iNPUT The Official News Journal of Entec Sound & Light
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THE TOURING DÉBUT OF d&b’s SL-SERIES plus... Ultimate Tributes On The Road Alastair Parley Joins The Team Marilyn Manson • New Investments Liam Griffiths: Naked And Famous The Gig Company at Porchester Hall Rough Trade Goes Live in Bristol
entecLIVE.com
Spring 2018
GOING FOR GOLD... Welcome to another edition of iNPUT which coincides not only with an exciting period of change at Entec, but also the company’s 50th anniversary – a milestone that we are looking forward to celebrating in a variety of ways, including our ongoing ‘50 Golden Moments’ series that is exclusive to Entec’s Facebook page at www.fb.com/Entec 50. Recent projects such as Marilyn Manson’s Heaven Upside Down tour and the BRIT Award-winning Gorillaz’ Humanz have witnessed some great examples of our teamwork while showcasing many new items of equipment that have been added to our inventory. It has also been particularly satisfying to note how prestigious trade magazines, such as Light & Sound International, TPi and Pro Sound News Europe, have warmly embraced this activity with some excellent coverage. We are proud that the growth of our audio department has enabled us to bring Alastair Parley, a genuine industry expert, into our team. Ally’s in-depth knowledge and experience will make the quality of our audio department even stronger, and it’s a big boost to have him aboard. You can discover more about Ally in this edition’s Team Talk interview feature. Noreen O’Riordan Managing Director / Head of Lighting
CONTENTS
“Recent projects have witnessed some great examples of our teamwork.”
SPRING 2018 edition
Cover photo: Denholm Hewlett
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FUTURE PROOFING Audio Investment News GORILLAZ The Sound Of Humanz KING OF THE STROBES? Raving Over Our New GLP JDC1s THE NAKED AND FAMOUS Taking Brixton TEAM TALK: Alastair Parley New To The Entec Team
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MARILYN MANSON Heaven Upside Down ULTIMATE TRIBUTES The Latest From The Bootlegs & Aussie Floyd OUR VALUED CLIENTS SAY… RAISING THE ROOF AT PORCHESTER HALL FOR PCUK GO WEST! Rough Trade Opens in Bristol
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THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS Nirvana At Reading, 1992 CLEAN BANDIT An Update From The Road SHORT CUTS A Round-Up Of More Recent Projects FIFTY GOLDEN GREATS Our Golden Anniversary Soundtrack!
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FUTURE PROOFING Major technology brands figure in Entec’s latest audio inventory spend
In parallel with its continued growth, Entec recently announced recent, significant investments in new products from Shure, DiGiCo and d&b audiotechnik, which will help to “future-proof” its ability to meet current client demand as well as support new business. “Maintaining a cutting-edge inventory has always been a priority for Entec’s sound department and never more so than in today’s highly competitive market,” stated Jonny Clark, Entec’s head of sound (above). “Strengthening our relationships with some of the industry’s most forward-thinking technology brands is also very important to us, especially from a customer support perspective.” Starting the year with multiple purchases of Shure’s UR4D wireless receiver, Entec’s most recent stock acquisitions include 28 channels of Shure’s high-tier Axient Digital system, offering maximum stability and combining AD Series hand held and lavalier mics with ShowLink remote control and Wireless Workbench software. Jonny commented: “Axient Digital was launched last spring, and Entec was proud to be one of the first rental companies to invest in such a large quantity. An increasing number of the projects we undertake have become very reliant on large, multi-frequency wireless systems and there has been a need to change to Ax-
ient Digital from Shure’s older UHF-R platform in order to provide dependable, high-quality frequency access in an environment of continued RF spectrum pressure.” From the DiGiCo portfolio, Entec has elected to invest in a pair of 72-channel DiGiCo SD12 consoles, a super-compact SD11i model and two SD-Racks. These purchases follow the acquisition earlier in the year of an additional SD7. Said Jonny: “In our experience, DiGiCo consoles remain as popular as they ever were and these purchases reflect customer demand as well as our ongoing faith. Since the SD12’s launch, we have been swamped with enquiries so it’s gratifying that we can finally offer it along with other favourites in the DiGiCo range.” Entec’s workload pattern has necessitated a further investment in 20 d&b V-Series V8 three-way loudspeakers, 32 D80 four-channel power amplifiers and six DS10 audio network bridges. Explained Jonny: “Due to the sheer amount of projects we are handling in mid-range to smaller venues, we needed to increase our stock of V8s and associated amplification and network management. “All of this new equipment is already being deployed on tours and a variety of one-off shows, and I think it’s a reflection of our ‘can-do’ attitude that we are so keen to respond to demand with this scale of commitment.”
C h e c k o u t o u r c u r r e n t a u d i o s t o c k a t w w w. e n t e c L I V E . c o m / s o u n d - i n v e n t o r y iNPUT • ENTEC SOUND & LIGHT • SPRING 2018
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B R I T I S H
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THE SOUND OF HUMANZ A restless spirit of adventure has been central to Damon Albarn’s creativity ever since he jumped aboard the gravy train at the beginning of the ’90s. The latest stop on his colourful journey has been Humanz, the fifth studio album from his so-called ‘virtual’ band Gorillaz and the release that has spawned the act’s most ambitious tour to date, featuring an ever-changing cast of special guests from Noel Gallagher, De La Soul and Albarn’s Blur colleague Graham Coxon to Shaun Ryder, Jehnny Beth and the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, amongst many others.
Since Gorillaz first took to the road early in the Millennium, Entec Sound & Light has been proud to play a supporting role and the ongoing Humanz tour has witnessed the fruits of recent investments in major brands including DiGiCo, d&b audiotechnik and Shure, as well as the emergence of a promising transatlantic partnership. In the second half of 2017, Entec – a long-time d&b rental house – entered into an agreement with Colorado-based Brown Note Productions to give d&b’s next generation loudspeaker series its touring début. Designed for arenas, stadiums and
Photography by Denholm Hewlett, Mark Allen, Mark Cunningham & Adam Stevenson iNPUT • ENTEC SOUND & LIGHT • SPRING 2018
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The d&b rig at London’s O2 Arena. Right: FOH engineer Matt Butcher and monitor engineer Dave Guerin, both on DiGiCo SD7 consoles.
festivals, GSL – part of the new SL-Series – made its first touring appearance with Gorillaz at Luxembourg’s Rockhal on November 1st, where the main hangs each combined 16 GSL8 enclosures with two GSL12s, while 18 SL-SUBs lined the stage front. “We were very keen to start using it as soon as possible and it was immediately evident that it’s a really clever design,” stated FOH engineer Matt Butcher, a mainstay of the Albarn camp since 1994, who has been working for the first time alongside system technician Perttu Korteniemi.
“It’s a really clever design... I’m getting a remarkably smooth, fat and even cardioid dispersion of sub bass across the entire arena for me.” MATT BUTCHER on d&b’s GSL 6
Butcher continued: “My first impression was that it is very quick to rig, using the compression mode for flying, and I was bowled over as soon as we turned it on because the amount of punch you get from the low end is startling. “When we first started using it we were playing bottom heavy program without the subs on and putting a little 60Hz bump in the PA just to see how much low end we could get out of it, and it was pretty staggering. We then fired up the new SL-SUB which is just on another level. I believe it’s almost a hybrid of the J-SUB and J-INFRA, but the new model goes lower and is incredibly powerful whilst retaining so much clarity. “Generally speaking, with sub arrays you can lose that power alley effect down the middle, making it a little bumpy at FOH while it tails off when you move away, but I’m not finding this to be the case with GSL. I’m getting a remarkably smooth, fat and even cardioid dispersion of sub bass across the entire arena. iNPUT • ENTEC SOUND & LIGHT • SPRING 2018
Main man Damon Albarn.
“Right from the start of our pre-production, we made the firm decision to do everything absolutely right and not compromise the audio quality. The results speak for themselves. “A few of us have known Damon for so long that we feel able to make a lot of suggestions for improvement and he respects our opinions. For instance, we were very meticulous about assembling the kick drum samples from the various Gorillaz records so that they can be triggered live and they are reproduced so well through this new d&b system. We’re achieving a very tight bottom end and great articulation on bass guitar and bass synths.” STRENGTHS OF VIRTUAL SILENCE Powered by d&b D80 digital amplifiers, one aspect of GSL that excited both Butcher and monitor engineer Dave Guerin is the virtual absence of audio leakage behind the flown arrays. “Our first few days with the system were remarkable,” Butcher said. iNPUT • ENTEC SOUND & LIGHT • SPRING 2018
“I walked around the back and the sound just disappeared. We ended up taking the level down by 2-3dB because we no longer had to rise above the ‘disinformation’ that we had become accustomed to. We suddenly appreciated how much level usually comes out of the back of a box. Because there’s no extraneous low end floating around on stage, everything sounds so much cleaner all the way down the line, so from my perspective at FOH it’s a perfect situation.” Dave Guerin explained further: “Even with the PA running at about 102dB at FOH, I’m hearing almost nothing from the PA itself at the side of the stage and for the first time ever, I can actually hear low end in my wedges. There is no recognisable spill from the sub array – only some reflections from the auditorium – and this is quite phenomenal.” With GSL currently in short supply due to its relative infancy, Entec fielded d&b V-Series enclosures for the PA’s side hangs, with two V8s and a pair of V-SUBs (per side) reserved as sidefills. 7
“By moving all the shout inputs and outputs to the SD11i, it means I’m not quite fully maxed out on the SD7, which is why I’m able to fit some additional performers on there.” DAVE GUERIN
THE SD-FACTOR Gorillaz’ production values have consistently become more complex since 2005’s Demon Days Live, involving many high quality collaborations with choirs and stellar guests. The extension of Albarn’s orchestral ambitions have led to additional textures and layers that, in turn, have laid down greater challenges for the audio department. “It’s always rewarding to come up with the solutions that make it all work on stage,” commented Butcher. “This is a complicated show with so much going on at any one time. Our core line-up consists of drums, electronic percussion, guitar, bass, two keyboard players, six backing vocalists and Damon who plays piano, guitars and keytar. We also have the five-piece Hypnotic Brass Ensemble with us as well as a fivepiece string section, and that combination is a first for us tonight at the O2 in London. We’re effectively shoehorning them into the mix because we have pretty much reached the limits of what is possible with an SD7 but, for me, it’s the best control surface for a job of this scale.” A DiGiCo user since mixing on his first D5 in 2009, Butcher said: “I moved to Midas for a while but I returned to DiGiCo when they launched the SD-Rack, and I’ve remained with the brand ever since. The symmetry of the SD7’s layout – with left and right fader 8
bays, and a master VCA bay in the middle – allows me to do three things simultaneously, and that is what makes it so practical. On the left, I have two layers of band instruments with vocals and guests on the right. Dave’s fader layout is fairly similar for the same practical reasons; we double up eight radio mics into individual artist channels.” Butcher admitted to being a “big fan” of the SD7’s internal dynamics. The plug-ins he uses include aural exciters on snares, ADT, compressors and four delays with one assigned to replicate a CB radio effect. “Alongside those, I’m also running a Waves SoundGrid package on a laptop for things like live hard autotune effects on vocals for a De La Soul number and ‘Saturnz Barz’, the Popcaan track from Humanz. Waves also comes in handy for de-essers, multi-band effects and a gated fuzz box for snares. We’ve always tried to make things a little more interesting by integrating dub flavours. “When Gorillaz first toured in 2001, we only had the one album and the band played behind a screen while the visual focus was on Jamie Hewlett’s projected animation. We livened things up by using tone generators and I’ve tried to retain that funky element of experimentation with the current show, so I still carry some outboard rack devices like a distressor and a TC Electronic Fireworx, an old favourite that can be awkward iNPUT • ENTEC SOUND & LIGHT • SPRING 2018
to programme but it’s been a great source of unusual effects that come and go. It’s a bit like taking a studio out on the road.” Due to the nature of the show and its ever-changing roll call of special guests, the input count can differ from one night to the next, however, Butcher reported that “as a guide, I can just about record the show at 48kHz on 128 inputs on a Waves MGB interface via two MADI streams.” ATTENTION The scale of the production demanded an obsessive level of attention during the planning of the tour and the task of writing the audio system spec fell to Dave Guerin, whose documentation includes accurate info on patching, routing, input numbers and record outputs, for all of the audio team to follow. At the core of the system are three DiGiCo SDRacks while a Lenovo Thinkpad drives a DiGiCo Orange Box audio format converter for keyboards and tracks. In total, there are 28 channels of Ableton playback, eight tracks of click for various band members, and eight channels of digital keyboards with other keyboards such as piano, Moog and vocoder running off analogue outputs. “Everything is backed up so that there’s an instant remedy for any individual channel failure,” advised Guerin, whose association with Damon Albarn goes back 22 years. Like his compadre at FOH, Guerin’s monitor desk choice is also an SD7, however, due to the colossal input count of 133 channels, he specified an SD11i to accommodate the crew’s 20-channel shout system (with d&b E5 speakers for the engineer) and provide separate monitoring for playback and keyboards tech Andy Hamwee. “Including back-ups, Andy is monitoring about 64 channels. Analogue back-ups are switched in via
“Working with Entec has been really good,” says Joel Stanley, the ex-professional drummer turned production manager who leads the Gorillaz circus from continent to continent. “The last time I worked with Entec was on Blur when Dick Hayes was still heading the sound department, and it’s a pleasure to be dealing with Jonny Clark, his successor. No request has been too big for Jonny; nothing has ever been a problem. “Whenever we have identified a piece of equipment that we desperately need, Entec has ensured that if they don’t have it in stock, they will purchase it without hesitation. They’ve been solid and I feel like we consistently have their complete attention. “From January 2017 onwards, Damon was attending weekly meetings, looking at different concepts and evolving the show design. He has a level of attention and commitment I have never really seen with any other bands I’ve worked with. “Jamie [Hewlett], meanwhile, was in the studio working on all the crucial animation, the music videos and the Humanz album artwork. It was real hive of activity.”
Gorillaz characters by Jamie Hewlett Joel Stanley photo by Justin Jones
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JOEL STANLEY MAN AT THE TOP
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Special guests at the O2 Arena in December included Noel Gallagher and Blur’s Graham Coxon. Opposite: Pusha T with Mavis Staples duetting on-screen.
a Macro, the main inputs being MADI via an Orange Box to the Opto-core. While Andy has direct control of the SD11i, I control it via an iPad app. Andy also has a FOH mix into the SD11i and he’s able to check that everything on the tracks is audible in the FOH mix and advise on any levels to be adjusted. “By moving all the shout channels to the SD11i, it means I’m not quite fully maxed out on the SD7, which is why I’m able to fit some additional performers on there like the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. Having spare resources on the SD11i means we can split the shout system so that Andy and another tech can line check all the keys and their MIDI, while I can simultaneously line check everything else with [Entec’s] James ‘Kedge’ Kerridge, our stage tech, without talking over each other. “In fact, Kedge has been a great ally in all of this. As well as mixing monitors for the support act, Little Simz,
he is on a headset throughout the show and looks after the cables. He will often relay stage instructions back to me for mix adjustments.” Entec’s package also included DiGiCo SD12s for the support’s FOH and monitor mixes. IN THE WINGS Guerin generates an average of 20 mono monitor mixes with 30 in stereo for in-ear feeds, sidefills and Albarn’s piano wedges. Backing vocals are mixed left and right, with Albarn’s vocal centred. Twelve d&b M4 wedges are distributed across the stage as well as a V-SUB that is added to the drum fill. Jerry Harvey JH16V2 Pro in-ear monitors are used for the majority of the performers in conjunction with Shure PSM 1000 hardware. “It’s a surprisingly quiet stage despite the extensive amount of activity,” noted Guerin, “and that especially
“This is a complicated show with so much going on... it’s always rewarding to come up with the solutions that make it all work on stage.” MATT BUTCHER 10
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helps when you add the string section because you’re not battling against the inevitable background sound pouring down the string mics. You can get them in the sidefill mix without generating feedback.” The RF side of the operation is wholly dependent on Entec’s recent major commitment to Shure’s new hightier Axient Digital system, which handles around 50 channels of IEM and AD Series radio mics for vocals and backline, all of which are monitored from a Waves eMotion LV1 desk via a patch on the SD11i. Entec was the first rental company to tour Axient Digital on such a rigorous live schedule and application, and RF technician Ben Shapiro played a key role in the implementation of Axient for the tour. He said: “Having first heard it being demonstrated in America, I was impressed by just how reliable the system was. Once you have done your scan, your plot and loaded it in, I don’t have to swap frequencies around. The AD1
bodypack transmitter and AD2 handheld microphone are truly phenomenal units, and they sync incredibly quickly. “My set-up time has been dramatically reduced whilst using Axient, saving me time to focus on more resource intensive aspects of the tour. Having a simple cross-platform of being able to see my RF reception and audio reception/quality from the mics and instruments means I can make rational decisions even if sometimes one of those signals might not be where I’d like it to be, which often happened. I would have potentially made some bad decisions had I not had this feature.” “I was taken aback by how clean the Axient sound is,” commented Butcher, whose opinion was shared by Guerin. “Yes, it’s a real step up in quality,” he said. “As we have so many people on in-ears, it wasn’t a problem to stretch to another seven packs for the BVs
“[Shure Axient Digital] is a real step up in quality. I’ve been extremely happy with the results.” DAVE GUERIN iNPUT • ENTEC SOUND & LIGHT • SPRING 2018
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The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble. Below: Happy Mondays frontman Shaun Ryder. Bottom right: Gorillaz win at The BRIT Awatds.
who, after previously being tethered to their mic stands, are now on radio mics and have the freedom to dance around. We were concerned that we wouldn’t have enough spectrum available for everything, but we went to Axient for the radio mic systems and for the guitars and bass, the latter having a much narrower bandwidth per channel and therefore freeing up more air space for the IEM systems. I’ve been extremely happy with the results.” 12
The Humanz tour has been yet another exciting chapter in Entec’s long history with Gorillaz’ band leader and the company’s support is valued highly by crew and production management alike. “It’s great having [head of sound] Jonny Clark at Entec; we’re clearly all on the same side… he’s one of us,” Guerin pointed out. “I had a problem a couple of days ago and texted Jonny. He was immediately on the case and had someone here with me this morning to solve the issue without the slightest fuss.” Gorillaz’ 2018 activity began in the coolest style when the band
scooped the well deserved British Group prize at The BRIT Awards. Their live itinerary continues in Latin America in mid-March after which the Humanz tour returns to Europe for a summer run at festivals including Rock am Ring, Roskilde, Rock Werchter and Bilbao’s BBK Live. www.gorillaz.com www.dbaudio.com www.digico.biz • www.shure.co.uk BRIT Awards photo © JM Enternational Ltd
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“GLP has reinvented the hybrid strobe as we know it. Setting the bar high, the JDC1 may possibly become the most popular strobe light ever.” Richard Olson, PLSN magazine, 2017
KING OF THE STROBES? February saw Entec’s lighting department take delivery of its first batch of JDC1 LED ‘hybrid’ strobes from German Light Products, with a further consignment arriving hard on its heels, making a total of 28 units. “Our purchase was originally encouraged by LDs Nico Riot and Liam Griffiths, who were very passionate about the product,” says Adam Stevenson, Entec’s assistant head of lighting. “Having already trialled the JDC1 on a number of projects, we are confident that this new fixture will become an exceptionally popular rental item for us. It’s a very hot product right now and we wanted to make a commitment to it on behalf of our clients as early as possible.” The new arrivals join Entec’s fleet of other recently acquired, leading edge special effect fixtures, namely 30 Ayrton MagicBlade FX, 25 Solaris Flare Q+ (with Kasmer diffusion accessories) and 24 GLP impression X4 Bar 20 battens. Designed to offer complete versatility, the JDC1 combines a traditional single tube element that deiNPUT • ENTEC SOUND & LIGHT • SPRING 2018
livers clear, bright white output with a full face of 1,440 RGB LEDs. Independent control of the single tube and LED elements is provided, meaning that fixtures can be operated individually or work together to create a wide range of effects. The tube and full face sections are both reportedly able to run continuously to deliver high output blinder and wash light effects without reducing output or suffering thermal cut-outs. The manufacturer states that the combined solution can also operate as a ‘powerful strobe light’. In his positive review for PLSN magazine, Richard Olson wrote: “The search for the perfect strobe light to replace the original Atomic model has been endless. Over the last three years, every lighting manufacturer has released their version of what they think the designers wanted… but to this designer’s eye, they were all missing something. Thank goodness GLP has put an end to all of this. “With all the various uses this fixture has, GLP has reinvented the hybrid strobe as we know it. The JDC1 may possibly become the most popular strobe light ever.” 13
THE NAKED AND FAMOUS TAKE BRIXTON
When award-winning New Zealand electronic act The Naked And Famous (T/N/A/F) came to London last October at the end of a successful festival season, Entec was delighted to supply the lighting equipment for their special one-off show at the 1,700-capacity Electric Brixton. Liam Griffiths of Stage Techniques has been the band’s lighting designer since they emerged from Auckland with their first major single ‘Young Blood’ in 2010. “I went out on a European tour with them that year and we all hit it off from the start,” says Liam. “I’ve been doing it ever since. They’re a fantastic band to light.”
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Earlier this year, T/N/A/F – singer Alisa Xayalith, Thom Powers, Aaron Short, David Beadle and Jesse Wood – toured North America with Griffiths, prior to the LD ‘jumping off the bus’ to work with chart stars Clean Bandit (see separate feature) during the summer. Featuring their hits ‘Higher’, ‘Punching In A Dream’, ‘Hearts Like Ours’ and ‘I Kill Giants’, T/N/A/F’s show at the home of former rave palace The Fridge saw Liam base his design around visual references to their most recent album, 2016’s Simple Forms. Piloting an Entec-supplied grandMA2 light console with an onPC command wing, the LD specified 24 Ayrton MagicBlade-FX and 15 TMB Solaris Flare Q+ 36°
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units, which are among some of the west London rental company’s latest inventory acquisitions. Liam comments: “I had been using the new Flares on Clean Bandit throughout this year and I was immediately impressed with the evenness of the field of light they provide and how incredibly bright they are [the Q+ is capable of an astounding 52,000 Lumens]. Consequently, I never run them at anywhere near 100%. They were particularly good in the case of T/N/A/F for silhouetting upstage and also as side washes as an alternative to relying on front trusses. “The MagicBlade-FX is the version that comes equipped with a 15:1 optical zoom system and, again, I was very happy with the performance and the variety of looks that can be achieved with them. These were the fixtures clamped on to the uprights [Tomcat 12” tower trusses] that were raked backwards to provide more depth, giving the impression of the lights leaning away from the stage. “It was a neat, chequered effect with a variety of patterns that I created through the permutations of the LED sources.” HIGHLIGHT In terms of colour, Liam favoured blue and red gradient atmospherics from Robe LEDWash 600s, notably to highlight the artists’ faces, while the band’s promotional videos provided source material for effects. “I was feeding low-res video content into the MA2 and the whole show was bitmapped rather than relying on the console’s effects generator that everyone seems to go for, and that seemed to work really well.” Entec was represented at the show by lighting technician Will Wright. “For a single show, it was a lot of work but it all went very smoothly, thanks to Entec,” says Liam, whose CV is also peppered with names including Rudimental, The Enemy and Maxïmo Park. “Everything was in good shape and Will knows his job inside out, so it was a pleasure having him there.” www.stagetechniques.com Photography courtesy of Siôn Roe iNPUT • ENTEC SOUND & LIGHT • SPRING 2018
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TEAM
TALK Q+A
ALASTAIR PARLEY
Audio Department Co-ordinator You came aboard the good ship Entec on February 1st, however, your exposure to the company’s work goes back a long way. “Ever since I started in this industry over 25 years ago, Entec has been a familiar name to me as a very high-end supplier with a formidable reputation. Early in my career, I became a PA technician and a local crew boss in Scotland, before I took on the technical management of the O2 Academy Glasgow. “When I moved down to London in 2010 to begin a new position as technical manager at Hammersmith Apollo, and became the main contact for all incoming productions, I was pleased to discover that Entec was already one of my predecessor’s regular sound and lighting suppliers, so I was very happy to continue with that arrangement and our relationship built up from there.” What most impressed you about the company during your seven and a half years at the venue? “As the Apollo and its events developed, I was working with Entec on a range of very technically demanding shows, and they never let me down a single time. “A number of the artist clients were coming from overseas – from China, Russia and Hungary, for example – with fairly minimal equipment and very specific requirements for their productions. Many of them were not too familiar with British rental companies, so when Entec’s crew were able to take care of
all their needs without a hint of fuss, any concerns they may have had simply evaporated.” Is there a particular project from your time at Hammersmith Apollo that stands out as a milestone for you? “Most definitely. It would have to be Kate Bush’s Before The Dawn production which ran for a phenomenal 22 dates in 2014. “I worked with SJM and The Production Office on that for the best part of two years. It’s by far the most unique show I’ve ever done, that’s for sure, combining music, theatre, comedy, dance and puppetry. I don’t think I’ve ever see anything like that again… unless Kate returns to the stage, of course. “In terms of working with Entec at the Apollo, there were many great projects such as Chic with Nile Rodgers, and the ‘immersive’ Quadrophenia screening with live action, but the one I feel had everything going for it was when Ricky Martin came to perform for the benefit of Autism Rocks. What a night!” Your position at Entec has effectively been created to fit your experience. What does this entail? “That’s correct... in many ways it is a brand new role with responsibility for managing client relations as well as the day-to-day co-ordination of the sound department, freeing [head of sound] Jonny Clark to concentrate on project management. I was very flattered to be asked to join by Jonny and Noreen.
“I was working with Entec on a range of very technically demanding shows, and they never let me down a single time.” 16
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How do you see the next year panning out for you and the department? “We are looking to further developing Entec as one of the first-call sources for a complete, easy to manage production package of sound, lighting and other elements, removing the need to go to multiple suppliers. That is a very attractive prospect for certain clients, and working together as a team with my Entec colleagues is something I’m really enjoying. “It’s all about cultivating and maintaining relationships in this business. Having been exposed to the demands and expectations of an incredibly wide range of artists at the Apollo, there cannot be many situations I haven’t dealt with before, and I’m fortunate to be able to carry that experience forward into this new position. “Entec’s independent status has appealed to me for a long time and I look forward to playing my part in continuing to improve our very personal brand of service to clients well into the future.”
Kate Bush and her record-breaking Before The Dawn residency at Hammersmith Apollo. Below: Ally’s first record purchase; Ricky Martin’s show for Autism Rocks.
Now for a bit of fun. Obviously you have been a huge music fan all your life, so we want to know the title of the first record you ever bought. “It was ‘Devil’s Answer’ by Atomic Rooster although it was one of a mixed bag of seven second-hand 45s I bought when I got hold of an old Dansette record player. The others included a few not-so-cool ‘Top Of The Pops’ EPs, but I also remember that the brilliant ‘Groovin’ With Mr. Bloe’ was amongst these 45s. I played them all to death!” It seems that you and Jonny have something in common other than audio. “Indeed! There’s a distinct Scottish influence in the office these days. But it’s even more specific than that – coincidentally, we are both from Aberdeen. We’ve known each other for quite a while although our paths have rarely crossed until now. It’s great working with him. In fact, I couldn’t have picked a better bunch of people to work with so I’m over the moon.”
“I look forward to playing my part in continuing to improve our personal brand of service to clients well into the future.” iNPUT • ENTEC SOUND & LIGHT • SPRING 2018
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Manson live at the SSE Arena, Wembley, December 9th 2017
Photography by Mark Cunningham 18
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MARILYN MANSON TOURING EUROPE WITH ENTEC
It has been nearly 30 years since Ohio-born visionary Brian Warner invented his controversial alter ego Marilyn Manson, setting off on a career journey that would help define modern metal through albums including Antichrist Superstar, Mechanical Animals and Heaven Upside Down. The latter, his 10th and most recent full-length release, emerged halfway through his latest transatlantic tour. It was the first to be supported by Entec, the west London rental company that provided a comprehensive lighting and sound package for the 20-date European leg, culminating in a show at Wembley’s SSE Arena where Hollywood legend Johnny Depp made a guest appearance with the band on guitar. Manson’s British fans were lucky to see him at all in December. Towards the end of American leg, after escaping a road crash in Moscow, Manson broke his ankle at a show in Pittsburgh but worse was to come the iNPUT • ENTEC SOUND & LIGHT • SPRING 2018
following night in New York when a 750kg stage prop fell on him, knocking him unconscious and breaking his fibula in two places. Miraculously, he was back on stage within five weeks and able to fulfil his European commitment despite still recovering. “Although we had pared back a number of the visual gags in favour of a more musically-driven show than he’d had in previous years, Manson’s accident forced us to bring in a number of strategic props, notably the motorised wheelchair in which he starts the show,” explained production manager Matt Doherty. “It’s uncanny how good it looks. When we first brought the wheelchair into rehearsal it just looked like something a paraplegic would use so we got a props guy in L.A. to ‘trick’ it up with a church-style back to it and now it looks ridiculously good. He ‘plays’ it really skilfully and uses it for two songs only because he will never over-do a gag.” 19
The Heaven Upside Down production was designed by Manson in partnership with Doherty and lighting director Nico Riot of Nantes-based Chirac Design. “Manson is very involved,” insisted Doherty. “He’s a good artist in his own right and he’ll send us pictures of things that we’ll later turn into reality. It involves me running around Los Angeles, bringing back things for him to look at discussing ideas such as kabuki drops. We have 50-odd solenoids running up to seven drops, from simple velvet through to a UV design and one we call the ‘True Detective’ which is his own artwork of him with an automatic rifle.” Doherty entered Manson’s world in April 2016 and later instigated some changes that took effect for last year’s European summer festival tour. One of those changes was to hire a package from Entec, a company with whom he had developed a relationship while working as Damon Albarn’s PM. He said: “Entec is a great fit for me. I get along with the people very well and maintaining relationships is what it’s all about. I’d spent 21 years running Big Day Out in Australia and wasn’t touring throughout that period. When that festival started to fall over, Craig Duffy threw me a bone by offering me a Damon tour, for which Entec was the provider. 20
“I’m a supporter of the independent; I really don’t like it when big companies get bigger by eating up smaller firms. Loyalty is a two-way street – if you’re good to your suppliers, they will be good to you, and Entec really have been. I really liked the idea of having lights and sound from a single source, and Entec do that so well.” Nico Riot had been touring the world with French band Gojira for six years when he was asked to cover six Manson shows last summer, however, Doherty was keen for him to remain permanently. “I thought he was absolutely the man for the job,” the PM commented. “It was the first time that Manson hadn’t come offstage complaining about the lights. He was very happy with the way it all looked and it reinforced my hunch that Nico instinctively knew exactly what Manson needed.” It was on the summer run that Riot first struck up a bond with Entec lighting crew chief Peter ‘Pepper’ Schofield. On this latest tour, they were joined by Tom Mumby and Darren Hatherley. “Manson is a very clever performer,” said Riot. “He doesn’t want a light show as such. Instead, he will use light as a prop, moving and weaving in and out of beams to create drama. “This was quite difficult to understand at first because it was so against the grain of what is normally iNPUT • ENTEC SOUND & LIGHT • SPRING 2018
Production manager Matt Doherty
required of a rock’n’roll lighting guy, but I soon realised this is just one of many examples of Manson’s genius. I just have to get inside the song, appreciate what he’s saying, constantly observe what he’s doing and provide the kind of lighting that will complement his movement. If I’ve been using overhead light and then switch to the six [Thomas] PAR 64s on the floor, he will instinctively move towards them, put his face into the field of light and use it to look menacing.” Riot built his design around 36 GLP X4 Bar 20 LED zoom/tilt battens that were positioned on the floor to create a moody, creepy vibe. Interestingly, Manson himself requested 16 GLP JDC-1 LED strobes for use both upstage and downstage. “I think he saw them on another show and decided that was the look he wanted. It was so new that it was the first time I’d heard of it, but I could soon see how effective it would be and I’m
completely sold on the product. It give you three fixtures in one: there are the wash and strobe elements, but you also get pixel mapping.” Twenty-two Claypaky Sharpys and 12 Philips Vari*Lite 3000 Spots were included on the spec although Riot’s spot use was minimal. “I tend to use the spots more as washes,” he said. “The Sharpys were more important to the design because Manson’s brief prohibits too much movement, so I needed a really good beam that will offered a range of powerful looks. “Another fixture I love is the Claypaky A.leda B-Eye K20. I have 12 of them in this design; the zoom is brilliant and so is the richness of the colours. I’d used them before and I just had to use it on Manson. When the zoom narrows down, it goes from wash mode to a beam effect and you can control the elements of each of the 37 LEDs precisely. It’s an amazing tool. The
“Manson is very involved. He’s a good artist in his own right and he’ll send us pictures of things that we’ll later turn into reality.” MATT DOHERTY iNPUT • ENTEC SOUND & LIGHT • SPRING 2018
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Lighting designer Nico Riot
show is about Manson, obviously, so the band are in darkness most of the time but I have [14] Martin MAC Aura XBs as side washes for pick-ups during some parts of the performance.” As well as plenty of traditional Molefays for audience lighting and a battery of Martin Atomic 3000 strobes, an oddball addition to Riot’s spec was the request for a ‘fuzz’ working light that Manson held about his face during his cover of the Eurythmics’ ‘Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)’, against a UV-painted backdrop lit by Altman cannons. Riot ran the show from a ChamSys MagicQ MQ500 Stadium console, supplied with a wing and a back-up. “I’ve been a ChamSys user for three years,” informed the LD. “MA desks were always the norm for me because so many French venues have them as standard, but when I was touring with Gojira, one of the venues had a ChamSys. I immediately liked its features and since then it’s what I’ve been requesting. It seems to generate interest from other LDs every time I use it on a festival.
“Manson can be so unpredictable that I have to maintain the freedom to immediately change things and the MQ500 is great for that.” NICO RIOT
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“There are 200 universes onboard, you don’t need any nodes and it’s perfect for live busking, which is essential for me on this show. I program with Cue Stack but Manson can be so unpredictable that I have to maintain the freedom to immediately change things and the MQ500 is great for that.”
ON WITH D-SHOW Since filling the role of FOH sound engineer in late 2006, George Chapman has been virtually glued to the full-size Avid Venue D-Show as his mixing desk of choice. “It was an easy decision because there was already a D-Show in place when I got the gig!” laughed Chapman. “The board accommodated the show very well, not least because at the time it offered the Eventide plug-ins that we needed for Marilyn’s voice. The rack units were getting harder to find in good working order although we currently have Eventide H3000 D/SE Ultra Harmonizers on the tour for the same application. iNPUT • ENTEC SOUND & LIGHT • SPRING 2018
“Over the years I’ve used the board, I’ve found ways to manipulate it and make it sound the way it needs to for this show. Maybe in the next year or two, I’ll move on to something different but it continues to do a great job and it’s one of those boards you can pick one up anywhere, as well as parts. At the moment, I’m running 48 input channels so I’m close to needing another snake head or some more channels because the board is structured around banks of 48, but in the States, the drummer’s kit is a little smaller, so we might be OK in most situations. But it’s always nice to have a few extra channels. For instance, tonight we have a guest [Mr. Depp] coming on to play guitar and I need to accommodate him.” The subsonic element of Manson’s sound can be physically intimidating at times, however, Chapman manages to preserve intelligibility. “The music relies so much on that sub energy,” he said, “but there’s a lot of high and high-mid going on, and I have to achieve clarity within that. It‘s a fine balance of knowing which instruments you can have in those lower frequencies and which ones you want to keep out of that area while trying to control your PA system within any given environment. In the end, proper use of gain structure and hi-pass filters, and knowing the music well, are key to the job in hand.” While Chapman applies plenty of compression on the drum overheads and bass, the kick drums and toms only have gates over them. “Some of the backing tracks go a little further than I need them to in a live situation so I have to compress them quite a bit as well as vocals. The overall mix, however, is not compressed. I run it through a Midas XL42 analogue pre-amp to warm up the general sound of the show and trim a little of the system EQ.” Also in the outboard rack, Chapman had a pair of Avalon processors for Manson’s vocal. “The EQ section and preamp help to give his vocal some presence. It gives me a quick go-to EQ knob so that when he’s talking between songs, I can duck the lower end of his voice so it’s not booming all over the room.” iNPUT • ENTEC SOUND & LIGHT • SPRING 2018
FOH engineer George Chapman and (in background) system technician Bertie Hunter
Monitor engineer Sam Coy
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“I’m amazed at the difference [d&b ArrayProcessing] can make. I build five or six settings and we see which of them will work best for the room.” BERTIE HUNTER
MIXING MONITORS An audio pro for 10 years, Sam Coy was brought in mid-tour to take over monitors although he had already racked up some previous Manson experience. In 2009, when the band booked in to rehearse at Swing House, an L.A. company at which Coy worked, he was hired for the sessions. “As time wore on, they kept calling me for more rehearsals, even when they moved to other studios,” he said. “On this tour, I came in for the Berlin date [November 25th] and I’ve been having a lot of fun – the band are fantastic.” Although a long-time DiGiCo user, Coy has been mixing on Avid’s smaller Venue Profile console. “It’s the standard package and, like George, I inherited the Avid situation and, for now, I’m happy with it,” commented the engineer. “My predecessor ran a lot more plug-ins than I use. In monitor world, I find that keeping things fairly basic so that the console can function a little faster and I don’t have to worry about any glitches 24
when I’m changing from page to page. So I keep it to the must-haves, such the C6 multi-band compressor on vocals just to level all my frequencies out before they hit the in-ears.” Externally, Coy is almost mirroring Chapman’s Eventide outboard. “The slightly detuned flavour we get with it has been such a major part of the Manson sound on his recordings, so they won’t be going anywhere in the foreseeable future.” In the universe that Manson inhabits, microphones are a means of expression as well as regarded as disposable assets, as Matt Doherty explained: “A number of custom mic props have been developed for Manson, from the knife and AK47 versions to others shaped like a video camera or a cross. They all form part of the artist’s iconography.” On a more functional level, the tour carried Shure UR4D diversity receivers and hand-held transmitters with SM58 capsules, four of which were main mics on iNPUT • ENTEC SOUND & LIGHT • SPRING 2018
a switcher while another four acted as backups on the same frequencies. Coy grinned: “We have to apply some damage limitation because Manson can be rough on his mics, tossing them into the crowd or dropping them – mics go everywhere!” With 2018 already looking busy with return visits to North America and Europe, Chapman stated that there are plans to upgrade to the Axient Digital system within the year. “I’m aware that Entec has invested in a good supply of that new Shure system. I’m confident that it’ll offer a lot of improvement and a bunch of new features including frequency switching on the fly.” For Manson alone, Coy generates six separate mixes: a left/right mix into a pair of d&b M2 wedges either side of him, facing upward and “ripping his face off”. Said Coy: “Behind him we have four ‘butt fills’ because he comes in from the rear of the stage at the start of the gig. Guitarist Tyler Bates uses a single M2; Paul [Wiley] has a pair cranked up pretty hard and although drummer Gil Sharone has one M2, I’m only sending sub frequencies through it because he on hard-wired Shure in-ears as well as a buttkicker. The M2 is a very tight-sounding monitor – you don’t have to push to get a good top end and really move some air. “My responsibility is to get it as loud onstage as I can… and then turn it up a little more! That’s been a consistent request from the artist. I’ve measured the SPL a few times without the vocal and averaged around 104dB, so in real terms it’s probably nearer 107dB. We are, after all, trying to get over the level of the backline, so we need that kind of firepower, and the reason we have so many [18] M2s is so I can deliver as much clarity as possible.” ABOVE THE STAGE For the European tour, the main PA was Entec’s trusty d&b J-Series, powered by D80 amps and containing main hangs of 14 J8 boxes each with two J12s underneath. While 10 V8s were rigged per side as outfills to cover the bleachers, there were nine J-SUBs in a flown sub-array and 20 B22 subs across the front. Onstage, eight J8 sidefills and a further two B22s per side reinforced Manson’s vocals as well as covering the top outer parts of the audience. iNPUT • ENTEC SOUND & LIGHT • SPRING 2018
The system was ArrayProcessed to help achieve even coverage and, according to system technician Bertie Hunter, make the sound sparkle, as he explained: “I’m amazed at the difference it can make. You can sit anywhere, even in the top row at the back 25
of the room, and still get a good representation of what it sounds like standing at the front. In the high mids, it’s incredibly smooth and it throws very well. You certainly feel the power of the snare drum 80 metres away with the same detail.” Unlike crews in other situations, this team does not use a venue preset as a starting point for the set-up. Hunter: “George has a certain sound that he wants me to create from the system. Now that we are this advanced into the tour, I’ve increasingly understood his preferences and how to achieve them. I did the drawing for Wembley and then come in to simulate what I think the system will do. From there, I build five or six ArrayProcessing settings and George and I listen to each one in soundcheck to see which of them will work best for the room, bearing in mind it will inevitably change during the gig, depending on temperature and humidity.” The onstage volume was incredibly loud at Wembley, although it didn’t seem to faze Chapman, who said: “When we’ve played some of the smaller venues, however, the challenge was about how to blend the stage sound into the PA and that could be quite tricky. The thing is, it’s Marilyn Manson so it’s going to be a loud show; the audience expects that and our respon-
sibility to make it as loud as possible without hurting people’s ears.” Accompanying Bertie Hunter in the audio crew were Entec senior technician Peter Eltringham and monitor tech Arthur Mazzer. “I like these guys,” commented a visually satisfied Chapman. “They’ve done a great job and the d&b rig sounds fantastic, thanks to Bertie’s help. It’s fun because you can literally make it sound as good as you want it. Isn’t that every engineer’s dream? We have some more European touring with Entec coming up and I’m really looking forward to getting back with them next year. Matt Doherty, meanwhile, was mindful of a looming golden anniversary. “Entec is the oldest full service production company in Europe and you don’t get to 50 years without doing things right,” he said. “What an achievement for a company that hasn’t sold its soul! That really appeals to me as a client and working with Noreen [O’Riordan], Adam [Stevenson] and Jonny [Clark] has been a very rewarding experience. I’ve had good crew from them every time we’ve been out together and the service back-up is always solid. So whenever I have a client that suits the Entec model, I will remain with them.” www.marilynmanson.com
QUALITY USED EQUIPMENT from FULLY MAINTAINED and competitively priced EX-RENTAL PRODUCTS BY LEADING BRANDS INCLUDING MIDAS, AVID, d&b, jands, LAB.GRUPPEN, martin, ma lighting, avolites, clay paky and more
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The Bootleg Beatles and The Australian Pink Floyd Show continue to pack venues in the UK and Europe
ULTIMATE TRIBUTES
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Paky Alpha Spots HPE 300s, MAC Aura XBs and 4-Lite Molefay units. The Bootlegs’ current show has been designed and programmed by LD Fraser Elisha, whose absence at the console due to other commitments is being covered by Entec’s own Lee Stennett, while Damian Courage is on the tour as rigger and lighting technician. For Time, the 2018 tour by the Aussie Floyd, Entec’s lighting crew is led by Tom Crosbie with ‘Pepper’ Schofield on dimmers. The production features a sizeable range of equipment from Entec, notably Martin MAC Axiom Hybrids, Aura XBs, Robe LEDWash 600s, Clay Paky Sharpy Wash 330s and Solaris Flare Q+ LED units with accompanying Kasmer diffusion and barn door sets. Effects lighting includes Atomic 3000 strobes and Showtec Sunstrips. www.bootlegbeatles.com www.aussiefloyd.com
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Photography: TAPFS by Patrick Spruytenburg / rockportaal.nl • Bootleg Beatles © bootlegbeatles.com
When Entec first became involved with The Bootleg Beatles, 25 years ago, the tribute band concept was still a relatively new phenomenon. Along with The Australian Pink Floyd Show, another of Entec’s valued clients, which is currently celebrating 30 years on the road, the Bootlegs have consistently raised production values within this lucrative market, and Entec is very proud of its ongoing relationships with these two giants of the tribute world. Back from Europe in early March, The Bootleg Beatles immediately set off on their latest UK theatre tour with a compact Entec lighting rig designed to augment house systems. The kit includes 14 Martin MAC Viper Profiles, nine Robe LEDWash 600s and five Martin Stagebar 2s, run from a grandMA2 light console and MA2 On-PC Command Wing. For the Royal Albert Hall show on April 26th, Entec will be boosting its number of Vipers and adding Clay
WHAT OUR VAL
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“Entec is the oldest full service production company in Europe and you don’t get to 50 years without doing things right.”
“Our cohesive relationship with Entec and their ability to reinvest in new technology really helps us to move with the times. They simply understand what we need.”
“Working with them has been great. I have a lot of respect for Entec – they go the extra mile.”
MATT DOHERTY
KEVIN HOPGOOD
ANDY TINSLEY
Production manager, Marilyn Manson
Pull The Pin Out, management for The Australian Pink Floyd Show
Production/ tour manager, Deftones
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LUED CLIENTS SAY... “On this tour, working with Entec has been really good. I feel we consistently have their complete attention.”
“I’m not going anywhere else; it wouldn’t make any sense. Entec are always fair with us, the equipment is the best you can get and so is the service. They’re part of the family.”
“Nearly 25 years later, we continue to be loyal to Entec. Quite frankly, it just works.”
JOEL STANLEY
WAYNE HUSSEY
RAJ PATEL
Production manager, Gorillaz
Founder, lead vocalist & guitarist, The Mission
Company manager, The Bootleg Beatles
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L-R: Emma Jensen (technical production manager), Mark Johnston (monitor engineer), Dam Leaver & Erwin Hamilton (PA techs), Lee Stennett (LD), Bertie Hunter (FOH sound engineer), and Viva McPherson & Jenny Johnson from The Gig Company.
RAISING THE ROOF AT PORCHESTER HALL The Gig Company’s latest PCUK fund-raiser is a record-breaker! Photography by Suzan Moore & Mark Cunningham
Five years in, The Gig Company’s annual Evening With Suggs & Friends event for Pancreatic Cancer UK continues to successfully raise valuable funds and awareness with the support of Entec Sound & Light, whilst offering a unique bill of entertainment. At last October’s event, which featured Jools Holland, Tony Christie, Ruby Turner, Andreya Triana, Margo Buchanan, Andy Caine, the host himself, Suggs, and his wife Bette Bright, the record-breaking £200,000 accumulated through a VIP auction, donations and ticket sales represented another victory for producers Jenny Johnson and Viva McPherson, the fearless duo who run The Gig Company. “It felt perfect to return to Porchester Hall in Bayswater where it all started for us in 2013,” reported Jenny. “And having Entec behind us all the way once again meant that the quality of our evening was going to be absolutely first class. 30
“While Viva and I take the lead with all things production-related, experience has told us that we need somebody on hand when we have to start concentrating on the hosts. When we were at the Emirates Stadium, there was a large, supportive team in place but with this venue it’s more like a blank canvas. “When I consulted Noreen [O’Riordan], she suggested we bring in Emma Jensen to help us with the technical aspects of the production. Emma also crossed over into stage management, and was a great asset.” Jenny continued: “We generally approach Noreen for advice on pretty much anything. In fact, Entec is very much our backbone. Once you have that strong core, you have the confidence to make things happen.” Entec’s sound department provided a d&b V-Series system comprising V10P V12 and V8 loudspeakers, with V-SUB, C7-SUB and B22 subwoofers, powered iNPUT • ENTEC SOUND & LIGHT • SPRING 2018
Gravity-defying mirror ball act Valeriya Mursak.
The one and only Suggs,
by D12 amps. Bertie Hunter mixed at FOH on a Midas PRO2 desk while a PRO1 and a total of 14 d&b M2 and M4 floor wedges met all the requirements for Mark Johnston on monitors. They were assisted by Dam Leaver and Erwin Hamilton. Meanwhile, the comprehensive lighting package featured Clay Paky Alpha Spots and Sharpy Wash fixtures, Robe LED600s, Martin Stagebar2s, PixelPar 44s and the much in-demand Solaris Flare Q+ 36°, along with a host of ETC Source Fours, trussing and a star cloth. Senior lighting technician Lee Stennett stepped in as LD, operating a grandMA2 light console. “Entec are so calm about going in and getting everything done just right,” said Jenny. “The crew arrived looking sharp and very eager to do a fantastic job for us. Even when we had a power outage in the venue just before soundcheck, they resvolved the situation with total professionalism!” BIG-HITTERS Around half of the funds raised on the night came through an auction run by the charismatic Charles Hanson of BBC TV’s ‘Bargain Hunt’ fame. Items up for grabs included a holiday at Suggs’ villa in Puglia (sold twice for £21,000), a Gibson guitar signed by Eric Clapton, a Mark Knopfler-donated Fender Stratocaster, a Monaco Grand Prix race day experience on a luxury yacht and a superb package from TAP Management of a pair of tickets to a Lana Del Rey show in Barcelona with flights and hotel accommodation. iNPUT • ENTEC SOUND & LIGHT • SPRING 2018
Lee Stennett (foreground) & Bertie Hunter.
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Above: Jools Holland, Tony Christie, Ruby Turner, Suggs & Margo Buchanan, Andreya Triana & Bette Bright. Right: Midas PRO1 on stage, lighting and sound in place, wedges by d&b and Fender bass by Steve Pearce. Bottom: Room ambience and the live auction led by Charles Hanson.
“The auction was graced with a lot of big-hitters in the audience,” Jenny commented. “TAP Management also donated £5,000 in addition to their concert package, which was just incredible of them.” SPHERICAL ELEGANCE Mirror ball act Valeriya Mursak, unique in her field, provided one of the highlights of the evening. “We scoured the universe for her,” said Jenny. “As well as the great music and the auction, we felt we needed something special. We already had the stunning Glitter Belles as hostesses who had a really fun presence, but its always difficult to get the audience seated in time for dinner and Valeriya offered the perfect solution. “Her acrobatics captured everyone’s attention and the lighting
that turned something brilliant into a spectacular performance. The whole room was transformed into an elegant and magical environment as Valeriya performed her extraordinary routine.” In closing, Jenny added: “The room was full of generous, brilliant people who were so responsive to the energy of the evening. You could see that in the performers who had a wonderful exchange with the audience. The amount of congratulatory emails we received afterwards was overwhelming. “We love the freedom that Porchester Hall lends to productions such as this, so there is every chance we will return for our 2018 event. Watch this space!” www.thegigcompany.org www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk
To make a donation, please visit www.pcrf.org.uk
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iNPUT • ENTEC SOUND & LIGHT • SPRING 2018
GO WEST! iNPUT talks to Rough Trade director Stephen Godfroy about the latest addition to the brand’s successful chain of stores, and how Entec has assisted its systems install for live events.
Monday 11th December 2017 was a Red Letter Day for the Rough Trade group. On this chilly morning, it opened its new, 4,500 square foot premises in Bristol’s Nelson Street, bringing its retail outlet total in the UK and New York to five and adding further weight to its impact with live, in-store events. In the wake of its contributions to the influential Rough Trade East store in Brick Lane, Whitechapel, Entec once again had a firm presence with the technical event infrastructure at the new shop, where local post-punk outfit Idles was the first act to perform live. iNPUT spoke with Rough Trade’s Stephen Godfroy (left) about the Bristol set-up and asked how it differs to the flagship Brick Lane store. He said: “Our Bristol programming is more diverse than visitors usually experience at Rough Trade East. The performance space is capable of operating autonomously from the store area, which gives us more options. So in many ways, RT Bristol’s programming will be a hybrid of the gig events of RT East, with the in-house programming events of RT Nottingham. “Exactly how event programming will develop is obviously work in progress, but it will certainly reflect what the city itself demands, being a celebratory,
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safe place that music lovers of all ages and tastes will hopefully get the opportunity to enjoy. . How long was the turnaround from the start of the install top the opening event? “The Bristol installation was very quick. Entec are past masters at firstly designing and then installing. We opened for trading on December 11th and staged our inaugural gig four days later. It was very loud, very sweaty and very exciting! “Since opening, we’ve also presented The Go Team, Django Django, Shame, The Elder Island, Field Music and Pete Astor, amongst many others.” Who forms the main Rough Trade team behind the install and running of the live events programme? “We have a UK events manager who works alongside our product team to book performing bands across our UK stores, in conjunction with new album, release schedules. The bands typically play our stores in the week of release and we have an ‘album purchase’ ticket entry system.
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Brighton band The Go! Team appeared at Rough Trade Bristol on January 22nd to perform tracks from their new album Semicircle and sign copies for customers.
What were you looking for in a systems install for this new branch? “We didn’t have a particular system installation design in mind for RT Bristol. We rely very much on the trusted relations we have built up over the past decade with both Entec and d&b audiotechnik. Both appreciate the constraints we have, yet share the collective aim of delivering the highest standard in audio experience suitable for space and purpose. They’re simply world class and it’s a pleasure and privilege to be have them as our partners.” [Lighting fixtures were supplied from Entec’s ex-rental stock along with the addition of a new Zero 88 control desk and specification of scaffold fixings, power and data distribution.] How would you describe Entec’s role and practical interaction with other service suppliers? “Entec have vast experience – we have the pleasure of working with Noreen, Jonny and Adam – so in terms of working with other third parties involved in a install, they’re professional, patient, timely and considerate of both time and budget.” Do you think it is likely that we will see a further expansion of the Rough Trade brand in the UK?
“Then each store has a general manager who oversees everything, including events, but often an account manager will have direct store event management responsibility. Our stores also have their own sound engineer/s who work with us on a long-term, freelance basis. “For Bristol, our key staff included Seb Newton [general manager], Adrian Dutt [account manager], and sound engineer Matt Buckingham. They are all talented, great people and we are very lucky to have working for us.
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“Now that RT Bristol is open, we’re concentrating on making the most of what is now a great four-store presence in the UK, fusing each store with an online retail and social platform to deliver the omni-channel experience that all retailers strive to achieve. “We’re very lucky to have long-standing, trusted relationships with artist, label and customer communities. Serving each of these to the best of our abilities keeps us busy, so we’re in no rush to open further stores, but never say never.” Photography courtesy of roughtrade.com
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1992 NIRVANA MAKE HISTORY AT READING In 1989, Mean Fiddler Group was invited to handle artist bookings and co-promote with the aim of pushing the Reading Festival towards a more ‘indie’ direction. Before transferring full control of the legendary event to Vince Power’s company, NJF/Marquee took the reins for one last festival – the 20th at Reading and the 30th since the National Jazz Festival was launched – and what a festival it was. Reading ’92 was headlined by Nirvana at a time when the Seattle grunge icons were riding the crest of a wave after wowing the Reading crowd a year earlier and taking the world by storm with ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. Nirvana’s final UK gig, their 1992 set began with Cobain entering the stage in a wheel-
chair, wearing a medical smock and white wig following weeks of breakup rumours and reports of Cobain’s ill health. Despite not playing together for two months, their set was regarded as the band’s live peak and is often cited as one of festival history’s most captivating performances. Within 18 months, Cobain was dead.
The festival also marked a major breakthrough for the Manic Street Preachers, whose Nicky Wire says: “Reading is our favourite festival… when we played there in ’92, it was the first time we were really accepted by a big audience.” For Entec, the sound and lighting provider, its last Reading Festival was one to be proud of.
D i s c o v e r m o r e a b o u t E n t e c ’ s w o r k i n t h e ’ 9 0 s a t w w w. e n t e c l i v e . c o m / 1 9 9 0 s iNPUT • ENTEC SOUND & LIGHT • SPRING 2018
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Backstage at Cambridge Corn Exchange, left to right: Clean Bandit production manager Tec Beint, tour manager Andrew ‘Wilkie’ Wilkinson & lighting designer Liam Griffiths
photography by Siôn Roe & Mark Cunningham 38
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CLEAN BANDIT An Update From The Road
In the wake of a highly successful run of European festival appearances, including a notable performance at Glastonbury, classically-influenced electronic chart stars Clean Bandit returned to play a series of seven autumn shows around the UK, once again supported by Entec’s lighting division with a comprehensive rig including the unique Sceptron rotator pods that characterised their summer run. Kicking off at Glasgow’s Barrowlands on October 29th, the following day saw the tight-knit entourage arrive at Cambridge Corn Exchange where lighting designer Liam Griffiths and production manager Tec Beint discussed the journey and ongoing progression of the band whose new single, ‘I Miss You’, has been tipped to be this year’s Christmas chart-topper. Custom-designed as the main set pieces and built by Specialz with co-operation from Entec, the seven upstage rotator pods – or ‘lollipops’, as referred to by the crew – are each fitted with 10 Martin VDO Sceptron 10 1000mm linear LED battens. Mounted on a wheeled bases, they are capable of rotating 360° and delivering a variety of graphical permutations. The remainder of Entec’s lighting package included seven TMB Solaris Flare Q+ 36° LED fixtures, which were supplied with Kasmer diffuser and barn door sets. Said Liam: “Apart from the incredible brightness of the Flare Q+, what I really like is that with the Kasmer iNPUT • ENTEC SOUND & LIGHT • SPRING 2018
diffusion, you don’t see the LED sources themselves but a rich, soft glow across the stage.” Added for this tour were 14 Ayrton MagicBlade-FX units that gained Liam’s favour after using them on The Naked And Famous. “They looked so good that I had to have them for Clean Bandit to create another layer along with additional lines of Sceptrons – we have about 100 of them onstage in total, including some on uprights at the sides to provide more energy. That atmosphere is further boosted by Robe Robin LED 600s for side wash.” GLP’s new JDC1 hybrid LED strobe has been hailed by many in the industry as a revelation. It has certainly earned plenty of attention from Liam who incorporated half a dozen on the downstage edge for these dates and now has plans to use them in future designs. “I love them,” he claimed. “Having a strobe wash fixture with tilt is great as I use them to create a shadow of the band on the backdrop and I also have them bitmapped to create some nice eye candy moments.” Entec’s package also featured a full complement of trussing and a star cloth backdrop that Liam lights with an array of 30 Thomas PixelLine 1044s, creating additional depth to the set. 39
The LD’s preferred console these days is an MA Lighting grandMA2 light, which he runs alongside an OnPC Command Wing. It’s the latest chapter in a journey that began as an Avolites user. Liam explained: “A lot of lighting people I know started out with Avo and I eventually jumped from there to the High End Hog III and then a grandMA1, then back to a Hog III, and after a period on a ChamSys desk I’ve ended up staying with the MA2 light which suits me very well. “Reliability is one of its strongest assets but I also find I can be more creative with it. There doesn’t seem to be any limitations to what I can achieve and it’s now what I’m used to.
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“In my programming for this band, I’ve almost completely cut out any movement of the fixtures. Rather than include gratuitous use of moving light sequences, I find there is a lot of wisdom in the old phrase, ‘Less is more’. “Personally, I prefer to conjure an engaging atmosphere in which the band can perform and give the audiences more of an opportunity to experience them rather than be blinded by what I’m doing.” PROGRESS When chart success began to knock on Clean Bandit’s door, freelance production manager Tec Beint was called upon to guide them to the next rung of the ladder.
“They had been very busy on the club circuit and it was slowly developing,” he said. “After ‘Mozart’s House’ made the top 20 in 2013, everything started to change for them and this was the point at which their then MD Andy Gangadeen [Spice Girls, Massive Attack] asked if I would get involved and help achieve some cohesion with their touring. “We didn’t have a designated designer or operator at the time I came onboard. Several people came and went due to their other commitments, until we eventually discovered Liam who has been progressively improving the show since he joined us. “With show/set designer Rob
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TEC BEINT: EMBRACING THE TOURING LIFE “It was a pure love of music that led me to what I do for a living. I wanted to be in a band and although that didn’t work out, I liked what I knew about touring and was drawn to the idea of being part of the creative process. “As a production manager, you have to make the best out of whatever resources are at hand, and I’ve always enjoyed that challenge. When you’re blessed with working with people like Rob Sinclair, it’s fascinating to see the nuts and bolts of some really crazy ideas come to life and it’s very rewarding to be a part of it.”
Sinclair now on board and the band being looked after by tour manager Andrew ‘Wilkie‘ Wilkinson, we now have a really slick production that goes hand in hand with the band’s increasing success and popularity.” A two-truck production, the aim was to maintain consistency after the festival season. “Tec added: “The design is essentially a continuation with some subtle changes like the mirrored fascia on risers. Going indoors this autumn has certainly allowed the design to have an even greater impact.” CONFIDENCE Although he had “crossed paths” with Entec on isolated events in the
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past, it wasn’t until this year that Tec had the opportunity to cultivate a working relationship with the west London rental company. He explained: “It was through Jo Beirne [business development co-ordinator] that I started to talk to Entec about Clean Bandit. “What I found with Noreen O’Riordan and Adam Stevenson was not only how approachable they are but also that that their initial reaction to our design filled me with a lot of confidence. “They were immediately onboard with the concepts that were coming through, such as the rotating Sceptron panels, and were very enthusiastic about accommodating… well, everything. It’s something
that’s always good to hear when, as ever, you’re up against time. “I had already approached Dave Smith at Specialz about getting these panels made and Entec organised the Martin Sceptron LED strips to make the whole thing work. Little did I know that Dave, Noreen and Entec have a long, shared history together, so everyone was delighted. “By making me feel comfortable and relaxed, I was then able to leave the lighting in Entec’s hands and concentrate on other aspects of the production.”
www.stagetechniques.com www.sionroe.com
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S H O R T
C U T S
A round-up of further Entec activity...
Photography: BBC, Promotopia, Derek Ireland, Nintendo, Magic Sound Entertainment.
Above, left to right: Eason at the Copper Box Arena in Stratford; Tony Hall, the BBC’s Director General, at the Gillard Awards; Chevy Chase with Mike Read. Below: Imelda May; ‘The Legend of Zelda’; Ronghao Li. Opposite page, top: The Charlatans; Markiplier; Stone Sour; Bryson Tiller. Centre: the 2018 Teenage Cancer Trust concert season; Barenaked Ladies.
As 2017 began to reach its end, Entec was busy with a remarkably diverse span of projects that kept both its lighting and sound departments at full tilt. On November 4th, Hong Kong singer and actor Eason Chan’s C’Mon In Live tour played a packed one-nighter at the Copper Box Arena on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park site in Stratford. Entec’s lighting crew – Simon Honnor, Adam Bergen and Mark Baruch – took care of a rig majoring in Martin Axiom Hybrids, Viper Profiles and Aura XBs, with grandMA2 full-size and light desks in control. The sound
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department, meanwhile, provided a d&b J-Series PA with Y-Series sidefills and M4 wedges, a Sennheiser wireless system and DiGiCo and Yamaha consoles, with Peter Eltringham in the crew hot seat. Entec supplied lighting as Imelda May toured the UK in the wake of her fifth studio album, the T Bone Burnett-produced Life Love Flesh Blood, while The Charlatans headed out to perform tracks from their latest release, Different Days. Lighting was also provided at Coventry Cathedral for the 2017 edition of the BBC Gillard Awards, which recognise excellence in local radio.
Grammy-nominated American rockers Stone Sour – featuring Slipknot vocalist Corey Taylor – and opening act The Pretty Reckless performed around the UK with Entec’s Lycian followspotst. To get everyone in the seasonal mood, the company was delighted to supply lights for a very special Christmas piano concert at St. James’ Church in Piccadilly. At the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith, Entec was the chosen lighting vendor for a host of events including ‘The Legend Of Zelda: Symphony Of The Goddesses’, a two-hour concert that brought Nin-
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tendo composer Koji Kondo’s music from Zelda games to life with a 57-piece orchestra and a choir of 20. U.S. singer, songwriter and rapper Bryson Tiller played three shows at the venue as part of his Set It Off tour and, in the middle of his run, the Zoological Society of London’s Roar With Laughter comedy fundraiser returned with star names such as Alan Carr and Stephen K. Amos. The year was seen out at the Apollo with the Club de Fromage New Year’s Eve party.
MANAGING DIRECTOR & HEAD OF LIGHTING Noreen O’Riordan HEAD OF SOUND Jonny Clark | AUDIO DEPARTMENT CO-ORDINATOR Alastair Parley ASSISTANT HEAD OF LIGHTING Adam Stevenson | LOGISTICS & DRY HIRE SOUND Phil Waters SENIOR SERVICE TECHNICIANS Lee Stennett (Lighting) & Peter Eltringham (Sound) TECHNICIANS Peter Schofield (Lighting) & Tom Olorenshaw (Sound) ACCOUNTS Laurie Coombs & Druvi Attygalle | FINANCIAL DIRECTOR Barbara Pendleton CHAIRMAN Nick Pendleton | DIRECTOR/COMPANY SECRETARY Simon White iNPUT EDITOR & DESIGNER Mark Cunningham/Liveculture | Copyright © 2018 Marquee Entec Limited
517 Yeading Lane, Nor tholt, Middlesex UB5 6LN, United Kingdom Email • sales@entecLIVE.com Web • www.entecLIVE.com
iNPUT • ENTEC SOUND & LIGHT • SPRING 2018
Tel • +44 (0) 20 8842 4004 Facebook • www.fb.com/entec50
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Photography: Stone Sour, Matt Barnes, Eventim Apollo, Teenage Cancer Trust
LONDON DÉBUT As Hogmanay hangovers subsided and January kicked in, Entec was back at the Apollo to assist Magic Sound Entertainment with the début live performance in London by Chinese pop star Ronghao Li, who has reached the No.1 spot in over 100 music charts across Asia. A week later, the venue hosted an ’Evening of Comedy’ with Hollywood icon Chevy Chase, who was interviewed on stage by broadcaster Mike Read. American YouTube sensation Markiplier – real name Mark Edward Fischbach – visited the UK in February with his five-date You’re Welcome ‘improv’ tour. Entec’s lighting and sound departments were both engaged in London, and it was hardly surprising that the show was
a sell-out – Markiplier’s YouTube channel currently has over nine billion views and 19 million subscribers! As well as continuing to support live music at Metropolis Studios in Chiswick, Entec has been busy in the field of religious events. The Rend Collective, a group of Christian musicians from Northern Ireland, are playing a string of shows, while Generation Hope, a Buddhist youth event also benefitted from lighting and sound from Entec. On top of a raft of dry hires and subhires, the sound team are busy with Editors, Feeder’s O2 Academy Brixton gig, and this year’s Teenage Cancer Trust events, featuring UB40, Russell Howard, Nile Rodgers, Roger Daltrey, Kasabian and Def Leppard, will see Entec provide extensive audio for the 19th consecutive year. Meanwhile, April will see Entec’s sound and lighting departments on the road with Barenaked Ladies and brighten up the stage once again for stand-up comedian Paul Chowdhry as he plays multiple nights in Hammersmith. Other recent noteworthy clients and projects have also included the Pretenders (on their Alone tour), Shaggy, Joey Badass, Genesis tribute The Musical Box, live music at House of Vans stores and the HMV Conference for ANGP Event Productions.
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