SINGER. DANCER. ACTOR. DECONSTRUCTING THE TECHNICALLY AMBITIOUS CREATIVE DESIGN OF THE 20/20 EXPERIENCE

JUSTINTIMBERLAKE

TINIE TEMPAH • IN THE SPOTLIGHT: SILVER STAGE • MANIC STREET PREACHERS • OUTBACK RIGGING ON KINESYS MILEY CYRUS • POWER GENERATION MARKET FOCUS • ROBE’S POINTE: ONE YEAR ON • IN PROFILE: WICREATIONS

ISSUE 177WWW.TPiMAGAZINE.COM

TOTAL PRODUCTION INTERNATIONAL

MAY 2014

LIVE EVENT DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY • M

AY 2014 • ISSUE 177TO

TAL PRODUCTION IN

TERNATION

ALCRY M

E A RIVER....

The LYON linear sound reinforcement system is designed to faithfully reproduce your sound even when the system is pushed to its limits. Live sound venues and tours around the world rely on LYON for the most consistent sound at all levels.

AdA appoeoe •• Amemex AuAudidio o•• BaBartha AududioioVVisisuaual •• BaBayeyer MeMedid a •• BaB zelmmans AVVR • BrightNNorway ASA • Diez y Cía Ltda • Digital ConsoleRRene talDuD show • Equuipiposos AApoololo • Georgrge Reelleses Sououndnd • GMB Pro-Sound • MMedia Resouo rce Group • Most Highh Producu tionsPAPAPProrofefesional •• PProro Souo ndd anddVVidideoo • Spepeciciaal Events sAudio o •• Skynigghth • VVERTTouourSound • Victory Tour Production • UseeSSonido

IS LIVEPUSH YOUR SOUND AS FAR AS YOU WANT

P A R T O F T H E

F A M I L Y

302374msl02_TPi rm

Photo o CreCreditdit: R: alph Larmann

Keylines do not print

INK: 4/c

STOCK: magazine

PRODUCTION NOTESUnit:

Live:

Trim:

Bleed:

Gutter:

Elania Nanopoulos

510 486.1166 x115

Contact:

Phone:

Total Production International”, May 2014 issue 4/18/14Creative: LYON Live Sound

PUBLISTING Close Date Revision #

Meyer Sound Laboratories Inc. • 2832 San Pablo Ave. • Berkeley, CA 94702 • 510 486.1166

FP4C

277mm x 190 mm

297 mm x 210 mm

303 mm x 216 mm

n/a

B T L

BT

L

BTL

BT

L

BTL

T

L

BT

L

B

B T L

PACIFIC DIGITAL IMAGE • 333 Broadway, San Francisco CA 94133 • 415.274.7234 • www.pacdigital.comFilename:

Colors:Operator: Time:

Date:302374msl02_TPi.ps_wf02Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black

SpoolServer 18:18:3414-04-18

NOTE TO RECIPIENT: This file is processed using a Prinergy Workflow System with an Adobe Postscript Level 3 RIP. The resultant PDF contains traps and overprints. Please ensure that any post-processing used to produce these files supports this functionality. To correctly view these files in Acrobat, please ensure that Output Preview (Separation Preview in earlier versions than 7.x) and Overprint Preview are enabled. If the files are re-processed and these aspects are ignored, the traps and/or overprints may not be interpreted correctly and incorrect reproduction may result. Please contact Pacific Digital Image with any questions or concerns.

BOUNDARY-PUSHING TECHNOLOGY AND NEW PRODUCTS ON THE BLOCKI’d like to start this month’s prelude by saying a big Happy Birthday to Adlib Audio. The Liverpool-based rental house and manufacturing plant celebrated its 30th birthday recently. Long may the success continue! It’s also been quite an incredible month for us editorially. There’s been a huge amount of interest on tours for L-Acoustics’ new K2 line array. As depicted in several of our features this month, the new lightweight box is easily fi nding a place on the road, for some very different tours. Chart-topping rapper, Tinie Tempah enjoys the K2 from Britannia Row, Welsh rockers Manic Street Preachers’ gritty, raw sound was heard through the K2 thanks to SSE Audio and our cover star, Justin Timberlake, enjoyed the new system on the UK and European legs of his 20/20 Experience world tour after Solotech brought it on board in Sheffi eld. The latter tour was also probably a stand-out highlight during my entire time at this magazine. The tour is using some of the most imaginative and creative projections this industry has ever seen. Montreal-based Geodezik are quite the ones to watch out for in the video content sector. For the full story, including revolutionary laser-scanning technology from Pyrotecnico FX, another ground-breaking custom build by TAIT and an XXL roof structure from Stageco, turn to Pg.12. Patrick got his fi rst taste of live production feature writing with a visit to Franz Ferdinand’s recent tour. The stripped-down event moved in and out of arenas and academies across the UK and Europe with ease under the supervision of Production Manager, Bob O’Brien. Next up, he got to grips with his favourite childhood band, the Manics. And yes, his face did light up during soundcheck. We also spoke to Miley Cyrus’ LD, Rob Sinclair, about working with one of the most talked-about singers in the world for the very fi rst time, on her Es Devlin-designed Bangerz tour. Another visual delight in TPi’s May issue is the work of Bombay Bicycle Club’s Production Designer, Squib. I caught up with him at Manchester’s beautifully restored Albert Hall venue to chat about the XL Video-enabled projection elements and why Martin by Harman’s new Quantum fi xture, which were being piloted on the tour, were a perfect fi t. This month’s In The Spotlight is a focus on Silver Stage’s 5V structure. CEO Seth Fellner talks about the temporary stage structure’s second coming at Glastonbury festival. A stark reminder that festival season is truly upon us! With that in mind, we deliver a directory on Power Generation on Pg.72. We’ve also had a couple of interesting insights into two very different worlds with some interviews this month. Firstly Robe’s Josef Valchar talks us through the impact the Pointe has had on the market a year on from its hugely successful launch, and Outback Rigging’s Stuart Cooper explains why using Kinesys products helps his company stay at the top of its game. Plus, we have lots more in this jam-packed issue; Belgian special structures company, Wicreations talk to us about the company’s philosophy, skills and future plans, the PSA reports on the latest movements in the tricky world of CDM regulations and Glen Rowe of CATO Music takes up the May residency on our backpage. So we hope you enjoy the read. Perhaps by the time you’ve fi nished, DiGiCo’s James, Maria and I will have taken a decent photo. Yeah, right... Kelly MurrayEditor

PRELUDE

03

“Montreal-basedGeodezik are quite the

ones to watch out for in the video content sector...”

info@chainmaster.de

CHAINMASTER BÜHNENTECHNIK GMBHUferstrasse 23, 04838 Eilenburg, Germany

Tel.: +49 (0) 3423 - 69 22 0Fax: +49 (0) 3423 - 69 22 21

E-Mail: info@chainmaster.dewww.chainmaster.de

CHAIN HOISTS • CONTROL SYSTEMS • SOLUTIONS

PROTOUCH STAGEOPERATOR

8,4“ Colour Touchscreen

• Linkable Motor Distributions• Integrated Software for System Configuration• Password Management• Group-Shutdown Functions• Displaying of Positions and Destination Runs• Load-Measuring with integrated Shutdown Functions for Over- and Underload• Displaying each Drive Status Position, Load and Errors• 15“ Touchscreen as Option• Network-Based System Configurations avaialable on request

Leisuretec Distribution Limited • Leighton Buzzard LU7 4UH (UK) • Tel: +44 (0) 1525 850085 • www.leisuretec.co.uk

Experience • Choice • Value • Service

For 24 years we have been distributing the finest brands ofCommercial & Pro Audio, Lighting, Video & Special Effects to the Trade.

You can now also browse and order on-line, using your trade pricing login. So whether you are an Integrator, Installer, Re-seller, Hire or Events Company,

let us become an asset to your business.

www.leisuretec.co.uk

Wherever Whatever Wheneverwww.leisuretec.co.uk

Everything in one Space

ITINERARY

05

TOTAL PRODUCTION INTERNATIONAL is a controlled circulation magazine, published 12 times a year by Mondiale Publishing Limited under licence. ISSN 1461-3786 Copyright © 2014 Mondiale Publishing Limited. All contents of this publication are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction in whole or part, in any form whatsoever, is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the Publishers. Every effort is taken to ensure accuracy in the preparation of this publication but neither Mondiale Publishing Ltd, nor the Editor, can be held responsible for its contents or any consequential loss or damage resulting from information published. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the Publishers or Editor. The Publishers accept no responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, illustrations, advertising materials or artwork. Total Production International USPS: (ISSN 1461 3786) is published 12 times a year by Mondiale Publishing Limited United Kingdom. The 2014 US annual subscription price is 117USD. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by Agent named Air Business, C/O WorldNet Shipping USA Inc., 155-11 146th Avenue, Jamaica, New York, NY11434. Periodicals postage paid at Jamaica NY 11431. US Postmaster: Send address changes to Total Production International, Air Business Ltd, C/O WorldNet Shipping USA Inc., 155-11 146th Avenue, Jamaica, New York, NY11434. Subscription records are maintained at Mondiale Publishing Ltd. Waterloo Place, Watson Square, Stockport, SK1 3AZ, UK.

CREWa member of

EVENT FOCUS06 Bombay Bicycle Club

LD Squib talks us through his latest live creation.

10 Miley Cyrus TPi speaks to Rob Sinclair about the pop star’s use

of SGM’s LED strobes. P

PRODUCTION PROFILE12 Justin Timberlake

Solotech, TAIT, Pyrotecnico FX and Stageco transform venues into a 20 / 20 visual spectacular.

PROFILE34 Tinie Tempah

Sarah Rushton-Read hears from the crew behind the urban artist’s latest outing.OTLIGHT

42 Manic Street Preachers Patrick McCumiskey goes backstage for the Welsh rocker’s UK tour.

48 Franz FerdinandThe Scottish indie band deliver a stripped down performance for academy-sized venues.

OTLIGHT54 London Grammar

TPi chats to the band’s road crew as the starlets fi lm their new single at the Troxy.

INTERVIEW60 Robe

Josef Valchar talks about Robe’s Pointe one year after its successful launch.

62 Outback Rigging GroupStuart Cooper divulges Outback’s technical expertise with Kinesys in tow.

CLOCKING OFF64 XTA’s Waring Hayes completes his yearly

fundraising swimathon in record time.

COMPANY PROFILE66 Wicreations

Belgian special construction company, Wicreations reveals its impressive story so far.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT70 Silver Stage’s 5V structure reaches the TPi

limelight.

MARKET FOCUS72 Power Generation

TPi delivers the latest Power Generation directory.

PSA80 Andy Lenthall talks CDM regulations.

MOVERS & SHAKERS82 The latest industry appointments.

VITAL STATS86 TPi Awards Tour Manager of the Year, CATO

Music’s Glen Rowe talks road survival.

CONTENTS 05/2014EditorKelly MurrayTel: +44 (0)161 476 8360Mobile: +44 (0)7738 154689e-mail: k.murray@mondiale.co.uk

Assistant EditorPatrick McCumiskeyTel: +44 (0)161 476 8360Mobile: +44 (0)7929 249169e-mail: p.mccumiskey@mondiale.co.uk

International Advertising & SponsorshipHannah EakinsTel: +44 (0)161 476 8360Mobile: +44 (0)7760 485230e-mail: h.eakins@mondiale.co.uk

Advertising SalesKieren GardensTel: +44 (0)161 476 8360Mobile: +44 (0)7733 113284e-mail: k.gardens@mondiale.co.uk

TPi Awards Event ManagerAmy WrightTel: +44 (0)161 476 5580e-mail: a.wright@mondiale.co.uk

Graphic Design & Production Dan Seaton: d.seaton@mondiale.co.ukMel Robinson: m.robinson@mondiale.co.uk

General Manager Justin GawneMondiale Group Chairman Damian Walsh

ContributorsSimon Duff & Sarah Rushton-ReadIntern Verity Carson

www.tpimagazine.com • www.tpiawards.com

Cover Photography:Justin Timberlake by Ralph Larmann

Printed by Buxton Press

Annual subscriptions (including P&P): £42 (UK), £60 (Europe), £78 / $125 (RoW).Subscription enquiries to: Subscriptions, Mondiale Publishing Limited, Waterloo Place, Watson Square, Stockport SK1 3AZ, UK; Tel: +44 (0)161 476 5580; Fax: +44 (0)161 476 0456;e-mail: subscriptions@mondiale.co.uk

Issue 177 / May 2014

Find us on Facebook Badge CMYK / .eps

thePOWER toACHIEVEyour VISION

4 BLADESFOR A BETTER CUT

State-of-the-art 4-blade framing module

Designed for theatre & studio use

800W PHILIPS Platinum

35 lamp

Ultra Fast 8-50° zoom

THE NEWPLATINUM PROFILE 35 PRO

06

XL Video provided projection and Catalyst Control for Bombay Bicycle Club’s recent tour, Neg Earth supplied High End Systems and Martin by Harman lighting equipment and fabrication specialists, Hangman created the customised projection surfaces used for much of the set’s backdrop. Equipment was specified by Lighting and Set Designer, Squib (Chris Swain), who has just completed his second album tour with the band. Although they have worked with Neg Earth before - on their last tour - this is the first time they have embraced video visuals in their live performances, and the outcome is as unique as it is engaging. Thebandwasheavilyinvolvedintheoverallvisualconcept,explainedSquib.TheywantedtobringthecleanandunadulteratedaestheticsofthealbumartworkcreatedbyLondonbaseddesignstudioLaBocatothestageandintoacompletelydifferentdimension,soSquibaskedVideoDesignerAdamYoungtoassistinthisprocess,joiningAnimatorAnnaGinsburg

whowasanotherintegralpartoftheteam.SaidSquib:“Besidesthecreativeteam,wealsohaveonelightingtechandonevideotechonthetourandIactuallyknewwhoIwantedtohaveworkingonthisprojectawhileago,soIapproachedbothXLVideoandNegEarthsaying‘Iwanttousethesepeopleontour’andbothcompanieswereabsolutelyfinewiththat.”ForXLVideo,SquibaskedfortheskillsofPhilMeadandrepresentingNegEarthwasRobWatson.

LIVE VISUALSSomeoftheeye-catchingmaterialcreatedfortheshowwhichbroughtelementsoffunandidiosyncrasytothestagetookvisualinfluencesfromtheworkofphotographerEadweardMuybridgeandutilisedearlystop-motionanimationtechniquesandstylisation.SaidSquib:“Thebandcametomewithafewideasaboutwhattheywanted,theysortofhadsomevisualinfluencesthathadinspiredthealbumartwork.Theylikedtheideaofloopingimagery

andearlystopmotionanimationandlookedtoEadweardMuybridge,whoapioneerinveryearlyanimation,asabiginfluence. “Thereare18songsintheset,butonly10havevideo.Essentiallythefirsthalfoftheshowisalightshowandwebasicallyhavealittleteaserofvideorightatthebeginningwhenthebandwalksonuntilitsre-introducedonasongcalledHow Can You Swallow Someone’s Sleep? That’sarealmomentbecausewhenthevideocomesback,youseeeveryone’scameraphonescomeout! “Weworkedwithareallystrictcolourpallettoo.Myself,AdamandAnnacameupwithapalletwhichwestickto.Essentiallythereareonly10coloursinthepallet;followingonfromthealbumartworkwhereit’skindofanaturalcolourpallet.Therearefourdifferenttypesofblue,fourdifferenttypesofamber,twodifferenttypesoflavenderandCTblue.Therearenosaturatedcolours;it’sallnaturaltones.Thatworksforthevideoaswell,”Squibexplained.

VIDEO RENTAL COMPANY, XL VIDEO AND LIGHTING VENDOR, NEG EARTH HAVE SUPPLIED ALL THE VISUAL ELEMENTS FOR ALTERNATIVE INDIE ROCK BAND, BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB, WHO KICKED OFF THEIRSO LONG, SEE YOU TOMORROW ALBUM CAMPAIGN AND WORLD TOUR ON THEIR HOME TURF IN THE UK.TPi TALKS TO LIGHTING AND SET DESIGNER, SQUIB, ABOUT THE TOUR’S VISUAL DELIVERANCE.

BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB

EVENT FOCUS: Bombay Bicycle Club

“Thebandwantedprojectionandatightlycuedshow,aninfluenceindancemusicinthatregard,extendingonthethemesthattheyhadonvariousalbumartworks.” Theinventivesetdesignfeaturessevenfabriccirclesstretchedovermetalframesofvaryingsizesbetweensevenandfourftindiameter,freestandingon-floorbases,plusascrimbackclothcoveringthewholeupstagearea.AllpieceshavebeenmadebyHangman. DirectorofHangmanandMetalman,SamBookertoldTPi:“ItwasgreattoworkwithSquibandBombayBicycleClubagain-weworkedwiththemanumberoftimesoverthelastfewyearsandSquib’sdesignshavereallytestedthecoordinationbetweenourprinters,sewersandwelders!Thisyearthedesigns

revolvedaroundacircularthemewithanumberofroundprintedprojectionscreenswithcustomdemountablealuminiumframestosupportthem. “Squibwantedaperforatedprojectionscreenandalthoughwe’dneverprintedononebefore,wedecidedtogiveitgo!Theendresultlookedamazingandwhenlitonstagewithallthelightingandprojection,itjustworkssowell.Wecan’twaittoseewhathecomesupwithnext!” Withprojectionbeingcentraltotheshow,itwasvitalthatthesetwasdesignedfromtheoutsettobefullyscalableandfitmanydifferentstagesizeslookingequallygoodinanyconfiguration.OnthisUKrunofshows,thesetupsrangedbetweenthreeandallsevencircles.

AtotaloftwoPanasonicPT-DZ21K20Kprojectorswereutilised,overlaidtooptimisethebrightness,withthesetcirclestreatedasonelargesurface,andallthecontentprogrammedintooneofXLVideo’sCatalystmediaservers.ThecirclesandthefullbackdropweremappedintotheCatalystwithimagessometimesflowingsimultaneouslyacrossandthroughallthecirclesandsometimesjustplayingoutinspecificones,creatingaveryuniquelookandfeeltotheperformance. Muchofthematerialwashandcraftedandtheshowstartedspectacularlywithover4,000animatedhand-drawnimages. TheplaybackfootageforeachsongwastriggeredbyTimecodeintotheCatalystfromtheband’sbackline.

07

EVENT FOCUS: Bombay Bicycle Club

Opposite: XL Video and Neg Earth supplied the visual equipment needed to bring Squib’s show to life. Below: Hangman created the projection canvas for the creative visual design.

08

EVENT FOCUS: Bombay Bicycle Club

Below: Bombay Bicycle Club’s Tour Manager, Steve Down, with Lighting and Set Designer, Squib backstage at Manchester’s Albert Hall venue where the band performed over two nights for the UK tour finale. The Brighton Dome venue lent a theatrical hand to the stop / start animation inspired visuals.

VideosourceswerealsorunthroughasetofShowtecSunstripLEDbattensupstage,whichweremappedviaasecondCatalystcontrolledviaSquib’sHighEndSystemsFullBoarHog4lightingconsole.

DEVELOPING THE PROJECTIONThePanasonicprojectorswere“Idealforthejob”reportedSquib,andcamerecommendedbyYoungwhohadusedthemonanumberofdifferenttheatreprojects.Theircompactsizeandhighoutputalsomadethemveryflexible,whichwasamustonthisoneastheywereriggedineveryconceivablepositionandmethod-fromariseratFOH,afronttruss,onside-stagestandswithmega-wideanglelensesandanumberofotherimaginativevariationsthroughoutthetour. TheCatalystalsochangedpositioningbetweenside-stageandFOHaccordingtovenuecapabilities,whichincludedtownhalls,somelargertheatresandacademies.AcoupleofparticularlyinterestingvenuesweretheBrightonDomeandManchester’snewly-refurbishedAlbertHall.projectionsetupofthiscomplexityandprecisionwasrelativelyambitiousfortheitinerary-andthatwasoneofthechallenges! Theplanistoexpandtheprojectionconceptasthetourgrowsandgathersmomentumthroughouttheyear.Itsinnateadaptabilitymeansitcanalsobeusedasa‘specials’packageforfestivalscenarios.XLVideo’sProjectManager,JoBeirnecommented:“WearedelightedtobeworkingwithBombayBicycleClub.Squib’sproductiondesignisfreshandcompletelydifferentandweareallreallylookingforwardtoseeingitdevelopfurther.”

LIGHTING ThereweretwoHighEndSystemsFullBoarHog4desks,providedbyNegEarth,Squib’sconsoleofchoicefollowinghisintroductiontoitacoupleofyearsago.“Thisismysecondtouronthisconsole,andIreallylikeit.It’sagreatdesktoprogramon,andhasworkedreallywellforthistour. “HighEndSystemsalsogivereallygoodsupport.Iwasusinganotherbrandoflightingdesk,forthelasttwo,almostthreeyears.Ihadn’tusedanyoftheHogSeriesbeforethisdesk,Iwentstraightinwiththebigboy! “IhadsometrainingonitintheautumnandsomerepsfromHighEndSystemscametoseemeinAustin,wherethey’rebased,whenIwasinTexaswithanotherband.Ireallylikedusingitstraightaway,”headded. NegEarthhasalsosuppliedfixturesinlcudingeightcustom-madeNegEarthMolettes,theaforementioned50ShowtecSunstripLEDbattens,six2-liteblinders,10genericPAR36’s,four1KfresnelsandfiveETCS4Profiles. TherigwasalsoMartinbyHarmanheavyandcomprisedaselectionof14MACVipers,18MACAurasand12Atomicstrobes.AfterthelightingkitwasspecifiedbySquib,abrandnewadditionwasintroducedandincorporatedintothelightingdesignbywayoffiveMartinMACQuantumWashLEDfixtures,whichwereinbetatestingforthetour.“Martin[byHarman]gavetheQuantumstoNegEarthinordertoplacethemonatour.Theyendedupbeinggreatforthisone.I’veplacedthemonthefloor,atthebackofthestage. “They’vegotacoolrotatinglenseffect,whichmadethemstandoutforme.Iusethateffectthreeorfourtimesduringtheshowand

itworksreallywell,therotationfeatureisalsoanewandinterestingeffect.Iactuallywasn’tmassivelyintotheuseofbigLEDfixtures,butthey’veworkedreallywellinthisshowdesign,”addedSquib. “IhadworkedwithJullianLavenderfromNegEarthbefore,andtheservicehegivesisreallygood.Hewasalsoreallyhungrytoworkwiththebandandwithmeagain,andthatobviouslyshonethrough.Plus,hestocksalloftheproductsthatIneededforthisdesigntowork.”

UNDERSTATED EXCELLENCE“Ithinkthisbandisveryunderstated,”SquibtoldTPi.“They’vedonefourrecordsbuttheyarestillayoungband,theyhavesortofcreptuponpeople...Theyhaveareallydecentfanbaseandtheirliveshowshavebeengrowingandgrowingjustliketheband.Forme,thislatestrecordisdefinitelytheirbest,”heenthused. “Thereisawholescopeofthingstoworkon,heavysongsandlightersolopianosongs,arangeofmusictolightanddesignfor,soit’sjustbeenareallyfunandinterestingtourtoworkon.Thebandisalwayspushingtomaketheirliveshowasgoodasitcanbe,sothatpushesmeasadesigner,too.It’sbeenachallengebutit’sbeenareallygoodexperiencecreatively,andI’mveryhappywiththeoutcome!”TPi

Photos: Scott Davieshttp://bombaybicycleclubmusic.com

www.squib.uk.comwww.mradamyoung.co.uk

www.xlvideo.tvwww.negearth.com

www.hangman.co.uk

Array it. Hang it. Stack it. Install it. GEO M6 is NEXO’s most compact line array system,delivering unlimited flexibility without compromising clarity, musicality or SPL output.

Main and bass extension cabinets with identical footprints are available in a variety of

custom colours and feature TÜV certified NEXOSkeleton™ internal rigging to minimise visual

impact. As well as highly cost-effective amplification options, GEO M6 comes with a

comprehensive suite of accessories, including system configuration software and a toolkit of

flying and mounting hardware.

The most versatile compact sound system in the business? Go configure.

Go configure.

Find out more at www.nexo.fr

#40611 - GEO M6 Ad - TPI_Layout 16/04/2014 10:51 Page 1

10

Introduced to the tour by world-class Production Designer, Es Devlin, experienced Lighting Designer, Rob Sinclair has been joined by Lighting Director / Programmer Sean Burke on the road, creating the perfect team to deliver Devlin’s powerful and strident creative concept for one of the most talked about artists in the world today. “It’s always great to work with Es; she makes me think in unforeseen ways and I always learn so much from her. And Diane Martel, the Director, had a fantastic vision from which she never wavered; her notes were always accurate and she created something truly unique. The production period was extremely hard work but I’m very honoured and proud to have been a part of it. I’m very happy with what we have produced,” Sinclair told TPi. Sinclair described the show as: “a high gloss, high fashion, very geometric wild ride. I knew we needed to fight against an enormous LED wall so I chose the brightest fixtures I could and grouped them into blocks. We went through

many changes on the same basic idea - both to suit budget changes and to fit amongst the other departments.” The truss for the lighting rig was mainly stock, but also incorporated custom illuminated truss borders that lighting vendor Upstaging had made in-house. “They work beautifully to define the roof of the show and to create a false ceiling that hides the mother grids, cable trusses and other unattractive necessities,” he said. “I’ve been using Upstaging for 15 years now and their attention to detail, great communication and fabulous crews never cease to amaze me. Jerry ‘Hodge’ Vierna, our Crew Chief, and his team couldn’t have been more helpful or conscientious,” he said. One of production’s prime concerns had been power draw and it was John Huddleston from Upstaging who steered the LD away from conventional strobes and into the energy efficient world of LED. As a result, Sinclair has incorporated 87 of SGM’s new X-5 LED strobes into the set: “It’s the first time I have used these

strobes and also my first time working with Miley - and it’s been great fun,” he reported. “When he told me about the X-5’s, we set up a demo in London so I could see for myself.” Power consumption is a major advantage, he explained. “To achieve the same thing using conventional strobes would require several hundred more amps per phase. Immediately, it was more than the power draw that impressed him. “Although that had been the reason for choosing them initially, I really enjoyed their ability to hold a ‘thermal’ look for longer than a conventional strobe and also the ability to repeat it without having to recharge.” The X-5’s are both flown from trusses and also integrated into a hidden back wall behind the video screen. “We have been using them in big, bold blocks,” he said. “This show was no place for small gestures! I have loved working with them - they are reliable, bright, and use less power.” Like Sinclair, operator Sean Burke is hugely complimentary, both of the strobes, and

MILEY CYRUS’ LIGHTING DESIGNER ROB SINCLAIR DECLARES HE WAS “VERY KINDLY” BROUGHT ON BOARD BY PRODUCTION DESIGNER ES DEVLIN FOR THE SINGER’S BANGERZ TOUR, THE STAR’S BIGGEST LIVE PRODUCTION TO DATE. WITH A RIG FROM UPSTAGING, THE LD TALKS TO TPi ABOUT HIS ‘BIG, BRIGHT POP SHOW WITH A SLIGHTLY UNUSUAL APPROACH.’

MILEY CYRUS

EVENT FOCUS: Miley Cyrus

Upstaging’s inventory support. “The thing I like best about these units is the light output and speed of response from command,” said Burke. “They behave like you would expect any conventional strobe, which is good and up against other nice bright fixtures in the rig the X-5 has no problem holding its own.” Already specifying the fixtures on further upcoming tours, Sean Burke is in no doubt that LED strobes are eventually destined to replace traditional xenon sources. “The size, weight and power consumption of these units make it a no

brainer. As long as the units remain reliable into the future this product has potentially a long life in the industry.” Other fixtures on the tour included 25 Martin by Harman Atomic strobes, 24 Automated Martin by Harman MAC Viper Profiles, 84 Philips Vari-Lite 3500 Wash FXs, 71 Clay Paky Sharpys, 66 Clay Paky Sharpy Washes and 20 Martin by Harman MAC Auras. Continued Sinclair: “I knew that whatever I did had to be bright to cut through the huge video screen and work from height. We had a lot of repeating straight trusses of Sharpys, Vipers, X-5 strobes and VL3500’s in the sky, each faced with a custom lightbox truss border and Sharpy washes and Atomics were placed on the floor. For programming, Sinclair’s design is directed live each night by Burke, who programmed the show on his desk of choice, a High End Systems Full Boar Hog 4. Said Sinclair: “We programmed every night for a month and Sean kept his good humour throughout the long nights and my many changes of mind and heart! “There are a lot of cues. We spent a long time working on the show and achieved some very precise things. In the song Love Money Party for example, there are a series of 120 step chases to follow the exact complexity of Mike

Will’s drum programming. It was a nightmare to work out but very well worth it. Sean seems very happy with the Hog 4, and it certainly quickly enabled him to do anything I asked. He is doing a wonderful job of operating on the road and steering such a complex endeavor around the world.” Next up for Sinclair is the heady heights of designing for Queen’s next live venture. “I’m always slightly nervous about my work with Queen,” he highlighted. “They have such a long and rich history of spectacular shows and I feel a great pressure to live up to it. For this new tour I’m privileged to be working with Ric Lipson and Ray Winkler from Stufish and we’re creating an iconic stage for this legendary band. “Their songs are great fun to light and we’re going to fit as many lights into these arenas as we possibly can! The biggest challenge is for the start of the show to look enormous and build up from there,” concluded Sinclair. You can catch Rob Sinclair’s work for Queen as the band takes in several US dates in June and July. TPi

Photos: Steve Jenningswww.mileycyrus.comwww.upstaging.comwww.robsinclair.com

11

EVENT FOCUS: Miley Cyrus

Opposite: Miley Cyrus’ Bangerz tour features 87 SGM X-5 Strobes in its pop design. Below: Lighting Designer, Rob Sinclair worked with Production Designer, Es Devlin for the tour’s creative lighting looks.

12

Walking into Manchester’s Phones 4U Arena to behold Justin Timberlake’s magnificent stage set for the first time was quite a moment. Dominating the arena back wall is a honeycomb shaped white wave of technology-ridden design. More akin to a Hollywood film set, the almost Space Age looking structure is a beautifully artistic temporary install is complemented by carefully positioned PA hangs… But what was to be revealed as the show got underway was a real triumph for exploring technology in live concert touring. This solo tour is billed as the 20/20 Experience with a lineup of ‘JT and The Tennessee Kids’ - the latter being a retro style band of 16 slickly dressed musicians, in an all singing, all dancing, expertly choreographed live performance. Sat backstage in a busy production office,

Justin Timberlake’s Production Manager, Robert Mullen - Hydro to his friends - is at the helm of the proceedings for this technically challenging, boundary pushing tour. Having worked his way up through the ranks over the years, it’s certainly not a bad seat to be in. Not only has it been a problem free, phenomenally successful sell-out hit wherever it’s been so far, but it’s also the kind of production which garners gushing attention from the world’s commercial press. “I started unloading trucks a long time ago and have done a lot of different roles since. I was the Stage Manager for Justin’s last tour seven years ago. Since then I’ve been Production Manager to a few artists but this is my first time PMing for Justin, and I’m very happy about it,” explained Hydro. “When you see the show out there, it looks big, and it is big, but it’s not actually that difficult to put up and take down.”

This is in part enabled by the smooth rigging enlisted by main tour vendor, Solotech, which also, unusually, has supplied the 20/20 Experience’s audio, lighting and video with laser components from Pyrotecnico FX. Perhaps what also allows this seamless approach to continue is that the kit remains the same for UK and European audiences, meaning that US fans won’t get a bigger, glitzier show compared with the rest of the world. This was a core sticking point from the very beginning, meaning that JT fans all over were all buying into the same tour, without exception. “In Europe it hasn’t been downscaled from the US at all,” said Hydro. “You’ll get the exact same production quality everywhere we visit because we produce the full show every time and that was a very important element in the initial design. A big factor was to ensure that we’re able to give the same touring values each

STARTING ITS ROAD JOURNEY IN NOVEMBER 2013, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE’S 20/20 EXPERIENCE TOUR - OF WHICH HE IS THE CREATIVE DIRECTOR - IS A TRULY CAPTIVATING TECHNICAL MASTERPIECE. THE NICK WHITEHOUSE PRODUCED SHOW IS PLAYING LIVE IN SUPPORT OF NOT ONE, BUT TWO STUDIO ALBUMS, AND HAS BECOME A CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED BOX OFFICE HIT. TPi’S KELLY MURRAY SPOKE TO THE GROUND CREW ON THE TOUR’S UK LEG AND THE CREATIVE TEAM IN THE US, TO HEAR THE INSIDER THINKING ON THE INTRICATE DETAILS OF THIS EXTENSIVE LIVE PROJECT.

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Justin Timberlake

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

time. “Ittookabouteightmonthstofinalisetheshow,butwhenwedid,weknewthatnomatterwhereJT’sfanswere,they’dbegettingtheexactsameexperience.TheonlydifferenceisthatinEuropewehave28ESTtrucks,whereasinAmerica,onlybecauseUStrucksarebigger,weonlyneeded23!” Technicallyspeaking,20/20isawildlyintricatebeast,thekindofstagedesignthatjusttomomentarilylookuponinfiltrateseverybitofcuriosityinyourbody.Withnoeasytaskaheadofhim,theoriginsofthetour’stechnicalities

neededsomefirstclasssuppliers.AlongsidetheSolotech-PyrotecnicoFXpartnership,NickWhitehouseandHydrohadchosenTAITTowersfortheset,stageandautomation.Geodezikislookingafter(thebreathtaking)videocontent,BeatTheStreetandESTonbussingandtruckingdutiesrespectively,2014TPiAwardwinningRock-ItCargohandlingfreighting,CatEntertainmentServiceslookingaftertransformersandinEurope,Sheffield’sownSnakatakarecookingupastorminthearenakitchens. “Wearethrilledandhonouredtobepartof

thisgreatteam,itisarealpleasuretoworkwithHydroandhiscrew.Wesuppliedseven150kvatransformersandacablepackagetothetouraswellas400ampRCDdisconnects.Wealsosuppliedone6kvaUPSforbacklinetoconvert50Hzto60Hzanda6KvaUPSforJustin’sdressingroom.wecongratulatethesuccessofthetourtodateandlookforwardtotheremaininglegs,”expressedVincentCampion,EuropeanRegionalManager,CatEntertainmentServices. Hydroconcluded:“Wehavethebestpeopleonboard,andIlikeworkingwithallofthem

13

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Justin Timberlake

Opposite: JT & The Tennesse Kids performed for 2hrs and 20 minutes at Manchester’s Phones 4U Arena. Below: Creative Producer, Nick Whitehouse in NYC with Lighting Director, Jason Gangi.

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Justin Timberlake

Below: The UK leg of the tour featured a new addition to the PA rig in the form of L-Acoustics’ new K2 line array, supplied by main equipment vendor, Solotech.

14

- that’s all it comes down to,” said the PM. As people pop in and out of Hydro’s office, it’s obvious that after a mighty seven months into the touring schedule, the backstage team has become a friendly, dynamic and close-knit bunch. THE CREATIVE DESIGNSpeaking from his home in the US, British born Nick Whitehouse was one of the main non-touring creative team to have worked on the mammoth show. “I was the Lighting Designer and Co-Production Designer for Justin’s FutureSex/LoveSounds tour in 2007, but I started working with JT after he saw a 2006 Coldplay show I worked on in Japan. He contacted me straight away and we started working together almost immediately,” he told TPi. “We really clicked as I have a very musical style of lighting and that’s very important to him, really following his music visually from the slow, intimate acoustic numbers to full-on huge pop anthems is vital. At the start of the 20/20 tour cycle, I took on a larger ‘creative producer’ role for him by putting together every aspect of the visual and creative elements, and brought in the right creative team to fulfill his vision,” Whitehouse stated. As JT was the Creative Director for this show, the artist worked very closely with Whitehouse on every aspect of it, together alongside Stage / Set Designer, Josh Zangen. “Just from listening to the new albums, you can hear that each song sonically, really is very

different and we were all keen to follow this very closely with the visuals for the show,” continued Whitehouse. “We would propose concepts and content ideas and then adapt them based on JT’s notes. The end result visually is something that was really closely related to the music and actually personalised by JT himself.” This hands-on approach to touring is only seen in a handful of high calibre artists, and JT’s two new albums and the music has critically inspired every part of the creative design. “JT described his albums as ‘visual music’ that’s why he named the albums the 20/20 Experience,” Whitehouse furthered. “It was very important that we continued this into the live shows. Another important factor was that we wanted the stage itself to look different to anything else out there - almost like a clean art installation - and we worked very hard to hide much of the technology required to run this show, in order to keep the sight lines clean.” As with every technical element of this show, the lighting design had to be very precise. “Everything we did had to be done for a reason; either musically or to be in sync with something else visually. All the hits really had to be tied into the music and bring something additional to the look. If it didn’t make sense or make it look better, we took it out. We spent a great deal of time making sure everything really fit together and worked in harmony. “In fact, we took more out of the lighting than we put in at times; to give the projections and lasers space to breathe. Sometimes we

had just a single spot - other times the whole lighting rig was used, but we made sure this was adapted to solely reveal what was needed for individual songs,” said Whitehouse. Due to the careful design and planning during every aspect of the show, and with JT always being personally involved, Whitehouse commented that very little, if anything at all, as far as lighting was concerned was altered during rehearsals. The 20/20 Experience team had about around six weeks of production rehearsals, but while they were designing the show itself, they also undertook a full worldwide promotional tour and a US stadium tour with Jay-Z. Busy indeed! Continued Whitehouse: “The projection was probably the easiest part of my role. I brought in Content Creator, Gabriel Coutu-Dumont [Gab for short] from Montreal-based Geodezik very early on in the design so that we could put together the set list and visual ideas from scratch and we would always bear in mind how lighting and video would work together in each song. “Once we got into rehearsals it naturally worked together, when there was an issue we would either tweak video or lighting to get to where we had imagined we would be, and often, just simplifying what we were doing really made a big difference. “Because JT was his own Creative Director, Josh, Gab and I worked very closely with him in order to deliver his vision from the very initial concept. As everything was planned by this core creative team, everything else slotted in nicely.

DiGiCo UK Ltd. Unit 10 Silverglade Business Park, Leatherhead Road, Chessington, Surrey KT9 2QL. Tel: +44 (0) 1372 845600

www.digico.biz

SD10 Live Digital Console with Stealth Digital Processing™

The universal, number one, console of choice. If it's not DiGiCo, it's not worth it.

SD10World class console. World wide recognition.

DiGiCo SD10 Total Production (210x297).indd 1 24/04/2014 07:58

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Justin Timberlake

Below: Monitor world, underneath the stage itself, was home to Dan Horton’s DiGiCo SD7 console; The 20/20 Experience was created to ensure the fans were part of a full sensory production.

16

Our Video Director, David Boisvert does a great job of capturing the show and integrating a lot of the live content into the pre-created content. Again, all this was part of JT’s vision which was refined by Gab as we moved forwards. “The experience was incredibly hard work but very rewarding, it’s always amazing to work with such talented artists like JT. Hydro’s remarkable team and our crew from Solotech and TAIT stopped at nothing to deliver what we were asking of them - even if it seemed impossible at the time - such as the bridge element from TAIT which tracks to FOH. They all worked so hard to help the creative team deliver this show. It’s in no way simple to execute some of these groundbreaking design elements, but these people are so talented at what they do, that they make it look easy! The 20/20 Experience tour has really allowed us to push the boundaries of live touring,” said Whitehouse. The 20/20 Experience was the first time Set and Stage Designer, Josh Zangen (part of the tour’s creative but non-touring team) has worked with JT. In the early conversations with the artist, he explained how several ideas of modern art installation, futuristic environments, EDM style visuals and a ‘fly’s eye’ were discussed. The latter being where the geometric pattern for the wall and ceiling actually came from. Said Zangen: “Justin really wanted 20/20 to be a very sensory experience where upon walking in you see this architectural structure with no band and don’t really know what to expect. Nick and I discussed early on that we wanted to hide the entire lighting, video and laser rig behind the scenic elements to keep a really crisp and clean look throughout.”Because of this notion, the rear wall and decorative ceiling were designed to allow ‘an immersive digital environment using projections on its surface’ and also featured perforated metal panels for the lighting to pass through. “We came up with the bridge which is one of the largest elements of the show while

discussing how to connect with as much of the audience as possible, but in a completely new way - not using any wires or flown elements. Our goal was to take the front row experience out to the entire audience and reverse their perspective. The cabaret style of the VIP lounge at the opposite end of the arena contrasts with the modern main stage and is setup for the more intimate songs later in the set, making for an up-close and personal cotton club style experience,” furthered Zangen. The scale of the show and how the elements worked together in the arena was a big challenge needing precision on placement. “Working with TAIT is always loads of fun and lends itself to a lot of creativity in development. We spent many weeks experimenting with shapes and different materials for each element to make sure we had the right look and finish and that it all worked well together. The final version is much more refined than the initial concept but the main elements remained pretty constant through development. We wanted to create a unique and standout experience for the audience that will never be forgotten. “It’s been great to see such a positive response to the show and I am definitely really proud of everything we were able to achieve. Justin is a fantastically creative person on all fronts, working with him and the other people involved made this project a lot of fun in a very openly creative environment.” LIGHTINGContinued Whitehouse: “As with everything in the design, we demoed, tested and re-tested everything to make sure that what we were doing was the perfect choice for this particular part of the design. The size and weight of the lights in the set was a large factor; also trying to be environmentally efficient with the fixtures where possible. I had tested the Clay Paky Sharpy Wash during the promo tour and really loved the power and beam that it produced, especially for the size and weight, so this is the fixture that I’ve used most in JT’s rig.”

Certainly in the Clay Paky camp, presence of the Sharpy products on the tour has been noted. Francesco Romagnoli, Clay Paky Area Manager for North and Latin America commented: “Our lights have been on Justin Timberlake before and we have worked with Mr. Whitehouse numerous times. We’re proud to be in the company of such artists once again.” Whitehouse continued to explain his fixture choice: “I paired the Sharpy with the Philips Vari-Lite VL3000 and VL3015 spots, as these have always been my favourite, and I can’t find a fixture that would give me the same features and quality in a smaller size. For some of the effects in the show, I wanted a certain amount of beams so the original Sharpys were again the perfect choice for me. Finally, I had come across the Solaris Flare earlier in the year and decided that for efficiency I would try to use this as a wash / strobe and audience light. The Flares turned out to be one of the most used fixtures in the rig; I love them! They look great and did everything I asked of them and much more.” The lighting rig is fitted around the concept of the stage and set design. Continued Whitehouse: “We wanted a really wide screen effect with the projections and stage and I naturally wanted the lighting to be just as big at moments, I worked very hard with Josh to create the perfect set in which every single light was hidden from view and not seen when it was not being used. The structure and design of the set really dictated where we could put the lights, but essentially I wanted to spread these out all over the stage. “I switched to the MA Lighting grandMA2 desk about five years ago, and I’ve used this console on many different size and type of show, yet no matter what the situation, I find it the most versatile console for the way that I work. It was a natural choice for this show as it combines many different elements of control in the one console. Parts of this show are synced totally to Timecode and this console has the best Timecode interface of any that I have used. We also took advantage of the 3D

German Engineering — Uncompromisingly Reliable.

volution 900 Series

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Justin Timberlake

Below: TAIT manufactured a custom-built bridge, which during the second half of the show, became a moving gag that allowed JT and his band to be transported to the B stage.

18

positioning system on the console - the Photon media server reported JT’s position back to the console, so we could use this moving position as a focus for any of the lights. “Plus the support from MA Lighting and their distributors ACT [US] and Ambersphere [UK] is also superb, so I always feel like I am in good hands with this desk. The show in its current state runs at about 12,000 lighting cues, with each one perfectly synced to the music either manually or on the Timecode system. Some of the things that we wanted to do were so compacted that in some songs two or three cue lists run simultaneously, like different instruments in a band, this console handles all of this with ease,” he said.

Operating the lighting on the road is 20/20 Experience Lighting Director, Jason Gangi. “Justin likes every accent to be hit, so for example, on the song Tunnel Vision, it’s ‘kick, snare, kick kick snare’ and there’s a cue on every one of those. He’s big on accents for every single beat, or bass line or snare which is why there are so many cues, and why we’re using this desk to handle it,” said Gangi. “The creative guys have done an amazing

job; it’s a very cool concept in general. The Sharpy Washes and Sharpys themselves are in groups of four to give that big rock ‘n’ roll ACL look, up in the ceiling. There have been no real challenges on this tour, despite how intricate this design is. It’s just all worked really well, and I feel honoured that Nick asked me to do it.” Gangi also commented on Solotech’s tour support: “For me, this is the first time in 16 years on the road where one company has been the main equipment supplier. It works really well, I like the concept because everyone is working together, and I really like the benefits of the situation. Solotech is a great support too. We did have a console go down in Las Vegas, and within two hours, I had another one sent out.

So although that very rarely happens, and we always have a back-up, it’s nice to know how responsive they are and to know that their tech support is very good if you do need it.” STAGING AND AUTOMATIONTAIT developed a multifaceted set with four major features to achieve the high artistic standards and logistical requirements put forth by JT’s creative team. The set’s back wall and

ceiling are made up of vacuformed hexagon panels that create a projection surface for the show’s vast projection content. Certain panels consist of perforated metal, which reveal an intricate lighting display with a larger-than-life pinhole effect, while masking the show’s lighting fixtures and trusses from the audience. There are eight lifts incorporated into the stage itself; six slip stages which are tasked with revealing and concealing the band from view and two additional lifts provide entrances for the JT and his pianos. A custom B stage, complete with VIP seating and bars, provides a unique performance area at the rear of the house. At the centre piece of TAIT’s design is a custom, automated bridge which measures 37-metres wide, two metres deep and 5.6-metres tall, at its highest points. The 1,3608 kg element acts to seamlessly carry the performers from one end of the arena to the other, over the crowd, where it is met by a staircase that elevates from the B stage. The bridge is automated by two pontoons that sit 24 metres apart and run down the aisles on each side of the venue floor. Said TAIT’s Director of Design, Tyler Kicera: “Working closely with Set Designer Josh Zangen, we were eager to take on the challenge of driving a portion of the stage over the audience. With the bridge, an effect that had never been done before, we saw an opportunity to push the boundaries and redefine what is possible.”

“The creative guys have done an amazing job; it’s a very cool concept in general...”

Fresh out the box...

Philips Entertainment’s four premier brands have unveiled their game changing luminaires and control

for 2014. Selecon reveals the Rama LED Fresnel, which provides an adjustable cone of light, has a soft

edge and is easily blended with adjacent beams to provide even illumination. Showline launches the

SL NITRO 510C, offering vibrant colour RGB&W capabilities. Strand Lighting launches the NEO control

console, marking the company’s commitment to creating forward-thinking, powerful lighting control

consoles. And Vari-Lite’s new VL4000 heralds a new generation of high-performance moving lights.

Philips-New Product Campaign_art.indd 1 01/05/2014 17:33

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Justin Timberlake

Below: The projection surface was created by TAIT and displayed a mixture of EDM inspired visuals from Geodezik and live video cut by Video Director, David Boisvert.

20

Thedesignandbuildofthestagesettookaroundsixweekstocomplete.WiththeinitialideasforthedesigncomingfromZangenandWhitehouse,thebridgewasoneofthefeweffectsthatremainedthroughoutthevariousdesigniterationsduringpre-production.Thecrowd’sreactiontothebridgemovementiscertainlytestamentthatitshouldhavebeenkeptinthefinaldesign. ContinuedKicera:“ThecentrespanwiththetwodrivepontoonsweretestedatourLititz[Pennsylvania]facilityindependentoftherestoftheshow.Onceatrehearsals,thefullscopeofthebridgecouldbetestedincludingthewirelesspower,laserguiding,andcantilevertrusses.” ThiseffectoftheshowdesignwasspearheadedbyTAIT’sstagingteamofground-basedautomationdesignersandfabricators.ThebridgeiscontrolledbyTAIT’sNavigatorControlSystemandusestworotarylaserstoscantheroomandmaintainitspositionandspeed.“Itwasimportanttoeveryonethatthebridgedidn’tdraganycablesinitswake,sotheunithadtobewireless,”statedKicera.“TAIT’sNavigatorcontrolsystemworkedbeautifullyinconjunctionwiththelaserguidingsystemtodrive250ftouttotheBstageandbackwithinaneighthofaninchofaccuracy.” TAIT’sNavigatorisasoftwareprogram,buteveryshowthatgoesoutgetscustomisedforthattour,sowhetheryou’reusingmechanicalliftsorhydrauliclifts;itcanbeprogrammedmonthsbeforehand.DrivingthebridgeforthetourisAutomationLead,RaphaelBuono.HetoldTPi:“I’veworkedwithalotofTAIT

equipmentoverthelastsixyears.They’reverygood,it’sahugemixfromapersonalstandpointnow-fromFisherandStageTechnologies-it’speoplefromothercompaniesthatwe’veworkedwithalongthelinesatsomepoint,sothere’salotoffamiliarfacesbehindtheequipment.” LookingaftertheliftsbuiltintothestageisAutomationOperator,AaronLevy.“WerunhalftheautomationmovesintheshowfromTimecode,thenhalfaretakenoutmanually.TheTimecodecuesaredonewithanenablerelease,soI’mstillactivatingthecuesaboutfivesecondsbeforeTimecodewilltakeover,meaningtherearealotofsafetymeasuresinplaceforatourlikethis,”hehighlighted. “Wecheckthatallofthosemechanicsarerunningcorrectlyforthetouringenvironment.It’sdefinitelybeenabiglearningcurve,butwhenyouthinkwe’retheonlytourintheworlddoingthis,it’sallworthit.”SPECIAL EFFECTSUSspecialeffectsexpert,PyrotecnicoFX,usedproprietarytechnologiesandtechniquestorealiseatouringlasersystemforthetour.Thecompanysupplied25customlaserprojectorsandaproprietarycontrolnetwork.RichardLaChance,DirectorofTouringforSolotechexplained:“PyrotecnicohasbeenanintegralpartoftheSolotech/JTteamandhasprovidedsomeofthemostinnovativeandstunninglasereffectsthatwe’veseen-theircreativityandattentiontosafetyissecondtonone.” PyrotecnicoworkedwithEmilianoPalumbo,

LaserSystemDesignandProgrammerandWhitehousetocreateacontrolsystemandlaserdesign.“Nickcametouswithveryspecificrequestsforcontrollingthelasers-hewantedahighdegreeofresolutionfromhisboard,”saidKellySticksel,ChiefDevelopmentOfficerforPyrotecnico.“OurteamdevelopedapowerfulprogrammingsystemandVision-SafelaserframesthatallowedNicktoreallyintegratethelasersintohisproduction.Thefinaleffectissimplystunning-thelasersbecomeanintegralpartoftheaudienceexperience–nothingfeelsforcefit.” RoccoVitale,CreativeDirectorforPyrotecnico,said:“ThisproductionsetsthebarforPyrotecnico-ittrulyexemplifieseachofourcorevalues:longstandingcommitmenttoinnovationandcreativity,unwaveringrespectforthoseinvolved,tirelessdedicationtotheproduction,andastrictadherencetosafety.WearehonouredtobeworkingalongsideSolotechonsuchaground-breakingtour.” Pyrotecnicosuppliedthetour’slaserpackageinitsentiretyandfortheEuropeanleg,supplied16PyrotecnicoLasercubeA/S11,full-colour,Vision-SafeLaserProjectors,sixcustomKvantSpectrum20,full-colourlaserprojectorsandaPyrotecnicoEclipsescalableinterlocksafetysystem. Describinghisroleas“keepingitallrunningsafeeverynight”,the20/20tourhasLaserTechAJSeabeckmanningthelaserdepartment.ThelasereffectsarerunfromtheMALightinggrandMA2consoleatthelightingHQ,andarecuedwithTimecode.It’sDMXcontrolledfor

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Justin Timberlake

Below: Justin Timberlake used an Audio-Technica Artist Elite 5000 Series Frequency-agile True Diversity UHF Wireless System paired with an AEW-T6100 transmitter for his vocal needs.

21

positioning and focusing. An interesting aspect of the Pyrotecnico laser set up was the audience scanning lasers. “As far as I know, we have the most audience scanning lasers on a tour like this, it looks very cool to watch and the crowds seem to love it!” said Seabeck. The company is one of a small handful of production companies worldwide that can legally scan lasers into and throughout the audience. Pyrotecnico has made audience-scanning both safe and legal for its clients, creating a spectacular visual dimension for the on looking audience.

VIDEO CONTENTPerhaps one of the most striking aspects of the 20/20 Experience is the video content which is projection mapped onto the incredible art installation style structure. Gabriel Coutu-Dumont, Creative Director at Montreal-based Geodezik (which he co-owns with partner Olivier Goulet) was brought on board in the early stages of the project by Whitehouse. “A recurrent theme in my visual art projects is music and coming from a family of actors and directors I have been drawn to film making ever since,” said Coutu-Dumont. “Since day one of this project, JT expressed the desire to create a show which on the visual side, was all about three dimensional

environments and Nick had planned everything to create a total synergy between lighting, video and the stage set. After a few meetings with JT, it was clear we had to develop a mapping show we could tour with and so we called in VYV, the creators of Photon - a very powerful video server and programming tool - to build an auto-focus system for the tour that allowed us to precisely add the video layer onto the set in record time,” explained Coutu-Dumont. A lot of the video was created before production rehearsal but nothing was set in stone when Coutu-Dumont entered the Landers Centre, Memphis, for the full production rehearsals. “We had lots of looks prepared and shootings done, ready to be remixed,” he told TPi. “The video content was then tailored to the set. The symbiotic relation between lighting, video, choreography and the set design is a very good indicator that the show had time to mature and grow naturally into its own shape. “As a Creative Director for video content in the touring music industry, I always let the music drive the content creation. Of course, there is a general conceptual system that can be applied to creating content for a tour, but every song is special and requires a visual life of its own. JT’s music moves a lot between genres and so to me, the video had to follow his artistic lead,” he said. According Coutu-Dumont, there are two www.GlobalTruss.de

> Fast & easy

> Online construction tool

> Save & load constructions

> F32, F33 & F34 systems

> Innovative tool

NOW ONLINE - FOR FREE!

www.trusstool.com

TRUSSTOOL

THE GLOBAL TRUSS

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Justin Timberlake

Below: Lighting Director, Jason Gangi with his MA Lighting grandMA2 control desk; The Automation team, Raphael Buono who operated the TAIT-built bridge element of the set design, and Aarron Levy who controlled the stage lifts; Production Manager, Robert ‘Hydro’ Mullin; Andy Meyer on top of his ‘man cave’ at the FOH position where he used a DiGiCo SD7 to mix the show; The Snakatak catering team, led by Emily Cribley.

22

types of content in the 20/20 Experience: scenic looks that play with the physical architecture of the stage set, mapping gags, looks which enhance lighting (existing to give a solid stage onto which JT & The Tennessee Kids can perform). And the second type is ethereal content, which is less scenic and more cinematographic, allowing dramatic arcs in the show. He continued: “JT is involved in every aspect of the show, and brought a lot of excellent ideas to the table. Justin is a very creative person and knows exactly what he wants. Once all the elements were in place, he defined what would be brought forward in the mix, whether this would be predominantly lighting or a video or even a laser moment, exactly when he wanted it to enhance the music. “I would say that the most valuable item necessary to create a project like this is the infinite talent of all the people involved. People we have chosen over the years for their ideas and precision. Geodezik’s studio counts about 20 fantastic designers, editors, animators and 3D artists but the nature of our company pushed us into developing strong relations with great designer-artists. We can roughly count 100 people who have participated in creating the video for the 20/20 Experience, and although the technical tools are very important,

they are nothing compared to the talents of the people using them. “We’re all very proud of what we’ve accomplished. It’s actually been the greatest, fullest and most rewarding experience I’ve had so far!” concluded Coutu-Dumont.

PROJECTION MAPPING AND LIVE VIDEOAlex Barrette, the tour’s Video Server Operator (who also did the programming of the time line for the video wall and integration with the live content) has been touring since leaving VYV some years ago. Barrette bills VYV’s Photon media server as the only product for a job such as this: “We have a total of 15 servers running, one control and two back-ups in ‘pods’ within the stage. There are seven on stage left and eight on stage right. Each panel of the huge back screen and roof is detachable so everything is built one hexagon at a time, and it’s all magnetised.” The wall part of the set comes in three parts: a central section and two side wings, and a further four sections make up the roof. Photon’s new software allows for uncompressed video playback at tremendous resolutions. The resolution in this instance is immense, 8,000 by 1,920, which is close to 16 mega pixels… Photon is able to display video using an unlimited number of projectors. The

video content comes from 22 Barco FLM-HD20K projectors on the wall, (11 double stacked). Two Barco HDX-W20Ks in the roof and a further six Barco HDF-W26Ks are used in the remainder of the roof, which work in conjunction with the Photon media servers. Continued Barrette: “On the wall itself, we have light sensors embedded which are seen by cameras mounted on each projector. Photon works out the 3D relationship of the projector and screen and auto aligns from this. It’s actually the biggest progress I’ve seen with media servers in my career so far: to be able to align 30 projectors in less than 30 minutes is incredible, and it gives us a lot of flexibility. “Technically it’s been a challenge to get the auto calibration to work in a touring environment. To make it all happen, we worked very closely with VYV and they’ve been great; they’re very supportive,” he concluded. Over in the live feed department, David Boisvert is the 20/20 Experience Video Director, taking the live content and incorporating it into the existing video content. To capture the live images from the show, Boisvert has a selection of five man-operated cameras, and three robot cameras. The 3D mapping and projection used in conjunction with the live feed is something Boisvert believes hasn’t been done before in a

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Justin Timberlake

Below: Laser Techs, Gary Curtis and AJ Seabeck were on the tour for Pyrotecnico FX; Below: Stage and Set Designer, Josh Zangen; Media Server Operator, Alex Barrette used VYV Photon media servers for the tour; The meticulous audio crew at FOH in Manchester; The rigging department: Russ Keith, Bill Rengstl and Alex Bolduc.

24

setting such as this. Using the art installation style set as a surface area. The design allowed for the unique ability to use the contours of its shape as a creative, architectural canvas. Said Boisvert: “The content on the wall and ceiling structure is a mixture of 3D mapping and effects and the live video effects which is done with a motion tracking system.”

FOH POSITIONAt the rather impressive FOH position, is JT’s FOH Engineer, Andy Meyer. I say impressive because his mixing position is what we’ve affectionately agreed to call his ‘man cave’ and with Meyer keen to show TPi the best seat in the house, we even watched the gig from said ‘man cave.’ Encasing his sound world is part of the B stage, which during the second half of the show becomes a platform from which JT sings the slower, more intimate songs in the set (including a stunning cover of Michael Jackson’s Human Nature). “I’ve been Justin’s FOH Engineer since 2005, since his FutureSex/LoveSounds tour and he’s a very hands-on sort of musician. He can actually produce himself; he knows exactly what he wants to hear,” said Meyer. For his vocal needs, JT uses an Audio-Technica Artist Elite 5000 Series Frequency-agile True Diversity UHF Wireless System paired with an AEW-T6100 transmitter (wireless iteration of

the AE6100 Hypercardioid Dynamic Handheld Microphone) and AEW-R5200 Receiver. “We tried out a lot of different microphones until we knew we had the one,” explained Meyer. “It took a lot of research, but we got there and we’re very happy with the results on tour. “The AE6100, as well as its wireless counterpart, is an amazing-sounding microphone, and it really works for Justin’s vocals. The sound quality is superior - it sounds like we’re taking the studio out on the road.” Meyer is also using Audio-Technica microphones in other applications on the tour, including the ATM25 (limited edition) Hypercardioid Dynamic Instrument Microphone on toms, and the AE5400 Cardioid Condenser Handheld Microphone - normally a handheld vocal microphone - on the top and bottom of the snare drum. Once the microphones had been sussed, Meyer chose to bring JT’s vocal (analogue style) to FOH into a Rupert Neve Designs Portico II buss processor, a Dangerous [Music] Bax EQ, and a DTC MindPrint inserted on the master buss. He continued: “I have a lot of cool analogue out board gear with me, so it then goes into Apogee Symphony, which converts it to digital.” The vocal then goes AES into the console, a much-loved DiGiCo SD7, chosen for its effortless ability to handle whatever Meyer tasks it with in terms of inputs, outputs and file

size. “And crucially,” pointed out Meyer, “it has the best sound quality I know. “I’ve been using an SD7 for three years now, because I knew that I needed to be working on something that could handle more than 96 inputs. I heard it, wanted to try it and when I did, I just fell in love with its sonic properties straight away; it sounds great,” beamed Meyer. In the console, Meyer is also using the Waves C6 and H-Comp plug-ins. Snap shots are used throughout the performance - which was originally nearly three hours long, and now plays out at around 2hrs 20. An Antelope Audio 10M, Orion and Trinity combination clocks the entire system. “That combo just works, it glues it all together nicely,” concluded Meyer. MONITOR WORLD“Originally, we were only supposed to have one show. We started rehearsing in January 2013 for one month for JT’s performance at The Grammys,” explained Monitor Engineer Dan Horton about coming on board the tour. “Then we heard that we were needed for the next two years as there was an album coming out. Nobody knew, so it was a nice a surprise!” Horton was recommended for the job by Meyer to take over previous Monitor Engineer, Kevin Glendinning 18 months ago, and the audio pros have a few similarities in their equipment preferences.

26

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Justin Timberlake

Below: Laser Designer, Emiliano Palumbo created a system for the show which utilised Pyrotecnico’s safe, audience scanning laser system.

“LikeAndy,I’musingaDiGiCoSD7.I’mfouryearsintousingthisconsole,simplybecausethereisnootherconsolethatcanhandletheamountofmixes.Thereisnootherdeskthatcandothisshow,outputwise.I’vealwayshadanissueinthatItypicallymixmonitorsforbandswhohavealargeamountofoutputmixes,ofin-earmixesandwedgemixes,techmixesandsoon...ThisistheonlydeskthatcandowhatIneeditto.TheonlyotherdeskthatevencameclosewastheSD5,soit’sstillaDiGiCoconsoledesign. “It’smyfavouritemainlybecause-apartfromitactuallybeingabletodowhatIneeditto-italsosoundsthebestandit’sgotthatauthenticanalogueconsoledesign.I’vebeenusingitforfouryearsnow,soI’dliketothinkIknowitprettywellatthispoint;ithasthebestfunctionalityforthisshow,”statedHorton. ThissentimentisechoedbyHorton’sassistant,MonitorTechMattHolden,whoispartwaythroughhisfirstJTtourexperience.“I’mlearningalotfromDanouthere,andeveryonegetsalongsowellthatit’sareallygoodtimetobelearningasmuchasIcan,hesaid.“TheSD7isthenicest-soundingdeskoutthere.We’reusingbothdesks-themainandback-up-inmirrormode,soithastwoenginesandifonecrashes,it’sinstantlybackedupandyoudon’tmissoutonanyofyouraudiorequirements.” Withamassiveamountofmixestocreate,Hortonhas16bandmembersandsixdancerstotakecareof,aswellasJT’svitalmix.“IusedthisdeskforJustinandJay-Z’sLegends of the Summertour,andImaxedthedeskout.I

couldn’thavehadanotherstereomixevenifI’dwantedto!” AsatFOH,HortonusesanAntelope10MTrinitycombinationtoclockhissystemandaddedAPI512cmicrophonepreampsintoJT’smix,alongwithRetroDoubleWidecompressionforfurtherdepth.Thewirelesssystemis24-channelShurePSM1000,withsingersandhornsonShureAxient.SaidHorton:“OneofmymainneedswhenI’mouthereisRF,andÉricMarchandisthebestI’veeverhad.Shure’sPSM1000hasalwaysbeenmygo-towireless,andÉricdoesanamazingjob.It’sveryimportantforamonitorengineertotrusttheRFdepartment;youcan’tbemixinganartist-especiallyofthiscalibreofshow-andyetbesecondguessingtheRFallthetime.We’reluckytohavehimdoinghisthing.” Everybodyonstagehasastereoin-earmixandtherearenowedgesorsidefills.ContinuedHorton:IalwaysuseJHAudiomolds,becausethey’rethebestproducts.MostofthebandisusingJH16’s,11’sand13’s,andJustinisonJH16’stoo.Everyoneisreallyhappywiththem!”heconcluded.RF RFTechnicianÉricMarchandhasbeenatouringwirelessspecialistforsixyears,andasHortonnoted,iswell-versedinhisrole.“Amajortourusessomanyfrequenciesthesedays,andproductiondesignshavebecomesodemanding,youdon’twanttoleaveanythingtochance,”Marchandsaid. Thetouremploys10channelsofShureAxientwirelessforbackingvocalsandthehorn

section,plusfourdual-channelShureUHF-Rbodypacksystemsonallguitarsandbass.WiththeexceptionofJT’sAudio-Technicavocalmicrophone,Shuregearwasspecifiedfortheentireband,dancers,andmuchofthebacklinecrew,whowerecoveredby26channelsofShurePSM1000personalmonitors,with24ofthemrunningthroughasinglepairofantennasusingaseriesoffourShurePA821Awidebandantennacombiners.Itwasmandatedthatnothingcouldinterferewiththeaudiencelineofsight,severelylimitingtheoptionsforantennaplacement.TheBstageislocatedbeyondtheFOHmixpositionandofferedanotherwirelessreceptionchallenge. “Thearenasweplayarealwayssoldout,sotherewasnowayIcouldbringcablesandantennasoutcloser.ItwascrucialtogetgoodlineofsighttotheBstage,forboththereceiveantennasandthetransmitantennasfortheIEMs.Sowedesignedthesystemtocovereverythingfromantennasdiscreetlyhidinginplainsightonstage.Theactualwirelessracks,alongwithmeandmyscanners,allliveunderthestage,”Marchandsaid.ThisisalsothereasonwhyJTandhisbandarealloninears,andnotstagemonitors. ThistourisMarchand’sfirsttimeusingShureAxient.“AfriendofminewasoutwithBruceSpringsteenforSolotechlastyear.ThatwasallAxient,andhetoldmeitwasgreat,”saidMarchand.“Plus,I’vebeentrainedonAxient,soIwasexcitedtouseit.” TheShowLinkaccesspointmadeiteasytomakequickadjustmentsonaudioandRFlevels.“ItalsosavesmealotoftimewhenIdomyRF

Stageco Belgium N.V.Kapelleweg 63150 Tildonk

Tel : +32 16 60 84 71Fax: +32 16 60 10 61

info@stageco.com

Concert stages in all sizes, temporary structures for every event.

20130925_Stageco_Zomer2013_Intern_A4.indd 1 25-09-13 12:29

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Justin Timberlake

Below: The flown elements of the show design were secured with Liftket motors, often associated with the industrial markets in Germany.

28

coordination in the morning. I don’t have to sync a single Axient pack. I just turn them on and, boom, they’re done.” Axient’s full remote control of all transmitter functions through ShowLink comes into play when Background vocals move to the second stage, which is more than 100 ft from the antennas. To compensate, Marchand boosts the output power of the Axient transmitters. “That allows me to optimise my system for the B stage. JT is a different story since is using the Audio-Technica mic. I keep an extra transmitter on an alternate frequency

for him, just in case. I know if I can get that happening, everything is going to be fine, because the Shure systems, both Axient and UHF-R, plus the PSM 1000s, are all going to be solid.” Like Horton, Marchand is also a fan of the PSM 1000, which offers the security of diversity receive antennas on the body pack and precision front-end filtering for maximum range and signal reception. “The RF stability is outstanding, and I really like the CueMode feature. That allows me to walk both the

stages with just one pack and listen to every frequency,” he explained. “It shows that Shure really designed the system for major tours,” he said. Axient’s interference detection and avoidance system and frequency diversity feature have proven helpful, even though Marchand routinely uses two scanners to monitor the RF landscape. “My main attention is on Justin’s mic, so I have the Axient channels set up in Prompt mode instead of automatic. That way, it alerts me whenever there’s a channel with issues,” he said. “I also use the Spectrum Manager, which has a listen option, which is really helpful. That way I can check it personally and decide whether to change channels. I like to have my hand on the wheel,” said Marchand. Carrying around 60 channels of wireless on tour, Marchand cites one of his biggest day to day challenges is setting the free space for the radio settings. “Here in Europe, especially in the UK, it’s a bit easier because all frequencies are licensed so the frequencies are safe. In North America, it’s more of a free for all! Some major cities can give you some headaches, but at the end of the day, everything has to work. Each and every day, we must make it happen, and that’s what makes this job a challenge. I just know that I have the equipment I need to do my

Handle Without Care

AE6100 Artist Series

“As a vocal microphone for rock bands the AE6100

is phenomenal. It’s got a super high output, brilliant

feedback rejection and no matter how brutal you are

with them they still sound great...”

Ben Hammond (The Blackout, Skindred, Deaf Havana)

www.audio-technica.com

Connect with us...

twitter.com/AudioTechnicaUK

youtube.com/AudioTechnicaUK

fl ickr.com/audio-technica facebook.com/AudioTechnicaUK

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Justin Timberlake

29

job, no matter what is thrown at us. “It’s always a very loud tour, no matter where we’re playing! But I really like this gig, JT is a really fun guy and the crew is a good group of people to be out here with,” he smiled. THE NEW PAOver in the PA department, Étienne Lapre, the tour’s System Tech has been with vendor Solotech for 10 years and touring for eight. “Solotech has always been good to me,” he highlighted. “I started rolling up cable in the shop in Montreal a decade ago, and now I’m system teching for JT! It’s the kind of company where everyone helps each other and there’s no ego, so you can just learn from the others around you and because of that, you have the opportunity to progress into roles and go on these great tours.” Solotech has chosen all L’ Acoustics products for the PA rig, which in the UK also includes the new K2 line array system. “We used it for the first time in Sheffield, and Solotech is also touring the K2 in the US right now for Arcade Fire’s shows so they’re using it where they can.” For JT’s tour, the system comprised 44 boxes of K1 for the main PA and side hangs. A total of 32 K2’s are then utilised as down fill. An extra 24 KARAs and four SB18s subwoofers are used for the back of stage. “We’re the first tour to be trying this many boxes of K2 as down fill, so it’s exciting for us,” commented Lapre. The system is completed with 20 L’ Acoustics SB28 subwoofers on the ground and 24 flown K1-SB [a flyable, high-power subwoofer]. We also have eight L’ Acoustics 8XTs for front fill. Towards the back of the arena, 18 boxes (nine per side) are in the delay position. “It’s quite an impressive L-Acoustics rig!” smiled Lapre. The system amplification comes via 22 L-Acoustics LA-Raks. Not only is JT’s show an incredible visual journey, but it’s an aural feast too. For almost 2.5 hours, arena-filled audiences are treated to the faultless sounds of Solotech’s audio combination. Not only is JT an incredibly seasoned, genre consuming, energy-packed performer, but the sound, despite its environmental demands, doesn’t dip once. The K2 boasts a heavy low end sound, allowing the

entire room to have a beautifully balanced, bassy feel. Whereas a lot more of the KARA system was used on the US portion of the tour, it has been replaced where possible with K2 in Europe. Continued Lapre: “For the last four years, my system preference has been with L-Acoustics. I like this system for its simplicity, it’s easy for us because it goes up really well and it sounds great, so you can do whatever you want to with it. Saying that, you have to know your job out here, because in fact, this system is so clear, that if one thing goes wrong, you will hear it. “I noticed a difference straight away with the K2 sound, as soon as we got it. The highs are really bright and it can throw the sound way more than I ever imagined it could. The signature transition between the K1 and the K2 is really nice and smooth. For the average person in the crowd, as long as it sounds clear for their favourite artist, they don’t notice anything like that, but for us, it makes a big difference. We’re the perfectionists! “The tonality of L-Acoustics boxes has always been amazing; they got it right in the past with the v-DOSC, and the K1, now the K2 is a complete product range for whatever you need,” continued Lapre. Indeed, it’s the K2 that’s stealing the show on the PA rig. “It is truly unbelievable for the size and weight of the box. They’ve really out-done themselves! “It’s still a very new product so I’m sure it can be improved somehow but it’s already perfect for me. Plus the fact that it is very easy to rig is a really important feature; it makes all the difference for a big production like this. Seriously, it takes 10 minutes to get in the air!”

RIGGINGBill Rengstl has been the Head Rigger for all three of JT’s tours, doing his 2003-4, 2007 and now 2013 / 14 run of shows. “I’ve also worked with Hydro on many tours throughout the years, and it’s great having him as Production Manager now. We most recently worked on Lady Gaga’s tours together, so it’s a small but high profile world!” he told TPi. On JT’s shows there is a mighty 110 rigging points maintaining

ORDER YOUR

COST FREE

CATALOGUE !

with the right material■ Robust stagebox-systems■ Flexible, tough multipair-cables for permanent use■ User-friendly cable solutions■ Customer oriented manufacturing■ Big stock and fast delivery

On the road…

SOMMER CABLE GmbH Audio ■ Video ■ Broadcast ■ Media Technology ■ HiFi

info@sommercable.com ■ www.sommercable.com

■ Big stock and fast delivery

MADI connection systems

HD-BaseT extender max. 100 m

Offroad fi bre system, IP68 protection class

b92,5x277_BV_EN_neutral_M1_140409.indd 1 10.04.2014 11:29:50

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Justin Timberlake

Below: Lighting for the show included an array of Clay Paky Sharpys, various Philips Vari-Lite products and Solaris Flare fixtures for the imaginative lighting design which included big ACL looks.

30

127,000lbs of equipment in the roof. This is distributed with 110,000lbs in the main stage area and the other 17,000lbs around the FOH / B stage position. Rengstl continued: “Every day is a different scenario; we’re in a different venue every day and our rig must accurately fit in not only with the main stage but with the B Stage too. This

can alter because the travel distance with the bridge can be shorter, when we play US hockey arenas for example. Then when we come out to Europe, the venues can be longer so there’s been a lot of well thought-out advancing with every aspect of this design. “The CAD drawings had to be spot on, with the engineering in the roof and the placement

of the show conscious of the amount of seats we’ve sold for each of the shows,” he added. As well as the tour’s three travelling riggers - completed by Russ Keith and Alex Bolduc, an additional 20 local riggers are provided. Continued Rengstl: “Solotech is the all-inclusive tour vendor, so all of our rigging kit is provided by them. The best way to do a tour of

31

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Justin Timberlake

this size has been to have Solotech as our sole vendor, absolutely, it’s made everything safer and easier.” To enable the kit to be flown, Rengstl and his team are using Liftket chain hoists, which are traditionally associated with the German industrial sector. “We have 80ft chains on average with these LiftKet motors, they’re all D8 and double brake inclusive, so as far as the safety regulations go in Europe, all our gear is up to the correct standard. Liftket is the first choice due to the amount of rigging points that we do; the motors are lighter weight than the average. It has meant that we have less weight in the roof and when we’re talking about 60 tonnes of gear, these factors are important - especially when getting the weight of the show approved for some European venues,” added the Head Rigger.

Rengstl also commented on the immediate success of the L-Acoustics K2 boxes: “We’ve just integrated the K2 into the PA system, so again, we’re moving in the right direction by conserving weight where we can.”

TRANSPORTATIONAfter the equipment was freighted over from New York by Rock-It Cargo, trucking for the European leg of the tour came via EST. With an incredible 28 trucks in tow, each DAF manufactured truck clocked up 10,000 miles. The trucks were led by lead driver, Roger Thomas. EST’s relationship with JT’s camp goes back some years.

Co-Founder of Edwin Shirley Trucking, Del Roll highlighted: “Hydro is our client and we’ve worked on many tours for him over years. We’ve provided transport for everyone from Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson and Madonna to mention just a few. We have a great working relationship with Hydro. He’s someone who knows what he wants, and his suppliers know how to deliver, therefore we’ve been working together for a long time. He also respects our knowledge of logistics in Europe.” For the European leg of the tour, Austrian company Beat The Street supplied bussing needs. It provided one Starbus (double decker), one bus for the security and entourage party, three vehicles for the backing band and dancers, and an incredible seven crew buses! Said Beat The Street’s Joerg Philip: “From the conversations we’ve had and the preparations

we undertook, you can tell straight away that this is a very professional camp. We’ve worked with Justin Timberlake on all of his European tours so far, and we are very proud of that ongoing relationship.”

TOUR CATERING“The tour has been going great so far, all the crew and band are lovely and seem to be enjoying having us on tour with them!” commented Snakatak’s Emily Cribley who has been helping out with the nutritional needs of the tour. “We’ve been catering for JT tours for over 12 years now, so we know the routine, and they know us,” she said, in the backstage

kitchen of Manchester Phones 4U Arena.There are nine people on the catering crew cooking for a staggering 180 personnel including all the crew, drivers [of which there are 40!], band, dancers entourage and of course JT himself. “They’re generally healthy - especially the band - so we’re cooking lots more fish portions per service than is typical. Teriyaki salmon has been their favourite fish dish but beef and chicken are also very popular.” Snakatak is catering for a real mixture of tastes, with crew from all over the UK, the US and of course, the huge Solotech team from Quebec, Canada. Other popular dishes flying out of the tour kitchens include bourbon braised beef with creamy mash, fish and chips and various pasta recipes. “The usual request is lots of green, healthy vegetables. Oh, and peanut butter... some things never change!” smiled Cribley. Snakatak started with JT on March 27 in Sheffield, Yorkshire and will finish on June 10 in London. Although the catering team does have a touring break for 10 days when the tour goes to Abu Dhabi, Istanbul, Tel Aviv, Rabat and Lisbon, the luxurious tour comforts will re-join the 20/20 Experience for the last leg of the European tour with the run of sold-out shows at London’s O2 Arena.TPi

Photos: Ralph Larmann & Kelly Murrayhttp://thetennesseekids.justintimberlake.com

http://nick-whitehouse.comwww.solotech.com,

http://taittowers.comhttp://geodezik.com

http://pyrotecnicofx.comhttp://snakatakcatering.com

www.beatthestreet.netwww.yourock-weroll.com

www.rockitcargo.comwww.es-cat.com

“Hydro knows what he wants, and his suppliers know how to deliver, therefore we’ve been working together for a long time. He also respects our knowledge of logistics in Europe...”

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Justin Timberlake

32

By early November 2013, the indoor set design for JT’s 20/20 Experience was at an advanced stage. But when two outdoor dates were added to the itinerary at the Stade de France in Paris, France (April 26) and Frankfurt, Germany’s Commerzbank-Arena (June 8), it became evident to local promoters Live Nation France and Marek Lieberberg that a specific technical solution would be needed in order to stage the impressive show - a solution that only Stageco could provide. WithR&DexpertDirkVanDeGooratthehelmoftheproject-theBelgium-basedwinnerofthisyear’sTPiAwardforFavouriteStagingCompany-specifiedtheuniqueXXLstageroofthatwassuccessfullydeployedonMadonna’sMDMA2012tour,theRockWerchterfestivalandRogerWaters’stadiumproductionofThe Wall Live. ThelargestroofinStageco’sinventory,theXXLmodelevolvedfromaMarkFisherdesign

thatrespondedtoMadonna’srequirementforaverylargeanddeepcantileveredroofthatpreventedanyleakageofrainontoherstage. Withaclearanceofupto17-metresandaroofcapacityof90tonnesspreadequally-60tonnesinthecentralareaand15tonnesperPAwing-theXXLroofisalsoabletoaccommodateconsiderableproductionloadswhilemaintainingclearsightlines.AndinthecaseofJT’soutdoorconfiguration,itislargeenoughtocoverthebridgethatextendsouttotheBstageduringtheshow. Playingtoa75,000-capacitycrowd,JT’sParisconcertnecessitatedafour-daystagebuildandtwo-dayde-rig,conductedbya21-personcrewfromStagecoBelgiumwithadditionalsupportfrom30localcrew,allledbyPatrickMartens.Usingtheaccompanyinghydraulicliftingsystem,thecrewbuilttheXXLrooffromthegroundup,significantlyimprovingsafetyandefficiency. ThecurvatureoftheXXLroofdesignalso

featuresaflatroof,whichminimiseswind-loadingpressuresappliedtothestagethroughreducingitshorizontalsurfaceareas,whileitspressurisedaircushionroofpanelscreateanangledroofforwatertorunoffandmoveawayfromthestage. Inadditiontothemainstage,StagecoprovidedplatformsforFOHcontrolandcameras,andtowerstructuresforspotlights,PAdelaysandsatellitevideoscreens.ThecompanyalsosuppliedasubfloorfortheshowatCopenhagen’sParkenStadiumonMay6. The20/20 ExperiencetourprojectisoneofmanyhighprofileprojectsthatwillinvolveStageco’sexpertiseduring2014,withOneDirection’sWhere We Are tourandabraceofEuropeanfestivalsincludingPinkPop,ElectricDaisyCarnival,HellFest,TomorrowlandandVfollowingoverthenextfewmonths.

Photo: Tom Bilsenwww.stageco.com

TIMBERLAKE GOES XXL WITH STAGECO

Below: Stageco’s XXL Stage Roof in situ at the Stade de France during production load-in.

http://www.solotech.com

34

ARE Productions’ Show Producer / Production Director Antony Randall and Production Designer, Patrick Dierson have always believed in working collaboratively. Said LA-based Randall: “This can seem foreign to some in the world of live music, but as ARE works across multiple production formats, we continue to try and push our touring colleagues into trying new ways of working, thinking and creating. For the Tinie Tempah tour we really lucked out with a number of our key players. Dave Davey was recommend by our good friend Mike Oaks from HSL. Not only is he world-class, but he was also a great collaborator across the board and took our ideas to really help create an amazing show. “Onthevideoside,VERcamethroughonsomanylevels.Behindthescenes,PaulGilzinewaspartofthegluethatheldthistogetherandStevePricereallyhelpedtobringtheshowtolife.ThemaintaskthatIhadwastryingtocomeupwithashowdesignthatwasiconicinstature,dynamicindesign,couldfitinto

multiplevenuesizesandwasalsocosteffective.IspentalotoftimeworkingwithLS-Liveonthedesigntomakesurethatthesetwasmostlymadefromstockequipment.Iwantedthistobequickandeasyeveryday.ThegreatthingabouttheTinieTempahprojectisthatit’salwaysbeenaverycollaborativeeffortbetweenTinieTempah,hislongtimecollaboratorDJCharlesy,Dumi[TinieTempah’sManager],JPFirminandthewholecreativeteam,sowetrytomakesurethatflowsthroughouttheproduction,”hecommented. OntheroadwithTinieTempahthisyearwasastellartouringcrewledbyTourManager/DirectorJPFirmin,assistedbyProductionManager,PhilBroadandMarieGallop,award-winningconcertLightingDesignerDaveySherwin,FOHEngineerMarkKennedy,MonitorEngineerRaphaelWilliams,VideoDirectorStevePriceandVideoEngineer,MarkWynnEdwards. RespectedShowProducer/DesignerRandallteamedupwithDierson,andSherwintodeliverashowconceptevocativeoftheatmosphereandfeelofanedgy,urban,undergroundcar

park.ReflectingTinieTempah’svariedbackcatalogue,theproductionfeelisinner-cityandutilitarian,alookbolsteredwithfastpaced,epiclightingeffects,crystalclearsoundandamixofliveandpre-recordedvideocontentthatsetthepaceandmoodoftheshowthroughout.

LIGHTING UP THE STARS Lightingphysicallycarvesupthe‘V’shapedsettodeliveraseriesofmulti-layered,multi-facetedlightinglooks.Dierson’sthoughtfullyselectedandpositionedfixturessitatanumberofheightsandanglesensuringthesetworksequallywellintightlyfocusedzonesandinfull-sizeepicstagemode. ProgrammedonanewHighEndSystemsHog4,Sherwinusesamixofpre-programmedandon-the-flycues:“IdecideditwastimetomakethejumpfromaHog3toa4andthistourpresentedmewithanidealopportunityastherigisrelativelylarge.” ThesedaysTinieTempah’srepertoireisdiverse-rangingfromvast,fullonarenarockstylesongstoemotionallyintimateballads.

25 YEAR OLD BRITISH COMMERCIAL HIP-HOP RAPPER TINIE TEMPAH’S EXPLOSIVE 11-DATE UK TEMPTATION TOUR BROUGHT TOGETHER THE MUSIC OF HIS MOST RECENT ALBUMS, DISC OVERY AND DEMONSTRATION. REPLACING CANCELLED DATES FROM 2013, THE RELATIVELY SHORT UK ARENA CIRCUIT FEATURED A NO COMPROMISE, TWO-STOREY SET DESIGN, FAST-PACED LIGHTING, CRYSTAL CLEAR AUDIO, AND MULTI-FACETED VIDEO ALL DELIVERED BY A DREAM DESIGN TEAM LED BY ARE PRODUCTIONS. SARAH RUSHTON-READ DISCUSSES BUDGETS, DESIGN AND TECH REALISATION AT LIVERPOOL’S ECHO ARENA.

TINIE TEMPAH

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Tinie Tempah

Each song demands considerable dynamic shift from the one before and Sherwin provided an intriguing mix of epic open looks and intimate moments, each delivered with a varied palette of fixtures and effects, supplied by rental operation HSL. High overhead, Dierson populated a ‘V’ truss with the latest LED strobe fixtures from the Philips Showline range - the SL NITRO 510Cs. These were interspersed with Martin by Harman Vipers and Clay Paky Sharpy Washes, which collaborated to provide dramatic downlight and striking audience effects. Lower key light and band lighting was achieved with Martin by Harman MAC Auras and MAC 101’s. “The NITROs are punchy, reliable, and offer fantastic effects and colours,” said Sherwin. “They’re surprisingly controllable - almost like a video tile. The great thing is you can map them in sections, six per unit. I can then put effects on top of that as a separate entity.” Sherwin is also a big fan of the Martin by Harman MAC Viper: “The Viper has brilliant light output and offers an exceptional feature set. It’s basically brighter, faster and more compact than most other fixtures in its class - I rely on

them for many of the looks in this show.” At the same time, Sherwin uses the Martin by Harman Auras as backlight, to bring key looks to the stage and the band members, plus reach out into the audience. He continued: “The Auras have an excellent, homoginised colour output. The beam is smooth, which is crucial as a lot of these fixtures point out into the audience,” he explained: “The base looks for each song are programmed then I add in bits over the top. I tend to pre-build the looks, the colours and fixture positions, then ride the intensities.” Lighting equipment was supplied by HSL, account managed by Mike Oates and managed on the road by HSL’s Crew Chief, Chris Roper. “This show came along rather last minute,” admitted Roper. “However, it has been a great show to tour. We’ve overcome some sticky moments including getting the Hog 4 to talk to the SL NITRO 510Cs, but once we built the personality into the console, those issues were solved and the show is looking stunning.” Mike Oates was introduced to Showline’s SL NITRO 510C at Prolight+Sound, and was that impressed that he invested in them on the spot. They arrived

35

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Tinie Tempah

Opposite: Tinie Tempah in full swing. Below: The HSL team; Phil Broad, Production Manager; Lighting Designer Davey Sherwin; Chef, Nick Jones; Video Engineer, Mark Wynn Edwards; Tinie Tempah’s lighting rig comprised Philips, Clay Paky and Martin by Harman fixtures.

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Tinie Tempah

Below: Tinie Tempah on the LS-Live designed stage holding his usual Sennheiser microphone - a 935 capsule with a 2000 body; FOH Mark Kennedy; VER supplied the stage-wide band of LED screens above the stage.

36

on the day HSL was loading the kit in for this tour. “We’re delighted,” said Oates. “The NITRO colours are super bright, extremely flexible as an effects light and exceptionally punchy as a strobe or wash effect. These colour versions are just as bright as the white ones, which HSL also stocks, and I have been hugely impressed to see how Davey has employed them in this show.”

HIGH PRODUCTION VALUES Production Manager Phil Broad has been with the Tinie Tempah production since November last year and joins a tight-knit core team, many of whom have been with Tempah since the beginning. However like the other newbies, he has been warmly welcomed and has slotted in quickly, bringing his own knowledgeable insights to the table. “The thing about this tour is that it is relatively short, which means that the budget had to be strictly adhered to,” explained Broad. “Much time was invested into the show during rehearsals,” he continued. “My role was to ensure that as much of the stage design could be pulled together from stock, off the shelf equipment. In fact 95% of the structure came from LS-Live’s stock. They pulled out all the stops to help us, as did the other suppliers. HSL has been brilliant, as has [audio vendor] Britannia Row. Everyone has definitely enjoyed the tour and after a few minor teething issues it

has gone very well indeed.”

STAGING THE ILLUSION This is not the first time LS-Live has been involved with the Tinie Tempah team. LS-Live Designer, Gaz Mallon worked alongside Randall and Broad: Said Mallon: “The creative team wanted to create the look of an underground, grimy car park but did not want to build it totally bespoke due to the short length of the tour.” The result is a striking stage design built almost entirely from standard stock components including LS-Live’s raised ‘V’ shape stage. Although the performance platform could mostly be made up of standard eight ft long by one ft, two ft or four ft wide LiteDeck, the point of the ‘V’ were manufactured as specials at Prolyte. LS-Live also devised a number of custom solutions as Mallon explained: “Each side of the ‘V’ shaped set was at an angle, but all the supporting trusses had to face forward because they held video screens in place. We developed a truss adapter for this purpose, which allowed us to sit our LiteDeck on top of the truss using truss locaters.” Mallon and his team also designed and built a custom slider system for the DJ riser, which formed the second level of the set. Perry Scenic supplied most of the soft goods

and creative elements and created much of the concrete-look fascias. It also supplied the Kabuki drapes and the three silk panels used cover other areas of the set at the beginning of the show.

INVINCIBLE VIDEOVideo direction was provided by prolific and well respected Video Director, Steve Price with Mark Wynn Edwards running all the video content to screen via his own High End Systems Road Hog 4 console. Price discussed: “The biggest challenge for me was shooting live video for a screen that was about 50 ft wide but only 1,280 by 192 pixels. This meant only a very thin horizontal section of the overall camera picture actually appeared on the screen, which limited what I was able to do in terms of composition and spontaneous camera shots.” This was made all the harder by the star’s huge, bouncy energy which takes him all over the stage, all of the time! “I had to convey the energy, and keep everything contained inside this ultra-wide letterbox. I used five cameras, and as it turned out, this restriction lead to us setting up some carefully composed sequences which actually looked very cool, almost cinematic, on the screen,” he said. “To be taken out of my comfort zone like that and forced into directing the cameras in a

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Tinie Tempah

38

completely new way was quite an education, and very fulfilling, creatively. Anthony [Randall] is very good to work with from that perspective, he really understands video and cares deeply about how the show appears on the screens as well as on the stage. He’s also accommodating when I ask for unusual or inconvenient camera positions.” “Video was originally planned to run Timecoded but ironically, there was no time to set it up!” explained Wynn-Edwards. “I was called in quite late by Jamie Baker of Creative Video Design who was originally contracted to set it all to Timecode. Time restraints meant that a new plan had to be formed, and that’s where I came in. I found myself on a very steep learning curve. With the exception of the first two / three songs the show is packed with a mix of live and pre-recorded video content.” A curved, stage-wide band of LED screens along with five cameras have been supplied by VER. The screen sits above and behind the two-story set while Wynn-Edwards has control of the IMAG feeds and how the effects are layered on top. “I’m basically doing the video as I would lights. I use four layers for content, two layers for Versa Tubes and four layers for cameras. On top of that, I have had to have a quick lesson on how to use Green Hippo Hippotizer media servers!” Once mastered, the Green Hippo servers worked a treat.

SIMPLY UNSTOPPABLE SOUNDFOH Engineer, Mark Kennedy has been with Tinie Tempah for many years and knows the artist and his sound intimately. Renowned for delivering a crystal clear, super crisp mix, Kennedy prefers to use the Midas PRO6 console. However, on this occasion he is using an Avid Profile, which is supplied, along with all other audio equipment, by Britannia Row. “It’s a pretty basic set up,” explained Kennedy modestly. “The band comprises drums, keyboards, guitar and some playback tracks. I’m not dealing with a huge number of inputs, about 40 in total. The main reason for using the Avid is that we had been in Australia for the last month and the only board I could get there was an Avid D-Show. There was little point in trying to move back to a PRO6 because I already had the show nailed.” Kennedy used no outboard: “We were doing festivals and the great thing about this console is everything I need is onboard. Unless the room is super dry, Tinie doesn’t like any reverb on his voice. There’s a certain amount of effects on the tracks already, I am just adding a little bit of delay here and there. I also have the Waves package so I can pick up some nice compressors. It’s pretty straightforward. The only trouble with the D-Show is that if you max it out with too many plug-ins / outboard they can end up sounding really small and gnarly.”

Kennedy says working with Tinie Tempah is a fulfilling, if not a demanding, experience: “Tinie will always push hard for what he wants. He and I have spent a long time working on every little nuance of the show, the sounds of the instruments and the playback.” The result is something very special sounding. He’s a great guy to work for. He knows what he wants and he trusts me to get it for him.” For PA, Kennedy specified 14 L-Acoustics K1 and two boxes of the new K2 line array for the main hang and 10 on the sides and the bottom of the main hang. He also uses KARA ARCs for front and side fill: “I like K1,” Kennedy said. “There’s a lot of new music on the latest album and The K1 is a very controllable box and so powerful, especially in the HF region.” On the other side of the stage, taking care of monitors, is Tinie Tempah’s long time colleague and friend, Raphael Williams: “I know Tinie’s personality and what he likes for his own mix purposes. His key focus is his vocals. He likes to hear them way above everything else and it has to sparkle, crystal clear on every syllable. “DJ Charlesy is more in the middle; he likes his vocal to sit comfortably in the mix with his own vocal just poking out on top. The other musicians like an even mix, but as always, like a little bit more of themselves on top.” Helping Williams achieve this mix is a Harman Soundcraft Vi4 console with its 96

+44 (0)1590 622 440 www.bradeng.com

Reality Shows | Big Screen Feeds Congress Centres | Festivals | Events Concerts | Tours | Sport | News

T +44 (0)1977 659 888 E sales@ls-live.com

Main Image: © Livepix

Favourite rehearsal Facility Favourite staging company

Thanks to TiniE TEmpah and the crew for coming to LS-Live for production rehearsals and stage set, we enjoyed having you!

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Tinie Tempah

40

inputs on 24 faders, and a total of 35 output busses are available for use as masters, groups, auxes or matrices. However, for Williams, it’s the Soundcraft Realtime Rack that has been the biggest asset on this tour: “This is the result of a collaboration between Soundcraft and plug-in manufacturer, Universal Audio and it delivers industry-standard world-class UAD studio plug-ins at a fraction of the price. I got hold of one to try recently, and it’s amazing. I don’t know what I would do without it now! What I’m most impressed with is its flexibility and the number of on-board plug-ins. In hard versions, these alone would cost thousands of pounds.” In this case a simple MADI connection puts up to 74 plug-ins at Williams’ disposal. “I’m not using it to its full potential, at present, I am just slowly implementing it across the whole show. I’m using it on the output of Tinie’s and the DJs microphone. It’s given me plenty of headroom and a crystal clear sparkle on the vocals. It also means that I can now use any MADI console and simply plug and play. As well as the plug-ins, the unit comes into play in its own right: “When it comes to microphones Tinie has his usual favourite, the Sennheiser 935 capsule with a 2000 body,” said Williams. “We ensure that the microphone does less work by turning the sensitivity down while the unit does more work by turning the output up. That also gives us the extra sparkle on the voice. In every signal chain my aim is to keep it simple and smooth the flow. “It also helps that the stage is not too noisy,” continued Williams. “The most noise on stage is from the subwoofers. Band members are all on in-ear monitors. Primarily from Ultimate ears - Tinie is using Ultimate Ears 18’s, Charlesy is also using 18’s now, as is the drummer. The keyboard musicians are on Ultimate Ears 7’s, the guitar is JH Audio 11’s / 16’s. For in-ear transmitters, we are using all Sennheiser products again. We’re using the 2000 Series, which is fully networked and remotely controlled from the computer. We do frequency scans everyday to make sure it’s as clean and smooth as it can be.” On stage, Williams is using L-Acoustics ARCs and SB28’s subwoofers as side fills, and DMB

subwoofers on the drums, plus one for the DJ.

LIKE IT OR LOVE IT CATERINGEat to the Beat provided three meals a day as well as a three-course evening meal and all-day refreshments for Tinie Tempah, his team as well as all production and crew involved with the tour. The company provided three members of staff - Chef Nick Jones, Buyer and Manager, Richard Huggins and FOH and Dressing Room Manager, Abbi Courtney. Between them the ETTB crew has managed to serve an impressive ammount: over 1,500 meals during the 11-date run!

TRAINS, PLANES AND AUTOMOBILES Tour trucking was provided by Fly By Nite and buses were supplied by Phoenix as the company’s Paul Hattin explained: “We supplied a star bus for Tinie and two crew sleeper buses. We have had a relationship with the band for a number of years now so we were delighted to hear the tour was back on.” There is no doubt that Tinie Tempah has much to say and the Temptation tour sparkled at every level. Although only 25 years old, this artist clearly knows how to get the very best from the team he chooses to work with and that sets the precedence for the atmosphere and ambition of the tour. Quietly respectful and involved in the technical process, Tinie Tempah keeps a core team around him at all times. However, this tour has seen a number of new additions in production, and everyone involved seems to agree; this has been a good thing. The atmosphere is fresh, optimistic and exciting. Although the UK tour is over, Tinie Tempah and his side kick, DJ Charlesy will be performing at a number of festivals in the UK and Europe over the summer.TPi

Photos: Sarah Rushton-Readwww.tinietempah.com

www.a-r-e.comwww.hslgroup.com

www.ls-live.comwww.perryscenic.com

www.verrents.comwww.britanniarow.comwww.eattothebeat.com

www.phoenix-bussing.co.ukwww.flybynite.co.uk

www.highend.comLog on and get your hog on.

The new HOG 4 FAMILYHog 4 is the flagship in a brand new fleet of state-of-the-art consoles and accessories that power your every show with the ultimate creativity and control.

GET YOUR HOG ON! NOW SHIPPING

HogFamilyHH4Nadd.indd 1 4/28/14 8:22 AM

42

Tour and Production Manager, Angus Jenner, was on hand to talk a little about his role with the band and how he came to be involved with the Manic Street Preachers when TPi visited the tour partway thorugh its UK journey. “I’ve been working for the Manics since 2004. Before 2004, I was an SJM concerts rep, and I got to know the management of the Manics through that. I did production for the Manics in 2004 during the Lifeblood tour, and then I ended up doing everything.” On the challenges of being both Tour and Production Manager, Jenner stated: “My role is quite unusual in the sense that I’m doing two jobs. It’s confusing sometimes! I spend a lot of time translating what the band want show-wise, and working with the designers on it. I have to do a lot of advance prepping and building up to the tour. Then when the tour starts I end up travelling with the band and become more tour

managerial and leave Chris Trimby - Monitor Engineer - to stage-manage the show and Cally Harris - Production Coordinator - to run the office.” Somewhat anti-climactically, the band started the tour in March with a show at the Leeds First Direct Arena and two gigs at the Cardiff Motorpoint Arena. Jenner continued: “The downscaling of the kit has been a challenge. Originally we had four trucks, but we lost two after the homecoming gigs in Cardiff. We’re only taking one truck around Europe after the UK leg, we’re not actually taking any production at all.”

AUDIOA significant proportion of the Manic Street Preachers crew has been working with the band for over a decade. FOH Engineer, Davey Cooper is no exception.Said Cooper: “Back in the early nineties, Robbie Allen, who works for Avid, was

mixing the Manics. When he went to the states for a year, he asked me if I wanted to jump in, and so it began. Actually, come to think of it, there’s only two people ever to have mixed the Manics: Robbie Allen and me!” Despite the fact that he was wearing an Avid t-shirt when I met him backstage at the Manchester Apollo, Cooper actually mixes on a Midas console. “I’m using a Midas PRO6. I was using a Midas PRO5 previously, and a Midas XL4 for about 12 years before that. I just like the feel of the Midas - its got superior sound quality in my opinion, and good build quality is assured.” Cooper attempts to keep the mix sounding as live as possible to stay true to the bands rock ‘n’ roll sound. “I’m such a Luddite, I don’t like using scenes. I try and ensure that my job behind the desk is just like the experience of mixing on an analogue desk as possible. I’m just operating and moving. I believe that there’s a lack of engagement in the show if you use

PROMISING TO SELL 16 MILLION COPIES AND TO BREAK UP IN A BLAZE OF SMOKE AFTER 18 MONTHS, WELSH ROCKERS MANIC STREET PREACHERS RELEASED THEIR INCENDIARY DEBUT DOUBLE ALBUM, GENERATION TERRORISTS, IN 1992. WHILE NEITHER OF THESE ULTRA-IDEALISTIC GOALS WERE ACHIEVED, THE BAND HAS SINCE BECOME SOMETHING OF A NATIONAL TREASURE AND HAS ACCUMULATED EIGHT TOP 10 ALBUMS, 15 TOP 10 SINGLES (INCLUDING A NUMBER ONE) AND A LOYAL FANBASE. TPi CAUGHT UP WITH THE CREW BEHIND THE MANIC STREET PREACHERS LATEST TOUR OF THE UK AND EUROPE AHEAD OF THE RELEASE OF THEIR 12TH STUDIO ALBUM, FUTUROLOGY, LATER THIS YEAR.

MANIC STREET PREACHERS

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Manic Street Preachers

too many scenes. Of course, sometimes it is necessary to employ scenes, but with a band like the Manics, I try and retain that live sound as much as possible. “Playing the arena in Cardiff was a highlight. For a lot of bands that kind of homecoming show would be the last gig on the tour. But for the Manics it was the other way round!” Cooper was keen to tell us about his preference for Shure microphones, especially with regards to the popular SM58 model, which is his vocal microphone of choice for the band. “There’s a reason why the SM58 is the most popular microphone in the world; it’s reliable, and you know exactly what they’re going to give you.” Cooper continued: “The only time to think about alternatives is if you’ve got a tricky vocalist. But with the case of the Manic Street Preachers, I mean, James [Dean Bradfield, lead vocalist] can really sing, he’s Welsh!” In addition to vocals, Cooper also uses Shure to microphone the guitar and bass amplifiers - of which there is a whole assortment. With respect to drum microphones, Cooper and drummer Sean settled on an Audix set-up. Cooper commented: “Sean’s a great shopper. I was having a chat with him a while back about the Audix D6 kick drum microphone, which has great resonance, and he just went and bought

the whole set of Audix microphones!” Curious as to whether the enormous back catalogue of the band - from the heavier guitar sounds of the Holy Bible to the primarily acoustic ballads of their latest album, Rewind the Film - posed any difficulties from the FOH perspective, Cooper explained: “Well, whereas the Manics’ last album has a very acoustic sound, the new one [from which the band have rehearsed to play three songs] has a more krautrock / industrial sound. So we had to sit down and talk about how we were going to approach that, due to the large amount of differing sonic textures.” Serving as both Monitor Engineer and Stage Manager on the tour, 2004 TPi Award-winning Monitor Engineer Chris Trimby has worked with the band twice before. Said Trimby: “My first stint with the band was in the ‘90s. I first met the Manics when I worked on [Channel 4 TV Show] TFI Friday, where the Manics played on a couple of occasions. The second spell started in 2007 on the Send Away The Tigers tour.” Trimby, like Cooper, is using a Midas PRO6 for the tour. “I’ve used Midas since the start. When I first started out, I was using a PRO2. That desk had three knobs - presence, treble and bass [laughs]. Undeterred, I went from a PRO2 to a PRO4 and then onto a PRO5.

43

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Manic Street Preachers

Opposite: Lead singer / guitarist James Dean Bradfield with his iconic Gibson Les Paul. Below: The brand new L-Acoustics K2 Line Array could be heard on one of its very first outings.

The PRO6 is a continuation before they went onto the excel range. The sound quality is just superior.” He continued: “I’ve also tried out Avid and Yamaha consoles over the years. I was actually one of the first people to try out a digital board - an Innovason - when I was working on Top Of The Pops. But for me the

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Manic Street Preachers

Below: Chris Trimby, Stage Manager and Monitor Engineer with his Midas PRO6; Some of the video content depicted the band in the early years, with live footage of the original line up; Toby Vogel, Video Coordinator who utilised Barco projectors from Video supplier, XL Video; Lighting Designer and Operator, Colin Ross at his console.

44

head amplifier is the defining factor in a mixing desk, and in the Midas PRO6 the head amplifier is far superior than in other consoles.” Both Trimby and Cooper work for audio supplier SSE, who supplied the audio equipment for the tour. Trimby has worked for SSE since 1990. He told us how he came to be involved with the company: “When I was working in TV, work would usually run over the wintertime. Consequently I’d pick up bands and lose them again - unable to finish the tour due to my television commitments. In order to keep work going, I’d then do some festivals in the summer months, originally with Entec back in the day - the promoters of Glastonbury and Reading festivals. SSE were heavily involved, and so I got to know them from there.” As for monitors, Trimby uses the ever-popular d&b audiotechnik M2 wedges. Said Trimby: “I think that the Midas PRO6 console and the d&b audiotechnik M2 wedges are together the best sound quality you can get.” In addition, two L-Acoustics ARCs for side fill and six L-Acoustics KARAs are employed for in fill. Seeing as the Manics tour takes in both stadia and academies, I inquired as to the challenges this posed for Trimby. “There’s always a difference in the amount of cubic airspace in each venue. Theres a certain amount of reflective surfaces that you have to take into account. Wembley Arena has terrible sound due to the fact that there’s a swimming pool underneath, for example! The best venues are multi-teared - and full. We’re looking for

things to absorb the sound. It’s not only the technology you have at your disposal, but how you use it. If you have monitors too loud, you can upset FOH - and vice versa. And problems can be created by turning up the PA to compensate in larger venues. In this respect, the PA can be like a game of squash, so you have to be careful. Working with one another in harmony is the name of the game!” On the subject of PA, TPi was surprised to learn that the brand new L-Acoustics K2 line array was the PA of choice for the Manics Tour. The much-awaited K2 - hot off the beta testing circuit with SSE - offers K1 sound quality in a lighter, more easily transportable housing, something that is of interest to every production manager. FOH System Tech, Nick Lythgoe furthered: “The K2 is the ideal system for our purposes. You can use it quite happily in an arena, but its small enough (same width as a K1) and light enough to easily put it in an academy or theatre. You can also ground stack it. In academy runs, we can very accurately predict its behaviour and tailor it to the rooms. Its an extremely versatile system.” He continued: “At SSE we’ve just bought 72 units to replace the L-Acoustics v-DOSC. We carry 12 on each side with two K1 subwoofers. We’re also carrying six SB28 subwoofers, and for the arenas we’re using eight.” The set up is fully Lake controlled, with two Lab.gruppen LM44’s and one LM26 at FOH. In addition, two LM44’s are utilised per side in the

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Manic Street Preachers

Below: Angus Jenner, Tour and Production Manager; Davey Cooper, FOH; Popcorn Catering’s Sam Letteri, Head Chef of the tour; Production Coordinator, Cally Harris; ‘Personal Relocation Technicians’ for Phoenix bussing and Beat the Street, Phil Gurney and Andreas Heinl; Paul Edwards from Fly By Nite.

45

Amprack, and the whole operation is networked by a Dante interface.

LIGHTING & VISUALSColin Ross has been with the Manics since 2007 and is both the Lighting Designer and Lighting Operator on the tour. “The Manics sound ranges so much from heavy rock to anthemic ballads like Motorcycle Emptiness, and so you need to have a lighting rig that can cope with both. I always like to have a rock rig that is capable of both extremes. “I’m using mainly washlights; it’s a mixture

of 16 Clay Paky Alpha beams and 14 of the new Robe Robin MMX washbeams. A washbeam is, of course, a washlight that gives a perfect beam light and also does gobo effects, so you get the best of both worlds. They’re very impressive and bright. I’m also using 12 Martin by Harman Atomic strobes. “I always like to have a lot of tungsten and a lot of strobe. On that front, I’m using Altman 155 18-inch flood scoops, which have a very interesting theatre or TV lighting dynamic. It’s nice to have something big and impacting.” As for the lighting console, Ross is using a

Chamsys MQ100 2010 desk: “I converted to Chamsys a couple of years ago. They’re easy to get a hold of, and very easy to programme. I’ve been on the road with this for about 18 months,” he noted. 2014 TPi Awards production supplier, Siyan Lighting provided the lighting equipment for the Manics Tour. “Siyan have always supplied the lighting gear for the Manics. Also, I’ve worked very closely with them for the last few years, and they’re a great compact sized company.” Video Coordinator, Toby Vogel, is perhaps an anomaly among the rest of the team, given

You Love Us (we love you),supporting The Manics since 1992Travel management for music, media & motorsport

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Manic Street Preachers

46

that it’s his very first tour with the band. “This is my first tour with the Manics. I became involved with the band through Kieran Evans who produced some of the video content for this tour. I’ve worked with him for the last 10 years on various projects, and he was originally the one who called me, and I also knew Angus through various projects. “Kieran’s produced the content on a track specific basis with a lot of input from the band. For some tracks the videos are very text based, whereas on some of the tracks the videos are more narrative, like the film Show Me the Wonder which bagged Kieran and the band a Q Award in 2013 for Best Video. “What we’ve got is video content for probably 75% of the set using Resolume software through an Apple imac. Half of the content is triggered from the stage by Timecode, which then triggers the track, and some of the songs are accompanied by text on the projection screen, so the timing needs to be bang on. I’m using two Barco FLM HD20Ks on the front truss projecting onto a site which is not actually screen material, but shark’s tooth gauze. “Because its not projection material, you need good projectors to get the most out of it. I’ve got two projectors projecting the same thing, which gives me about 30% more light output, and of course, if the bulb goes in one of them, I’ve got the other as back up. I use Barco Toolset software to line both projectors, so it doesn’t take too long to double them up,” said Vogel. “For Midi, I’m using an Akai APC40 Midi Ableton controller, which I can then map into my Resolume software, which allows you to control what the faders do whilst being able to add various different effects. Some of the videos play through from start to finish, but in some of them I do a bit more fiddling to give it more of a spontaneous quality. I’m working closely with Colin on lights so we interact with restraint on a track-by-track basis.” 10 time TPi Award winning video rental supplier, XL Video, is the vendor of choice for the Manics tour. “Working with XL, their kit is always very reliable,” continued Vogel, “We

did arena shows in Leeds and Cardiff where we also rented larger IMAG screens from XL. We also had two cameras in the pit, and one long lens for distance shots, and then some film effects that I was running from here, which we would then overlay and project onto the central screen.”

RELOCATION TECHNICIANS Phoenix has been once again entrusted with the task of delivering the Manics in one piece around the UK and Europe, while Beat the Street are transporting the crew. Paul Hattin, Operations Manager for Phoenix, stated: “We’ve had a very good relationship with the band stretching back to last century and it’s always a pleasure to deal with Angus [Jenner, Production Manager] - that relationship goes back even further! The band had their usual driver, Phil Gurney and we also had two crew sleeper buses on for the duration of the tour. The tour goes into Europe for most of next month with their band bus and only one crew bus.” Phil Gurney, self christened ‘personal relocation technician’ kindly showed us around the tour bus and even had time for a brief chat. “I’ve been with Phoenix for 15 years. I’ve known Angus for a long time; I used to tour with Texas, and Angus was the promoter for them at the time, and then one day, about 10 years ago, he asked me if I wanted to drive the Manics, and I accepted.” He continued: “Driving is never plain sailing. You have to be considerate to the other road users and the people you’re carrying. Also there are a lot of stringent rules and regulations that us drivers now have to deal with.” Fly By Nite are transporting the bands equipment. In an impromptu chat from his truck cab window, driver Paul Edwards stated: “I’ve worked with the band once before. I was pleased to be asked back for this tour, the vibe is great, and the band are really friendly.” Media Travel has been providing travel management services to the band and Hall or Nothing Management since 1992. Fran Green, CEO for Media Travel, stated: “We are extremely proud to have enjoyed their trust, loyalty, support and, of course, the music, over the past

22 years. It has been exciting to experience their career evolving and life here at Media Travel is always exciting when the band are on the road - long may it ‘stay beautiful’.”

CATERINGPopcorn Catering are another company to have worked with the band for several years. “I’ve worked for Popcorn for five years, and this is my first tour with the Manics,” said Sam Letteri, Head Chef on the tour. “I was really pleased to be asked to do the tour, and I’m a great fan of the group - they’re exactly what I expected, really down to earth. It’s also a really nice, close-knit team. Everyone helps everyone. From the top, the band are so friendly, and it filters all the way down. There’s no pre-Madonna’s here. “On the menu tonight we’ve got a traditional Mancunian dish (he joked): turkey Katsu curry, venison solaria and chili tiger prawns. For lunch, again, we had a traditional Mancunian selection of Moroccan and Indian foods.” All in all, the Manics’ tour production crew made a great impression. The whole machine is extremely well-oiled, and the crew is extremely accommodating. Cally Harris, Production Coordinator, summed up: “Everyone is really nice. The team is really adapted to each other, and there’s generally a really nice vibe.” Jenner affirmed that the great working atmosphere extended beyond the crew: “The suppliers have been with us for such a long time, and they do a great job. There’s a great relationship there with everybody.” He concluded: “We’ve all got a great feeling about the next record, so if all goes to plan, the next tour in the autumn will be taking in a few more arenas.”TPi

Photos: Patrick McCumiskeywww.manicstreetpreachers.com

www.sseaudiogroup.comwww.siyan.co.uk www.xlvideo.tv

www.flybynite.co.ukwww.phoenix-bussing.co.uk

www.beatthestreet.netwww.popcorncatering.com

www.mediatravel.com

http://www.robe.cz

48

On a quiet corridor of Manchester’s Academy One venue, as the band soundcheck below, Franz Ferdinand’s Production Manager, Bob O’Brien told TPi of the relationships developed over the last 10 years on the road: “We’ve got great relationships with all the rental companies who are supplying the tour - this is an integral part of Franz touring,” he said. “We’vebeenworkingwiththetruckingcompany,FlyByNite,andthesoundsupplier,WigwamAcoustics,rightfromthestartandtheyhavebeenthereforallourtouringneeds.ThisisourfourthyearusingNegEarth[forlighting]whohavealsobecomeanintegralpartofoursetup.ThisisourfirstoutingwithPRGNocturneandtheyhaveaddedsomuchvaluetowhatweneedtoachieveonadailybasis.OurbussingissuppliedbyCoachServices,againaloyalFranzsupplierforsomeyears;they’vebeenwonderfulandwe’reverygladtohavethemonboard

withus.Lastly,EatYourHeartsOuthavedoneafantasticjobofkeepingusallintopshapeandwellfed.” TheUKlegofthetourtookinamixofacademysizedvenuesandarenas.Asaresult,certainaspectsoftheshowset-up-suchasthePAandvideocontent-variedfromvenuetovenue.ContinuedO’Brien:“Thechallengewastotransfertheconceptonpapertoanactuallivetouringshow.Soforthebiggershowswe’vebeenabletogeteverythingin,butforthesmalleroneswecan’t,sowecamedowntoaplanB,whichisessentiallyastrippeddownversionofthelargershowswhilestillretainingtheconcept,anditsworkingverywell.”

SOUND WORLDFOHEngineerMichaelParkerhasworkedwithFranzforoveradecade,havingfirstgottentoknowthebandwhileworkingforseveralotherbandsontheDominorecordlabel-towhich

FranzFerdinandwereoriginallysigned-intheearly2000s. Whereassomebandsattempttorecreatethestudiosoundinalivesetting,ParkerwaskeentohighlightFranz’scredentialsasaliverock‘n’rollband.“Theyarenotslavestotherecordedsound.Theliveshowisadifferentconcepttothatoftherecordedsound.”Hecontinued:“Wedon’toftensoundcheck,duetothefactthatthesetupisn’toverlycomplicated-it’sjustalivebandessentially.” Parker’sattitudetowardshisroleintheshowisperhapsinkeepingwiththeband’sliveethic.“I’mgenerallymixingtheshowonthefly.ThesongEvil Eyehasacoupleofscenes,forexample,becausethingsmuteandunmuteinvariousparts.Butthat’smostlypressingbuttonstotriggereffects,likeapplyingechoorphasertothesnare.” Parker’sconsoleofchoiceistheAvidProfile.“IswitchedontoProfilein2006,”hesaid.

IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT AN ENTIRE DECADE HAS PASSED SINCE FRANZ FERDINAND’S SELF-TITLED DEBUT ALBUM CATAPULTED THE HITHERTO UNKNOWN GLASWEGIAN ART ROCKERS INTO THE PUBLIC CONSCIOUSNESS. SINCE THEN, THE BAND HAS NOTCHED UP SEVERAL CHART-TOPPING ALBUMS, HEADLINED NUMEROUS SELL OUT TOURS AND HAS CARVED OUT A DEDICATED FANBASE. THE 2014 TOUR IS IN SUPPORT OF THEIR CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED FOURTH ALBUM, RIGHT THOUGHTS, RIGHT WORDS, RIGHT ACTION. TPi’S PATRICK MCCUMISKEY REPORTS FROM THE UK LEG OF THE TOUR.

FRANZ FERDINAND

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Franz Ferdinand

“Previously I was using a Midas Heritage H3000. When I found the Avid Profile, the plug-ins just sold it to me. Its not the newest board on the block, but it’s the board I can do the best job on. “I have a couple of external effects pedals, space echo and delays. We multitrack everything using Reaper via Madiface interface. Everything else is in the box, so to speak. Plug-in wise, I am using Waves.” With respect to microphones, Parker’s choice is clear: “I did a shoot out with microphones a long time ago, and I just preferred Sennheiser. For Franz, I’ve used this same model for the last

10 years. It is as much a part of the live show as anything - it’s rock solid.” He continued: “The vocal microphone I’m using is the e838, its pretty bog standard but it does the job, it’s my secret weapon.” For the larger arena shows, the band relies on a d&b audiotechnik J Series PA rented from Wigwam Acoustics. At Manchester Academy, however, the production team used the in-house PA, an L-Acoustics V-DOSC. Parker elaborated: “Normally the guys from the venue sort the system out for us, and then we equalise it ourselves, to our specification. Normally my house tech time aligns everything for us, and

then I EQ the system.” Responding as to whether this up and downscaling affected Parker’s role, he replied: “My job isn’t really affected. I might be the only one from the crew that it doesn’t affect, at the end of the day I have less PA but I do the same thing. We don’t have a truck full of PA anymore.” Franz Ferdinand’s Monitor Engineer, Tom Howat, joined the production team just last year. “Last summer I was busy with Morrissey, which was a bit on and off due to various reasons. As it happened, I had a scheduled break and there was a gap with Franz, so it all came together

49

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Franz Ferdinand

Opposite: A mix of Clay Paky and Martin by Harman fixtures made up the lighting rig. Below: Michael Parker, FOH Engineer, with his Avid Profile; A total of 18 Clay Paky Sharphys were integrated into the lighting rig; Eat Your Hearts Out tour caterers Darin Wey and Seth Leith.

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Franz Ferdinand

Below: Production Manager Bob O’Brien and Tour Manager Dee McLoughlin; Tom Howat, Monitor Engineer, in front of his Allen & Heath iLive 112 console; The band’s stripped down touring show at Manchester’s Academy One.

50

very quickly,” he said. Howat was quick off the mark to tell us about his new console, the Allen & Heath iLive 112. “My relationship with the console goes back to the Morrissey tour. Milky who does the FOH with Morrissey had been using Allen & Heath for some time,” he continued, “I met some of the guys from Allen & Heath during that period and they later approached me to get involved in the development and ideas from a Monitor Engineer’s perspective for their next generation of equipment. And, of course, I thought it was a great idea, but I told them I didn’t know that much about their current stuff, so they very kindly lent me one of their consoles to explore. “The Allen & Heath iLive 112 is fast, responsive and it sounds great. I love the modularity and the customisable surface. You can make it throw things at you that you want very quickly, and it also has a great networking system, so you can add accessories such as a computer and small external controllers with programmable functions. And all of that stuff you can redeploy on a scene-by-scene basis, should you choose to. The desk is in keeping with the philosophy of making the faders do whatever you want. It’s a very powerful system, and has plenty of I / O for a system of this size.” Howat described the bands monitor requirements as being somewhat mixed.

“There’s one member of the band who’s purely wedges, and the other three have IEMs. There are a few wedges for a bit of punch, so we have to juggle everything quite a lot to make both of those environments work at the same time.” Although d&b audiotechniks M2 monitors are one of Howat’s preferences, it was actually at the request of the band that these monitors were to be used on tour. Said Howat: “The M2 is the standard that the band has used for a long time, and I’ve also used them for quite a while. My personal preference is this style of loudspeaker: double 12-inch and central high end. There are a few models out there and the M2 is one of them. My other favourites are the Meyer Sound MJF-212a and the Martin Audio LE2100’s, which have a very similar shape. “As for in-ears, I’m using six transmitters, and one is a spare. I’ve got two guys in the band on RF, and two techs on RF; one of the techs plays maracas in a couple of songs so he needs RF because he plays at the side of the stage, and the drummer is on a hard-wired pack. We’re using Sennheiser SR 2050’s.” Whereas Parker’s job at FOH remains relatively consistent with the change in venue size, Howat’s task in monitor world presents more of a challenge. “Obviously things can be more intense on the smaller stages. Although we aren’t changing our basic set-up when we move between smaller academies and larger

arenas, the sound inevitably does. With larger venues there are less walls nearby, and a bigger amount of space, so there are times when it impacts on the sound quite heavily. Sometimes you’ll end up somewhat counter intuitively being louder on a smaller stage, and also the crowd is closer being noisier. Its always different, you have to expect that at each show,” he commented. For amplification, d&b audiotechnik’s D12 amplifiers were employed. Said Howat “D12’s are great amplifiers, I’ve been using them for a long time. The M2 and the D12 are a good combination. We’re using d&b C4 subwoofers for the drums that are again running off a D12 amplifier. We’re also using D12’s for our own set of d&b Q10 speakers for front and out fill. Its really nice to have a universal amplifier.”

LIGHTING AND PROJECTIONFreelance Lighting Crew Chief Simon Carus-Wilson talked us through the lighting set-up. “I’ve worked on various European tours and festival runs with Franz since 2008. Historically, Franz have never used a great deal of front light, they’ve never used FOH spotlights. A lot of bands feel that they have to be really illuminated, but Franz are quite happy to be more subtly lit. “We’re using six Martin by Harman MAC Vipers, 18 Clay Paky Sharpy washes, six Omni

D80

Sonic harmony through two 16-band parametric equalizers per channel or the sophisticated d&b trilogy: ArrayCalc simulation software, R1 Remote control software and the pristine D80 amplifier make for shaping frequencies.

ww

w.db

audi

o.co

m

PRODUCTION PROFILE: Franz Ferdinand

Below: Simon Carris-Wilson, Lighting Crew Chief, and Adam Taff-Morgan, Assistant Lighting Crew Chief; Monitor Engineer Tom Howat and the band during soundcheck.

52

spotlights - little photographic tungsten bulbs which give a nice shadow effect, Philips SL Nitro 350W LED strobes and four ETC Source 4’s. As for the desk, we’re using a High End Systems Full Boar Hog 4 lighting console.” TPi asked Adam Taff-Morgan, Assistant Lighting Crew Chief, as to whether the up and downscaling of venue size threw up any logistical problems for the production. “Its not actually been as challenging as we expected. During preparation we were aware of the breakdown in equipment, and we were able to prepare ourselves for the changes.” With echoes of 1920s futurism and constructivism, Franz Ferdinand’s minimal avant-garde visual design provided the perfect accompaniment to their angular guitar riffs and spikey rhythms. The monochrome projection content was designed by one of bands’ friends. Projectionist Paul Barry was on hand to describe the video projection set up, supplied by PRG Nocturne. “This system for me is really quite simple. Its literally just two projectors - two Barco FLM HD20Ks, running through two Catalyst media servers into the Full Boar console. There are six layers split across two projectors, multi-imaged and multi-mapped, running 1080dp.” He continued: “Video projection is a relatively new thing in venues of this size. I know that in the last few years there’s been an upsurge in LED coming into these venues as it’s become more affordable. But with respect to video projection, it’s not the norm in these venues, so for me it’s unusual. “Normally for the arenas, there are three screens: two side screens which have portrait aspect ratios and a 4:3 screen in the middle which I project onto. With today’s roof restrictions, however, the screens aren’t hanging and the screens are an integral part of the design. They resemble vertical office blinds; they’re on a remote, and turn half open, completely open up and close. They can turn 180°, and on one side they are painted with UV white, giving an iridescent effect when the light hits it. So a huge part of the design isn’t here today. In addition, the amplifiers of the guitars

are adorned with special UV sheets, which also illuminate with when projected onto. The projection set up presents one main challenges for Barry: “From my perspective it’s a challenge to re-map the projectors at each venue; it all depends on the proximity of FOH,” he concluded.

CATERINGEat Your Hearts Out provided the culinary skills for the band and crew. Said Chef Darin Wey: “We’ve been making lots of South East Asian food for the band. They eat a lot of Indian and spicy dishes. We’re implementing a lot of aromatic flavours. They also enjoy a nice red wine, so we have a good selection, but they’re quiet a well-behaved band really! The only special requests we’ve had is for Scottish tablet - a kind of Scotch fudge delicacy!” Sean Leith, working alongside Wey, concluded: “This tour has been like being with family, the band are so personable and relaxed, it’s been a great tour to work on.”

TRANSPORTFly By Nite took care of the trucking for the tour. Production Manager O’Brien stated: “Fly By Nite have been great all along the way as we have had some different challenges to deal with, such as having to change from three trucks to two - and even down to one truck for some shows along the way - before moving back up to three trucks for the last European shows. Aside from the very different truck packs the crew have had to deal with, the lads at Fly By Night have been fantastic in dealing with the very onerous task of scheduling double drivers, breaks, permits and the like.”TPi

Photos: Patrick McCumiskeywww.franzferdinand.co.uk

www.wigwamacoustics.co.ukwww.negearth.com

www.nocturneproductions.com eyho@dial.pipex.comwww.flybynite.co.uk

www.coachservice.com

This changeseverything.It’s time to expect more from your digital livesound console. The new Soundcraft Vi3000empowers engineers to work intuitively. Anew 3D Vistonics™ interface places controlknobs directly in the touch screens thatprovide the visual feedback, whileFaderGlow™ fader track illumination makesperfect sense of assignable layers.

With local I/O and SpiderCore DSP ‘in thebox’, the Vi3000 packs a class-leadingfeature list including built-in Dante andMADI, Lexicon FX and optional UADPowered Plug-in integration using theSoundcraft Realtime Rack.Try it. You’ll never want to go back to‘mixing through the keyhole’.

96INPUTSTO MIX 24

STEREOBUSSES IN THE BOX

DSP & LOCAL I/O 24INPUTFADERS I/O

EXPANDABLE

64OPTIONAL64 CHANNELSTAGEBOX

OPTIONALREALTIMERACK BUILT-IN

MADIBUILT-IN

FX

Find out more www.soundcraft.comSoundcraft T: +44 (0)1707 665000 E: soundcraft@harman.comSoundcraft US T: 888-251-8352 E: soundcraft-USA@harman.com

#40355 - Vi3000 ad_Layout 1 21/02/2014 17:23 Page 1

54

Since the ethereal sounds of London Grammar hit our radio stations a little over a year ago, the band’s exponential rise to chart-topping success with their debut album reaching No.2 in the British charts, selling in excess of 250,000 copies, gives a refreshing view of the industry that talent alone still rivals over the more sensationalist headline artists. The band’s reputation for transfixing a room from the first note didn’t disappoint at vintage venue Troxy, when an unmistakable hush of suspense fell over the room as the lights dimmed and the trio took centre stage for the first chilling ululations of Hey Now. Refreshingly, it is the quality of their song writing and performance that has got them here; a hauntingly beautiful mix of intelligent, emotionally driven lyrics and music that is firmly rooted in the classical sounds of guitar and piano give the trio an authenticity rare in today’s ‘pop’ orientated industry. The band is made

up of university friends Dominic ‘Dot’ Major (keyboard, djembe, drums), Hannah Reid (lead vocals) and Dan Rothman (guitar).

FIRST FULL PRODUCTION TOURAs with every band, success comes with a lot of baggage and this UK tour was set to be London Grammar’s first that involved a full production kit. Experienced Lighting and Video Designer, Steve Bewley joined the team to create the stylish and offbeat visual design - enabled by lighting vendor HSL - that was also scalable and flexible to work within numerous venues across the country. To achieve this, Bewley went on the lookout for a new piece of kit that would produce the fluid creativity he was after. HSL provided its brand new GoldPix 77 LED surface - a 500mm by 500mm panel populated with seven by seven warm white LEDs with very narrow beam optics, which is ideal for touring as its incredibly light and robustly built. To achieve the vision

for soft and intimate lighting throughout the band’s performance, the LED was deliberately kept at a low level and was run at 1%, such is the brightness of the product. The semi transparency of the GoldPix 77 surface was maximised by through-lighting from seven Robe LEDBeam 100’s on floor stands behind the screen, which also added depth and a hint of industrial edge to the stage. Bewly explained his other lighting choices: “I used an MA Lighting grandMA2 Light on this tour and went to see the guys at Ambersphere Solutions to do some of the pre-programming on the console. We chatted about the screen that had been specified for the tour - a new model of LED screen that works as a lighting effect as well as a screen - and Lee House, who is on their technical sales team, suggested that I would be better off using a server and then bringing all the data back into the desk. That way, I would be able to pre-visualise as well as keep the data all contained within the system.

ONLY TWO WEEKS BEFORE BRITISH TRIP-HOP TRIO LONDON GRAMMAR’S HIGHLY ANTICIPATED GIG AT TROXY AND SOLE LONDON PERFORMANCE DURING THEIR 15-DATE TOUR, THE DECISION WAS MADE TO INCORPORATE BROADCAST FILMING INTO THE PRODUCTION FOR THE BAND’S NEW MUSIC VIDEO FOR THEIR LATEST SINGLE, SIGHTS. TPi TOOK A TRIP TO THE EAST LONDON ART DECO VENUE TO FIND OUT MORE...

LONDON GRAMMAR

PRODUCTION PROFILE: London Grammar

I could immediately see both the benefits and possibilities from a control perspective so we added an MA VPU Light and Lee and the team set everything up for me.” Heading the production team was Pete Clements, Production Manager from Moomba Productions, who encouraged the utilisation of these lighting effects to create an aesthetically ‘pretty’ show that reflected the band’s simple and authentic look of having a string quartet and acoustic piano on stage.

The simplicity of the band’s set along with the revolutionary GoldPix vs vintage PATT 2013 blinders represented the combination of classic song writing and sounds with modern technology. Clements commented: “In other circumstances a change like this can dramatically affect the production levels of a gig, especially with regards to lighting and backdrops, for example anything too LED heavy can wash out the performers and make them impossible to

depict. Thankfully in this instance, the lighting effects that we had already put in place from the beginning were largely focused around creating an atmospheric as well as classic set, which suited the kind of production that translates well on film. “We made a few simple tweaks to get the set film ready, which included additional beauty spots and follow lamps during Sights to illuminate Hannah and the rest of the band. Three Martin MAC 500’s were installed on

55

PRODUCTION PROFILE: London Grammar

Opposite: HSL supplied lighting elements for the show, including its brand new GoldPix 77 LED surface. Below: The Troxy gig was the setting for the band’s new single, Sights; Britannia Row provided the tour with an L-Acoustics PA system and Avid and DiGiCo consoles.

56

PRODUCTION PROFILE: London Grammar

Below: Lighting and Video Designer, Steve Bewley with his MA Lighting grand MA2 desk; London Grammar’s singer, Hannah Reid used JH Audio in ear molds for the first time and loved the result.

each side of the stage to give further coverage but without reflecting off the GoldPix screen backdrop. Lighting fixtures such as the 12 JTE PATT 2013’s served as a crucial part of the stage design and added a distinctive brushed aluminium dish like design, which added a scenic dimension to the show,” he added. This vision for using softer light sources also led the team to use the GoldPix over other more traditional LED or stealth screens. For London Grammar’s next set of shows it has been confirmed that the GoldPix - a lighting fixture in its own right - will feature more heavily in the production to increase the atmospheric feel of the band. AUDIOIt was Britannia Row Productions that PM Clements turned to when choosing a PA company for the band’s UK tour: “I used to do FOH sound for the band so although I’ve handed that over to the capable hands of Dan MacBean, I knew what sort of system would work best. Dan mixed FOH on an Avid Profile with TC 2290 delay and a Lexicon PCM 70 outboard FX while monitors were handled by Oliver Weeks who went for his weapon of choice, a DiGiCo SD8 with a Distressor over the vocals and a Lexicon PCM80. “The band carries their own Sennhieser G3 IEM systems but Britannia Row supplemented this with some d&b audiotechnik M2 wedges for Hannah’s vocal and supplied more IEM systems for gigs where we had our string quartet with us,” Clements noted. All of the band upgraded to JH Audio in ear moulds and according to Clements: “They absolutely loved them!” The band each has two sets of JH16’s. “Dot who plays a whole host of instruments, including drums commented on the clarity and depth of frequency in the new IEMs,” added the PM. Additionally, Moomba supplied a custom microphone and clamp package consisting of Sennheiser e945, Shure beta 57a, Audix D6 Kick drum microphone for the bass drum and floor

tom, Audix D4 on Rack, Shure SM57 on snare, Audix ADX 51 on OH and Hats, Schertler Dyn V and Dyn C pickups on strings. When it came to the loudspeaker system, the final design was very much a team effort as Clements explained: “Working with Britannia Row, I was able to discuss with Tom Brown, our Client Liaison at Britannia Row, what I wanted and how I wanted it to work. That was then fed to his system tech team and they came back with a design tailored to my preference as opposed to just going with a stock design. “We went for an L-Acoustics’ KARA system; the smooth frequency response is precisely what London Grammar’s music requires. It is a very delicate sound and can’t be corrupted with any harshness especially in the high mids and top end. This is supplemented with some L-Acoustics ARCs and with the low end provided by SB28 subwoofers. We have been working in venues where space and weight are often a challenge and the KARA system is very lightweight which allows us to fly a decent number of cabinets. “The whole system is really well balanced across the whole frequency spectrum; the SB28’s deliver a very solid bottom end the KARA works perfectly with the ARC’s covering the front of the auditorium. As the entire band is on IEMs this is a very quiet stage so good coverage in the front rows is essential. Overall it is a big warm system with a resolutely fat bass, solid mid-range and sparkly highs,” he told TPi. So happy with the service was Clements that he sees little reason to change his choice of rental company for this next leg of their UK tour in June: “It doesn’t often happen that a PA company can simultaneously keep the tour manager happy on budget and the production manager happy on customer service and quality but both Tour Manager, Andy Sweeney and I were more than satisfied. “Britannia Row did a great job; their crews are always very professional and happy to go that extra mile for the benefit of the show every time. What more could you want?”

LIVE MUSIC MEETS BROADCASTJust weeks before the sold-out performance at London’s Troxy, the management announced the decision to use the gig as the setting for the band’s new music video for their latest single, Sights. At this late stage in the process, it brought significant logistical challenges for the venue and team to accommodate a broadcast production in the already sold-out venue capacity. As all the original production was geared towards creating visually spectacular stage effects to achieve maximum impact for a live audience, it was back to the drawing boards with broadcast production company Pulse Films to ensure the gig would translate on film. Atif Malik, Event Manager at Troxy, explained: “Having worked in the music industry for years, I know the buzz and excitement you can only get from live music. This opportunity to capture and translate the visually spectacular production and chillingly ethereal vocals of Hannah to audiences at home was extremely exciting! “Fortunately Troxy is one of London’s remaining independent venues so we had the flexibility that enabled us to make the venue available throughout the days leading up to the gig. This provided us with the crucial time to ensure the extra production was logistically possible considering the venue was at maximum capacity. Usually when filming at Troxy we always factor this in for ticket sales by strategically leaving seats free to keep sightlines clear and adhere to weight restrictions.” The venue’s layout is also ideal for capturing gigs as the Ground Floor of the Grand Hall has 1050 sq metres of pillar free space which could accommodate recording in the pit area as well as from either side of the room’s dual staircase, which we close off during live music events. The Upper Ground Floor in the Grand Hall is perfect for a camera track and for crews and equipment to utilise the space, and the Circle, which is connected to the ground floor by two spiral staircases on either side can be closed off

58

PRODUCTION PROFILE: London Grammar

Below: The Troxy was chosen as the band’s venue for their only London performance and the setting for their music video filming because of its musical heritage.

during gigs so the rest of the wide shots can be captured, giving a bird’s eye view of the stage and encompassing the original 1930s art deco surrounds. Malik continued: “Ahead of the filming activity we had to factor in additional risk assessments that needed to be carried out to account for the extra equipment and impact that this might have on audience movement. For example, putting a filming track in place on the Upper Ground Floor would cause the audience to split, therefore resulting in congestion on either side and so alternative solutions had to be brought in to rectify this.” The venue was also utilised by the filming crew and band leading up to the gig for rehearsals and to record additional shots not

possible on the night. This involved inviting a select audience to the lower ground floor and onto the Circle area, where Hannah joined them to capture exclusive footage for the video. Troxy was chosen as the band’s venue for their only London performance and setting for their filming because of its musical heritage, hosting some of the industry’s musical greats including Patti Smith, PJ Harvey, Beady Eye, New Order, Garbage, Stereophonics and Richard Hawley. The venue’s striking art deco features provided the production team with a unique backdrop that enhanced the already high impact visuals for the performance. Its medium sized capacity also maintained the atmosphere of intimacy that suited the band’s style whilst still

accommodating up to 3,050 people.

OTHER KEY SUPPLIERSProviding the band’s first ever tour catering experience was Buy-In-Out, headed up by Clare Alliston. Transport was taken care of by entertainment specialists, Fly By Nite, which provided trucking and Fastway supplied band and crew transportation. TPi

Photos: Louise Stickland andPlaster Creative Communications

www.londongrammar.comwww.hslgroup.com, www.britanniarow.com

www.moombaproductions.co.ukwww.flybynite.co.uk

http://fastway.uk.com

www.sgmlight.com

G·SpotThe world’s first IP65, maintenance free

and multi-environmental moving head

with a powerful LED light source

Photo not manipulated!

60

Robe’s ROBIN Series is renowned within the world of live lighting design... What was the initial thinking behind launching the Pointe fixture to answer the market?The market was asking for a multipurpose fixture and we were hearing from numerous rental companies that they didn‘t want to have to buy four types of lights - having one to cover spot, beam, FX and wash functionality would make complete practical sense. For installations, the Pointe is great for when there is limited programming opportunities or time for re-hanging lights - as you can instantly switch the type and characteristics of the fixture. Lighting for some events is also completely improvised when there is really no time, and it is a really good fixture in these circumstances as well. We took some time to develop The Pointe, because we wanted to make it among the ‘best-of-the-best‘

Where does the Pointe fit into the Robe ‘family’ as a whole?The Pointe is not part of a specific range as such, it’s a completely unique fixture. It follows the principles of smaller-lighter-brighter and more eco-friendly which are common to all the ROBIN series products, and also these are fundamental principles to which Robe is dedicated… and was an ‘early adopter’. The Pointe also offers all the same quality standards that run across the entire ROBIN series - it’s robustly built and engineered.

What technologies do you feel sets the Pointe apart within the market place for similar products?The lightsource - the Osram Cirius HRI 280W - is one element that distinguishes it. It utilises the latest generation of three-phase stepper motors and the associated sophisticated software for the movement, which help make it ultra-smooth on one side, but also super fast on the other. The optics are innovative and ensure that the light output is really crisp, clear and exceptionally well defined. It’s also thanks to these optics that the fixture can be a spot, a beam, an FX or a wash. There are two prisms - a six facet linear and an eight facet circular - both of which are great for aerial effects and ‘eye-candy’.

How would you describe Robe’s commitment to R&D developments? Is this something that you look on improving year on year to ensure that fixtures such as the Pointe can continue to evolve?Robe spends a huge amount of time and resources on this and is fully committed to R&D on many levels, and we also have a close co-operation with discharge lamp and LED light source manufacturers and electronics manufacturers. Our R&D is in a constant state of evolution. We are constantly listening to lighting designers, programmers and end-users in all areas of the industry and in all regions, both through the frequent factory tours and being out there on the front-line at shows and events - seeing ours and other products in action. These end-user needs to some extent drive our R&D, but we are also

continually thinking to ourselves about neat and imaginative solutions to make peoples’ wish lists, demands and dreams become reality. New ideas are being formulated and coming on the horizon all the time, fuelled by a multiplicity of sources and we believe in pushing the boundaries of what is possible …

During Prolight+Sound 2013, Robe launched the Pointe fixture. What was the immediate reaction like on the show floor? It was incredible! Something that we have never experienced before! We have never had quite such an instantaneous reaction - it was almost a bunfight for people to get on the stand, see it in action and place their orders! It also became highly competitive - and political - about who would have their Pointes first!

Over the last 12 months, this moving head has clearly made an impact; we’ve seen the Pointe become a regular on live events and tours, why do you believe this product is particularly appealing for rental houses to invest in?For rental houses it’s fantastic value for money because it is essentially four fixtures in one housing. Robe’s quality engineering also ensures it’s going to last for several years. There is also the excellent after-sales service through our worldwide distribution network. This has been hand-picked and the majority of distributors have been with the company from the very beginning of Robe.

ROBE’S POINTE: ONE YEAR ON

INTERVIEW: Josef Valchar

ROBE’S CEO, JOSEF VALCHAR TALKS TO TPi’S KELLY MURRAY ABOUT THE SUCCESS OF THE LIGHTING GIANT’S MOST SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH TO DATE. AFTER 12 MONTHS IN THE INTERNATIONAL ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY, WE HEAR HOW THE POINTE HAS BECOME A RENTAL MARKET STAPLE.

Who has the largest inventory of this product? Taking our current top fi ve distributors for Pointes, in the UK there are over 1000 fi xtures already in rental stock … and that’s growing weekly! In the US the main companies are VER, LD Systems, Felix Lighting and BanditLites; In Germany it’s NicLen, Conrad and MLS. In Benelux there’s Phlippo Showlights, Ampco Flashlight, RentAll, Audio+, Demon and YES Rental AND in Brazil there are three main companies at the moment - LPL, Apple Produções and Gorgeous.

How is its presence spread globally? And what portion of that is for rental / live purposes?Massively - the top fi ve countries for Pointes at the moment are UK, USA, Brazil, Benelux and Germany, however it has sold really well almost everywhere we have distribution. The fi xtures - particularly because of their great versatility - can be utilised for almost any type of performance or event, and I would say ‘rental and live’ probably constitutes around 70% of Pointe use right now.

What are the most signifi cant or unusual events over the last year to have incorporated the Pointe? There’s been so many: David Guetta’s world tour, Selena Gomez’s Stars Dance world tour, the MTV Music Video Awards, the Vina del Mar Festival in Chile, McFly’s 10th

Anniversary at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Alejandro Fernandez world tour, JLS’ farewell shows, Ricky Martin & Draco Rosa at The Latin Grammy’s, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra world tour, New Year’s Eve events in Berlin and Las Vegas, Jamie Cullum, Gloria Estefan, Metronomy, A State of Trance and they are installed at the Hakkasan superclub in Las Vegas. The KHL All Stars ice hockey exhibition match in Bratislava is one of the more unusual events to have used Pointes. Over 100 of the fi xtures helped to make a big impact in their pre-match extravaganza.

TPi followed the use of the product on JLS’s Goodbye tour in Nottingham, UK and it was a very popular choice with Lighting Designer, Dave Lee. What has the response been like from LDs on an international scale? Really incredible - amazing - almost every single person using Pointes has loved them!

What can we expect from Robe for the rest of this year? Some fantastic new products… and some high profi le action this summer! It’s also Robe’s 20th anniversary this year, so there will be some huge celebrations. There are a couple of very special projects planned which everyone will be hearing a lot more about when the time is right!TPi

www.robe.cz

61

INTERVIEW: Josef Valchar

Opposite: The Pointe fi xture features the latest generation of three-phase stepper motors; The Pointe has been used at countless live events, such as the KHL All Stars ice hockey game in Bratislava which featured approximately 100 Pointes. Below: Robe’s CEO, Josef Valchar.

Raisingthe Standardof Performance

BGV D8+READY

as standard

DOUBLEBRAKE

Version A: 3 phase hoists with direct voltage control.Version B: 3 phase hoists with low voltage control.

newnew

www.stagemaker.com

1000 KGFor loads up to :

1000 KGoperating convenience

> Operating sound level down to 60 db.> Chaining tool delivered with every hoist.> High capacity and high strength chain bag.> Climbing motor or industrial suspension

configuration can be changed simply by reversing the hoist.

improved ergonomics

> New pure and totaly fluid design.> The hoist body is powder coated with black,

protective 70µm epoxy paint.> New ergonomic concept for the retractable,

rubber clad handgrips.> Lifting hook has an ergonomic, rubber clad,

gripping surface.

innovation> New “Perfect Push®”, patented concept,

load wheel with 5 pockets is fitted as well with 5 intermediate teeth.

> Rubber Shock absorber.> Electrical components designed for “plug

and play” connectivity.> Chainflux® MKII. Design provides a horizontal

flow of the chain as it comes off of the load wheel.

> LIMITFlux®, magnetic limit switch as standard on version B.

safety> Double lifting brake as standard.> New Clutch concept.> Electrical limit switch as standard

on version B.> IP55 protection for the entire hoist.

savings> Maintenance operations are now simpler,

faster and more economical: Plug & play electric components, easy access to brake and torque limiter settings.

And also :

For loads up to 500 kg

For loads up to 250 kg

BGV D8+READY

as standard

DOUBLEDOUBLEBRAKE

For loads up to :

100010001000100010001000100010001000100010001000100010001000100010001000 KGKGKGKGKGKGoperating

And also :

®

62

Outback Rigging has an office and warehouse in Park Royal London, a second warehouse next to the NEC in Birmingham and a small store on site at Manchester Central where it is the in-house rigging supplier. In all it has approximately 20,000ft of warehousing, employing 30 full time staff, and a host of trusted freelancers. ThecompanyservicesclientssuchasTheEarlsCourtandOlympiaGroup,TheBritAwards,TheBusinessDesignCentre,SaatchiGalleryandAlexandraPalacetonamebutafew.AmongstmanyotherbluechipclientsthecompanyhasbeenvettedtoworkforHMGovernmentandisaBBCapprovedsupplier.Over20,000itemsofriggingequipmentareavailableincludingsubstantialamountsofKinesysequipment,rangingfromoneandtwotonneelectricchainhoists,manualchainhoists,motioncontrolsystemsincludinghoists,trackingandautomatedwinches.Inadditiontothis,OutbackRiggingGroupoffersaselectionoftruss:OptiTrilite100and200,SlickLightBeam,

MiniBeam,MaxiFoldingandMaxiBeam,TotalSolutionslightdutyandmediumdutytrussaswellasvarioustrusscircles.ThekeywithOutbackRiggingGroupisthequalitytowhichtheequipmentismaintained,theregularityofitsformalinspectionandthequalificationsofthestaff. StuartCooper,OperationsManager,co-foundedOutbackRiggingGroupin1994withMarkSurtees,ManagingDirectorandisresponsibleformanagingateamof11operationsmanagersworkingacrossthethreesites.Cooperstartedhiscareerintheindustryabout25yearsagoasageneraldogsbodycountingsteelandstackingstillagesforthestagingdepartmentofwhatwasthenOutbackProductionsLtdlocatednearwhatisnowTheO2ArenaatGreenwich.HethenprogressedtobeingpartofateambuildingstagesatfestivalsandvenuesintheUKsuchastheFleadhatFinsburyPark,KnebworthandBrixtonAcademy,priortobecomingOutbackProductionsRiggingHireManager.Outbackwasoneofthefirst

riggingcompaniestogainfullmembershipofLEEA,ISOQualityAssuranceandSafecontractorstatusandpridesitselfinaclientfocussednon‘rock‘n’roll’approachtoservicedelivery.AlongwithMarkSurtees,heattendsregularmeetingswithvenuemanagementwiththeaimoffacilitatingsmoothfussfreedeliveryofriggingservicesinsidetheirvenues. AkeypartofthedevelopmentofOutbackRiggingistheworkCooperandhisteamdowithKinesys.Coopercommented:“OurrelationshipwithKinesyshasdevelopedprimarilyasTheBritAwardshasdeveloped.Theever-increasingdemandsoftheliveperformancesmadeitnecessarytoinvestinautomation.Intheearlydays,OutbackreliedheavilyonsupportandadvicefromDaveWeatherheadandhisteamatKinesystodeveloptherightstockprofiles.ThisyearTheBritshadsome80Kinesyspointsonit!” DaveWeatherhead,ManagingDirectorandCo-FounderofKinesysstated:“ItisapleasureworkingwithacompanylikeOutback,itisverymuchanon-goingpartnership.It

AT THIS YEAR’S BRIT AWARDS OUTBACK RIGGING CELEBRATED OVER 10 YEARS OF WORKING ON THE EVENT. ARGUABLY THE BACKBONE OF THE BRITS, AS WELL AS FOR A HOST OF OTHER HIGH PROFILE EVENTS. ITS WORK INVOLVES CRITICAL PLANNING, DELVERY, INSTALL AND SITE SUPPORT. SIMON DUFF TALKED TO STUART COOPER, OUTBACK RIGGING’S OPERATIONS MANAGER, ABOUT LIFE AT THE CUTTING EDGE OF RIGGING, WORKING WITH KINESYS MOTION CONTROL SYSTEMS, THE BRIT AWARDS, TRAINING AND HOW THE COMPANY HAS STAYED AT THE TOP...

OUTBACK RIGGING GROUP REACHESNEW HEIGHTS WITH KINESYS INVENTORY

INTERVIEW: Outback Rigging Group

is hugely gratifying for us when a company trusts us enough to invest in technology that is new to them. Especially as invariably it goes on to provide them with a real financial and reputational return on their investment.”

RIGGING THE BRIT AWARDSFor Outback Rigging Group, The Brits is a unique project with challenges to deliver solutions rarely seen in such quantity on other shows. Cooper said: “There is also a sense that we are part of a team jointly representing the UK’s entertainment industry and we are very proud to do so. There is a completely different atmosphere at The Brits and being part of The Brits family for such a long time is something that we at Outback are extremely proud of.” Cooper explained the workflow involved for such an enormous show. “The biggest single challenge at The Brits is the total flown weight of the show which is 100 tonnes. In order to achieve this we have designed and installed a mother grid. Between Conrad Ryan, Outback’s Technical Director and Head Rigger on the show and Charlie Longcroft, Conrad’s second in command, Q Willis’s team and engineers at the O2 Arena, as well as Tony Wheeler and Malcolm Birkett representing The Brits, we draw, move points, re-draw, re-engineer and re-calculate until we have a solution that works. This requires a huge team effort and that’s where the BRITs family comes in. Most of us have worked together for years and that facilitates frank

discussions cutting directly to the root of the matter, the kind of discussions you can only have easily with people you know and trust.” Cooper continued: “Whilst this is going on, The Brits’ band production team headed by Maggie Mouzakitis are desperately trying to get information out of the 10 or so performers scattered all over the globe in order that set can be built and mother grid real-estate be booked in order to fly it in and out. Teamwork is an understatement! This year just 12 hours before load in, Kate Wright, Production Manager, and I agreed on final workflow. A week or so before the show, the Outback crew and 10 trucks of rigging descend on the O2 Arena at 6am marking out and building the mother grid which, of course, is in everyone’s way until it’s been filled with spreaders, sub-hung hoists and winches and flown to trim. Once at trim height, at 9am the same day - resembling a butchers curtain it had so many chains hanging down from it! - PRG Nocturne then steamed in to get stage lighting in prior to the stage being built. Not to mention Steel Monkey waiting in the wings with an arsenal of set to be flown.”

TRAININGTraining, qualifications and employing the specialist staff to work on such high profile, high demand events is at the very heart of Outback Rigging’s core philosophy. Cooper set up and runs Outback’s apprenticeship scheme that has been going for around 10 years. He explained:

“This has two guises, one is recruiting directly from the nations pool of talented youth who are interested in rigging as a career but who have no pre qualifications to do so and another is our graduate scheme that has the same basic syllabus but bolts on technical management. Outback’s apprenticeship contains within it around 14 separate training courses on and off site with third party providers culminating in NRC 2 and 3. There is of course no substitute for experience and as in any team we look to blend both very carefully. Outback Rigging are a fully LOLER compliant company, safety when lifting has been greatly emphasised along with inspection of equipment. This forms a core part of the legislation and Outback have the expertise and testing facilities to ensure that our customers lifting equipment meets the required standards for safe use.” Looking to the summer and the rest of the year Olympia, Alexandra Palace, Wembley Stadium, Manchester Central, The Business Design Centre and Saatchi Gallery along with events such as Fashion week, Design Junction as well as flying PAs for RG Jones in the summer festival season will be keeping Outback Rigging Group rather busy. Cooper concluded with a laugh: “Along with the usual ‘can we fly a screen on top of that building over there?’ kind of projects!”TPi

www.outbackrigging.comwww.kinesys.co.uk

63

INTERVIEW: Outback Rigging Group

Opposite: Outback Rigging Group has been the preferred rigging supplier to The Brits for 10 years. Below: Operations Manager, Stuart Cooper; Outback Rigging Group; The Kinesys crew at their HQ; The Kinesys inventory is put to use on several high profile live events.

64

I’ve been entering the National Swimathon now for the past 14 years, initially more as a method to force me to drag my sorry carcass to the pool in January after too much Christmas over-indulgence back home in Belfast. There are various levels of challenge available, including 1k, 2.5k and 5k individual swim, team relays, and the recently introduced ‘Simply Swim’, where participants are encouraged to, erm, simply swim. I foolishly started at the top with the individual 5km, or 200 lengths of my local pool, and now of course can’t back down, or I would kiss all the generous sponsorship I get from everyone here at XTA goodbye! Originallystayingfitwasthereasontogetinvolved,butinrecentyearsthere’sbeenamorepersonalreasonforputtingmyselfthroughit.Myuncle,whoIwasveryclosetoaftermyownfatherdied,wasdiagnosedwithcancersomeyearsago.Hewasasurgeonhimself,andinitiallyhadaneyeremoved,whichofcoursemeanttheendofhiscareer.Heonly

revealedthetruenatureofhisillnesswhensecondarycancershadagriponhimhavingbattledwiththediseasefortwoyears.Hediedshortlyafter. TheSwimathonFoundation,whopromotetheevent,dividemoneyraisedbetweenthemselvesandachosencharityeachyear,witha30/70split.Thepastfewyears,thischarityhasbeenMarieCurieCancerCare,andtheyhaveoftenchosencancercharities.Thisyearhasbeentheexception,withthetie-intoSportRelief,butnextyear,it’sbacktoMarieCurie.Ifeltthatmorefundraisingwasthethingtodo,asMarieCurieprovedagreatsourceofcomforttomymother,Carol,andtoourfamilyingeneral.Mymumissadlynolongerwithusnoweither,soIalsofeellikeIdothiseveryyearforheraswell. PeopleamazemewithhowverygeneroustheyareeachandeveryyearwhenIcomeroundwavingmygrubbyA4sponsorformundertheirnoses,andthelastfewyearswithon-linesponsorshipavailable,Icanpester

peopleviaFacebookaswell.EventhoughI’venotalwaysbeenabletobettermytimefortheswim,theamountofmoneyIhaveraisedeachyearhasalwaysgoneupandup.IliketothinkthishassomethingtodowiththeeffortIputin,butit’sjustaslikelythatIgrindeveryoneatworkdownwithalternatemoaningaboutdoingapoortimewhenIhitthepooloverlunch,orcomingbackjubilantbecauseI’veshaved15secondsoffit.Theyhavetoputupwiththreemonthsofthisatthestartofeveryyear! IwouldjustliketopassthismessageontotheorganisersofSportReliefthisyear–pleasepleasedon’tmakeittheweekafterProlight+Sound-notonlywillIhavemissedaweekoftraining,butmyliverwillstillbeinrecovery–makeittheweekbeforetheshow!

Waringcompletedthe5kintwohoursandeightminutesthisyear,knockingoverafullminuteofflastyear’sfinaltime.Welldoneforthatgreateffort,fromallatMondiale!

www.swimathon.org

CLOCKING OFF: National Swimathon

THE THIRD INSTALLMENT OF OUR NEW CLOCKING OFF COLUMN FEATURES, YOU GUESSED IT, A CHARITY SWIM. XTA ELECTRONICS AND MC2’S WARING HAYES HAS BEEN BATTLING THE CHLORINE-FILLED WAVES OF HIS LOCAL SWIMMING POOL FOR THE LAST 12 YEARS IN HOPE OF GETTING FIT BY WAY OF RAISING MONEY FOR CANCER CHARITY, MARIE CURIE. HERE, THE TECHNICAL BRAND MANAGER TALKS US THROUGH HIS CAUSE OF CHOICE, WHICH THIS YEAR GAINED WARING HIS FIRST INTERNATIONAL SPONSORSHIP FROM ADAMSON SYSTEMS’ JOCHEN SOMMER. AN INDUSTRY EFFORT INDEED...

http://www.powersoft-audio.com

Hans Willems loves technology and challenges. So much so, that when he established the automation and engineering specialist in early 2006, his own big dream was to work on interesting projects with a group of like-minded people. He wanted his team to be equally passionate about this sometimes esoteric area of entertainment and production. Todaythatvisionisareality.Wicreationsoccupiesitsownniche-whichisconstantlychangingandpushingitsownboundariesandexpectations-andearnedsomeseriousrespect.Thecompanyisengagedonaconstantstreamofinterestingandeclecticprojectsfrominstallationstoliveeventsandperformances,eachneedingcleverelementsofcustomisedrigging,flying,lifting,turningandmovingobjectsandsystems,plusthoselittletouchesofingenuitythatmaketheWI-teamsounique. There’salsoadashofWillemsandhis

coreprotagonistssatisfyingthepenchantforadventureandachievementflowingthroughthecompany’sveins.Thebiggerthechallenge,themoretheyrelishit.Willemsisthefirsttoemphasizethatit’snotallabouthim;Wicreationsformidablereputationisbuiltonimpressiveteamwork,strongpersonalitiesandtheintegrationofmultiplecrossdisciplinaryskills.Thisiswhatmakesitdynamicandenablesaconstantflowofauthoritativeideasandsolutions. Willemsislikeabeaconofenergy-twomobilephonesringincessantly,emailsandtextmessagespingineveryfewseconds,theurgentonesdealtwithseamlesslywhilstcontinuinganalmostunbrokenconversationwiththeinterviewwhichisabsolutelycentraltohisattention. WillemsgrewupinnearbyBaal,famousforitssummerBeachvolleyDeluxeevent,aheadythree-daymixofbeachvolleyballandfullon

EDMperformance!Hisparentsarebothfarmers,whichfirsttriggeredhisinterestintechnologyandtheincrediblybigandcomplextoysutilisedinmodernfarming. It’salsoRockWerchterterritory,andworkingthefestivalasateenagevolunteerfuelledhisinterestinmusicandthefundamentalsofstagingandproduction.Willems,theproverbialperfectionist,studiedelectro-mechanicalengineeringathighschoollevelandthenranawaytoworkforlegendaryBelgianentertainmentindustrycompanyStageco-thestructuralengineer’sequivalenttothecircus.His13-yearcareertherestartedasadraughtsmaninR&Dandmovedtotechnicalprojectmanagementwhereheworkedonnumerousenvelope-pushingprojectsincludingseveralU2tours. Heleftseekingmoreindependencetodohisownthing.Alsototakeadvantageofwhathesawasaclearbusinessandcreativeopportunity

WICREATIONS IS A UNIQUE COMPANY WHICH PROJECTS AN UNMISTAKABLE CREATIVE VIBE AS WELL AS AN EFFORTLESS PROFESSIONALISM. THIS IS IMMEDIATELY NOTICEABLE ON WALKING INTO ITS HQ IN HEIST OP DEN BERG NEAR ANTWERP, BELGIUM. IT’S A PLACE THAT CAN MAKE DREAMS COME TRUE, WHERE THE MAGIC OF IMAGINATION MEETS THE DEMYSTIFICATION OF SCIENCE, AND WHERE ARCHITECTURE MEETS DRAMA; WHERE CRAZY IDEAS ARE LOGICALLY TRANSFORMED INTO SAFE, PRACTICAL STAGING SOLUTIONS. TPi REPORTS FROM THE CONTINENT.

IN PROFILE: Wicreations

WICREATIONS

66

67

for a medium sized engineering operation to facilitate innovative automation solutions. Wicreations kicked off to an auspicious start in its first year, primarily designing stage and movement elements for Holiday On Ice’s Mystery Show, the Asian Games in Doha, Bon Jovi, U2’s Vertigo tour and Belgian rockers

Clouseau. The fabrication and motion control side of the business developed a bit later at a more relaxed pace, gathering momentum by the end of the company’s second year, at which point it outgrew its first warehouse HQ and needed to take on additional staff. Wicreations is currently

in a 3000 sq metre premises that features full workshops, test-build and prep areas, and there are now 13 full time staff - all with specialist technical knowledge - plus a pool of regular freelancers brought onboard as needed. While the reputation for producing ground-breaking custom projects, paying attention to

IN PROFILE: Wicreations

Opposite: The Reverze dance event for which Wicreations created a giant scenic clock for 16,000 party-goers. Below: Music star Mylène Farmer performed on five Wicreations-engineered and fabricated automated pieces; Wicreations developed and built a complex special performance structure with full motion control; Tracking and control was installed to fly a five tonne sailing boat for Flemish girl band, K3; With its strong technical engineering background, the Wicreations staff are able to create a huge array of individual, creatively challenging projects from its Heist Op Den Berg HQ.

THESAM750A GIANT LEAP IN SPEED, SAFETY & INNOVATION5 TRAILERS HYDRAULICALLY ASSEMBLED IN UNBEATABLE TIME! SPEARHEADING

STAGING EVOLUTIONdimensions SETUP

X16 16h00132’ X 56’(40 m x 17 m)

dimensions SETUP

X16 16h00132’ X 56’(40 m x 17 m)

IN PROFILE: Wicreations

68

Below: Artistic Director, Pascal Jacobs led 37 international artists and 11 aerial performers to success on a WI-designed structure; Wicreations Founder, Hans Willems.

detail and putting safety paramount has grown quickly, in the last two years, considerable time has been devoted to developing a range of standard WI products for rental. This opens up a whole new range of possibilities and is perfect for productions wanting invention and spectacle that won’t break the tour budget. Rental items includes the WI-Track system, complete with a very neat accompanying stacking truss for touring applications. There’s also a selection of different capacity winches, hydraulic stage lifts, turn tables, rotating bridges and more. A wide selection of chain hoists are available together with the special WI-drive units developed in conjunction with UK manufacturer, Kinesys. Most of Wicreations standard motion control options are based on the robust Kinesys Vector and K2 software platforms. “There is huge scope to build very flexible movement systems with our standard products” said Willems, adding that the rental side of the business will receive a ‘big push’ in 2014. Alongside that, the special projects continue apace, satisfying the need for excitement and a bit of risk taking with which the company is synonymous. Recent events include Reverze hardstyle dance music event at Antwerp Sportpalais where a giant scenic clock was tracked 50 metres from backstage to the end of the arena where it split apart to reveal a flying sub stage which come out of the base which wowed 16,000 revelers. Other highlights include Project X, Odyseo

at the Brussels HQ of Belgian chemicals and plastics manufacturer Solvay, where Wicreations developed and built a complex special performance structure with full motion control for a spectacular show, featuring 37 international artists and 11 aerial performers under the artistic direction of Pascal Jacobs. Music clients have included Mylène Farmer, for whom they most recently designed, engineered and fabricated five major automated pieces - flown and ground based - for her highly visual 2013 Timeless tour. All the flown pieces were controlled via a hot-rodded Kinesys Vector running 57 motor channels and 68 different motion cues! For Flemish girlband K3, again at the Antwerp Sportpalais, tracking and control was installed to fly a five tonne sailing boat in the roof, which tracked down the auditorium and back onto stage where it was swallowed up by a massive opening video wall - also automated by Wicreations - all controlled by a single operator and motion controller. At the Versuz superclub in Hasselt, the requirement was for the entire stage and DJ booth to move up and down the venue to shrink and expand the dancefloor and adjust the capacity - shape and feel of the space - not to mention the headspace of the audiences - at the push of a button! The list goes on, each project equally as impressive and detailed. Wicreations has made this space in the market its own - for

the moment at least. With excellent safety credentials and a fine balance between keeping reality in mind but craziness at heart, being grounded and delivering usable and versatile concepts and equipment. Willems has hand-picked his team members for their talent, personalities and skills, and because they all share similar values, visions and a rigorous work ethic. Ideally he looks for those with an affinity to entertainment technology from a solid technical engineering background and a pioneering spirit. “They are not easy to find. The right people are the company’s investment and it’s important to make sure they want to stay,” he said. This year has already been exceptionally busy. The biggest job in the first quarter is completely different again - the design and installation of a 270 tonne laser-guided seating tribune for 2,000 people at the 14-18 Spectacular multi-media show in Mechelen, which commemorates the centenary of the First World War. The tribune tracks 90-metres down the field of play and back again. The same technologies are used to move 11 giant set pieces of up to five tonnes each in the show which runs until November. As TPi leaves the impressive WI HQ, we’re assured that there’s plenty more in the pipeline scheduled to receive a sprinkling of the Wicreations fairy dust...TPi

www.wicreations.com

www.solidstatelogic.com/live

SSL Live

live@solidstatelogic.com

Live Ad_TPi_Dec13_Layout 1 16/12/2013 17:43 Page 1

70

Offering a diverse range of single, double, tri and multispan structures and configurations, Silver Stage has well and truly established itself within the industry as a builder of quality staging structures. Silver Stage was founded in 2003 by former motorbike stunt rider, Seth Fellner. The Norfolk-based company has to date been involved with some of the UK’s premier festivals and outdoor events, creating creative stage structures for festivals such as Glastonbury, the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Wireless festival, Hard Rock Calling festival - plus many more in Europe such as Slovakia’s Pohoda festival. The most recent addition to the companies repertoire of products, the S5000 5V can provide space for up to 5,000 people, and due to its open-ended design, the structure allows visibility to the stage from all angles. “This silver 5V is exclusive to us,” said Seth Fellner, CEO of Silver Stage. “We also have the largest range of saddlespans, with the S5000 SL singlespan, S2000 and S5000 Extended Duospans - all exclusive to Silver Stage.” Viewed from afar, the 5V’s epic cathedral-

esque structure is quite an impressive sight to behold. From ground level, one can immediately see how every side of the structure (with exception of the backstage area, of course) has been opened for ease of access, and as the structure is configured in a ‘V’ format, crowd flow through the arena has been optimised. The design simultaneously allows multiple entry points and clear sightlines to the stage. From above, the configuration of the structure looks like a three-pronged star. In addition, the structure has an increased amount of covered space to shelter the audience from the elements - of special importance for crowds at festivals such as Glastonbury. Fellner explained proudly about Silver Stage’s involvement with Glastonbury: “Silver Stage has worked with Glastonbury for many years, so having one of our largest structures become the main tent at the festival’s legendary dance music area in 2013 has been a landmark for us as a company, giving us the opportunity to showcase one of our most jaw-dropping structures at the world’s most famous music festival. “Being asked to bring one of our flagship

structures to create the Sonic Stage at the heart of Glastonbury’s vibrant and hedonistic Dance Village has felt like the culmination of a long journey for Silver Stage.” Fellner continued: “We always understood the epic potential for a 5V configuration of our S5 SaddleSpans and at the centre of Glastonbury’s new Silver Hayes dance area as the Sonic Stage; this was its time to shine. The S5 is an impressive site to behold but in a 5V formation it is truly herculean in stature. “The organisers wanted to do something different last year and the use of our S5000 5V SaddleSpans has certainly helped them with that. The whole thing looked absolutely stunning and I’ve no doubt it helped create a very special look and feel to the Silver Hayes area.” One of benefits of the unique design of the structure is that the truss framework of the Saddlespan structure can be utilised to suspend the lighting and sound - effectively doubling up as the main truss supports. For example, at Glastonbury last year, the majority of the lighting rig was supported from the SaddleSpan trussing of the 5V in this way.

MAKING ITS FIRST APPEARANCE LAST YEAR AS THE CENTERPIECE OF THE SONIC STAGE (RENAMED THE SILVER HAYES STAGE) AT GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL, THE SILVER STAGE S5000 5V IS PROVING TO BE ONE OF THE COMPANY’S MOST POPULAR STRUCTURES TO DATE. TPi’S PATRICK MCCUMISKEY REPORTS...

SILVER STAGE PRESENTS THE 5V

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Silver Stage

Fellnerisconfidentthatthe5Voffersthemostflexibilityforproductiondesignersandfestivalplanners.SaidFellner:“TheSaddlespanframeworkhastheuniqueabilitytobeconfiguredinseveralways.We’vecreatedthesestructureswiththeproductiondesignerinmind-the5V,forexample,isfarmoredynamicthanyouraveragebig-topormarquee.” Anexampleofthisdynamismcanbeseenalsowiththeaestheticchangespossiblewiththe5V.Atlastyear’sGlastonbury,theorganisersoftheSilverHayesstageoptedforthe5V’ssilvercolouredskinsasopposedtowhiteinordertomaintainacontinuationoftheirthemeandbranding. Throughouttheprocessofdesigningthe5Vwithextraheight,

theSilverStageTechniciansworkedtogethertomakesurethatitmetsafetystandards. ContinuedFellner:“WeensureourstructurespassbothUKandEuropeantestinglegislationandhavedocumentationsuchasstructuralanalysisreportsproducedbyacertifiedstructuralengineer.Allourlargetemporarystructuressuchasthe5Vhavetoundergoperformancetestsunderseveralcriteria;including,forexample,effectivewindmanagementandloadcarryingcapability. “Weofferonsitesupportthroughouttheevent,carryingoutregularsafetychecksalongwithprovidingtheclientwithallthestandardsafetydocumentation.Thiskeepsusaheadofthecompetitioninregardstoourdesignsbutourclients

71

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Silver Stage

Opposite: The S5000 5V was the centrepiece of the Silver Hayes Sonic Stage at Glastonbury 2013, and will return for 2014. Below: Glastonbury 2013; Silver Stage’e CEO, Seth Fellner; An ariel view of the structure in its entirety.

canrestassuredthatsafetyisparamounttous.” The5VwillbebackatGlastonburyforitssecondyearastheSonicStageintheSilverHayesareaofthefestival.

Glastonbury2014takesplaceonJune25-29.TPi

Photos: Silver Stagewww.silver-stage.com

72

MARKET FOCUS: Power Generation

POWER GENERATION

Cat Entertainment Services is a premier supplier of temporary power and climate control, dedicated to bringing the highest quality equipment and technical services to concert tours, music festivals, sporting and special events, film, video and broadcast productions. CES offers site surveys, planning, transportation, logistics, installation, on-site operation and fuel service in addition to the custom power generation and distribution systems, heaters, air conditioners, chillers and ancillary equipment required for live events of all kinds. For big-name tours - like Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, Bruce Springsteen and U2 - and small-town festivals, CES can power up and cool down a single tent or an entire stadium ... anywhere in the world.

CAT ENTERTAINMENT SERVICES www.es-cat.com

Direct Cable Systems, the specialist audio, broadcast and lighting cable and components supplier is pleased to offer a comprehensive range of bespoke power distribution units manufactured in-house at its warehouse facility next to Elstree Film Studios in Borehamwood. The extensive range produced under the Evolution Power brand covers standard rubber box enclosed distribution up to 400A and a range of rack mount units manufactured to customer’s exact requirements. Recent commissions include six 400A 72-Way ‘Soca’ distributors, with individual RCBO protection per channel and overall power metre. Direct Cable Systems is also busy producing 6U and 9U branded units for a well-known speaker manufacturer as well as the standard off-the-shelf products for its increasing customer base.

DIRECT CABLE SYSTEMS www.directcablesystems.com

Aggreko is a global events leader in rental power, electrical distribution and climate control solutions, with experience ranging from festivals and film sets through to Olympic turnkey design and build. Aggreko is a powerful and reliable partner to meet the temporary power and temperature control requirements of any event, large or small. The event-specific power and climate control equipment is designed and manufactured at Aggreko’s new £22m manufacturing facility in Scotland, ensuring customers have the most energy efficient equipment available for events. With Aggreko’s global experience in major events, the company is able to assist and advise event organisers on turnkey design and build specifications to ensure power, temperature control and electrical distribution requirements are met.

AGGREKO www.aggreko.com

2014 TPi Awards winner, Buffalo Power Services, is a family-run business which installs temporary power supplies. Based in Sunderland, England, Buffalo was formed in the 1980s but did not become a limited company until 2002. Over the years, Buffalo has been involved in some of the major events carried out in the live event and touring industry both in the UK and overseas. Built with a personal touch, Buffalo prides itself on getting the job done professionally, surpassing expectations.

BUFFALO POWER SERVICES www.buffalopower.co.uk

Used at the TPi awards 2014

MARKET FOCUS: Power Generation

74

2014 is an exciting year for Cheshire-based Euro Generators as the first of a new range of purpose built, custom designed twin sets for broadcast and festival clients has been added to its fleet. These versatile units are designed to provide seamless failsafe power for critical outside broadcast applications and for lighting on live television work, however they also cater for festival stages and high load studio work just as comfortably. This twin pack arrives in addition to its large fleet of road tow generators from 6-350kVA, including synchronised sets allowing for generation of MW plus capacities. With the ability to provide everything from equipment to certification, Euro Generators is ideal partner for all your technical power. requirements.

EURO GENERATORS www.eurogenerators.co.uk

ide Systems is a leading provider of electrical distribution equipment and cable assemblies. It has a wealth of experience and has worked on some of the largest, most high profile electrical projects across the UK and Europe over the last 20 years. The equipment it supplies is designed in-house to meet each customer’s individual specification. It offers a national and international coverage from its head office in Cannock, plus depots in London and Glasgow. It has a large rental fleet of equipment ready to meet any last minute requirements, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

IDE SYSTEMS www.idesystems.co.uk

GSL Power specialises in flightcased power distribution equipment, but in the last year it has seen a considerable increase in sales over a range of other areas such as installations, data equipment and cable runs (Socapex, Cee-form and Powerlocks). Where GSL Power really shine is by making exactly what the customer wants from touring, to theatre, to film and TV. GSL are currently building high quality power distributors, dimmer racks and data controllers providing a custom made design including customer logos. When contacting GSL you will be able to speak directly to the designer involved in production, so find out for yourselves how easy they are to work with and its ever popular 1U 19-inch LED Rack Light (now with dual USB charger) will finish off your equipment in style.

GSL POWER www.gslpower.com

Continually building on its 20 year relationship with the industry, Fourth Generation provides power to the live event market with particular expertise in the fields of concert touring and live TV broadcast. Whilst it is a London-based company, Fourth Generation has recently expanded, acquiring additional premises in Luton, UK. All sectors of the industry demand a reliable and uninterrupted power supply and this is easily delivered with Fourth Generation’s custom-built twin pack diesel generators. The 440, 460 and 500 kVA machines incorporate Volvo Penta engines and Stamford alternators with Woodward electronics. The isochronous load sharing and paralleling technologies are state-of-the-art in design, and guarantee a constant redundant power supply. All units conform to the latest EU regulations on emissions. The latest in sound insulation and muffler design also ensures that these machines operate at below standard noise levels.

FOURTH GENERATION www.fourthgenerationltd.com

Since it started in 2004, Rob and Josie de Bank’s multi-award winning Bestival on the Isle of Wight has become renowned for its green credentials. This will be the second year Midas has provided power for the campsites and the Tomorrow’s World zone, A vision of a fun, sustainable, inspirational future. Graham MacVoy, Festival Director at Standon Calling, gave Midas the power contract for the Hertfordshire site fours years ago. Impressed with the company’s commitment to 100% bio-diesel and its straight-forward approach, he brought the ‘Midas touch’ to Bestival, where he’s part of the site management team. “We have to meet our budget targets, but we didn’t want to take a step back in terms of the green initiative,” Von Bonin said. “Midas was quickly able to dispel the rumours that ‘bio-diesel doesn’t work’ and ‘the generators clog up’ and while the fuel is a bit more expensive than red diesel, we would certainly like to increase the amount we use, in small steps year on year. It’s easy to work with Midas because its team is flexible, easy to get on with and straight talking.”

MIDAS UK www.midas-uk.co.uk

76

Powerline has enjoyed many successful years and is gearing up for another full on summer. Since 1999 the company has expanded massively whilst retaining its robust founding ethos of providing value for money temporary electrical services to the live events industry; from village fetes to the powering the outside broadcast facilities at the Royal Wedding, 2011. It offers a comprehensive, honest and fair range of generators, transformers, distribution and associated equipment. It offers the complete power package, delivered with experience, expertise and understanding. 2014 sees many regular festivals back on board plus some exciting one-offs such as several sectors of the Tour de France and a fourth consecutive home presence at the Ryder Cup.

POWERLINE www.thepowerline.co.uk

Rubber Box has provided power to a variety of industries including the maintenance of large structure offshore oil and gas platforms, long distance pipeline welding, the UK’s national power infrastructure, national and international military sectors and many complex construction and engineering projects. In addition to sporting events such as international football and rugby, motorsports, the Commonwealth Games and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Olympic Games, it has supplied many world-class venues and sporting arenas. Its commitment to product quality and development has seen the implementation of new technologies such as CNC machines and ultra sonic welders that have not only improved the quality of its boxes but also reduced costs and lead times which has benefitted its customers with the best equipment backed up by an efficient design service and technical support.

RUBBER BOX www.rubberbox.co.uk

Power Logistics provide services within permanent venues as well as temporary green field events. It maintains a whole host of equipment and services in-house; from a fleet of dedicated event generators, suitable for use with bio diesel, to an extensive stock of mains cabling, distribution and lighting equipment. They have consistently delivered practical expertise in stage power, site electrics, distribution, project management and lighting at concerts, festivals, exhibitions, conferences, parties, award ceremonies and sporting events. Their logistical and electrical safety records are exemplary.

POWER LOGISTICS www.powerlog.co.uk

Pearce Hire offers 30 years experience in temporary power distribution for live, touring and outdoor events. With an extensive inventory of generators and associated equipment, a team of fulltime electrical project managers and fully qualified electricians, the company is recognised for its excellence in providing complete power solutions in any location or environment. With an ongoing commitment to sustainability utilising the latest generator technology to reduce emissions, in 2013 Pearce Hire made significant investments in FG Wilson 60 kVA and 100 kVA XD generators with multiple synchronisation and 25kVA Stephill generators, plus accompanying static and road tow fuel tanks from Western Environmental. An NICEIC approved contractor and Green Arts Accredited supplier; all installations are supported by full testing and documentation procedures.

PEARCE HIRE www.pearcehire.co.uk

MARKET FOCUS: Power Generation

MARKET FOCUS: Power Generation

78

Tempower maintains and offers a comprehensive rental fleet of electrical distribution equipment, cables and cable ramps for all your temporary power and power distribution requirements. Its distribution equipment is constructed personally to suit your individual projects, whatever the requirements, large or small, short or long-term rentals. In addition to vast stocks of cable and distribution boards it is also one of the UK’s largest stockists of cable ramps, so give the team at Tempower a call for a fast and comprehensive solution to your power distribution needs.

TEMPOWER www.tempower.co.uk

Tower Productions has been providing technical production to live events including lighting, rigging, staging and heating services to clients across the UK and Europe for over 19-years. It has developed a range of event specific super-hushed generators and offer synchronised packages from 60kVA to 600kVA along with smaller machines from 3kVA to 60kVA. All of which can be hired for customer use, or fully installed and commissioned on a synchronised or stand-alone basis. To keep up with market demand, Tower is continually expanding its range and investing in new technology. It has supplied events such as Creamfields, T in the Park, Bestival, Rock Ness, The Tall Ships Races, Champions League final, Scottish Open Golf and The Wickerman Festival.

TOWER PRODUCTIONS www.tower-productions.com

SDMO was founded during 1966, in Brest, France. With the recent merger between SDMO Industries and the American company KOHLER, it became the third largest company in generator production. SDMO has a distribution network in over 180 countries. In the UK, the industry is served by SDMO Energy. The company supplies a complete line of generators from 1.25 to 700kVA, powered by petrol, diesel and LPG. SDMO was the first generator company to reveal a line of sets that complied with Stage 3 of the European Engine Emissions Directives, which came into force during 2011. The SDMO Rental Compact range of generators has an environmentally important bund to guard against leakage and spillage, whilst maintaining its quiet operating.

SDMO www.sdmo.co.uk

SES Entertainment Services, a leading British manufacturer of entertainment based power distribution products continue to improve the quality and longevity of its product. By maintaining its list of approved suppliers, the products work first time every time to assure customer satisfaction. Now working on its third generation of 19-inch racks, which are specified by many of the leading production companies in the UK and overseas, SES strives to ensure it leads the way with its manufacturing. Alongside its ever increasing range of Portable HDPE Powerpro distribution, SES is looking to increase its range to include more stage-based distribution, cables and special application units. SES also manufactures bespoke studio and permanent theatre panels. SES opened its doors in the UAE in May 2014 following a long working relationship with many major Middle Eastern production companies. SES will serve the whole of the Gulf region from this office.

SES ENTERTAINMENT SERVICES www.site-electrics.co.uk

NEXT TIME....In the June issue of TPi Magazine, we’ll be running a Market Focus feature on Loudspeakers.

If you are a manufacturer and would like to be involved in the directory, please send 120 words of product descriptionand a high res image (300 dpi) to Assistant Editor, Patrick McCumiskey by May 16.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Shoot the room and conquer

acoustic problems

Smaart® Room Analysis

Visualize feedback and snuff it

with AI mixer graphic EQs

Smaart® Spectrograph

By far the most complete iPad

control system available

SL Remote-AI for iPad

Dozens of new features; saves

Fat Channel settings for S1

New Capture™ 2.1

Finish productions with unlimited

tracks and live settings intact

Studio One® Artist 2.6

Reach your fans; sell and

distribute music and merch

Nimbit® direct to fan

QMix™-AI for iPhoneFull

personal monitor

control with the

Wheel of Me

Optimise your PA, quash feedback, run wirelessly from iPad® and iPhone®, record multi- track with 1 click, produce in a real DAW, distribute your music.

Only with StudioLive™ AI.Only new StudioLive AI mixers give you an actively integrated hardware/software system.

Solve problems with Smaart® measurement and analysis (and more GEQs than any other mixers in their class).

Mix easier and more creatively with one-to-one controls, powerful double signal processing Fat Channels and four 32-bit effects buses.

Capture it all with the industry’s only dedicated live recording software. Produce with a full-on DAW that “remembers” mixer settings. Instantly upload songs and capture fans with your free Nimbit Facebook web store.

Crank up your www. or visit a PreSonus dealer today.

• 32, 24 and 16-channel AI-series models

• Superior sound with Burr-Brown A/D/A processors and 64-bit Studio One® internal processing

• Wireless and wired connectivity

• Two Fat Channels per mixer channel with A/B

• All channel controls and metering acces-sible without bank switching

NEW

32.4.2AI

NEW

16.4.2AI

www.presonus.com

©2013 All Rights Reserved by PreSonus Audio Electronics who proudly claims StudioLive, Capture and QMix as trademarks and furthermore wants you to know that Nimbit is a Registered trademark (oooo!), as is Studio One, except by PreSonus Software, Ltd. Smaart is a registered trademark of Rational Acoustics. All that i-stuff belongs to Apple.

NEW

24.4.2AI

Exclusively distributed in the UK & Ireland by Source • www.sourcedistribution.co.uk • T: 020 8962 5080

facebook.com/sourcedistribution twitter.com/sourcedist

#40058 - PreSonus SL TPI.indd 1 13/11/2013 10:52

BLAME EUROPE The Europeans don’t want people to die at work. OK, we don’t either, but, 22 years ago, the EU issued a directive on minimum health and safety standards for temporary or mobile construction sites. EU directives are a fairly serious matter, if you’re a member state. If your laws don’t meet the requirements, you get a fine, a really big fine, every day until your laws pass muster. The fines are huge, enough for Nigel Farage to get several rounds in down the Arse and Elbow. The EU directive wasn’t too troublesome in terms of physical safeguards, actually doing the job, as we had the Health and Safety at Work Act and the raft of regulations that sit under that particular umbrella. What we needed

was something that outlined management arrangements for safety and health on construction sites, placing responsibilities on those who procure and design projects as well as those managing sites. The cynical amongst us might say that this makes it easier to point the finger if things go wrong. We’d probably be right too. That requirement gave rise to CDM, first introduced in 1994.

DOES IT APPLY OR NOT?At this point in proceedings, it’s sometimes best to waffle, just to race towards the word count but, on this occasion, the answer is sometimes it did , sometimes it didn’t, then it did but wasn’t enforced but now it very much will. Let’s ignore the word construction and think of multi-

contractor workplaces. You’d be hard pressed in our line of work to find a single contractor workplace and, during any event build, it’s best to know who’s actually in charge. That’s exactly what CDM does. That’s why it will apply to us, but there are issues.

YOUR ACTIONS DEFINE YOU‘New’ CDM proposes three roles: client, principal designer and principal contractor; the client will probably be the person that signs all the cheques, the principal designer might be, say, a site manager and the principal contractor could be a production manager. But it’s not what you’re called, it’s what you do that will define the role, and the responsibilities it brings. This issue is not resolved in the consultation,

THE BIGGER PICTURE

THE BIGGER PICTURE

80

They’ve raised concern in some quarters, they’ve been misunderstood and they’ve led to overzealous actions at at least one large sporting event, inflaming concern and misunderstandings, but the Construction Design and Management (CDM) regulations are being replaced and the new model will apply to live events. We’ve had a scan through the proposals...

THE PSA BUSINESS SUPPORT HELPLINE IS KINDLY SPONSORED BY

not in the context of live event production, with its vast array of event types and management structures. For example, the client in a classic construction project would appoint a principal designer; not easy to do if you’re a UK promoter pitching for a tour that has already been designed and built in a foreign land; festivals might be several different workplaces, especially the larger ones, with several principal contractors on several adjacent sites; exhibitions might be a mixture, with shell schemes overseen by one set of roles and larger, space only exhibits by another. It is also worth pointing out that a single entity or individual can take on more than one role. All of this will be clarified by industry-specific guidance, with a reliance on case studies. In fact, there’s a whole Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) that accompanies the current CDM regulations, things that you have to do, unless you can prove what you do goes beyond the ACOP requirements. The ACOP is one of the biggest produce by HSE, and they’re proposing that it should be scrapped and replaced with the aforementioned suite of tailored guidance.

THE C WORD, SHOW US YOUR IITSCompetence; countless hours have been spent arguing the definition of competence and, with a few strokes of a keyboard, HSE has proposes ‘removal of explicit competence requirements and replacing with a specific requirement for appropriate skills’. That goes for individual competence as well as corporate. The new buzzword is IITS - Information, Instruction, Training and Supervision. People need a balance of those four elements in order to carry out a particular job in a particular context. Simple tasks might just require a site induction and a toolbox talk, more complex work will involve more. There will be need to structure and record these elements, to show that requirements have been met. Like we

said last month, it is no accident that staging companies have joined forces to develop their own code of practice, to give clients and principal contractors a guide to corporate competence in their particular sector. The challenge for HSE has been to continue to comply with the EU directive whilst removing regulatory burdens on business, and the removal of the requirement for corporate competence is designed to address cost concerns when it comes to proving competence, they certainly didn’t want to deliver new business opportunities for businesses wishing to launch more competence schemes.

PLANNING, PLANNING, PLANNING.HSE’s proposals focus a little on the new role of Principal Designer (PD). One of the key elements of this role is the timing of the appointment, for it is all about pre-construction coordination, so the PD function rests in the planning phase, whereas the Principal Contractor (PC) function will reside in the construction - and in our case, deconstruction - phase. Don’t forget, one person can assume both roles, something akin to a production manager being involved in planning, perhaps advancing a show, and making sure everything goes to plan, safely. New CDM is designed to be simple, more linear, structured to follow the progress of a project, rather than skip backwards and forwards through overlapping sections. Simplification if key here; larger event projects are generally run in a ‘CDM way’, larger construction companies have the resources to comply. Before CDM, large construction projects accounted for the majority of deaths and injuries, now it’s the medium to small sites. Over complex regulations are often ignored, smaller, cheaper jobs slip under the radar and large scale procurement is carved up by the larger companies. HSE has indicated that it sees small to medium events as their priority, that’s

where they see the higher risks; they believe that new CDM will offer a less complex, more effective structure for safety management, underpinned by industry-penned guidance.

WHAT NEXT?HSE’s proposals have been published and they’re open for public consultation until June, you can find them at www.hse.gov.uk. We’ll be formulating a response on behalf of our members, the consultation is open to all, it’s worth a look. HSE has engaged with all manner of event-related groups, including PSA, and many of those groups are working together to plan both responses to the consultation and agreed plans for future actions. Those actions will include responses to the consultation, but getting the ball rolling with defining roles and industry guidance will be crucial too. We can’t expect HSE to produce guidance, their internal red tape machine is in overdrive, they can’t be seen to be introducing anything that might be interpreted as a new rule, unless forced to do so by the threat of a huge fine from Brussels, or Strasbourg.

IS CDM A BIG PROBLEM? We’ve never really thought so, especially for those that are doing it right already. It’s more of an opportunity for clarity, to sharpen focus and to engage with small to medium sized events. For companies working in the public sector, HSE’s vision is one of minimal pre-approval paperwork, less repetition and more focus on the ability to do the job in a particular context and that clients take their responsibility for choosing contractors on capability rather than, perhaps, just price. It’s simply about people at the top taking responsibility for enabling a safe workplace.TPi

www.psa.org.uk

81

www.psa.org.uk

82

Liverpool-based Adlib’s sales division has been appointed a UK distributor for Coda Audio’s ViRAY and TiRAY product ranges. The audio rental specialist and technical solutions provider has backed and invested heavily in the German owned Coda brand since its launch, and was an early adopter of Coda’s large and medium format line arrays for its rental stock. JohnHughesofAdlib commented: “We arereallylookingforwardtofurtherdevelopingourgreat relationshipwithCodaandprovidingourown ViRAY sales and support team matchingthe standards of excellence for which bothcompaniesareknown.” Allen & Heath has announced theappointmentofChristianLueckeasitsnewSalesand Marketing Director. Christian has 15 yearsexperience in the consumer electronics marketwhere he managed European B2C business fordistinguishedorganisations,SonyandSamsung. “I am excited to be joining the pro audioindustry,andspecificallytheAllen&Heathteam.My initial impressions of the company are thatit is very passionate about audio design andinnovation, two areas which are paramount initsproductdevelopmentprocess.Withsomanygreatproductsalreadyonthemarketandmany

more in the pipeline, I am arriving at a veryexcitingtime,”saidLuecke. Cadac has announced the appointmentof US industry veteran Paul Morini as GeneralManagerofCadacUSA.MorinijoinsCadacfromMusic Group, where he was Customer ServiceManagerforMidasandKlarkTeknikfortheUSandCanada.Hewillhelpestablishthecompany’sofficeandsalesrepresentativenetworkfortheUSand Canada, mirroring the recently announcedinitiativeintheUKandEire.BasedinNewYork,‘close’toCadac’straditionalBroadwaycustomerbase,Moriniwillbeheadingup thecompany’spresence at the Live Design Broadway SoundMasterClasses (4 -6 June), in associationwithCadac’sUStheatresoundconsultantTomBensenofRFPro. Commenting on his move to Cadac, Morinisaid: “I am a 30 plus year dedicated industryprofessional who’s worked in all facets ofprofessional sound: retail, live engineering,production, sound design and installation, aswell as all levels of factory sales. My industrytenurehasallowedmetheprivilegeofworkingsidebysidewithsomeofthebrightestfoundingandcurrentprofessionals,andthisnewpositionaddstothatgoodfortune.” GLP has announced the appointment of

Greville Kellett to the position of West CoastSales Manager within the company. Kellettcomes to GLP having had positions with softgoodsmanufacturerDazian,California-basedBigHammerProductionsandUKbasedWhiteLight,with whom he worked for a number of yearsbeforemovingtotheUS.Greville’snewpositionwillseehimbeingresponsibleforallofGLPUS’activitiesontheWestCoastoftheUSA,coveringsomeofthecountry’smajorentertainmenthubs,includingLosAngelesandLasVegas. Speaking about his appointment, Kellettcommented: “I have seen GLP becoming astronger and stronger presence in the marketsinceIhavebeenintheUS,andIamverymuchlooking forward to continuing that trend.”GLPUS President, Mark Ravenhill added: “It’s greattohavesomeonewithKellett’sexperiencewithinthe company. He has a solid grounding in anumberofindustrydisciplinesandisgoingtobeagreatassettothecompany.” HarmanProfessionalhasappointedProsoundof Tirana as distributor in Albania for its AKG,BSS,Crown,dbx, JBL Professional, Lexicon andSoundcraft product lines. As Prosound is alsothe existing Albanian distributor for MartinProfessional lighting,thecompanyispositionedto address all the key vertical markets where

MOVERS & SHAKERSMOVERS & SHAKERS

www.interfacio.com • +44 208 986 5002

Sponsored by

Harman Professional is active in the country. “With Harman we are more solid than ever and we will elevate Harman’s presence in Albania to the top - where it belongs!” said Kliton Gjika, Managing Director, Prosound. “As Harman’s regional distributor, we will deliver our services with professionalism and after-sales care, backed up by clear and effective strategies.” Cashless payment and access control specialist Intellitix has bolstered its team with the appointment of Eric Janssen as Chief Revenue Officer, March 2014. Tasked with leading global sales, marketing and business development, Janssen will be based in Toronto with a mandate to grow the company’s client base and continue to build its reputation as the market leader in RFID solutions for events. Janssen commented: “I am passionate about new technology and how consumers can use it to enhance their experiences in the offline world, which is exactly what Intellitix is about. Having experienced exponential growth since its launch, part of my role will be to continue delivering a best-in-class solution to an expanding global customer base.” Harman’s Martin Professional is pleased to announce the appointment of PS Teatr as the new exclusive distributor for Poland. Established over 40 years ago, Teatr is the longest-serving industry leader, specialising in some of the most complex project installations throughout Poland, whilst managing exclusive distribution for a portfolio of world class brands. Commenting on the appointment, Marek Guminski, CEO of PS Teatr, stated: “We have followed the dynamic development of Martin closely, especially since they joined the Harman organisation. Martin’s products are an ideal companion for Teatr’s portfolio and expectations of the Polish market. We know the excellent service and support Martin provides combined with our experience and market position will allow us to exceed our markets needs and demands.” Music Group has announced the appointment of Barry Mitchell as the new VP of Customer Management Prosumer Division

for the Americas. Barry will be responsible for propelling the Music Group’s groundbreaking prosumer products to the position of market leader by leveraging his extensive market knowledge, along with sales and customer support resources. Mitchell brings more than 20 years of experience in music and consumer electronics, having held leadership roles in sales strategy and management, product development and lifecycle management, brand strategy, visual merchandising and pricing strategy. “I am beyond thrilled to work with such an innovative industry pioneer,” Mitchell commented. Robe Lighting has appointed Thommy Hall as Regional Sales Manager of the Western United States and John McDowell as Regional Sales Manager of Central United States. Hall, based in Las Vegas, was most recently with Philips Lighting as the Western Regional Sales Manager for Philips Entertainment; and McDowell, based in Austin, Texas, was most recently with Creative Stage Lighting as Western Regional Sales Manager. Due to customer demand and increased popularity, Robe Lighting is expanding its reach in the US under new CEO Bob Schacherl in order to provide Robe clients with better sales support and enhanced customer service. Shure Distribution UK has announced the promotion of Kirsty Lamport to UK Head of Marketing. Lamport joined Shure Distribution in 2007 as Marketing Communications Manager, the function of which she retained when taking on her next title of Marketing Manager Systems & Broadcast. In her new role, Lamport takes overall responsibility for the marketing needs of the company and its full portfolio of brands. Lamport commented: “I’m excited to be able to develop and drive the UK marketing team, and to be working more closely with Shure associates across Europe and the other manufacturers that we represent in the UK and Ireland to attain further outstanding results. We have a strong and inventive marketing team in the UK and I’m proud to be given the opportunity to cultivate it.”

MOVERS & SHAKERS

83

Opposite: Christian Luecke has been appointed Allen & Heath’s new Sales and Marketing Director; Greville Kellett has joined GLP as West Coast Sales Manager; Nic Howden has joined Star Events as its PR / Communications Consultant; TC Group has welcomed Nick Williams to its team as Business Development Manager Asia / Pacific for Install and Tour.

www.interfacio.com • +44 208 986 5002

Solid State Logic has appointed Dr. Enrique Perez Gonzalez as Chief Technology Officer for Solid State Logic’s Board of Directors. Dr. Gonzalez been promoted from his current role as Head of R&D. Stated Solid State Logics’s CEO Antony David: “Enrique is one of those rare individuals who has deep technical ability, first-hand experience of our markets and the skills to manage product research and development effectively.” He continued, “Even more importantly, he has the vision to build upon our technical heritage and the resources to take us forward.” Star Events, the UK’s multi-award winning primary source for staging, support structures, rigging and grandstands, has appointed former Editor in Chief at Access All Areas, Nic Howden, as its Public Relations / Communications Consultant. Howden commented: “I tapped into Star Events’ expertise as far back as 2002 and kept in scrupulous touch with the company’s ingenuity and best practice at events in all

corners in the country, throughout my time at Access All Areas. It’s a real privilege to be a part of the group.” Roger Barrett, Technical & Commercial Director at Star Events, said: “We were very impressed with the ideas that Nic put to us for a comprehensive communications strategy and are delighted to have him on the team.” Nick Williams has been appointed as TC Group’s Business Development Manager Asia / Pacific for Install and Tour, with responsibility for the Tannoy, Lab.gruppen and Lake brands. Williams has a long history in sales and the professional audio industry, having worked for companies like Riedel, Aviom and Harman, focusing for many years in the EMEA / APAC regions. Based in the UK, his position commences immediately, with a main focus of driving and developing business in the Asia / Pacific region. TPi

www.tpimagazine.com/jobs/

84

THE PRODUCTION GUIDEThe TPi Production Guide

The TPi Production Guide is kindly sponsored byXL VIDEO • 2 EASTMAN WAY • HEMEL HEMPSTEAD HERTS • HP2 7DU • UKTEL: +44 (0)1442 849 400 • FAX: +44 (0)1442 849 401 • www.xlvideo.com

Contact our specialist team today!

01565 654 004

www.eurogenerators.co.ukhire@eurogenerators.co.uk

Temporary Power Specialists

Power for Events, Festivals & BroadcastSync & Twinset Units

Full Site Power Design & ImplementationNationwide Service

01758 713 100North West -

Wales -

Total Production Solutions Corporate - Live Events

Touring - Broadcast

01565 652202rental@vme-uk.com www.vme-uk.com

SOUNDVIDEO

LIGHTINGRIGGING

NOW AVAILABLE:

85

Allen & Heath 25B&K Braun 21Beat The Street 23Bob Kelly & Co 84Bradley Engineering 38Central Presentations 84ChainMaster 3Chauvet Professional BCClay Paky 57Coda Audio 55Creative Technology 84d&b Audiotechnik 51DiGiCo 15Direct Cable systems 77Elation Professional 5Entec Sound and Light 84

ER Productions 11 & 84Fourth Generation 73Full Fat Audio 50Gerriets 84GLS Lighting 13Hand Held Audio 82Source Distribution / PreSonus 79High End Systems 41IMS Ibiza 75Interfacio M&SKinesys 43Knight Rigging Services 84L-Acoustics IBCLe Maitre 35 & 84Leisuretec 4LMP 37LS-Live 39Media Travel 45

Meyer Sound IFCMM Band Services 58MTFX 7Neo Entertainment 52 & 85Nexo 9Pearce Hire 46Philips Entertainment 19Powersoft 65Rigging Services 84Robe 47Rubber Box 83Rud 84Sennheiser 17Sensorcom 84SES 31SGM 59Silver Stage Event Structures 71Snakatak 30

SNP Productions 49 & 84Solid State Logic 69Solotech 33Sommer Cable 29Soundcraft 53Stageline 67Stageco 27Tempower 84The Powerline 81Travel 4 Tours 84Universal Effects 84uTRAC 73Verlinde 61Video Illusions 40Wicreations 44Wicked Technical Services 84XL Video 84

Engineering for the ears

info@proguarduk.co.uk www.proguarduk.co.uk

Customised personal hearing solutions simplified for you

One of the leading

HOIST CHAIN MANUFACTURERS& suppliers to theentertainmentindustry

MAY 2014 ADVERTISERS

TEL: 0845 689 2000 / WWW.CPLAV.COM

/ PROJECTION/ MEDIA SERVERS/ CREATIVE VIDEO

Equipment we offer:

• Cable Ramp - Rental & Sales• ADA Disabled Wheelchair Cable Ramps - Rental

• Event Power Distribution - Rental• Cable - Rental

• Powerlock Cable Systems - Rental• Lighting & Adaptors - Rental

Tel: 0845 606 6049Email: hire@tempower.co.uk

www.tempower.co.uk

+442076397704 +442077325760info@gerriets.co.ukwww.gerriets.co.uk

GerrietsGreatBritainLtd.18VerneyRd,LondonSE163DHUK

Gerriets new G3-Silent runnerPolyurethanewheels/capturedballbearing/swivelcurtainattachment/gelbumpers/registereddesign

How did you start out in the live and touring world?Like so many of my friends in this industry, I was in some crappy bands that didn’t get very far but opened my eyes to the potential fun that could be had travelling the world, having fun and getting paid for it.

You’ve tour managed some high end acts, but what’s the most challenging part of a tour manager’s role?The main point to remember when taking on the job is there are no such things as days off, show day OR non-show day. It’s as simple as this: if you are not happy with that arrangement, get a different job.

Did Matt Bellamy of Muse really dare you to breakdance on TOTP? Did you make any fans?Yes, that is true... the story started a week before when they performed on Live & Kicking. It was Matt’s birthday and he was in a bad mood and didn’t want to do the show because it was rubbish. He said he would only do it if I did a windmill during the performance. I did get a lot of press coverage as ’the mysterious breakdancer’ who kept appearing on stage though.

What does a TM need in their survival kit? Laptop (Apple Mac of course), an eye mask because learning to sleep whenever possible is a skill, ear plugs, phone chargers (in every pocket) and a Swiss Army Knife.

You’re a TPi Awards winner and currently the holder of the Tour Manager of the Year title for your time with Muse, how did it feel to win?It’s funny because I also won another magazine’s tour manager of the year award in the same year, so I was totally convinced I was not going to win yours. A double win made me think it was a wind up but I feel very proud indeed.

Now, your day job is Head Honcho at CATO Music.... What kind of services does CATO offer this industry?I bloody love CATO; it’s been 13 of the of the most fun years a man can have. We offer very private rehearsal spaces, backline hire, crew recruitment, 24 hour storage, sales / endorsements and a full touring solutions package. CATO often gets referred to as a ‘Swiss Army Knife of touring’ which does sum us up. We are here to help our clients with anything they could possibly ever want.

CATO hosted its first fete in April at its new academy. What can you tell us about

the function of the CATO Academy?We are very proud to have opened our academy in May. It’s for young people who want to get into the music industry as tour managers, production managers, backline techs and so on. We wrote the course five years ago and have run it out of a music school in Guildford ever since, but this year thought it’s time to bring it in-house at CATO. I really have been blown away by the industry support for this course and we are looking to give five people a free scholarship every year to help those who can’t afford the course fees.

You’ve been in this industry for a while now - what makes it a sector that people never want to leave?I am approaching my 20th year in the touring industry, which means I could have got less for manslaughter. The thing that always gets me about this industry is that it’s different to anything else in the music business, it’s that satisfaction of achievement made every night when the show is done and you see and hear people walking out of the venue on a high. The Muse crew are the best bunch you could ever wish to work with, so thats another reason you stay hooked on the road. Well, that and the free cakes in catering!

Is there a gig that stays in your memory above any other? If so, why does it resonate with you?Two shows: the shepherds bush empire show for Warchild with Muse. That show was incredible! There was no production, just three guys on stage loving every minute of it, and the other was at Rome stadium where we filmed the live DVD. It was just such an incredible night.

What else will CATO be doing this year?The other very exciting news that is we are opening up our first US office this summer in Los Angeles, followed by New York in 2015. Watch out America!

VITAL STATS

VITAL STATS 158

“We are looking to give five people a free scholarship every

year to help those who can’t afford the course fees...”

Glen Rowe

86

Profession:Tour Manager / Company Owner CATO Music

Date & place of birth:May 22, 1973, South Africa

L-ACOUSTICS WST® technology is now packaged in two enclosures perfectly arrayable into a constant curvature line source with no destructive interference typical of trapezoidal cabinets. Treat yourself to just one pair, first. And as your appetite for coverage grows, you can come back for seconds, thirds, or more, adding slice by slice, until you’re sound-full. Serve your audience the legendary L-ACOUSTICS sonic signature and rider friendliness. The icing: the price is tailored to medium-sized productions. They say you can’t have your sound budget and your acoustic system, too. We say you can. Give it a taste at www.l-acoustics.com

Advertising ARCSWIDE-ARCSFOCUS_210x297_TPI.indd 1 18/03/2014 17:18:53

http://www.chauvetprofessional.co.uk