (both cap. 40,000) to West London’s Gunnersbury Park this year, required keen logistical precision according to electrical contractor for the events, Pearce Hire. The two festivals moved from Victoria Park after rival promoter AEG Presents won exclusive rights to stage…
Read moreFOLLOWING ITS decision to clear the 700MHz band of radio spectrum for mobile phone use by May 2020 (see Festival, issue 32), government regulator Ofcom has announced a compensation scheme for the live music and broadcasting industries. The scheme will cover companies in the sector known as Programme Making and…
Read moreLIGHTING DIRECTOR Tim Routledge needed “vast quantities” of fog effects for two songs by Stormzy at London’s Wireless Festival (cap. 45,000). The artiste aimed to produce a “supersized” set which involved 75 performers, 48 crew and over six trucks’ worth of production. “We had an enormous thrust stage with inbuilt…
Read moreROGER WATERS’ performance at British Summer Time (cap. 65,000) in London’s Hyde Park required structure supplier Star Events to adapt its VerTech stage to the performer’s outsized visual effects, including graffiti-strewn flying pigs and a recreation of the smoking chimneys of Battersea Power Station, towering over the stage. According to…
Read moreINTIMACY AND precision were important qualities for the sound on Ray LaMontagne’s Just Passing Through tour, according to front of house engineer Ryan Pickett. Working with Liverpool-based AdLib, who provided all production for UK dates including London’s Eventim Apollo (cap. 5,050), Manchester’s O2 Apollo (3,500) and Sheffield City Hall (2,250),…
Read moreWHILE MANY artistes keep their food and drink riders a closely guarded secret, the Rolling Stones have attracted attention by tweeting images of their No Filter tour shepherd’s pies. The personalised dishes were commissioned by catering supplier GIG for each of the band members and achieved national media attention when…
Read moreA NEW seamless ground protection trackway for stadium and festival use promises a significant leap in the quality of temporary ground cover with its continuous surface and durability, according to developer Live Trakway. Formed in 2016 by the merger of Eve Trakway and Lion Trackhire after both were acquired by…
Read moreTHE FOUNDERS of Arcadia, which celebrated its 10th anniversary at a 20,000-capacity festival in London’s Queen Elizabeth Park, believe the project has developed new ways of handling complex live production challenges. Lighting, video and pyrotechnics at the event were operated using Titan and Ai control systems from Avolites – a…
Read moreCONTROLLING OFF-site sound in a residential area was among the key challenges for the audio providers at 40,000-capacity All Points East, which saw Nick Cave, Catfish & The Bottlemen, Bjork and LCD Sound System perform in London’s Victoria Park. Invited by production company LarMac LIVE to design systems for the…
Read moreTHE KILLERS opted for an American mid-west theme for their Wonderful Wonderful stage show, complete with garish lighting and neon-style arrows reflecting the sights and signage of their home city Las Vegas, according to lighting director Steven Douglas. Designer Josh Zangen created a stage dominated on one side by a…
Read moreTWO 38 metre span arches towered over an in-the-round performance area, the X Stage, at All Points East, London’s new 40,000 capacity festival in Victoria Park. This was the key challenge for staging and production specialist Star Events, which was contracted to provide all four stages, plus supporting structures for…
Read moreWHEN FRIENDLY Fires played their first show in five years at London’s O2 Brixton Academy (cap. 4,900) they wanted the visuals to show real footage of natural effects rather than animation. The show featured a concave arrangement of LED screen strips, spaced to include gaps for lighting, so the content…
Read moreTHE GIANT spider Arcadia, which celebrated its 10th anniversary with a 20,000 capacity festival in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park headlined by Leftfield, needed a projection system capable of holding its own against flamethrowers, lighting and pyrotechnics. Visuals company Central Presentations Ltd (CPL), which has worked with Arcadia since 2013,…
Read moreA PRODUCTION by Wolf Alice needed a lighting fixture capable of creating contrasting atmospheres through its ability to switch colours, according to Mike Oates of Lights Control Rigging (LCR). Oates says he invested in the Chroma-Q Color Force II for the band’s tour, which visited London’s Alexandra Palace (cap. 10,400),…
Read moreWHEN THE live music version of television show Nashville toured the UK, producers Grand Ole Opry (GOO) preferred to simplify logistics by using a single production company for all services, according to Phil Kielty of Liverpool-based Adlib. He says his company was chosen to provide staging, light and sound for…
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