Rehearsal Facilities

MARKET FOCUS

REHEARSAL FACILITIES

This month TPi takes a look inside some of the UKs leading rehearsal facilities to talk through some of their spaces and the advantages they bring to those hitting the stage and the crew behind the curtain.

FLY BY NITE STUDIOS

Located just South of Birmingham in the UK, FBN Studio is a state of the art, purpose built production rehearsal studio.

This world class facility, purpose built from a blank canvas in 2015, offering major domestic and international acts the best incentive to see the UK as the starting point for European tours. It provides a vast, highly specified rehearsal space for concert touring, theatrical productions as well as television and film projects.

It has the floor space, height clearance and rigging capacity to rival any European arena sized concert venue. This is, quite simply, the closest you can get to a full on rehearsal space for a large scale tour.

It is ideally served by the main national motorway networks (M5, M6, M40, M42), and benefits from being a stone’s throw away from Birmingham International Airport and national train hub - you can get to London on average in an hour and a half.

It has a floor space of 138’ x 130’ (42m x 40m) and a true clearance of over 60’ (18m) to the underside of the fully enclosed roof space. There are 6 x 400a 3ø power services, and multiple Ceeform outlets in all corners of the Studio. The roof has a weight capacity of over 500 tonnes, and there is under floor heating in the Studio to ensure comfort in even the coldest months. There are 4 loading docks – 3 of which are sunken to allow a push right onto the studio floor.

In addition to the impressive technical specification, the studio also offers three fully equipped production offices (WiFi throughout as standard), five dressing rooms, a wardrobe/green room, laundry facilities, rooftop terrace, gymnasium, sauna and 21 on site, en-suite bedrooms. 2019 sees completion of the Helipad – the cherry on the cake!

Set within the Worcestershire countryside, it is easy to relax and enjoy your rehearsals. The nearby Arrow Valley Lake offers a scenic and calming distraction, boasting running circuits and cycle routes around the lake. The town itself is very close and offers a variety choice of shops, restaurants and bars. www.flybynitestudios.co.uk

66

REHEARSAL FACILITIES

PRODUCTION PARK

Production Park studios offer world-class production rehearsal spaces and with studios in London and Wakefield the spaces cater for all levels of the entertainment industry across the UK.

As part of the Production Park Group, the studios brand is the culmination of the mighty LS-Live studios in Wakefield and Cato Music’s highly acclaimed production studio - The Mill in Wimbledon, SW London.

The last 12 months have seen the likes of The 1975, Kings Of Leon, Little Mix, Sam Smith and Kasabian through the doors of Studio 001 and Eric Clapton, Biffy Clyro, Kylie Minogue, Jungle, Phil Collins and Deftones gracing The Mill.

Studio 001 boasts a 17,664 sqft arena sized production studio for unlimited production builds from the worlds leading artists… a breath taking space complete with production offices, catering hall, star and dressing rooms, on-site hotel, bar, cinema and dance studio.

The Mill although smaller at 4618 sqft is still an impressive facility capable of hosting full flown productions with all the trimmings of the

offices and green rooms and the convenience of being in London. It is an extremely versatile space for all levels of artists.

With unbeatable facilities and service from the most helpful team in the business, Production Park studios can claim the unique position of being the only player in the business to have an unparalleled location connection between the North of England and London.

The studios team know that their clients are looking for facilities that allow them to build and test their productions before taking them out on the road, so aim to provide them with the blank canvass to achieve this in the most comfortable and painless way possible.

The team is super friendly and conscientious and they all know what it is like to be on the touring side of the deal which is why we know what our clients need and how best to provide it.

Being part of the Production Park Group the studios work directly with the multi award-winning Brilliant who provide amongst the best of the stage designs and builds on the planet. Having the obvious advantage of being on each others doors step puts them in a unique position of being able to amalgamate builds and logistics in order to save their clients time, money and stress.

The Production Park studios team are always happy to hear from new clients and offer tours of the facilities. www.productionpark.co.uk

68

REHEARSAL FACILITIES

JOHN HENRY’S

Founder John Henry opened his first rehearsal studio in Islington, London back in 1976 and today the facility has over 48 employees and seven fully equipped spaces within its huge 60,000sq ft building located right on the edge of Kings Cross, London.

Incorporating equipment rental, storage, crewing, transportation, its own in house Café, pro shop and showroom floor they have a wide range of resources for working bands to draw upon while rehearsing there.

The John Henry’s facility has been the backdrop to a couple of notable music documentaries recently aired on the BBC and used for a number of photoshoots.

The main studio building itself dates back to the pre-1900s so externally it has a unique character and vibe that can’t be compared to other industrial locations – internally the building is fully modernised to the highest standard.

The studios range from 400sq ft up to 2,900sq ft and are all fitted with quality sound insulation, air con, dedicated fibre-optic Wi-Fi, microphone

package, monitor system, Yamaha digital consoles and have 32a & 63a mains distribution with customer parking available for clients.

John Henry’s facilities can also be combined and utilised for various purposes including recording/mix rooms, changing rooms, gear checks, presentations and workspaces.

Studio Manager Andrea Westwood looks after the rehearsal client’s needs for everything from a full band, production or dance rehearsal to writing sessions and showcases along with the daily support for anything that’s required. They regularly supply crew and technicians from its roster and transportation for studio customers.

Also available on site is the huge inventory of rental equipment. It also hold over 8,000 products across its audio, backline and staging departments. The Pro Shop and Showroom on the top floor is 5,000sq ft of accessories heaven with a large selection of drumheads, tape, strings, spares and backline equipment to try including the latest boutique guitar amps, keyboards and guitars.

Transport links are also a bonus at John Henry’s with London Underground and Overground on its doorstep. A short drive gets you to Kings Cross and St Pancras Railway train stations.

With so much to offer and reputation for quality service its no wonder that John Henry’s rehearsal studios have serviced over 80 different bands already in 2019! www.johnhenrys.com

70

REHEARSAL FACILITIES

Owned by professional drummer, Mark Roberts, Panic Music continues to be a popular choice for those looking for a quality rehearsal studio in London. Trading for over 15 years, the idea was always to use Roberts’ many years of experience in the music industry, to create a space offering high standards in a friendly and vibrant atmosphere. This still remains very much the focus today – to provide great sound, great service and great value.

Spread comfortably over a 5000sq ft space, Panic offers six wellmaintained studios, all of which are air-conditioned and come with full backline as standard, and attracts a diverse range of artists, bands, record labels and management companies. Its clientele include the likes of Idles, Bastille, Apre, The New Coast, Mono Club, Lyla Foy, Cymande, The Shires, White Lies, Sister Sledge, Snuff and CBeebies, to name a few.

As well as six rehearsal studios, Panic also offers a designated drum

PANIC MUSIC

practice studio, a smaller teaching studio and storage cages.

Conveniently located just off both the A40 and the North Circular, in the North Acton area of London, Panic is easy to reach from both other parts of London, and surrounding areas. There is free parking available directly around the building, a rarity in London. Alternatively, North Acton tube is just five minutes’ walk away. www.panic-music.co.uk

Specialist Suppliers to the Entertainment Industry

John Henryʼs Ltd. - 16-24 Brewery Road, London N7 9NHwww.johnhenrys.com | email: info@johnhenrys.com | Tel: +44 (0)20 7609 9181 Instagram | Twitter | Facebook - @johnhenrysltd

71

REHEARSAL FACILITIES

MUSIC BANK

Established in 1994, Music Bank was set up as the live side of Trevor Horn’s SARM companies. Beginning as a backline rental business, the company quickly expanding into the world of rehearsal studios. The first act through the doors were none-other-than Oasis. From then, it has hosted the biggest, most influential, acts in world as well as being involved with the most iconic music moments from the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony, the Silver and Golden Jubilee’s and Live 8, among many other projects.

Originally based in Bermondsey, South London, from its birth in 1994 until 2018. Music Bank moved to secure a property with a long-term future. After a long search it located the perfect property in North Acton, NW10 and opened our brand-new custom-built facility in the summer of 2018.

The new facilities feature three large creative spaces for artists to refine their sound before any performance. A big focus of the build was aesthetics and comfort which is why rooms are complimented with a kitchenette, a dedicated front of house room, production manager’s office, WCs, and an

artist lounge. The company also tackled the age-old ‘dry throat’ issue that standard AC units emit through our near silent, state-of-the-art, AC system.

Music Bank can offer every service desirable to touring artists using its facilities. It has its own huge inventory of backline, risers, radios and production/wardrobe cases available for use at top rates on site. On top of this, it offers artist storage not to mention stocking all artist touring needs with an onsite supplies shop. Studio One and Two can accommodate any act whether stadium band, dance company, or theatre/orchestra production.

The third studio can work for all productions also but is ideal for academy/club venue sized rehearsals or as a dance studio. Each studio has an in-house PA rig including a digital desk with DiGiCo, Allen & Heath, and Avid desks available. Also included are side fills, wedges, microphone box, stands and cables.

Each space has the ability to run SourceConnect, haze, PA and lighting packages making all of them perfect for filming, showcases or programming.

Over the years, Music Bank has had some of the biggest acts in world through its doors including: Stevie Wonder, Drake, Oasis, Spice Girls, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Tom Jones, Stormzy, Snow Patrol, Little Mix, Madness, One Direction, Take That, and Muse - to name a few. www.musicbank.org

72

REHEARSAL FACILITIES

SW19 STUDIOS

Located just 10 minutes from Wimbledon Park Underground, SW19 Studios is a premium London rehearsal space for world class clients from across the globe.

Catering for anything from solo acts to full band rehearsals to dance, theatre or film rehearsals and anything that has the need for large, professional and spacious rooms. Over the years, the studios have been lucky enough to be used by Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue, Sam Smith, George Ezra, Queen, Billie Eilish, Bryan Ferry, Noel Gallagher, 5 Seconds of Summer, Little Mix and many more as

studio clientele. On site, SW19’s studios are equipped with d&b PA systems, private control rooms, kitchens & lounge areas. It also offers secure weathertight storage spaces of varied sizes for touring artists and alike. The two studios available on site, Studio One (1,900sq ft) and Studio Two (1,600sq ft). The facility is also opening the third studio later this year (452sq ft).

To ease loading in and out the studios also have easy access for large trucks and busses, as we have them covered with our 25 space car park along with three phase outdoor power.

Having been around since 2012, SW19 has recently been taken over by new owners and management that have put a huge amount of effort to breathe new life into SW19 Studios - upgrading equipment, refurbishing the building, a brand new studio and new cages. The new team have even been working with the council and community to enhance the area, in order to give all of its clients an all round great experience when they are in their hands. www.sw-19.net

74

REHEARSAL FACILITIES

MILLENIUM STUDIOS

Millennium Studios is a dedicated tour production rehearsal facility. Situated on a privately-owned site in Bedfordshire, just under an hour out of London.

‘A’ Stage is a large, acoustically treated space of 27.5m x 18.8m, with a height of 10m. Clients also benefit from a large production office, two ensuite dressing rooms, 400a powerlock, drive-in access, on-site catering and 24/7 security. Prices start from £900 p/10 hour day. ‘B’ Stage is a very tall warehouse (20m x 20m x 20m), great for tech builds and testing.

We’ve been lucky enough to have some amazing names walk our corridors. Newbies to veterans and everyone in between… from Katie Melua to Anne Marie, Bastille to Kasabian, Editors to Enter Shikari, Suede to Placebo

Primarily the space is used for tour rehearsals but we have also hosted video shoots, commercials, audio demos and even a new ITV programme just recently. Not forgetting our stadium rehearsal size stages at Cardington Studios, only 20mins from Millennium.

Our successful approach has been all about creating a relaxed ‘family’ atmosphere, so that when our guests come back they feel like they’ve returned home.

We think our ‘outside-of-London’ location has really been a benefit as tour managers and their production teams search for better value and greater flexibility And that’s what we’re all about. Offering value for money and the flexibility to only pay for the services you need. www.millenniumstudios.co.uk

75

REHEARSAL FACILITIES

REAL WORLD STUDIOS

Real World Studios is a residential recording facility founded by Peter Gabriel in 1986 and set in the beautiful Wiltshire countryside just outside the city of Bath in England. Famed for being one of the best recording studios in the country, it also houses a 15x5m rehearsal room suitable for all level of bands. It comes complete with a Turbosound PA system, monitor wedges and microphones, with further gear available on request. It’s essentially a self-service room but onsite engineers are available to hire in if required.

Additionally, the Big Room, Real World’s main recording space, is perfect for larger bands for full production rehearsals. It comfortably accommodates a full band setup and monitor rig, while the conjoined Wood Room studio allows the FOH team to monitor in complete isolation. And to cap it all you have beautiful views out over the Mill Pond while you work.

Real World boasts full residential facilities including six luxury bedrooms, an excellent French chef and a standalone one-bedroom cottage. Their recent client list includes Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Kanye West, Elbow, Robert Plant, Jorja Smith and The Vamps.

The space is looked after by a team of experienced and dedicated engineers, technicians and support staff who ensure the ‘can do’ attitude instilled by the founder is at the forefront of everything they do. www.realworldstudios.com

76