THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS

The electronica pioneers take to the stage for the first time since late 2019 for a headline performance at Latitude Festival.

Words: Stew Hume Photos: Luke Dyson [p28,33,34, 36, 37] & Matt Eachus [p30, 32]

Festival Republic has made a major effort to get outdoor events up and running in 2021. With each of its shows, from its Sefton Park test event [TPi #262] to the Download Pilot [TPi #263], the production values have increased. This trend continued into Latitude weekend, with a no-holds-barred headline performance from The Chemical Brothers. Complete with a massive LED screen, complex automated lighting moves and brand-new visual content, the duo’s return to the stage was a well and truly triumphant one. With their set finished, both band and crew already had their eyes set on two more performances at Creamfields and TRNSMT Festival, but before preparation for both those shows began, TPi grabbed a word with some of the key members of the production to discuss the Latitude experience. Calling in from his home office in Australia was long-time Production Manager, Toby Dennis of I Smashed Productions. While many of us have had to adapt to working from home recently, Dennis certainly showcased the possibility of remote working, pulling together all the pieces for the band’s performance from the other side of the world. “I suppose the advantage is that over here in Oz, I’m technically in the future,” he joked, as he walked through his average day of making sure that all the moving parts came together for the band’s headline slot. Winding the clocks back, the PM discussed how COVID-19 had affected The Chemical Brothers, who were just beginning production rehearsals in March 2020. “I got a call from my wife saying that they were closing the borders in Australia, so I brushed my desk at Fly By Nite Studios into my bag and headed for the airport.” The result was that many of the components for the tour were not finished, although this meant that the production had a starting point when the green light for Latitude was finally given. “Essentially, what we’ve got is an amalgamation of the production from 2019 with a twist with some of the newer elements we were working on prior to lockdown,” stated the PM. Dennis highlighted the importance of the vast majority of longstanding crew and suppliers that once again came on board for this project. “Bar myself and one other, all our usual crew were on board for the whole process,” he explained, emphasising how much easier this made his remote PM undertaking. When it came to suppliers, Dennis once again called upon Lite Alternative for lighting and automation, ER Productions for Lasers, Skan PA for audio control, Universal Pixels for LED screens, Basic Monkey for media servers and Fly By Nite for transport. With Dennis having to sit out the inperson rehearsals and the show, some of his responsibilities had to be shared among the crew. Along with handling his other duties as Tour Manager, James Baseley also took on another responsibility. “Early on in lockdown, I signed myself up for a First Option Course,” reflected Baseley. “This gave me the authority to take on the title of COVID Supervisor,” he

elaborated. During the course, Baseley had to create a fictional health and safety plan that included numerous COVID-19 protocols, and he explained that it was good to finally put this knowledge to use. “It was during our rehearsals at Production Park where we had the most stringent COVID procedure,” he stated. The production ran a bubble system comprising two separate groups. Bubble A was made up of the core production of The Chemical Brothers team who were on-site for most of the rehearsals, whereas Bubble B contained those who would only be on site on a temporary basis, such as riggers and other members of Production Park staff. “We also had a distancing system in place so A would never work in close quarters with B. For example, members from two different bubbles would never unload a truck at the same time. We operated like that for the whole week and then brought those protocols into Latitude. As we all walked off the busses with facemasks, everyone knew we meant business.” Baseley went on to describe the collaboration with Dennis to pull this project together. “We always approach things as a team,” he explained. “When it came to advancing the show, the process was exactly the same as it always is for a tour – we continually bounce ideas around.”

SETTING THE STAGE The creative duo of Adam Smith and Marcus Lyall were once again responsible for the overall show aesthetic, working closely with long-time Lighting Programmer, JC Aubreé. Walking TPi through the creative process was Adam Smith. Like many aspects of the production, the creative team had to cut their rehearsal time short in 2020. Then after getting the green light for the Latitude show, the team resurrected some of the ideas they had been working on. “For the opening song, Hey Boy Hey Girl, we had filmed a load of new content at The Imaginarium Studios – Andy Serkis’ motion capture studio. However, when we revisited the content for the Latitude rehearsals, as great as it was, we realised that we had made the characters very dark and moody – perhaps it reflected the time in early 2020.” As this show marked the grand re-emergence for The Chemical Brothers, Smith and Lyall reworked some of this new content to add vibrance. The creative team was keen to bring back one of the most awe-inspiring moments from the 2019 tour, when the content interacted with the physical lights, with beams of light shooting out from behind the LED screen. “Once again, I have to take my hat off to our Programmer, JC,” stated Smith. “The pre-programing we did for the show was intense; this show is now sitting on around 9,000 cues. What JC can get that desk [an MA Lighting grandMA3 running MA2 Software] to do is extraordinary. So many of the conversations we have with him, we’re essentially asking him to use lights as animation – something the MA is not designed to do, but he’s able to make it work every time.”

HARDWARE Facilitating the creative vision of Smith, Lyall and Aubreé were Lite Alternative, Universal Pixels and ER Productions, providing lighting, LED screens and lasers respectively. “It was fantastic to see a crowd enjoying themselves again,” began Lite Alternative’s Alex Johnson, before going into the technical aspects of the performance. “Watching the crowd was amazing; that is what we do in this industry – facilitate making people feel good.” Getting down to brass tacks, he described how the company ensured it would be ready for The Chemical Brothers’ return to the stage.

“Even after the rehearsals were cut short in 2020, we kept many parts of the kit they were using intact so that when we got the green light for Latitude, we knew everything was ready.”

For the rehearsals in Production Park, Lite Alternative provided both the touring packages and a replica festival rig. On that topic of designing for a headline festival slot, the PM jumped in to outline the mantra he and the rest of the crew had for such a project. “In short, we want to create a show that can be put on anywhere. We always think, ‘what is the standard festival look’ and then try to build it out from there.”

The upshot of this mentality means that other bands on the bill have a usable house rig, then The Chems’ production team can simply roll on their show for the headline slot. “We want everyone to have a good show,” stated Dennis. “Some people think I’m a bit strange for having that mentality but the way I see it, if each band has a great performance during the day, it only adds to the excitement when our boys come on stage.”

When it came to the touring lighting package brought into the festival, the supplier provided 54 Robe Mega Pointes, 12 GLP

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impression X4 Bar 20s, nine Martin by Harman MAC Quantum LED Washes, four MAC Aura LED Washes, three Ayrton MagicBlade-Rs, and 71 Solaris Flare Q+ LED Strobes.

Lite Alternative also handled all the automation needs for the production, supplying a full Kinesys system, which was handled by Automation Operator, Mark Goodall. “Mark had an awful lot of work in the build up for this show as everything is timed to exact positions,” stressed Johnson. “He had to take on the preprogramming that JC had done, take all the information positions and then check it all with Catalyst Operator, James Cooksey from Basic Monkey who once again supplied the Catalyst media servers.”

The content for the show was showcased on a large LED screen provided by Universal Pixels. The screen was a ROE Visual Vanish 18, utilising Brompton Technology processing.

Responsible for the build of the LED screen was Sam James. Having been a part of The Chemical Brothers camp for many years, one of James’ responsibilities has been to keep an eye on George and Mildred – the 4m-tall robots that have become synonymous with the band’s live shows.

“I had already given the two robots their annual service when Toby called me about Latitude,” he explained. “I was slightly nervous about the show as the time between rehearsals and the festival was quite tight and we didn’t have Toby, who is a key player in our production, on site. Also, it was just my number two Tim and I on site, along with the help of the local crew. I was somewhat broken by the end of the weekend, but it was an amazing experience to be back working on a ‘real’ show.”

Universal Pixels Commercial Director, Phil Mercer gave his thoughts on being involved in the landmark weekend. “We had been speaking to Toby Dennis and James Baseley for several months during the run up to the festival and desperately wanted it to happen,” he reminisced. Due to the company’s on-going work in the film industry, its warehouse has been fully operational since the start of 2021 so it was all set to deal with the demands of the band’s Latitude project, along with their headline sets at Creamfields and TRNSMT. The LED rig was to be kept intact between each of the three festival projects. “We always treat The Chemical Brothers’ campaigns like an on-going tour,’’ he explained.

ER Productions once again supplied the band’s special effects, with a laser package comprising a Phaenon Pro 30000, 18 ER KINEKT Lasers, four BeamBurst Lasers and a 24W Green Laser.

ER Productions’ Tom Vallis oversaw the laser programming and deployment. “For this show, we had a new laser track for Out of Control,” he commented. “The programming for this track is tightly integrated with the video content, following the movement of the characters across the screen in each direction, as well as highlighting vocal parts and synth riffs with the lasers. The meticulous programming involves thousands of events on

the programming timeline for the one track.” Along with the laser package, ER also supplied numerous other effects including 12 Viper Deluxe smoke Machines, four Unique Hazers and four Stadium Blaster Confetti Machines.

ER Production Director, Marc Webber commented: “This was a real motivator and lifted the spirits of everyone at ER. The Chemical Brothers was one of the tours that was mid rehearsals when everyone closed, so it felt perfect to be starting up again with them.”

AUDIO EXCELLENCE Speaking to TPi via Zoom from his studio surrounded by a multitude of synths, Backline Technician, Matt Cox discussed the past yearand-a-half. “When the rehearsals came to an abrupt end, I spent a great deal of time taking some of the older analogue synths in and out of the studios and giving them a service,” he explained. “The goal of this exercise was to be as prepared as possible when we finally got the green light to play shows again.”

There were no drastic changes to the band’s live setup at Latitude, with Cox describing the current rig as “a legacy of the past 25 years”. He added: “There is always something new coming in or out of the rig that we find space for.”

The biggest change for Cox was in the build up to the show. “I’ve always recorded each show and have a record of what every synth does on every song so I can re-build a live show using that audio,” he explained. “What this meant was that both the guys could remind themselves of certain arrangements of the songs, which made the process of going into these shows much simpler. Moving forward, I think it’s something I will do before each tour – it means a bit more programming, but it is worth the time.”

Also on stage in monitor world was Ian Barton, who was “really excited to be back doing a show again”. He continued: “Skan PA has been excellent as always – the gear is in top condition. Skan PA Audio Tech, Scott Essen is

also a solid team member for The Chems.” The engineer went on to explain how his process on this show was to use an analogue chain as much as possible in his setup. “TheMidasXL4hasaflawlesssound,and the ability to do two things at same time while keeping an eye on the next change is really helpful.XTAOutboardEQ,compressorsand crossovers add such a nice colour to the mix.” The engineer ran a stereo pair of L-Acoustics ArcswithDVsubsasrearfillstogetthesolid punch of the 15in drivers with MTD108S near fieldsforTomRowlands’centralstagemix.

At the other end of the multicore and holdingdownthemainPAmixwasShanHira, also at the helm of a Midas XL4. With analogue very much being the common theme within theband’saudiosetup,Hiraexplainedthat whenitcametopreparingfortheshow,itwas a much more hands-on experience than simply “tweakingashowfile”. Hecontinued:“ThefirstthingIreceivedin the build up to Latitude was an audio copy of theset,whichhadsomechangesfromtheone we had in 2019 – notably the inclusion of the newsingle, The Darkness That You Fear. After afewlistens,IanandIwentdowntoSkan’s warehousewithamultitrack,setupourdesks and outboard gear and ran through the set to get us back up to speed after such a long time.” Whenitcametooutboardgear,Hira hadaveritablespicerackofeffectstocall on,includingMXRDelaySystemII,Pitch Transposer,Flanger/Doubler,aRolandRE-20 SpaceEcho,Lexicon480L,PCM60,PCM41, anEventideH7600andaLine6FilterProand EchoPro.Fordynamics,theFOHEngineer hadfourXTAC2Compressors,twoD2 CompressorsandaGQ600GraphicEqualiser along with a Waves MaxxBCL.

“After hearing the set at production rehearsals,Igotsomefreshideasandmentally bankedthemforfutureuse,”Hiraexplained. “Eachgigcanbeverydifferentfromthe previousone,soIreactinthemomentandgo withthevibe.It’sverymuchahands-onmix.”

Despite such a long time away from the shows,Hirawasconfidentwalkingintothe festival.“Ifeltthattheshowwasinagoodplace comingoutofrehearsalsandIwasjustlooking forward to mixing the show on a nice big PA again,”hesmiled.

The PA for the weekend was an L-Acoustics K1 and K2 rig supplied by SSE Audio. “Nick Lythgoe from SSE got in touch with me directly ahead of time to ask how we would like the PA setup,soScottEssenandIhadachatand formulated a plan.” Hira’soriginalhopewastohaveamixture offlownandgroundsubssothathecouldget someofthe“thumpdownthefieldwithout caningpeopleinthepit,”hestated.Regrettably, theinfrastructuredidn’tallowforsubsintheair so,togettheevenspreadofsubcoverage,the engineer suggested the audio team went two boxeshighand13stackswideinthepit,spread evenlybetweenthemainhangs,andhavea motor box on top of every other stack to get it up to head height so they could have a pair of KARAfrontfills.

“The goal was to get as even a tonal balance aspossibleinthepitwithanicefatclubbyvibe,” heoutlined.“Allinall,wewereveryhappywith the PA and great service and attention to detail from SSE.” Toclose,Hiragavehisfinalthoughtson Latitude2021.“Ienjoyedtheday;itwasgreat toseelivemusicagainforthefirsttimein alongtime,andlovelytoseeareallylively crowdgoingforitduringtheshow.Iamlooking forward to hopefully more of the same for our other two upcoming shows.”

LOAD-IN AND OUT “ItwasincrediblyemotionalwhenIgotthecall thatthisonewasgoingahead,”StageManager, BenMaddensaid,givinghistwocentsonthe show. “Granted,theCOVID-19protocolswe hadinplacetookabitofgettingusedto,butas soonastheshowstarted,itallfeltincredibly normal.Ifeelveryprivilegedthatwegotthe chance to put on this show.” AlthoughLatitudewastechnicallyaone-off show,theteamdeployedmanyofthesame infrastructural elements they would for a tour,includingtheirspecifictruckingsetup, supportedbyitsloyalsupplier,FlyByNite.“Our truckingsetuphasalwaysbeensolid,”Dennis said. “We are very methodical and rather than simplyhavinganaudio,lighting,videotruck, welookedathowwecanmosteffectively transportourequipment.Thishasincluded building a mezzanine in one of the trucks to effectivelygiveusdoubletostorage.”

The consideration that then had to be decided upon was whether to keep all the trucks loaded between Latitude and Creamfields.“Itwasoveramonth’sgap betweenthosetwoshowsandintheend,itall comesdowntomoney,asyou’llhavetoinsure theequipmenttoputitinstorage.”Intheend, allequipmentwassentbacktotheirrespective supplierstobepickedupclosertoCreamfields.

Coming to the end of our interview with The ChemicalBrothers’crew,therewasastrange senseofdéjàvu.TheChemicalBrotherslast graced the pages of TPi for our January 2020 editionwhenCOVID-19wasmerelyatalking point in the new cycle and we were still a few months away from the devastating impact it would have on both society and our industry. Itseemedratherfittingthatoneofthelargest productions we covered this year with the return of live events was the electro duo – almost completing the circle. We may still be somewayofffromnormality,butasthesong states,we’ve Got To Keep On. www.latitudefestival.com www.thechemicalbrothers.com @ismashedit @smithandlyall www.lite-alternative.com www.er-productions.com www.skanpa.co.uk www.unipix.tv www.basicmonkey.net

517 DAYS IN THE MAKING: GORILLAZ

Marking the venue’s first live shows in 517 days, Gorillaz descend on London’s O2 arena for a series of monumental homecoming gigs with an impressive roll call of special guests and a talented touring team.

Words: Jacob Waite Photos: Luke Dyson & TPi

Celebrating two decades since the release of their self-titled debut album, Gorillaz, the world’s most successful virtual band made history yet again this August, embarking on two monumental homecoming shows at London’s O2 arena, as well as a pop-up show for friends and family at the indigo. The first arena show, on 10 August, was performed to NHS key workers and their families, with a sold-out capacity show for Gorillaz faithful the following night – each boasting a stellar line-up of guest artists, talented tour crew and technical suppliers, firmly setting a benchmark for post-pandemic arena shows. Followingproofofanegativelateralflow test (LFT), the adorning of accreditation and a brief backstage tech tour, TPi was greeted by Tour Manager, Rebecca Travis, who joined the Gorillaz camp six months prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’ve had a lot of opportunities to bethefirstoutofthegate,”shebegan,recalling the months spent working, budgeting and planning Gorillaz’s acclaimed Song Machine Live in December 2020, before the easing of restrictions permitted the go-ahead of Damon Albarn’s appearances at Live At Worthy Farm, Manchester International Festival, Latitude Festival and Edinburgh International Festival in support of his upcoming solo album. “We are pleasedtobethefirsttoopenuptheO2arena after it’s been asleep for so long. Although it is hard work, everybody is grafting to make it the bestshowpossible.”

The vendor roster comprised the collective expertise of Neg Earth, Video Design, Entec Sound and Light, Brilliant Stages, Opto, Fly By Nite, Mission Control, DART Rigging, Radiotek, Block9, Pixelmappers, The Pantry Maid, Band Pass and Executours. “All the suppliers involved arelongstandingcollaborators,”Travisnoted. Withfeaturedartistsspanningfivestates in America, and stretching as far as Italy, it was up to Travis and the touring team to navigate the logistics of a COVID-19 secure pathway for multipleartiststotakethestage.“Whenwefirst spoke, we were going to use UK-based artists. However, many are from the United States and as regulations eased slightly, we found we were able to bring them if they were quarantined. Many were also double-vaccinated, so were abletoquarantineformuchlesstime.”Despite taking daily LFTs and optional mask wearing, being on site, for the most part, was a surreal experience for the crew involved. “When we see a sold-out unmasked audience, it feels a world away from where we’ve been over the past18months.It’sexcitingbutoverwhelming,” Travis said, acknowledging the monumental taskathand.“PerforminginfrontofNHSstaff and their families was a fantastic and rewarding feeling for the band and crew. We are all excited to be back but also giving back to key workers andGorillazfans.”

Having advanced the two shows, including a low-key warm-up set for friends and family in the indigo at the O2, with upcoming visits to Boardmasters Festival around the corner at the time of writing, Travis often spends most of the shows wrangling the feature artists. Unusually, this time she was able to see some of the action from the side of the stage – thanks in part to her crack team of Production Manager, Tyrone Brunton and Assistant Tour Managers, Shadien‘London’MarsandMarcusDuffy,the sonoflateGorillazTourManager,CraigDuffy.

“I’ve worked with Tyrone for around 22 years onandoff,fromRiverdancetoFranzFerdinand, toBasementJaxx,beforecomingfullcircle,”

Travis recalled. “London and Marcus have been phenomenal, working closely with the artists; they are both full of beans. It’s been special for Marcustocontinuehisfather’slegacy.”

Production Manager, Tyrone Brunton said: “It feels very special to collaborate with our crew and suppliers again. With so much uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s been a privilegetobeinvolvedwiththefirstindoorfull capacity show for over 18 months. I would like tothankeveryoneinvolvedforthetheirefforts and hard work, for going above and beyond – as touring crew always do – to embrace and adapt totheseverystrangetimes.”

‘PUSHING THE ENVELOPE OF INNOVATION’ Block9 Creative Director, Stephen Gallagher said: “We’ve been working with Gorillaz under Jamie’s direction for the past four years, starting with the Gorillaz-curated Demon Dayz Festival at Dreamland in Margate in 2007, which wasthefirstshowweworkedonwiththem.We started with designing the festival but as things progressed, we were asked to jump onboard thecreativefortheliveshows.” And the rest, as they say, is history…

“This show brings together everything we’ve been working on over the past four years, tapping into the Gorillaz archive; it includes the work we made for the Humanz record, which wasthefirsttourweworkedon,throughdesign for The Now Now and Song Machine – Season One: Strange Timez,”Gallaghersaid,explaining the concept. “To commemorate 20 years of the band, we’ve melded the highlights from across their discography and archive material into a two-and-half-hour show, which is fun yet challenging given the genre-spanning musical stylesofeachrecord,frompunktogospel.”

Stuart Lowbridge worked closely with Damon Albarn and Musical Director, Mike Smith on the setlist, stitching together the musical flowofeachshow,allowingBlock9tofocuson weaving in complementing visuals. “We follow the emotional curve of the setlist, bringing in interstitial segments of video in line with the lightingdepartment.”

Block9 Producer, Alexa Pearson listed the carnival section of the show among her favoured looks. “The new carnival section is cool and a fresh outlook on Gorillaz live shows. We’ve taken Jamie’s artwork of Trellick Tower andcreatedvideocontentoffthebackof that – Jimmy Jimmy isn’t running to timecode either, so it’s ‘live-live’, with video content that is triggeredmanually.”

No stranger to innovation having replicated feature artists, Fatoumata Diawara and Beck in hologram, AR and VR formats during prior Gorillaz projects, live experimentation is part and parcel of the band’s live shows, Gallagher assured. “They are the perfect band to experiment and pilot new ideas, given their startingpointasavirtualband.”

Nowadays, Gallagher said, technology exists to make innovation possible. “We are interested in pushing technology in the live events space further using the archive of amazing visual and audio material associated with the band. Over the past 18 months, embarking on livestream experiences during lockdown has been an exciting creative exploration. Perhaps the merging of the realities of an audience in room and a global audience online is the next logical stepforwardforus.”

‘REESTABLISHING LIVE EVENTS’ Embarking on his third project with Gorillaz, Lighting Designer, Matt Pitman of Pixelmappers retraced the evolution of the band’s live output. “Musically,itchangessignificantlyfromshow to show, as do the visual elements – what we try to achieve gets more ambitious regarding the levels of programming, timecoding and integrationwithBlock9’svideocontent,”he commented, having collaborated with the collective several times over the years. “Slowly

FOH Engineer, Matt Butcher; Stage Tech, James ‘Kedge’ Kerridge; Playback Engineer, Andrew Hamwee; Lighting Designer, Matt Pitman and Lighting Programmer, Ollie Martin; Media Server Operators, Luke Collins and Rich Porter; RF Engineer, Ali Viles; Lead Truck Driver, Phil Infield; The Video Design team; The Pantry Maid team. but surely, we add more facets to the show as andwhenwecan.”

As creative directors, Block9 submitted a treatment based around the objectives of the band and management from show to show. “There’s an ongoing timeline of Jamie’s artwork which is developing throughout Gorillaz’s career,”Pitmanexplained.“Eachtimewe visualise something, elements change and they are corralled and directed by Block9 on behalf of Gorillaz. They submit that to me and I respondwithlightingforeachcircumstance.”

Tasked with specifying and designing alightingrigfitfortheatre,rock’n’rolland carnival themes, Pitman explained his challengingfixtureselectionprocess. “Despite not being the largest lighting rig, it has multiple usesandischallengedquiteheavily,”hesaid, gesturing to the rig. “We have a lot of discharge lights; we require a lot of lumens out of the rig in order to compete with such a large video surface,otherwiseitdoesn’tshowup.”

Of equal importance, Pitman said, is beam quality,flexibilityandbrightness,aswell as availability. “This rig requires something with many facets and we design around the parameters of the project. We needed to be able to respond to 87 songs and make each look unique with only a certain amount of equipment,sotherighastobeversatile.”

Joining Pitman at FOH was Lighting Programmer, Ollie Martin. When the show is run perfectly, around 80% is to timecode, with 20% manually operated. “There is nothing fixedaboutthisshow;it’sthemostchallenging element to working with this band but it is something I thrive on – it courses adrenaline through you at every performance. Not only not knowing what the band will be playing until minutes before they hit the stage, but also not knowing if they’re going to play what is on the running order, just those few minutes beforehand,”Pitmannoted,recallingthe assembly of talent involved in the project.

“It takes a great amount of diligence from many talented people to keep up with the creative and technical demands of the show. The entire show is a collaboration. The camp is made up of a team of people who are excellent at what they do. Just like the band, those that make the show happen are a huge part of the collaborative team that make the shows possible, which is how everyone feels about thisproject.”

Pitman and Martin used MA Lighting grandMA3 consoles for control. Spaced across fourflowntrussesandafloorpackage,theNeg Earth-supplied lighting rig boasted Claypaky Mythos and Sharpy Washes, Robe Robin BMFL Spots, TMB Solaris Flares, 2Lite Molefays, Martin by Harman MAC Aura XB LEDs, GLP impression X4 Bar 20s and Chroma-Q Color Force IIs. A RoboSpot system was deployed for followspots. While JEM AF-1 fans, Look Solutions Viper NT fog generators and Unique 2.1 hazers provided atmospherics, despite the venue’s extensive deployment of AC systems to account for a COVID-19 secure event.

The Neg Earth lighting team comprised Account Handler, Sam Ridgway; Lighting Crew Chief, Adam Morris; and Lighting Technicians, Blaine Dracup, Callum Humphries, Mark Bradshaw, Tom Comrie and William Frostman.

“It’s lovely to be back working with Neg Earthagain,”Pitmansaid.“Theidiosyncrasies I requested for the lighting rig on the last campaign were done as default this time around. I’ve also had people from the control and moving light department asking me if I was happy with things discussed on prior tours. That level of attention to detail and client interaction is much appreciated. They look after the show with the same amount of love thatweputtheshowonwith.”

Summing up his experience on site, Pitmanreferredtothe“special”experience ofprovidingashowforNHSstaffandtheir families.“Itwasspecialandsignificant.I’ve got a huge amount of respect for the NHS and being involved in creating a unique experience for them was a gift I’d give in an instant – to do it with a project so important to me felt really

special and I am privileged to be involved in the reestablishmentofliveevents.”

‘THE RESPONSE HAS BEEN AMAZING’ In keeping with Gorillaz’s propensity for digitisation, Video Design supplied a giant upstage screen made up of ROE Visual CB5 LED panels with Brompton Technology processing, which was used as the stage’s backdrop. Winvision 8mm LED panels were specifiedforleftandrightIMAGscreens,which were pushed further upstage than usual to accommodate a full-capacity crowd. Content was captured by a full HD camera system with processing coming courtesy of a disguise gx2c media server system.

Camera Director, Mark Davies oversaw eight cameras on stage – three Sony manned cameras, three BR Remote robotic cameras and two Marshall minicams. “The looks vary each night, however, we’re trying to curate a show which encompasses the entire band, feature artists, and the crowd, as opposed to a frontman,”Daviesexplained.

Outlining his favourite look as the moments where Damon Albarn is at the downstage centre, encompassed by the back wall of LED, Davies was pleased to be capturing live crowds. “The content on the screen is really good, so we tend to include that in the IMAGs as well. Work has been quite sparse over the past 18 months, so I’m glad to be back to business. It was nice to see a crowd in and the response to thebandfromthecrowdwasamazing.”

Media Server Operator, Rich Porter and Luke Collins oversaw two disguise gx 2 media servers – a main and a backup. “Luke and I have both been involved with programming and touring the video for Gorillaz over the past few years. We worked together to amalgamate thesepreviousshowfiles,addingthenew tracksfromtheupcomingcarnivalrecord,” Porter said. “It was an absolute pleasure to be back producing a live show again. There couldn’t have been a better show to return with thanGorillazandtheirguests.”Collinsadded:“It was an absolute pleasure to do some gigs with an audience. It made sense to have the pair of uscombinetheshowfilesintoaprojectwecan bothtakeforward.”

The Video Design team comprised System Engineer, Alan Yates; Crew Chief / LED Engineer, Jack Middlebrook; LED Engineers, Gary King, James Crossley, James ‘Oz’ Ross and Camera Operators, Roger Nelson and Rod Williams. Video Design’s Alex Leinster commented: “Seeing everyone back at work along with a crowd enjoying live music is amazing – that’s what made the past 18 months bearable. We’ve all pulled our companies through by the skin of the teeth and now we are gradually beginning to reap the rewards. Everybody involved in this project is at the top levelandhasbeendoingitforyears.”

‘A PROPER GIG’ Having spent the past 18 months split between mixing Gorillaz projects, home schooling and vintage electronics repairs, long-time FOH Engineer, Matt Butcher was pleased to be back to some semblance of normality – mixing Gorillaz in front of 20,000 fans with no shoes on. Butcher mixed on a DiGiCO Quantum SD7. “I love the control surface; I really like Mustard Dynamics. The parallel compressor has given it a whole new dimension with another EQ. As a controlsurface,it’ssimplybrilliant.”

The SD7’s 200 input channels were put to good use with a 128-channel record system, with six channels of steel drum pan mixed to stereo and brought back into a group, among

thekeytalkingpointsofButcher’sworkflow. “Damon likes to add things, such as an entire string section sometimes, so we’re well preparedforlateadditions.”

With a revolving door of guests over the course of two nights to mix, Butcher regaled TPi with stories of past big-name collaborators. “The roll call for guests over the years has been brilliant, from Shaun Ryder to Mark E. Smith and Lou Reed all in one afternoon. This year isnodifferentwiththelikesofRobertSmith, PosdenousandLittleSimz.”

TPi Award-winning Sound System Designer, LiamHalpinspecifiedanEntec-suppliedd&b audiotechnikPAsystem–specifically20boxes of GSL on main hang, 16 KSLs on the side hangs, as well as 14 V-Series boxes as a rear hang to account for the venue selling out on the lower bowl.

The entire system was processed and powered by D80s with Lake Processing LM44s on the front end running a Dante returns system with main and spare units fed through separatesystems,thusallowingtheamplifiers to monitor. “Something I’ve noticed over the years, working in various venues, is that your box counts stay similar. If it’s a short throw, wider vertical conversion box then you need a couple more to get the throw. If it’s a narrower vertical throw, then you need more to get the coverageanglesright,”Halpinsaid,explaining his design process. “I’ve always done the O2 with20boxesofd&bJ-Series,soIstarted with 20 GSL on the main hang. Given that it’s a higher-output box, you think about dropping boxes, however, it’s over 100m to the back row of seats, and I’ve never been a fan of bringing in delays to the O2 arena because I believe the in-houseBosedelaysdothejobfine.”

With an approach to system design that hinges on the reluctance to use delays to replace boxes on the main hang, Halpin instead opted for delays as an HF lift, to bring some of the“sparkle”backintothesystem.

“I always go for a bigger main system with house delays and run with that. My preference is to go for three hangs for arenas, even if you’re going 180-200°, keep them fairly clustered together to minimise the distance in the times because if you get it right physically, youdon’thavetocompensateelectronically.” Movingawayfromusinglipfills,Halpin opted for a pair of clustered V7Ps situated in the downstage corners, acting as a traditional ground stack. “It seems unnatural if you’re standing 5m from the stage with a band in front of you but you’re hearing them come from the roof – it’s just wrong in my mind. So, having those V7Ps at head height, acting as a ground stack,evenwhenyou’refirmlyinthecoverage of the GSL, because of the way the mind works, stillsbringsthefocusbacktothestage,”he noted. “The idea is to keep the downstage as clearaspossible,barapairofcentrefillsand twostacksofSLsubs.”

Halpin disclosed a ground level of anxiety involved in the build-up to the show. “With it beingthefirstfull-capacityarenagigin517 days and the challenge of Gorillaz projects, I wasquiteanxious,”heconfided.“However,it has been a fantastic experience and I’m glad to bebackdoingwhatIlove.”ForButchermixing

at FOH, simply hearing a PA in an arena space once again was worth the long hours. “When this system came out, we borrowed a demo rig in 2017, and it’s been a game changer. The cardioid all the way down really works and it’s so much better than prior systems – much nicertopendandd&bArrayProcessingworks nicely with it. It’s a phenomenal system; the SPLyoucangetoffthemainhangsisamazing,” Butcher added, praising the audio vendor. “Entec is a very personable company with great peopleandfantastickit.”

Another stalwart of the camp is Monitor Engineer, Dave Guerin. “I was a PA Tech and monitorbabysitterin ’95duringBlur’sfirst arena tour, and I have been involved in most of Damon’sprojectssince2007.”

A DiGiCo SD7Q was Guerin’s tool of choice. “Quite simply, no other desks have enough inputs and outputs. I’m using 170 channels out of 200 available, 25 monos and 70 stereos, most of which are in use. There are only around sixchannelsI’mnotusing.”

Albarn was not on in-ear monitors. However, the rest of the band were, with everybody sharing click tracks aside from the frontman. “I use the SD7Q as an analogue desk, each performing artist has a channel and the output if they need it, and a generic mix which Damon likesforthesidefillsandwedges;it’snota particularlyloudstagebyanystretch.” Withastageboastingd&bsidefills,wedges, Radial DIs, Shure mics on double kick and snares, with Sennheiser mics on the toms and overheads,ShureKSM8micswerespecified for vocals, marking a considerable change from the trusty SM58s harnessed on prior Gorillaz projects. “We’ve found there is much lessproximityeffect,sowhenhe’snotsinging on the mic, it doesn’t thin out as much as it did previously,”Guerinsaid.“Damonreallylikes KSM8, so we made the leap to bring them in after33yearsofSM58sandheprefersthem.”

As well as assisting Guerin in monitor world, Stage Technician and professional Damon Albarn wrangler, James ‘Kedge’ Kerridge, spendsalotoftimefishingforthefrontman’s 45m cable mic. “The challenge with this show is the sheer volume of input count and the spontaneity of Damon. We have to be prepared for the likelihood of him one day turning up with a Russian imitation Moog synthesiser – anything that’s happened once before, there’s a possibility it can happen again, so we have sparesfordays,”hegrinned.“Afewsongsin,I realised it’s been 18 months of not doing this and looking out and seeing 20,000 smiling faces was a lovely thing to be a part of. It’s a pleasuretobeinvolved.”

As the dust settled on a successful opening night, Guerin looked forward to mixing for a follow-up, full-capacity crowd. “It was great to be back doing a ‘proper’ gig – it was like we’d never been away. During the NHS show we had around 24 feature artists turn up in addition to the band, so it’s a gig which keeps me on my toes.IfindallofDamon’sworkandconcepts diverse and creative. It’s about the textures and layers of sounds, as opposed to a textbook rock’n’rollshow.”

‘THE FEWEST POSSIBLE CREATIVE LIMITATIONS’ Given the vast array of moving elements, the show is relatively demanding from an RF point of view. Having dealt with coordination on prior Gorillaz showcases, Mission Control’s Ali Viles was brought once again as RF Engineer.

“We are running almost 60 RF channels on this show to accommodate the band, BVs and all the guest performers. Almost everyone apart from Damon has some form of RF involvement, from the guest vocals, wireless backline and an array of IEMs through

CREATE

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MOTOR PROVIDES A BESPOKE, END TO END SOLUTION, WORKING INNOVATIVELY THROUGH CONCEPT CREATION TO DELIVERY

towirelesssteeldrums.”Vilessaid.“Mission Control looks after the RF licencing and spectrum management for this run of Gorillaz shows making that process simple and straightforwardforproduction.”

The RF system comprised 24 channels of Shure PSM1000 IEMs and over 30 channels of Shure Axient Digital microphones supplied by Entec. “The wireless mics and beltpacks are powered by NiMH rechargeable batteries helping us be as environmentally friendly as possible,”Vilesremarked.

Mission Control supplied two Li.LAC microphone disinfectors, with Gorillaz and Entec investing in one each. “The Li.LACs enable us to quickly and easily disinfect the handheld radio mics during the show, allowing us to safely share mics between guests. The Li.LAC also gives us all peace of mind that all the vocal mics are clinically cleaned every day, helpingtokeepbandandcrewCOVID-safe.”

Entec also supplied THOR UVC robot to ensure the air and surfaces of the band’s rehearsal space were COVID-safe and free of any viral load, minimising risks of any type of infection. “This high-output disinfection robot by FinsenTech kills all germs and pathogens. The whole crew loved it and it made them feel caredforandsafe,”EntecChairman,Nick Pendleton commented. “It’sgreatbeingbackintheO2,”Vilessaid. “It’s been a while since I was last here and it’s exciting to collaborate with such an amazing team once again, creating a unique and special liveeventshowforacapacitycrowdhere.”

Live Music Producer, Andrew Hamwee of Opto who runs the playback department for Gorillaz picked up the story: “What makes the playback on Gorillaz more involved than most shows is the fact that we try to play as much as possible live. By expanding the technological capabilities of this system, it has allowed us to have the fewest possible creative limitations, elevating the live performance to a new level, sonically and musically. For example, where on many gigs you may have 50% track, 50% live band, we try to keep the linear track elements minimal, instead opting for more sampling and emulation of keyboard and drum sounds for MIDItriggering.”

Although the music stemmed from playback may seem minimal, every musician and guest artist on stage had their own click with varied timecodereferencesandflexibilitytoallow the band to loop and record individual live parts.“It’samammothsystem,”Hamweesaid, gesturing to the outstanding setup in which MIDI Technician, Darren ‘Dazza’ Clark dealt with the stage end – everything behind the rack – so Hamwee could manage the incoming data.

The system was heavily integrated into audio, with Hamwee considering the setup more audio than backline. “We’re running everything on Optocore DD2s, across multiple systems, as well as a DiGiCo SD11 purely for monitoring purposes for the playback department. During a changeover, we can check all our lines independently of the audio department, and then hand them over for the show,”Hamweeexplained.

The whole rig ran at 96k with playback across 70 channels. “We’ve maxed out all 16 channels of MIDI and are putting the rig through itspaces,”Hamweeexplained.“Inprevious years the electronic drum setup reached capacity using hardware samplers, so we’ve migrated to software with Mainstage being the chosen DAW alongside the original Mainstage

keyboard setup. Every electronic pad and drum trigger runs through this system, so it’s quite substantial. The entire system is likely to expand going forward, which is unbelievable givenitssize!”

With Guerin piloting his own custom software he wrote for iPads on stage, Hamwee also piloted relatively custom software. Running 10 iPads on stage over PoEandninelaptopsoffstageprovidedthe teamwithmaximumcontrolandflexibility to allow musicians to interact with them and communicate with each other.

“Being back at the O2, I really took for granted the ability to perform to such a large capacity crowd and the energy you receive, howitaffectstheoverallperformanceandyour decisionmakingprocess.Tobethefirstones back in the O2 doing a full-capacity show after 517daysawayisanincrediblefeeling”.

Hamwee concluded. “This system was designed with optimum redundancy and powerdistributioninmind,specificallyforthis environment and format. It is fantastic to be able to use the system to its full capabilities after so long – it’s a challenging but wholly rewardingprojecttobeapartof.”

‘18 MONTHS IS A LONG TIME TO WAIT’ Keeping morale high and stomachs full throughout the project was The Pantry Maid’s Lucy Bell. “I’ve worked for Damon for 12 years now–hewasoneofmyfirstclientswhenI setupThePantryMaid,”shebegan. “Gorillaz shows grow year on year, so it’s always a fun challengetokeepupthepace.”

Having spent some of the past 18 months waitressing amid the lockdown of live events, as restrictions slowly began to ease in November last year, Bell invested in a food truck – which has appeared on several livestream projects with the likes of Gorillaz and Dua Lipa at LH2, as well as stints at London’s Printworks and catered for TV and broadcast shoots with Pulse Films – to weather the economic storm of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Thefoodtruckisthewayforward,” remarked Bell. “18 months was too long for a lot of the crew to wait, and I’ve seen quite a few caterers fall through the cracks and not return tothesector,”shesaid,explaininghowstaff working on the Olympics compounded the struggletofindtried-and-testedstaff.

“However, despite the initial struggle of findingcrew,I’verealisedthatgoodthings come out of that, such as the melding of unique personalities and faces. I’ve got a really random team involved in this show, like the owner of the restaurant I was a waiter at during the pandemic, a butler for private gigs, and all sorts of talented people with interesting backgrounds. Above all, it’s fantastic to be back and be around creative people again, collaboratingtomakesomethingspecial.”

‘A NEW ERA FOR LIVE EVENTS’ Ensuring the kit was transported from A to B was Fly By Nite. “I’ve got a good team of drivers here with seven of our trucks and two othervehiclesloadedforPA,”commented LeadTruckDriver,PhilInfield.“Oncewe’ve loaded,threeofusareofftoNewquayfor Boardmasters,whichGorillazareheadlining.” Recountingatough18months,Infield praised the tireless work of FBN Managing Director, Dave Coumbe. “He’s kept all the driversgoingdespiteoperatingindifferent sectors, working for the likes of Royal Mail, Amazon, Halfords, and various other companies amid the COVID-19 pandemic, to keepthewheelsturning,”hesaid,conceding the loss of a couple of drivers to other sectors. “We’ve also gained some drivers during the pandemic. We’re starting to see old faces filteringback.We’vegotaround85event drivers; 170 trucks and we plan on keeping the generalhaulagesideofthefirmgoinguntillive eventsreturntofullstrength.” Infield’sscopeasaleaddriverhasseenthe veteran oversee the logistics of everything from a one-truck tour to Drake’s mammoth 41-truck tour prior to the pandemic. “We’re happy to be here; it’s good for the team and there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel now,”hesaid,brimmingwithenthusiasm.“This is a great venue – one of the best in Europe, because it caters for everything. It was good to see plenty of smiling, happy faces and people enjoying themselves. Let’s hope this is the start ofaneweraforliveevents.” www.gorillaz.com www.negearth.com www.video-design.co.uk www.enteclive.com www.brilliantstages.com www.flybynite.co.uk www.radiotek.co.uk www.block9.com www.pixelmappers.com www.thepantrymaid.com www.wearethehive.com