[New] IN PROFILE: 22LIVE

Words: Stew Hume Photos: James Cumpsty

We at TPi are no strangers to covering stories on the establishment of new companies or entities within the live events sector, but what is incredibly rare is for us to be writing about a new company that is already out on the road with two separate touring parties. However, 22live – the newest face in the world of professional audio – has done just that, supplying touring PA and control packages for Sigur Rós as well as The Australian Pink Floyd Show.

Although the name 22live may be new to many, the people behind the company will be familiar to most within the industry. Founded by Paul Timmins, the company has taken on several known audio industry professionals including: Simon Gladstone, Technical Director; Stefan Phillips, Operations Director; and now in January 2023, Alex Penn, Spencer Beard and Ian Bidmead all join the management line-up as Commercial Director, Managing Director and Finance Director, respectively.

With an established team in place and a warehouse fully stocked with the latest Martin Audio PA systems, numerous DiGiCo desks as well as custom-built flight cases from Flightcase Warehouse, and a whole new approach to line systems, 22live is very much open for business and excited to offer an alternative solution for touring clients, placing itself as one of the few truly independent companies within the audio sphere.

To speak about the organisation and the ethos of the company, TPi sat down with 22live’s Founder and Hire Director, Paul Timmins, in the depths of the O2 Apollo Manchester, as the Icelandic post-rockers, Sigur Rós line checked in the floors above. As he took in his surroundings, it was clear that Timmins was getting a real buzz being back on site, having left his previous position back in early 2021. “When I first left, I knew I wanted to take a break,” began Timmins.

With a project of converting a house on the cards, he very much stepped away from the industry, but after a period of reflection, he realised he still had “another chapter left in me”. He continued: “I really started to miss going to shows and with the industry opening up again, I got a taste of what retirement would be like and realised I wasn’t quite ready for it.”

Af ter toying with the idea of joining a smaller company and bringing his 40 years of experience into a fledgling outfit, he ultimately decided to start something completely new. “I set about building a business plan; it was exciting to realise that I had real options and prospects to do something independently.” Timmins created a roadmap for how to get 22live off the ground.

Although the option was there to buy out an established company, Timmins instead decided to start from scratch. “If you buy a company, at least of a size that I could consider, the reality is that around 30% of the gear will be good and modern, but the rest will be older stock. I opted instead to start afresh. A clean slate would allow me to build the business and presentation with complete control allowing me to do things the way I wanted to. This, however, also came with the caveat that we would be unlikely to become cash positive for at least the first 12 months, which was quite unnerving.”

Little did Timmins know, but the interest in his new venture would soon lead the company to accelerate the timeline. “In February 2022, I got a call from Thomas Stone who was the tour director of Sigur Rós at that time,” Timmins recalled. “I had worked with him and the band in the past and as he heard I was doing something, he wanted me to take on the tour. At that point we didn’t have a single piece of gear,” he chuckled.

Despite the current supply issues, Timmins was able to source two DiGiCo SD12s and a Sennheiser RF package which would be required for rehearsals in April to cover the North American and Asian legs of the tour from there. This then bought him some time to arrange a PA required later for the European leg, which was due to commence in August. This came in the form of a Martin Audio Wavefront Precision system.

“B y the end of June, we were in a fairly good place with a good stock of PA, more mixing consoles and a more developed plan for our own infrastructure which we were now starting to build – and we started dry hiring, which began to bring some money into the company.”

Pieces Falling Into Place

As the adage goes: it’s not the kit that matters – it’s the people. Just like Timmins, the rest of the 22live team have all worked within the pro-audio sector and had a huge amount of experience between them. TPi took some time to chat to the most recent recruits of 22live –Spencer Beard, Managing Director, and Alex Penn, Commercial Director, who started their new positions on 3 January 2023. The two new recruits discussed what attracted them to this new adventure. “22live gives me the opportunity to go back to my roots,” stated Beard plainly while explaining the hands-on nature the company is looking to offer clients. “We all know and have worked with one another and are passionate about providing the best kit to produce the best results at a gig.”

Penn agreed, adding that it is 22live’s independence that made it such an appealing prospect. “We have all the control to make decisions and with the company being based in one location, we can keep things simple.”

Having worked with Timmins previously, both Penn and Beard explained how it was an easy decision to join forces. Like Timmins, Beard also took some time away from the industry and was also keen to jump back into a role that was more hands on and company facing. “I wasn’t just missing the gigs; it was all the stuff that comes with it – getting the gear together, deciding what equipment to purchase. So, when Paul explained the concept of 22live and we saw who was involved, it was like getting the band back together.”

Lo Gistics

As many might have guessed, 22live has set up its HQ in the Midlands, UK, with all the staff – bar Timmins – being based in the area. “My role within the company was always going to be remote and based at home,” explained Timmins. “I also never intended to set up a base in London again with the costs of running an operation in the capital simply making things so much harder.”

The company has now secured a warehouse facility to house its rental stock. “It’s the perfect place to operate from,” stated Beard. “It’s also got a lot of other companies from the industry based nearby, including PRG, Christie Lites, Fly By Nite and, of course, SSE Audio.”

Penn interjected: “You just can’t discount the overall cost of establishing this business, so to be able to save money with the premises being based in the Midlands can really make a difference.”

Timmins went on to explain why Martin Audio was the brand of choice when it came to the 22live’s PA offering. “When I started in the rental business in 1999, Martin Audio was the only brand we stocked, so I know it very well. We might look at bringing on another brand in the future, but I’m keen to keep it simple. I find when you have too many brands, your knowledge gets diluted, which goes against our main goal of being able to deal with all our clients’ issues personally.”

WHY IS THIS THE RIGHT TIME?

Speaking of the wider business landscape, there has been a clear trend within the live events market of more companies joining forces, be that in agreed partnerships or acquisitions. Some may argue that this is an indication of a growing industry, but despite this changing landscape, the 22live team still believe there is room for independence in the increasingly compressed market. “We are never going to compete with the capacity of the big global corporations,” stated Beard plainly. “22live is all about providing a service that has a very boutique vibe and delivers that personal touch. If you have a problem, you can call one of the team directly and they will be able to deal with the issue rather than having to go down a chain of command.”

He went on to state that he knows that their size will mean they are not attractive to everyone, but the team wants to focus their attention on those that want a more personal service. “We want to create something with 22live that is enjoyable, sustainable and offers something new and different; a company for the industry if you like,” he asserted

Timmins went on to explain that the company has been set up with all the founding directors having shared ownership. The concept is that anyone within the 22live management team can have independence, enjoy their roles, and have easier options to make changes to their lives when the time is right for them. “So often you end up with an owner wanting to leave a company and it simply not being possible for them to exit. This was also the reason I did not want to do this all by myself. This is a long-term proposition for all of us. We hope to build a successful small-tomedium-sized business, and we will aim to build a middle management team in the long term that can continue to take this forward.”

Concept In Practice

While 22live was still very much in its embryonic stage, many within the industry have already been in touch with Timmins to see if the company would take them on as a client. 22live has already been the audio suppliers for Sigur Rós’ latest campaign as well as The Australian Pink Floyd Show’s European and UK run. Both productions had worked with Timmins previously and were keen to once again use him as their supplier. Standing at FOH with Sigur Rós’ audio team, they spoke about their 2022 collaboration with 22live. “We were very keen to jump into this show with Paul as he had been very kind to us on previous tours,” stated FOH Engineer, Ingvar Jónsson. “Anyone can supply equipment, but having the right crew and support you need for the tour is the most important thing.”

Monitor Engineer, Throstur Albertsson echoed this sentiment. “The whole process with 22live has been top notch,” he said. “Even from the first rehearsals, we got to have handson training with DiGiCo. We did not ask for this, but it was just provided and then the same person came to train us on the Klang system.”

Jónsson explained the comfort of knowing there is someone who will respond 24 hours a day if there is any issue. “You can feel instantly that everyone at 22live really cares about what they are doing,” he enthused.

That trust was also echoed within The Australian Pink Floyd Show camp. Speaking from the Production offices of one of the final dates of the latest UK tour were Band Manager, Kevin Hopgood and Production Manager,

Chris Gadd. Having been at the helm of this production for 20 years, Gadd explained how the touring party was particularly close-knit. “We often find that people stick with this show for a very long time and it’s really a close family.”

An extension of this family in many ways has been Timmins, who used to supply the audio package for the team in his previous role.

“I’ve known Paul for 40 years,” commented Hopgood, who chuckled that Timmins gave him his first paid gig several decades ago. “He explained to both me and Chris what he was working on with 22live and asked if he’d be able to quote for the European run for this show.

Everyone has those companies they want to work with, but periodically it’s good to freshen things up and we were happy to take on 22live for this run,” stated Hopgood.

“Working with a smaller boutique company that has a personal touch is really important to us,” commented Gadd, commending the support he and the team had been given by 22live for this run. “I believe there is still room for independent small companies with a more bespoke touch,” added Hopgood. “Especially as that is exactly how we run this tour. There will always be a place for the larger companies and for some tours those resources are exactly what you need.”

The Future

With 2023 now upon us, 22live is set for its first full year of business. Timmins concluded by expanding on where he thought the business could grow for the rest of the decade. “When I’m asked to describe 22live, I always come back to the point that we are a second-generation independent audio company and we want to remain so,” he stated. “Over the next five years, we want to grow in size but never allow quantity to overshadow quality both in terms of equipment or service.”

He was also keen to highlight that he wanted 22live to embrace innovation in the sphere. “We want to be a global supplier, but we’re looking at tackling things differently. Like many, we are trying to be as conscious as we can when it comes to being greener. As such, we’re looking at developing partnerships with other companies like us around the world but on a more formal basis than some of these agreements have been made in the past.” The 22live team is certainly bringing a new dimension to the audio rental market and with a clear appetite for such a service, it will be interesting to see if others follow in its footsteps. www.22live.com