TPi December 2019 - #244

TOTAL PRODUCTION INTERNATIONAL

LITTLE MIX

LIVE EVENT DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY • DECEMBER 2019 • ISSUE 244

Empowering the next generation

THESE WINGS ARE MADE TO FLY...

I

VAMPIRE WEEKEND • LIZZO • CHARLI XCX • KOI-USA • BJÖRK • SISTER ACT • PRODUCTION FUTURES IN PROFILE: UNIVERSAL PIXELS • IN THE FIELD: DRONE SEEKER • GEAR HEADS: AVOLITES Q4 • PSA

DECEMBER 2019 #244

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EDITOR’S LETTER

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Well, that month shot by! It seems like just yesterday that I was scribbling down some ideas for last month’s leader page, but what a busy four weeks it has been since then. Along with our usual schedule of tours, which this month included Little Mix, Vampire Weekend and Lizzo, both Lyndsey and I went on a transatlantic adventure. We first hit the USA’s East Coast to pay a well-overdue visit to Rock Lititz for the Event Safety Summit, followed by a guided tour of TAIT. We then jumped back onto another plane to roll the dice in Las Vegas for this year’s LDI.

Amidst the tradeshows, airports and backstage interviews, the whole team at TPi were pleased to welcome the industry to Fly By Nite Rehearsal Studios on 13 November for the fourth annual Production Futures. With our largest attendance to date, we welcomed the next generation of live events specialists for a packed day of networking and education. Manufacturers, rental houses and educational faculties came together all under one roof to give attendees a glimpse into the myriad roles within the live industry that they might pursue. I would also like to thank all the speakers who featured on our main stage programming, including Tim Routledge, ‘Big Mick’ Hughes, Steve Price, Ric Lipson, Marc Webber, George Baker, Ricky Hopkins, Glen Rowe, Bryony October and Dave Howard.

From one TPi event to another, next year’s TPi Awards voting has now officially closed. Stay tuned to all our various channels to see this year’s shortlist. To book a table so you don’t miss the action, head over to www.tpiawards.com.

Till next time Stew Hume Editor

EDITOR Stew Hume Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8385 Mobile: +44 (0)7702 054344 e-mail: s.hume@mondiale.co.uk

STAFF WRITER Jacob Waite Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8352 Mobile: +44 (0)7592 679612 e-mail: j.waite@mondiale.co.uk

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COVER Little Mix courtesy of Callum Mills

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Issue 244 - December 2019

CHIEF EXECUTIVE Justin Gawne Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7768 850767 e-mail: j.gawne@mondiale.co.uk GRAPHIC DESIGN & PRODUCTION Dan Seaton: d.seaton@mondiale.co.uk Sonam Diki: s.diki@mondiale.co.uk

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TOTAL PRODUCTION INTERNATIONAL is a controlled circulation magazine, published 12 times a year by Mondiale Media Limited under licence. ISSN 1461-3786 Copyright © 2019 Mondiale Media Limited. All contents of this publication are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction in whole or part, in any form whatsoever, is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the Publishers. Every effort is taken to ensure accuracy in the preparation of this publication but neither Mondiale Media Ltd, nor the Editor, can be held responsible for its contents or any consequential loss or damage resulting from information published. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the Publishers or Editor. The Publishers accept no responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, illustrations, advertising materials or artwork. Total Production International USPS: (ISSN 1461 3786) is published 12 times a year by Mondiale Media Limited United Kingdom. The 2019 US annual subscription price is 117USD. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by Agent named Air Business, C/O WorldNet Shipping USA Inc., 155-11 146th Avenue, Jamaica, New York, NY11434. Periodicals postage paid at Jamaica NY 11431. US Postmaster: Send address changes to Total Production International, Air Business Ltd, C/O WorldNet Shipping USA Inc., 155-11 146th Avenue, Jamaica, New York, NY11434. Subscription records are maintained at Mondiale Media Ltd. Waterloo Place, Watson Square, Stockport, SK1 3AZ, UK.

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ITINERARY

EVENT FOCUS

08

08

Charli XCX The alt-pop star sets out on a European tour with a unique stage design.

10

MTV EMAs Britannia Row deploys an audio solution for the famed awards ceremony.

Fog is our passion!

14 KOI-USA

The winners of the second Knight of

Illumination USA Awards are revealed.

16

Björk d&b audiotechnik’s Soundscape powers the singer’s acclaimed Cornucopia tour.

18

KV2 Open Day The Czech audio manufacturer invites TPi to its South Bohemia headquarters.

22

Sister Act Prolights Concepts illuminates the musical at Montgomery Theatre.

Cobra 3.1

PRODUCTION PROFILE

16

24

Little Mix Jacob reports on the band’s most adventurous tour to date.

40

Vampire Weekend After a six-year hiatus, the band return with a show befitting its back catalogue.

50

Lizzo Following a busy 2019 touring schedule, Stew catches up with team Lizzo.

MARKET FOCUS 58

TPi takes a look at the leading forces in the dynamic world of LED processing.

IN PROFILE

24

64

TPi Award-winning Universal Pixels reflects on a successful year of touring.

68

Kyoto Music’s brand-new rehearsal facility is open for business.

FUTURE INSIGHTS 70

A look through some of the latest product releases from LDI 2019.

 New, extremely silent nozzle.

Noise at max. output: 82.5 dBA  Constant fog output at any pump level due to the use of two pumps  Control via Ethernet, DMX512, analogue (0-10V) or directly at the machine  RDM-capable  Touchscreen with simple navigation  Adjustable pump characteristic: Impulse, Extended, Flood, Continuous  Internal Timer  Internal operating hours counter  3100 W, 230V/50Hz

IN THE FIELD 74

40

Max WiFi’s Rob Watson shares his thoughts on drones in live touring.

PRODUCTION FUTURES 76

A round-up of the fourth annual event.

GEAR HEADS 86

An in-depth overview of Avolites Q4.

PSA: THE BIGGER PICTURE 88

Graham Brown highlights the importance of tackling climate change in live touring.

INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS 90

50

The latest movers and shakers.

BACK CHAT 98

Sterling Event Group’s Managing Director, Richard Bowen takes the hot seat.

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EVENT FOCUS

CHARLI XCX Off the back of her latest album, Charli, the English singer sets out on a European tour with a unique stage design courtesy of Lighting Designer, Elliott Mountford and Creative Director, Jed Skrzypczak. TPi speaks to the LD about the latest run…

Hailing from Cambridge, UK, Charli XCX has become a force to be reckoned with in the avant-garde pop world. Continuing to garner respect and fanfare, the singer’s third album, Charli, gave her a chance to collaborate with a selection of musicians, including Lizzo, Sky Ferreira and Haim.

This collaborative process spilled over into her latest live performance as the artist once again brought in the creative duo of Lighting Designer, Elliott Mountford and Creative Director, Jed Skrzypczak. With a busy schedule including a headline performance with Brixton Academy, the two creatives produced a unique look for the singer.

“I originally got brought on to cover some shows on a previous run,” reminisced Mountford. “I got on with her and the rest of the team and

managed to stay on for this tour.” By his own admission, Mountford often looks to do things “quite differently”. He continued: “I try to be as unique as possible and I like the challenge of taking want many might see as a ‘stupid’ idea and trying to make it work.”

One of the elements that the LD knew he was going to have to include in this latest design was a number of strobes within the rig. To fulfil this need, Mountford opted for 32 GLP JDC1s on the movable carts along with an additional four on the two translucent cube set pieces on the stage.

Also featuring on the rig from the GLP arsenal were 24 impression X4 Bar 20s and three Martin by Harman MAC Vipers, which helped provide the “big, key light looks,” according to the LD. “We also had 24 Ayrton MAGICDOT-R on the front downstage edge for the cage looks,” stated the LD. While 08

CHARLI XCX

designing the show, Mountford was mindful of some of the things he had learned from the previous run with the artist. “In previous runs, Charli has preferred to be backlit, which created really bold looks,” he commented.

“It means you get to explore some interesting looks with rear and side spots – a chance you don’t always get with artists.

“I was really proud of how much I could achieve with this show, despite the relatively small rig,” commented Mountford. “One of the reasons this was possible was thanks to the JDC1s, which were so versatile. I’ve used GLP numerous times over the past few years and I really like them. I worked as a programmer on a lot of the previous shows, so it was nice to use the fixtures in a design of my own.”

With Brixton being one of the highlights of the tour, the LD was keen to up the production values with the inclusion of lasers and additional lighting fixtures. Mountford stated: “For Brixton, we added 60 GLP JDC1s, all in extended mode to get the full functionality. In addition to this, another 84 Ayrton MAGICDOT-Rs, the new Vari-Lite VL2600 and some Robe Spiiders for key light.”

During the initial design stages, Mountford and the rest of the design team discussed the possibility of using video in the set design. “It was quite a big conversation but we decided against it in the end as we thought it would take too much focus away from Charli,” stated the LD. “One of her main requests was to have a large light show alongside a laser display.”

To aid in the incorporation of lasers, the team called in the services of ER Productions and Harry Boyde, who worked with Mountford for several days while programming the show.

For control, the production utilised two MA Lighting grandMA2 lights for the tour. However, for the Brixton show, which Mountford controlled personally, he brought in his own personal grandMA3 light. “I was nervous about the transition from the grandMA2, but it’s been amazing.”

The tour’s design was built on a timecode backbone for “every hit and switch,” stated Mountford. He continued: “I invested in a drum pad to aid in the programming of this show. There are a lot of off-beats in Charli’s music and it became much easier to drum in the hits rather than use the buttons on the grandMA.” Liteup supplied the fixtures for the tour. “I’ve worked with Liteup a number of times and each time they have gone above beyond to help,” Mountford commented.

With a successful campaign for her third album well underway and a live aesthetic to match, Charli XCX clearly has a sure footing within the current alt-pop landscape. It will be interesting to see where she and her creative team take it next.

TPi Photos: Henry Redcliffe www.charli-the-album.co.uk www.liteup.co.uk

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EVENT FOCUS

BRITANNIA ROW SUPPLIES MTV EMAS 2019 Brit Row returns for a 22nd year with MTV’s biggest live event outside of the US.

Since 1997, Britannia Row has masterfully deployed audio requirements to the MTV Europe Music Awards. This year’s winners included Artist of the Year, Ariana Grande; Best Live Act, BTS; and Best Song, Bad Guy by Billie Eilish – all of whom were honoured in a live televised ceremony staged in the Andalusian capital of Seville.

MTV has trusted Brit Row to supply the event for over two decades, creating a strong level of trust and reassurance during planning, preproduction and the live show. This year, the 14-strong Brit Row crew supplied an L-Acoustics PA rig, Sennheiser mics and IEMs, and a plethora of DiGiCo SD7s at monitors, SD5s at FOH and SD12s for presentations.

“They’re the best in the business; a lot of artists feel comforted when they come to perform and see they’re in the hands of Brit Row. For 22 years, they have never let us down,” commented MTV EMAs’ Production Executive, Andy Derbyshire. “This is MTV’s biggest annual awards show outside the USA, so it’s of critical importance that its technically delivered to the highest level possible. With major artists on this show, there was no compromise with audio. “We require the pinnacle of service, and for sound, this directs us to Brit Row. Their professional delivery, crew quality and crew continuity is imperative in making the EMAs a success.”

Live performances included routines from Dua Lipa, Niall Horan and Mabel, 10

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MTV EMAS

whose monitor mix was in the capable hands of Rod Clarkson. He said: Optocore networking comes in very useful for complex integration too.”

“Having worked on the EMAs several times before, I’m acutely aware of the The Brit Row crew also had RF duties well in hand. Clarkson continued: massive audience exposure and therefore the high expectations for any “The knowledge of Sapna Patel and Josh Thomas meant we had a well artist performing, so it’s always comforting for me and my artists to step distributed and backed up RF system around an LED-heavy screen-laden up towards supremely well-prepared kit, along with an experienced and stage. On other shows with slightly less experienced providers, I would unflappable crew. have RF concerns, however I knew that Brit Row would cover this to the “I used a house SD7, and straight away, I knew Live Sound Supervisor highest standard.”

Colin Pink’s monitoring team of Dan Ungaretti and Wayne Sargent, had Lloyd furthered: “On a multi-band, multi-artist show like this, there’s gone that extra mile to make things straightforward and flexible – even a lot of expectation across the board, in every technical department. This with line-up and show changes happening right up to the last minute. show needs big looks for television and so the EMAs always look incredible, “Our pre-camera rehearsal soundcheck was always going to be very but the PA design has to fit around its aesthetic while still achieving even short, yet the skilled assistance of Josh Lloyd at FOH meant we were ready coverage and seamless RF.” in good time.”

Lloyd designed a highly distributed PA system using a combination of Kara Since 2007, the SD7 is the desk Clarkson feels and K2, and boxes of the new L-Acoustics ARCS most confident operating on. “The forwardA15 line source, making this one of the first largethinking design of the console has developed and scale projects to use the product. He said: “These expanded with the changing demands of modern boxes are very useful in being able to control the “Working alongside Colin productions,” he noted. floor because they have exceptional horizontal “Putting an artist who is used to handheld directivity. I think this is the best-sounding MTV Pink and the entire Brit Row microphones on a headset would often provide show we’ve ever done!” team is a pleasure and having Clarkson summed up: “Working alongside Colin the monitor engineer with a little challenge, but the standard onboard tools on the SD7 were more Pink and the entire Brit Row team is a pleasure and always received awesome than enough to provide control of the vocal for having always received awesome levels of support levels of support in the UK, both Mabel’s IEM and the dancers’ L-Acoustics in the UK, Europe and worldwide, I’ll forever be stage monitoring. Having said that, the Cardioid happy to work alongside them.”

Europe and worldwide, I’ll Sennheiser HSP-4 headset sounded great from the TPi forever be happy to work word go, so that made things much easier.”

Photos: DiGiCo Lloyd added: “DiGiCo is chosen time and again www.britanniarow.com alongside them.” because it’s the most popular console. These www.digico.biz Rod Clarkson desks have the best redundancy and touring www.l-acoustics.com Monitor Engineer engineers are always happy to use them. The www.sennheiser.com 12

EVENT FOCUS

KNIGHT OF ILLUMINATION AWARDS USA: WINNERS The second annual KOI-USA Awards takes place at a glamorous ceremony in Las Vegas.

The winners have been announced at the second annual Knight of Illumination Awards USA (KOI-USA) ceremony, which took place at The Joint in The Hard Rock Hotel, Las Vegas on 22 November. This year, underlining the immediate popularity of the KOI-USA ceremony, attendance was increased by a third following the inaugural event in 2018, with almost 400 industry professionals gathering to celebrate the creative talents of lighting and video designers’ work produced in the United States over the calendar year.

Following a stunning indoor drone display courtesy of Verity Studios, 26 designers were ‘knighted’ for their work on productions in the Concert Touring & Events, Theatre and Live for Broadcast categories. The awards were followed by the presentation of the Paky Lifetime Recognition Award, created by KOI-USA to honour its co-headline sponsor and lighting manufacturer, Claypaky. The 2019 KOI-USA winners are as follows:

CONCERT TOURING & EVENTS • The MA Lighting Award for Club: Steven Douglas for Hozier Wasteland, Baby!

• The SGM Lighting Award for Corporate Event Lighting: 59 Productions for Apollo 50: Go for the Moon • The disguise Award for Concert Video Content: Michael Figge & Ryan Chung for Lady Gaga Enigma Las Vegas Residency • The GLP Award for Arena: Baz Halpin for Taylor Swift reputation Stadium Tour • The LMG Touring Award for Corporate Event Video Content: 59 Productions for Apollo 50: Go for the Moon • The Robert Juliat Award for Festival/One-off Lighting: Bruno Poet & Richard White for Björk’s Cornucopia • The Elation Award for Stage Lighting: Nick Whitehouse, Dom Smith, Tony Caporale, Erik Andersen & Brian Vaughan for Billie Eilish When We All Fall Asleep World Tour 14

KNIGHT OF ILLUMINATION AWARDS USA

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Perseo-S IP65 rated 7° to 56° Beam Angle with Framing Shutters 8000k White LED 150w Source THEATRE • The Notch Award for Projection Design: Roma Flowers for A Bon Coeur • The ETC Award for Dance: Brandon Stirling Baker for Reflections • The Altman Lighting Award for Plays (Small Venue): Reza Behjat for Nina Simone: Four Women • The Altman Lighting Award for Plays (Large Venue): Natasha Katz for Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune • The ACT Lighting Award for Opera: Josh Epstein for Ellen West • The Rosco Award for Musicals (Small Venue): Christina Watanabe for The Wild Party • The PRG Award for Musicals (Large Venue): Bradley King for Hadestown LIVE FOR BROADCAST • The Vari-Lite Award for Award Shows: Jon Kusner for Billboard Music Awards 2019 • The Green Hippo Award for Digital Content: Drew Findley for Breakthrough Prize Awards 2018 • The ARRI Award for Unscripted Series: Oscar Dominguez for The Voice Season 16 • The Astera Award for Live Performance Special (Non Music): Steve Brill & Monica Rose for Funeral of Former President George H.W. Bush • The Ayrton Award for Live Performance Special (Music): Joshua Hutchings for Amazon Prime Day Concert THE PAKY LIFETIME RECOGNITION AWARD: WENDALL K. HARRINGTON The Paky Lifetime Recognition Award was created to recognise industry persons that have dedicated more time and energy than would ever be expected of them and benefitting the wider industry. This year’s winner was designer and educator Wendall K. Harrington, was chosen by the KOI-USA Committee.

Harrington, a ground-breaking projection designer, was hailed “the godmother of all projectors” by John Simon in New York magazine, having worked on live events, theatre, dance, and opera since the 1970s.

Ellen Lampert-Greaux, KOI-USA Committee member, said: “Harrington forged her way onto stages when projection technology was still in its infancy, yet nothing deterred her from her quest for quality and innovation. She inspired the next generation of projection designers and continues to inspire as an educator at Yale School of Drama, where she is the head of the projection design concentration.”

Harrington has designed for a number of hugely successful Broadway shows, including All The Way, Driving Miss Daisy and Grey Gardens, with concert work including The Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense, and Pete Townshend’s Psychoderelict, as well as tours for Chris Rock and Simon & Garfunkel.

TPi Photos: KOI-USA www.knightofilluminationawards.com

15

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EVENT FOCUS

D&B SOUNDSCAPE POWERS BJÖRK’S CORNUCOPIA TOUR The singer’s latest tour is enriched by d&b audiotechnik’s Soundscape.

On 13 November, Björk kicked off the European portion of her critically acclaimed Cornucopia tour, deploying a d&b Soundscape Immersive sound system as the show scaled up dramatically from its debut in New York’s new arts centre, The Shed, to a comprehensive run of large-scale arena dates including London’s O2 Arena.

Cornucopia is Björk’s most elaborate stage production to date, incorporating stunning visuals, intricate stage movements and a fully integrated immersive sound design. Cornucopia’s sound was designed by Björk and FOH Engineer John Gale, supported by Southby Productions, and Steve Jones from d&b, utilising the d&b En-Scene object-based mixing and En-Space room emulation software, running on the DS100 system processor and a comprehensive d&b KSL speaker system as an integral part of the concert performance design.

“Björk wanted the sound for Cornucopia to create an otherworldly sensory experience for the audience that draws all the visual, aural and

virtual elements together,” said Jones. “By utilising Soundscape from the studio all the way through to the show performances, she has delivered on that impressive vision.”

While already utilised in many major musical productions, installations, festivals and concerts, the Cornucopia tour marks one of the most ambitious and extensive applications of the Soundscape system. Björk’s creative vision, combined with d&b’s vision for designing the highestquality audio experiences, provided the opportunity to bring Cornucopia’s multi-sensory world to large-scale arena-based audiences.

To date, Cornucopia shows in the US and Mexico have received universal critical acclaim from audiences and professional critics alike for their stunning visuals and audio quality.

TPi Photos: d&b audiotechnik www.dbaudio.com 16

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EVENT FOCUS

KV2 AUDIO OPEN DAY Audio manufacturer KV2 Audio welcomes a select few members of the press to its expansive facility in South Bohemia, Czech Republic, to gain an insight into the benefits of its point source technology.

Created back in 2002, KV2 was founded under one principle: sound quality is everything. Seventeen years later, as TPi met the various faces that make up the wider KV2 family, it was clear that this passion for audio perfection has not been extinguished.

The manufacturer is an interesting case study in that it is not a large corporate company. Original Founder, George Krampera is still very much at the forefront of product development. Krampera’s passion for live audio dates back to his youth, when he first started experimenting with various audio components and radio amplifiers. It’s a passion that he maintained throughout his career, which saw him work with a selection of Czech brands, including RCF, before joining forces in 2002 with Marcelo Vercelli, (the V in KV2) to build the foundations that would become KV2 Audio. After parting ways with Vercelli in 2005, Krampera brought in his son, George Jr, as CEO and continued to steer the company in a way that’s very much in keeping with his ambitious vision.

“The goal of KV2 has always been simple,” stated Director of Sales David Croxton, as he addressed the invited media in the company’s boardroom

following an extensive tour of the 100,000 sq ft warehouse. “To create systems that minimise distortion in every way and reproduce the source as naturally and transparently as we can.”

Over the years, KV2 Audio products have been used for a wide variety of markets, from theatres and installs, to large-scale live events. Despite falling into different target markets, each one of the KV2 products proudly uses point source technology, which according to the company, has incredibly low distortion and extremely high definition. The point source system gives users the capability to cover more people with less equipment, delivering real value in quality sound reinforcement.

During the talk, one such product that uses the technology is the company’s latest VHD5.0 point source loudspeaker array. Taking more than five years to develop, the VHD5.0 brings the benefits of point source technology to large-scale sound reinforcements. The three way enclosure handles low frequency, mid frequency and high frequency over a range from 45Hz through to 20kHz. It incorporates eight front loaded 10-inch low mid drivers, six horn loaded eight-inch mid-range drivers and three 18

KV2 AUDIO OPEN DAY

three-inch NVPD (nitrate vapour particle deposition) titanium compression drivers on a custom-designed, manifold horn assembly with summing waveguide.

“There is no doubt that line array was a game changer for the audio industry,” commented Croxton. “It certainly cleared things up on the horizontal access. But there is still some limitation with the line array setup.

For example, the movement of air can really affect the audio distribution.

The one thing that point source systems are far more equipped to deal with is resistance to air movement.”

With its flagship large-format system being available on the market for the past few years, the KV2 team were pleased with the progress they had seen so far with the product. Croxton even used an example from his home country of Australia, with Melbourne-based Concert Audio Visual recently investing in a KV2 Audio VHD5.0 Constant Power Point Source System.

Both Croxton and the team were keen to point out other advantages to the live market, which not only included an ability to deal with temperamental outdoor conditions, but the cost-effective benefits of choosing point source technology. “Point Source Systems, quite simply require less equipment to cover an audience area,” stated Croxton.

“That leads to a lower capital outlay and therefore a greater return on investment.”

But the question remained, for audio engineers who had got used to the now-commonplace line array set up, how was their mixing style likely to change if they made the jump to a point source set up? Fielding this question was Andy Austin-Brown, KV2’s Technical Projects Director.

“Personally, I find there are two types of engineer – the ones who mix from a musical point of view and those who mix from a tech standpoint,” he outlined. “The latter are the ones who are likely to see the biggest change to their workflow, as they are used to working against the system.” Putting it simply, Croxton stated: “You don’t need to mess with EQ on KV2. The best way of thinking of these speakers is in the same way you would deal with studio monitors – you would never mess with the EQ on those boxes.”

Although the concept of point source is far from new in the world of live audio, it’s clear that the Czech manufacturer is attempting to reintroduce the world of pro audio to this new way of thinking and offer engineers and rental houses other options. And all this happens under the watchful eye of George Krampera, who to this day still works in the upper levels of the facility – right next to the enormous anechoic chamber, developing and testing new products and ideas all in the name of audio perfection.

TPi Photo: KV2 Audio & TPi www.kv2audio.com 20

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EVENT FOCUS

SISTER ACT Performed by Splinters Theatre Group, Sister Act raises the roof at the Montgomery Theatre, Sheffield.

Sister Act’s lighting design raised the spectacular show to a higher level, creating the emotive, joyous atmosphere that theatregoers know and expect from this gospel choir-based dramatisation.

Along with the venue’s inhouse generic lighting rig, Tom Dyson, Lighting Designer from TDL, added an array of moving heads and battens to further enhance the show’s backdrop and musical numbers. He utilised numerous eLumen8 Kudos 350ZS fixtures for multiple scenes including highlighting key actors, set lighting and effect lighting for musical numbers.

“The use of the backlight on the Kudos 350ZS moving heads, along with the beam projected, helped create some new and different eye-candy effects that both myself and the show directors were really impressed with,” commented Dyson.

In addition, LEDJ Pixel Storm 12 Quad MKII Battens were used to create eye-catching effects for the musical numbers, as well as uplighting the back wall of the theatre, which helped set the scene throughout the whole show.

The wide ellipsoidal beam angle made wall washing easy, covering the 8m by 10m space with an even wash of colour to suit any atmosphere. Dyson used these in 48-channel mode, which allowed him to run smooth pixel effects, further enhancing the ambience of the show – especially when the musical numbers were played out.

“As we all know, Sister Act is a big, powerful production so the lighting had to emphasise that – and the lighting from our LEDJ and eLumen8 brand did just that,” noted Dyson.

“TDL was glad to work with the Splinters Theatre Group again providing the lighting design, programme, operation and crew for this. We are already excited for the next venture together.”

TPi Photo courtesy of Prolight Concepts Group www.splinterstheatregroup.co.uk www.facebook.com/tomdysonlighting 22

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PRODUCTION PROFILE

LITTLE MIX: LM5 THE TOUR Boasting an Aladdin’s cave of touring technology, Little Mix embark on their most adventurous tour to date, in support of their fifth studio album, LM5. TPi’s Jacob Waite chats to the team pushing the boundaries of the group’s trademark, extravagant live shows.

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The first group to win The X Factor, Little Mix were formed during the eighth series of the show in 2011. In the following years, the popular four-piece has gone on to become one of the most successful girl groups this decade. Fronted by Jade Thirlwall, Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, and Jesy Nelson, Little Mix’s 40-date tour of Europe began on 16 September 2019 in Madrid – spanning sold-out, multiple-date arena shows in the UK and Ireland – before drawing to a close on 22 November 2019 in London.

everything has to be on point,” commented Carr. Famed for their explosive, extravagant and technologically advanced shows, Carr and Little Mix enlisted production design team, Black Skull Creative to come up with a concept befitting the band’s global dominance.

“Having a new creative team breathes fresh air into everything,” he enthused. “Black Skull Creative understand the mechanics of a live show and have grounding of knowledge on technical aspects and understanding, both in the live touring and television world.”

Reflecting on the task at hand, Carr explained: “We’re not reinventing the wheel, but we’ve tried to make it different. This tour is going to be difficult to change and top for next time. We’ve definitely set the bar high!”

‘WE’RE NOT REINVENTING THE WHEEL’ Ahead of Little Mix’s second date at Manchester Arena, Ant Carr of Modest!

Management picked up the story. “This tour is a bit of a change for Little Mix,” he began, citing his partnership with Production Manager, Andy Colby as integral. “Andy has had some input in bringing in key touring members and deals with the day to day on the road, while I tend to deal with the long lead advancing, logistics and budgeting.”

The impressive supplier roster combined the expertise of PRG, The LED Shed, Wigwam, ER Productions, Pyrojunkies, csuk, KB Event, Production North, Lucy’s Pantry and Over the Top Rigging. “When it comes to selecting touring companies, it’s all about longevity and longstanding relationships – it’s as simple as that,” Carr said.

Working for the management company and in the production team, Carr understood exactly what his profit margin needed to be. “It works for us to have everything in-house as a production company. There’s no middleman – it’s us doing the deals and being on top of it.”

During production rehearsals at Production Park Studios, the team removed certain aspects of the design, such as the stage tracking and waterfall gag, from mainland Europe shows, citing driving routes and time as mitigating factors.

“Following a tough European run, we’ve now hit a great schedule in the UK and Ireland, which is ideal given the advanced stage setup, because

‘IT’S A LOT MORE IN YOUR FACE’ With no live musicians on stage, the team went to great effort to focus on the music production. Musical Director, Rob Derbyshire worked in tandem with Donovan Hepburn on the live instrumentation, to create a new sound for the show. Carr explained: “Old songs have been revisited and a lot of attention has been given to the musicality of the show this time around.”

Spanning eight years of music, with a range of producers, coming up with a level of sonic consistency was something Carr and the team “wanted to nail” this time around. “They’ve done a fantastic job, with increased attention to detail when it comes to the music.”

FOH Engineer, Mark Littlewood has spent four years working with the group – a gig he picked up off the back of One Direction, who share the same management. “The band’s delivery has got an edge of raucousness to it opposed to the records – it’s a lot more in your face,” he referenced the club-like feel of the show and “pounding” bottom end. “It’s one big disco really, and that’s what they wanted.”

For control, Littlewood mixed on a DiGiCo SD10 with a Waves package.

“I’ve used DiGiCo for a few years and I’ve never looked back since.”

Throughout the tour, the band were joined by a series of guest acts. In 26

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the O2 Arena, London, Stormzy was the surprise act. “I’ve got guest mix and two spare Sennheiser mics dialled in when it comes to guest mixes,” Littlewood noted.

During the show, Littlewood was primarily “riding the vocals” to match the consistency of the tracks. “Everything is snapshotted, however, there are quite a few changes in the show regarding the effects and sends.”

Littlewood’s outboard gear highlights included Bricasti M7, an Eventide H8000 and Helicon, which boasted “some funky effects”, as well as an SSL Fusion and G-Master Buss compressor “over the left and right” of his mix to make it sound more “pop-like”.

The PA system main hangs comprised 36 d&b audiotechnik GSLs, 32 KSLs on the side hangs and 12 flown SL-SUBs. “It’s the first time I’ve used the GSL/KSL system, and I’ve found that it helps with gain before feedback because of the cardioid setup,” Littlewood said, having used prior d&b systems. “I’m really impressed with it. However, the only downside with the impressiveness of the rear rejection and cardioid is having the inclusion of side fills, so it’s been a bit of a trade-off. It now filters the same across everywhere rather than calm filtering from box to box.”

Systems Tech and Audio Crew Chief, Jon Brooks explained the reasoning behind the SL-SUBs. “We didn’t want to have a pile of subs on the front row,” he explained. By doing this, the team has kept the sub much more even across the room – one of Littlewood’s requests. “He didn’t want it to be thumping on the floor and quiet upstairs; he wanted it to be as equal as we could across the board, with it being a seated pop show.”

Eight d&b Y10P lip fills, eight V-SUBs, and four V10Ps provided extra fills, along with 54 D80 amplifiers.

“The eight V-SUBs under the lip fill covers the first 15-20m on the floor nicely, giving lots of punch for the front-row audience, which is important

because, if you’ve flown the subs, you’ll lose a lot of impact on the front.”

Brooks noted that because it was a d&b audiotechnik system: “If you model the room correctly, it does what it says.” Prior to the tour, Brooks received CADs for each venue of the tour to make sure where their stage was going fit along with the overlays. “Working from there, fitting it around from the lighting rig, it’s my job to make sure that it was approved by management for sightlines and Mark was happy with the box count.”

Using d&b audiotechnik ArrayCalc, Brooks exported an image of the vocal region of coverage in every room, to check its suitability. “d&b’s ArrayCalc models are very accurate so it’s a case of making sure the riggers put the points in the right places.”

Brooks has worked on a “specific target curve”, which he explained worked excellently. “It’s the same drop over distance every venue, so the floor is doing a little tilt of a couple of dB to allow the top boxes to die off at the same rate as the flown subs.”

By modelling and measuring the first couple of shows with the Beyer wireless reference mics, utilising d&b ArrayProccessing, Brooks was able to locate the offset of each venue. “During winter, we start at 12° and finish at 24°, so there’s a massive swing in heat and humidity levels that we have to be aware of.”

For the larger venues, the team utilised additional house delays to overcome “tricky acoustic” spaces. A Meyer Sound Galaxy performed system matrix and distribution. “It allows me to bring in system tuning, if anybody turns up with a support board, I can feed playback straight into it, and voice of god given an emergency announcement,” Brooks explained. “It also allows me to perform AES distro for matrixing and delays and hearing loops and house feeds.”

Littlewood’s primary battle was when the band performed in front of 28

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the PA. “It’s physics and you can’t really beat it,” he said. “Nowadays, most acts perform in front of the PA at one stage of the show, so we have to bear with it. Luckily, there’s only a small section of this show when it happens.

There’s no magic button – you’ve just got to turn it down or EQ it out.”

who thrive off the energy of the stage.” Meanwhile, the entire crew had mixes for packs. “This helps with cueing and running the show,” Pryde said.

“Having tailored mixes for each department, cues and counts make sure that things fire when they need to because it’s not a sterile show by any stretch of the imagination.”

For mics, the band rocked “custom-blinged” Sennheiser 5200s with 5235 capsules and 3272 receivers which, given the nature of the Swarovski crystals, were surprisingly “light” to touch, Pryde emphasised: “The band like them and they sound really good.”

Using so many packs – and batteries – the team made the switch to completely rechargeable batteries. “We’ve not had any failures, and it’s saved a lot of money,” Pryde touched a flight case as a sign of luck.

“Typically, we would have used over 80 batteries per show.”

Sennheiser shotgun ambient mics and a pair of omnis at FOH pointed back at monitor world. “There’s not a lot of call for ambient mics because the crowd get so loud it would be overwhelming for the band,” noted Pryde.

“We only really use them when the band interact with the crowd.”

For RF coordination, Pryde utilised a hybrid of scanners, which he inputted into software management systems. “The RF needs to be managed properly because they’re all over the building, including quick changes on this show. Instead of licensing channels, we buy 30 channels,” he explained. “The UK and Ireland are good compared to other regions.”

Having spent a lot of time in rehearsals relevelling and rebalancing tracks, Pryde worked closely with the tour’s Musical Director. “Rob Derbyshire is an absolute maestro at taking what would be a stereo track session and transforming it into the live sound.”

PA Technicians, Dominic ‘Super Roadie’ Thorne and Bill Laing made up the audio crew. “Wigwam are lovely people and now that they’re part of the

‘ONE BIG, HAPPY FAMILY’ “The biggest evolution has been the way we do playback – because we’re on DiGiCo consoles, playback lives on an Optocore loop,” Monitor Engineer, Craig Pryde reminisced. “The playback shows up as a device, so we share head amps for the mics and any analogue stuff, but we now put that in a playback loop and split it across 56 channels of MADI, so it’s a full split.”

The stage management cues and counts were all run from playback as well as timecode to “rule out any confusion”. Pryde revealed that the one thing that stayed the same each night was the version three “playback machine”, which was made up of some non-disclosable components.

Pryde’s console of choice was a DiGiCo SD10, which allowed Pryde the ability to take snapshots over MIDI, Pryde gestured to the “lovely” desk. “It’s got more ins and outs than any other mixing console. I love the macros.

We’re using brand-new blue cards on the input and output, so it’s reduced latency and an incredibly reliable board, which I know from back to front.”

In-ear monitors came in the shape of Sennheiser 2000 with Jerry Harvey Audio JH16v2 moulds. “The entire show is on in-ears,” Pryde stated.

Monitor world boasted four L-Acoustics Arcs and two KS28s as side fills.

A pair of LA12X amplifiers joined eight d&b E6s, which were used as understage foldback/cues.

“The reason we have backup side fills is because the rear rejection off the d&b GSL/KSL is phenomenal,” Pryde commented. “The stage is super silent, so we have to create a bit of atmosphere for the onstage dancers, 29

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NorthHouse Creative’s Visuals Director, Tom Bairstow and Creative Producer, Harrison Smith Monitor Engineer, Craig Pyrde and Lighting Director, Dominic Crookes; Tracking Rigger, Cameron Hewitt and Over the Top Rigging’s Mark Wade.

bigger picture with Solotech, it means you can get anything in any region,” he concluded. “The band are fantastic – not many acts embark on a threemonth arena tour every 18 months. Overall, it’s one big, happy family and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

process with a wealth of ideas and interesting reference points and so there is never a dull moment when developing the look for any show, be it tour or promo,” the trio explained.

With the way the contemporary world engages with content, the design collective considered how the tour will be received beyond a purely live experience. “Ultimately, the performance will live on via the fans’ social media, so we have to make sure the show is developed to have production values that look great, whether it’s being captured via one of our IMAG cameras or someone’s mobile phone.”

Referring to video as a “focal point of contemporary culture” at large, it would be remiss for the designers to not consider this modern form of popular communication. “The stories you can tell and worlds you can create through video are seemingly limitless and we wanted to explore this through our show.”

NorthHouse Creative was brought into the project by Black Skull Creative to devise the video content for the tour following their collaboration on Little Mix’s first two tours. NorthHouse Visuals Director, Tom Bairstow, joined the conversation: “It’s great to work with the rest of the team again.”

Black Skull Creative explained the importance of video content: “It was the best way for us to set up our five sections, which we were then able to expand upon through other creative elements. We would never want to rely solely on video and so it’s important for us to still maintain elements of the physical world through props and set pieces in order to add another dimension to our stage setting.”

Working closely with Black Skull Creative, Bairstow and Creative Producer, Harrison Smith developed designs for the video content centred around the concept of female empowerment.

NorthHouse wanted to create a filmic look throughout the whole show, combining pre-filmed footage with rendered visuals and a few live

‘THE PERFORMANCE WILL LIVE ON’ Black Skull Creative, made up of creative direction trio, Dan Shipton, Jay Revell and Ross Nicholson, met Little Mix at the start of this year following the release of the girl groups hotly anticipated fifth studio album, LM5.

“The band were looking for a fresh performance identity to coincide with the release of their new record, so we were brought on board to pitch an original idea for their upcoming appearance at the BRIT Awards.”

Off the back of the BRIT Awards performance, the creative trio commenced work on developing a cohesive, multi-faceted, aesthetic to “bring to life” a series of promo performances across a variety of TV shows and the summer festival circuit developing all creative elements including direction, set design and choreography. All of which lay the foundations of this landmark tour.

“It was important to relay the overarching message of womanhood from the album and extrapolate this in a way that could be translated in a cutting-edge tour environment,” the designers told TPi. With a design based around the iconography of a triangle and its connection with femininity, the trio created a design and visual narrative to explore different manifestations of womanhood. From there, Black Skull Creative defined five sections that encompassed a broad understanding of what it means to be a woman, which took visual inspiration from the likes of David LaChappelle, Zaha Hadid and Alexander McQueen.

“Every detail of the show – whether it’s the visual narrative, styling or automation – is a genuine collaboration between us and the band.

Naturally, with over eight years of experience, the band come into the 30

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Systems Engineer and Audio Crew Chief, Jon Brooks, Dominic ‘Super Roadie’ Thorne and Bill Laing; Automation Engineer, Pete Macdonald Camera Op / LED Tech, Jamie Riddoch; Video Engineer and disguise Operator, Tom Levitt; Camera Op / LED Tech, Rob Benson; Video / LED Tech, Connor Dexter; Video Director / Crew Chief, Luke Levitt; Camera Op / LED Tech, Devin Turner; Camera Operator/ LED Tech, James Miles; Set Carp, Paul Martin.

camera effects within disguise using texture layers and frames. “As with any show, we love involving filmed content and this creative gave us many opportunities to bring this into our workflow, from a two-day studio shoot with the band, to a location shoot with actors, a green screen shoot with Dan Walker,” Bairstow told TPi that the BBC News Presenter kindly jumped in to be play a key role for the intro and stock shoot.

and creative. “They share their ideas and we’ll break our backs trying to achieve it for them.” Working closely with the other departments because, both creatively and physically on this tour, so many different elements interacted with each other.

Luke stated: “The audio playback links up to our three disguise gx 2 media servers – a master, slave and understudy – which accept timecode and trigger at the correct time with Tom Levitt, having programmed that in rehearsals under guidance from Black Skull Creative, makes sure everything fits, runs and times perfectly.”

Tom explained the reason for a trio of media servers: “There are just under 50 million pixels, so we need a lot of outputs. The reality is, if the servers fail, because the video element of this tour is so huge, it’s a really big issue. There are multiple single points of failure you can’t afford to exercise, and the media servers are definitely one of them.”

The LED Shed deployed a Desay X5 5.2mm pixel pitch modular LED system for the main wall/shards, along with Desay X2 2.6mm LED screens for IMAGs. The chevron roof comprised ROE Visual CB5. Six Novastar MCTRL 4K screen processors were the backbone. “The ROE Visual CB5 screen was subbed in from PRG,” Luke noted.

Meanwhile, the Desay products were largely responsible for the sheer number of pixels the video team run. “They allow us to present a greaterthan-HD experience for the audience on IMAG,” Tom added. “Typically, to perform HD, you would have projection based IMAG, but that wouldn’t be in keeping with the large amount of LED on stage.”

To this end, the brothers specified LED with a really high pixel pitch to present footage in full HD or better. “The cameras are capturing the content in full HD, however, because of their sheer size, we’re running above full HD, so we’ve scaled the image up slightly to fill the LED.” The cameras and lenses package comprised five Blackmagic Design

‘TESTING THE BOUNDARIES OF PRODUCTION’ Ever since Little Mix were catapulted into stage stardom, Modest!

Management has relied on Production North to devise the band’s ambitious set design. Production North Project Manager, Ben Levitt praised the tour’s creative contingent: “Black Skull Creative really tests the boundaries of live touring production, which I admire.”

A tour which pushed technical, logistical and leadership boundaries, Levitt beamed: “It was huge team effort from all of the crew on the ground, it’s one of the best productions I have ever been able to work on.”

Overjoyed to be involved with the production, Levitt summed up: “We have enjoyed witnessing Little Mix’s awesome career growth. Equally, our relationship with Modest! Management has grown beyond belief and we have loved every minute of working on this project.”

‘FROM THEATRE-SIZED PRODUCTIONS TO SOLD-OUT ARENAS’ In video world, TPi was greeted by The LED Shed Owner / Directors, Luke and Tom Levitt. “We were involved in Little Mix’s first theatre tour, thanks to our strong relationship with Modest! Management,” Luke reminisced.

“Our collaboration is symbiotic in the sense that we’ve both evolved together, from theatre-sized touring productions to sold-out arenas across the world.”

Luke also recounted the “excellent level of trust” between management 32

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SFX Supervisor, David Taylor; Laser Tech and Operator, Jimmy Boucher.

LX Crew Chief, Adam Morris; LX Techs, Sam Jackson, Stuart Picton, Tom Bennett, Simon Howarth and Automation Engineer, Pete Macdonald; Stage Manager, Torin Arnold.

URSA mini pro cameras, two Fujinon 17x HD lenses, two Fujinon DigiPower 77 HD lenses and a Canon UJ90 DigiPower 4K lens. The obscure shapes on stage, which were referred to as shards at jaunting angles, were a result of collaboration between Over the Top Rigging, The LED Shed, Production North, ER Productions and PRG. “We deploy standard truss along with bespoke hinge pieces to give shape to various visual fixtures. Every department has had to work together on the physical and logistical elements of this undertaking.

Timing has been integral in that regard,” Luke noted. “It’s tricky trying to fit square LED panels into triangle shapes, short of seeking triangle LED manufacturers, we’ve managed to overcome it.”

Since touring with One Direction in 2014 with 3.9mm LED panels, Tom suggested that the company was one of the very few suppliers in the world that supplying touring LED IMAG in full HD or better. “Sure, LED IMAGs have been done in full HD on one-off events, although I know it’s very uncommon to tour.”

It doesn’t come without its expense, as Luke delineated: “It requires more infrastructure to cater for the extensive number of pixels on display.

A 2.6mm pixel product that is touring and built up and down each day is prone to wear and tear, but it’s definitely worth it in the sense that you definitely see the benefit as a fan coming to see the show.”

Luke claimed that one of his biggest bugbears with camera relay or IMAGs was when a supplier, band or artist “doesn’t care so much”, he scorned. “You still see standard-definition projection or low-resolution pixel pitch LED IMAG, which degrades the show. Our ethos is to do our utmost to stay ahead of the curve, and it’s our job to make the band look as good as possible on stage.”

With the majority of Little Mix’s fan base spending a large amount of time looking at the retina displays of their smartphones or tablets, presenting the group with a low-resolution image, according to Luke, was simply not an option. “I have children, and if I show them a piece of

SD content, they’ll complain because they’ve experienced the luxury of technical advancements.” The LED Shed’s PPU comprised Blackmagic Design Atem Production Studio 4K and a Blackmagic Design Atem 2 M/E broadcast panel.

Tom pointed out: “We use a Blackmagic Design Smart Video Hub router for SDI, with 40 inputs and outputs, distro signals from rack to switcher, Blackmagic 8m broadcast switcher, used in conjunction with 2MA broadcast panel to control the switcher, which controls the mixing and cutting of feeds.”

Content was then stored and played back from disguise servers – one source live camera imagery from switcher, the other from video files composited creative and output accordingly.

Luke also acted as Video Director on the road. His charge was to tell Black Skull Creative and Little Mix’s narrative to the entire arena each night.

“I like to flick between very clean IMAG cut hitting 15,000 people at the back of the arena, but I also try and make it look nice and flow – somewhere between an IMAG shoot and music video telling the Little Mix story.”

Hitting all the imperative lyrics in an artistic way, using movement from various cameras, was key to creating a “nicely flowing visual experience”. “I try to portray as many nuances coming from the stage onto the screens as I can, so that it feels more intimate,” Luke commented. “One thing I try to do ahead of every show is make a million notes to locate what works best and share that information between the team to enhance the experience for the crowd.”

Camera Operators and LED Technicians, Jamie Riddoch, Rob Benson, Devin Turner, James Miles and Billy Robinson; Video and LED Technicians, Connor Dexter and Chris Everett joined the brothers in video world.

Luke praised his troupe: “As owners and directors, we couldn’t do it without the rest of the crew,” he commented. “They work their backsides off and there is an awful lot of work that goes into this show from a video point of view. There are more than 1,100 panels of LED; working with 34

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management and creative, we can make sure nothing is left to chance.”

‘WITHOUT TIMECODE YOU WOULDN’T STAND A CHANCE’ Over in FOH, Lighting Operator, Dominic Crookes started touring with Little Mix in the group’s early days. In that time, he said, their live offering has got “bigger and bigger”, growing from “three straight trusses” of lighting to a Eurovision-style stage setup.

Working closely with Lighting Designer, Peter Barnes and Black Skull Creative, Crookes controlled the extensive lighting rig with a High End Systems Hog 4 console. “I made the leap to the Hog 4 for this run, which has been solid and reliable,” he stated. “The nature of the show is really cue heavy and without timecode you wouldn’t stand a chance.”

Robe Spikies featured in the centre of the lighting rig, with PRG Icon Beams around the edge alongside GLP JDC1s and GLP impression X4 Bars surrounding the edge of the screen. The ground floor of the steps housed TMB Solaris Flares, which Crookes claimed were “fantastic”.

The downstage edge presented Robert Juliat Dalis footlights to uplight the band, which were also used on the prior tour as they’re “great at filling in any gaps”. Additional Vari-Lite VL3500s washed the stage and nine dancers – a “solid fixture”, according to the LD. Crookes was pleased to link up with lighting provider, PRG. “The PRG GroundControl follow spot system is fantastic,” he commented. “We used it on the last tour to beef up the rig. On this run, we mainly use it as backlight when the band come down an automated lift.” It was here, Crookes said, it became apparent how good they are. “It’s probably the best system out there for automated follow spots.”

Reflecting on the visually impactful show, Crookes commented: “Black Skull Creative has put together a beautiful show, but most importantly, they are open to ideas,” he continued.

“There are different themes throughout the show, which create a crescendo and carry through the setlist. Following a big opening, there’s a slower section in the middle, before the show builds to an impactful end.”

Lighting Crew Chief, Adam Morris; Lighting Technicians, Tom Bennett, Stuart Picton, Sam Jackson and Dimmer Technician, Simon Howarth made up the rest of the lighting team.

‘OUR AIM IS TO CREATE A SPECTACLE’ Bringing the fire and ferocity was Pyrojunkies, deploying a range of flame bursts and the infrastructure for the rainfall section during the encore.

In particular six Magic FX Stadium Shot mk2s with rainbow configuration paper confetti, four CO2 low smoke machines, six Magic FX Sparxtars and eight Galaxis G Flames, controlled by a Galaxis firing system.

“This provides ultimate safety with a Deadman’s switch,” SFX Supervisor, David Taylor explained. “I fire the show with clear line of sight of all performers with two spotters in the pit.”

The outstanding pyrotechnic waterfall was made up of 40 7mX15s Wells Waterfalls, housed on two 4m-wide custom-built HD water drop screens with custom built catchment decks and tanks. Wells XL Sparkle Flashes, Gerbs and Medium Sparkle Flashes performed a series of high profile looks.

“The rain curtain is controlled by a bespoke control system which converts images into rain,” Taylor said the rest of the effects were controlled by a MA Lighting dot2.

Technicians Taylor Egan and Liam Luckhurst joined Taylor in the pyro team. “This is a visually stunning show that has sold-out multiple nights at multiple venues,” Taylor beamed with pride. “It’s a pleasure to work with the band, I can’t wait to do it again next summer.”

During the show, ER Productions lasers brought the “wow-factor” in a remix of the powerful pop hits Only You into Black Magic, as well as the show’s closing track, Touch.

Laser Programmer, Andrew Turner shared details of the collaborative process of integrating the lasers with the rest of the show: “It was a great experience working with the such a high-profile act as Little Mix. In a couple of numbers we had a very clear brief from the guys at Black Skull Creative 35

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(Only You/Black Magic, Secret Love Song) but, as always with these things, moments in the show that naturally lend themselves to lasers revealed themselves – we’re always on the lookout for those in the rehearsal period.

In this case, Touch and the Dance Interlude were great moments for these.”

The dance interlude consisted of a stunning laser show, choreographed to the track Forget You Not. ER lasers also provided a striking rainbow backdrop during the band’s more intimate rendition of Secret Love Song.

Turner is a self-proclaimed massive fan of colour in lasers, and singles out this number as being his personal favourite. “I created about 50 in total, tweaking hues and gradients, with different oscillating looks throughout the rehearsal period, all the way up till the final rehearsal, to get the ultimate ethereal look that Jay from Black Skull Creative was after.”

During the final EDM part of Black Magic, Turner expanded on Black Skull Creative’s brief to deliver a slow build, ending in a “big ravey crescendo”, with fast sweeping beams adding more energy to the band’s energetic performance. “We kept the colour palette simple, mainly whites and cyans, which we know will usually give us the brightest looks,” explained Turner. “It’s a very fun number to programme.”

The rig comprised a range of ER Productions fixtures, including 10 Kinekts on the shards and side lasers, eight BB3s on the column lifts and four EX15s for scanning. A further 10 ER Beams pointed downstage for static looks, all controlled via Beyond Ultimate NPC and High End Systems Hog 4 for the DMX fixtures.

ER Productions Laser Technician and Operator, Jimmy Boucher commented: “We supplied a range of lasers, from 3W up to 15W, some including the latest products by ER Productions like the Beam-ERs, which aren’t scanning but giving us thick beam looks and really cool shapes on the downstage edge.”

For Turner, this was the first time using the Beam-ERs, which he hailed as “a great experience” – using ER’s proprietary DMX software meant the units had an increased field of movement. “They are perfect at creating multiple beam focuses across the stage and choreographed to terminate onto stage areas away from the performers.”

The biggest challenge with lasers was safety and, as always, plotting laser positions was Turner’s first step. “We want to compliment the staging design, use as much space as we can, but ensure the lasers pose no risk to performers,” he explained. A total of 10 DMX Lifting Columns were spread

across the entire width of the stage and screwed into the deck to ensure stability. Using these meant they keep the BB3 lasers at a very low position for the entire show, before being lifted to height a few seconds before the laser number. “Not only did this ensure the lasers were above head height of any performers on stage, but also created interesting shapes, experimenting with different heights,” Turner added.

The range of ER Productions effects were considered, to create a perfectly balanced usage of each effect, without overwhelming the audience. Boucher recalled: “Our aim is to create a spectacle. For a lot of concert-goers, both parents and children, this will be their first show – we give them something they can take away with them.”

‘YOU’VE ALWAYS GOT TO BE AWARE WHEN YOU’RE FLYING PEOPLE’ From the outset, it was Black Skull Creative’s goal to ensure that the symbol of the triangle was embedded in the design and the tour would feature dynamic automation to integrate this symbolism. For example, the opening of the show featured a huge underlit triangle that the band lowered down to the stage on.

At the helm of the Movecat automation system was Pete Macdonald.

“I oversee the stage flown automation, which includes moving the lighting trusses and flying the band in at the start of the set,” he opened.

Running the Movecat iMotion Expert III console through timecode at the start of the show, Macdonald controlled 0.5 tonne Liftket motors, which run 20m per minute on the back platform.

On the lighting trusses, Macdonald oversaw 1.45 tonne Liftket motors at 10m per minute. “You’ve got to be aware when you’re flying people at any level,” he said. “Luckily, this is an extremely safe system. Using 3D graphics to calculate and monitor the weights of the relevant motors – if the contents goes over or under weight, it stops.”

The Movecat drives were situated on the floor, so if anything went wrong, Macdonald had the ability to quickly swap and carry on, without stopping the show. “Rather than being dead in the water, this setup allows us to fix things from the floor upwards.”

During the Sisterhood section of the show, the group flew out over the audience on a glowing neon triangle. Overseeing the bespoke tracking system was Over the Top Rigging’s Mark Wade.

Involved in prior Little Mix tours, Wade returned to ensure the safety 36

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ER Productions Lasers bring the wow-factor during a remix of the powerful pop hits ‘Only You’ into ‘Black Magic’, as well as the show’s closing track, ‘Touch’. During a dancer interlude there is a stunning laser show, perfectly choreographed to ‘Forget You Not’. Lasers also provide a striking rainbow backdrop during the band’s more intimate rendition of ‘Secret Love Song’.

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of the tracking gag. “We build the set above and make sure it’s all safe for the show. It’s quite a simple system.” Though simple to Wade, its bespoke nature required his expertise. “It’s designed as a crane, purposed for moving cars around in factories. However, I’ve repurposed the control side to make it more suitable and reliable for touring. Suspended from the roof is a little box of truss, which tracks with three double-break motors to lift the platform that the band are on.”

The track was made by a Swiss company, GIS. Triggered midway through the set, the band give a speech towards the end. In Manchester Arena, this marked the perfect time for one Little Mix fan to propose to another.

requirements in the most cost-effective manner. Moving on to the UK and Ireland, production was increased from 13 to 14 Megacube artics.

KB Event’s Lead Driver, Steve Crawley, managed the KB team on the road with pre-production and overall management undertaken by KB’s Senior Operations Manager, Howard Dearsley and Laura Meredith. KB Event’s Managing Director, Stuart McPherson stated: “With a wealth of industry experience, Steve has my absolute trust on the road. We have a great relationship with Ant Carr, which has developed over the past few years.”

As LM5 marked the first time KB Event worked with Production Manager, Andy Colby, it was “imperative” that McPherson selected a strong team.

“Although several of the European runs were challenging, LM5 has been an absolute delight to work on, and this is down in no small part to Modest!

Management’s team, both on and off the road.”

‘WELL-OILED MACHINE’ Stage management was split between Torin Arnold, who handled the physical running of the show, and Toby Plant, who dealt with the load-ins and outs.

On his second tour with Little Mix – having previously worked with the group two years ago as a set carp – Arnold shared the benefits of having prior experience of the band – in understanding their workflow and “how they like things”, presenting him with a “great head start”.

Each role has its perks, he believed. “As a stage manager, the days are longer, and I have to be switched on. I’m also a lot busier during the day than I was as a set carp once the set was built.”

Given the complexity of the stage, it was a race for Arnold to get everything done before doors. “The team has really stepped up to achieve this feat. Europe was particularly difficult. However, in the UK and Ireland, with a few dates in each venue, we’re not only a well-oiled machine, we also have a larger window to setup.”

Arnold’s biggest challenge was ensuring each day was the same. “The band like routine, which I can completely understand – they want to deliver an excellent show every night,” he acknowledged: “It’s as much of a dance for them off stage, as on stage – given the sheer amount of quick changes required during the set.”

‘A POP MASTERCLASS’ Live, LM5 contained all the hallmarks of a pop masterclass, packing a feminist punch. Rounded off by a core crew of creatives and innovative technology. Working with Little Mix on what was their biggest tour to date was all but a dream for Black Skull Creative. The design collective concluded: “It is such a privilege to be involved in a show that is all about elevating women and celebrating the broad spectrum of what it means to be a woman. We’re excited to continue our creative partnership with the band and cannot wait to share what is in store for 2020…”

TPi Photos: Callum Mills (www.callummills.co.uk), Georgie Gibbon & TPi www.little-mix.com www.modestmanagement.com www.blackskullcreative.com www.northhousecreative.com www.prg.com www.ledshed.co.uk www.sseaudio.com/wigwam www.er-productions.com www.pyrojunkies.com www.csuk.coach www.kbevent.com www.prodnorth.com

‘ABSOLUTE DELIGHT’ Faced with challenging drives in Europe, KB Event deployed double and triple drivers to hit the required schedules and employed local shunt drivers. This allowed the core touring team to comply with legal rest break 38

Specialists in Event Transport and Logistics Air and Sea freight • Conferences • Documentation • Exhibitions • Liveries • Music • Roadshows • Warehousing +44 (0)1773 811 136 | sales@kbevent.com | www.kbevent.com @KB_Event

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PRODUCTION PROFILE

VAMPIRE WEEKEND Decreed as the Ivy League of indie pop troupes, Vampire Weekend return to Europe after a six-year absence – debuting a new-look touring line-up and increased production values. TPi’s Jacob Waite reports…

VAMPIRE WEEKEND

The year is 2008. Spain have just won the UEFA European Football Championships; Barack Obama has been elected the 44th President of the United States; Spotify is launched in Sweden and a plucky Vampire Weekend burst onto the music scene – their eponymous debut album becoming a mainstay of the Noughties indie zeitgeist. Fast-forward more than a decade and two critically acclaimed albums later and, despite a six-year absence from European stages, the New York quartet turned Cali seven-piece hit the road with a production worthy of the band’s latest US number-one album, Father of the Bride.

Pixels facilitated additional left and right IMAG projection, cameras and video crew. “The scale of production fluctuates on this tour,” Moll commented. “Our trucks vary from four, to two, and then back to four – so it’s important to be one step ahead of the game.”

The touring crew comprised a mix of new and longstanding members.

Moll outlined the key conventions of touring personnel as, first and foremost, their ability to do the job, and secondly, their personability on the road. “You can hire someone who is incredible and could make a guitar out of a shoe, but if they can’t get along with other people, they won’t cut it.”

MODERN VAMPIRES OF THE CITY Injecting fresh perspective to the Vampire Weekend touring landscape was Mike Moll. Having cut his teeth as a technician for a whole raft of touring bands, the Production Manager now found himself at the helm of one of the most sought-after welcome-back tour tickets of the year.

Aiding Moll on the road was Tour Manager, Michael Schoenbeck and Production Coordinator, Andrea Smith. The latter worked closely with Moll on LCD Soundsystem’s latest tour – a band that shares the same management as Vampire Weekend. While Smith handled the daily touring rigmarole – runners, drivers, crew and bussing – Moll was tasked with the “big-picture” jobs such as hiring vendors, crew and advancing the shows.

His European vendors of choice comprised SSE Audio Group, Christie Lites, Universal Pixels, All Access Staging UK, Grosh Backdrops and Draperies, Fly By Nite and Landmark Creations. “I’m a budget-conscious person,” Moll admitted. “However, on this tour, we’ve had to be flexible because we change venue sizes drastically.”

The tour saw the band play a variety of differently sized venues, ranging from the 1,000-capacity Les Docks in Switzerland, up to two nights at the 10,000-capacity Alexandra Palace. Here, the crew upped PA and delays at FOH, bringing in extra drapes to overcome acoustic challenges. Universal

HARMONY HALL A stalwart of the Vampire Weekend touring camp, having performed both FOH Engineer and PM duties on prior outings, was Neil Heal. The FOH Engineer has witnessed Vampire Weekend evolve from playing New York clubs to selling out Madison Square Garden during their first visit. He picked up the story: “When we first started, we only had 18 channels and didn’t carry any consoles,” Heal exclaimed: “Now, I’ve got almost 120 channels!”

Since the departure of the band’s multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij, the remaining founding trio of Ezra Koenig, Chris Tomson and Chris Baio are now joined by touring musicians Greta Morgan, Brian Robert Jones, Garrett Ray and Will Canzoneri. “It’s a more fun show to mix now, hearing the songs played in different arrangements by very talented musicians,” Heal commented on the change of line-up. “Fundamentally, mixing this show is about embracing the weird, because there are a lot of strange sounds on the records.”

Take, for example, Ezra’s 8-bit-sounding vocal on Step. After racking his brain trying to discover its source, Heal was informed that the noise had been created by a template on GarageBand.

For control, a “trusty” DiGiCo SD5 was Heal’s desk of choice. “I’m a big fan of DiGiCo because of their desks’ ability to have anything where you 42

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want and lay it out where you want.” The engineer utilised snapshots for each song to control fader positions and effects.

“The snapshots set the foundations for the beginning of each song and then I build from there,” he continued. “I also do things that aren’t on the album. For example, I boost the sound of a tom roll on one of the songs, which is very dramatic and silly – but the crowd love it.”

When it came to PA, there was only choice. “I prefer L-Acoustics,” the FOH Engineer said. “The K2 is so flexible and steerable.” For the first portion of the tour, the team carried 10 L-Acoustics K2s per side, which was bolstered up to 14 per side for Alexandra Palace. Day to day, subwoofers came in the shape of eight flown KS28s, with a further four specified for Ally Pally – each spread in pairs evenly across the deck with the middle pairs boasting a delay of 0.2 seconds. The outside boxes featured increased delay to spread low-frequency coverage outwards and reduce the power relay from the mains, which went down to 35Hz. “The subs help fill out and filter the nulls of low frequency,” Systems Engineer, Ben Malone explained.

Multitrack allowed Heal to perform virtual soundcheck. It was then up to Malone to aim the PA and reduce the level at which the subs were operating. In Europe, L-Acoustics prediction software was essential to Malone’s delivery: “Using Soundvision, I’m confident of being able to walk into a room in the morning, build it using a pre-existing model in the database and tailor it accordingly.”

Having worked with SSE Audio Group since the White Stripes in 2002, both as end user and as a tech at the company, Heal had nothing but praise for the tour’s audio provider. Audio Technicians Conor Mullan and Justin Steipleman joined Heal, Malone and Monitor Engineer, Matthew Andrade in the audio crew.

A relatively fresh face to the Vampire Weekend touring fold, Andrade took considerable steps to perfect his mix. “As a monitor engineer, you’re

sometimes dubbed the enemy if something isn’t going right on stage,” he admitted. “You’re the first person a band will look to.”

Andrade oversaw almost 100 inputs, including talkbacks. An Avid S6L was his console of choice. “Avid desks afford you the ability to create, simplify and moderate each individual workflow, which is the most important thing for me.”

When Andrade acquired the desk, he explained that it wasn’t laid out the way he liked, but he was instantly able to personalise it. “On my layouts, I’ve got 16 inputs on the first two blocks of faders,” he said. “The mix for Ezra’s vocal is mainly through my VCAs, while the band sit on the auxiliary buss outs. A lot is taken care of in the snapshots because I’ve taken each song cue and turned it into snapshots.”

Over time, Andrade polished the band’s mix. “I went through every song and added snapshots because they often perform covers, with 70 to 80 songs programmed,” he recalled.

A convention of Vampire Weekend tours, Ezra and the band open a section of proceedings to audience requests – ranging from the band’s deep cuts to covers. “You never know what they’re going to request – for the most part they’ll play anything,” Andrade quipped.

The Monitor Engineer employed virtual playback software, Avid Pro Tools, during the show to tweak and listen to the band, who kept him and the crew up to speed via call backs. It was here that Andrade’s admiration of the band shone through, as he referenced their ability to play each instrument of the complex stage setup. “They’re so dynamic and are constantly vibing on stage,” he noted, dubbing the musicianship and complexity of the songs as “next level”.

Andrade explained to TPi how fortunate he was to be privy to the writing and expansion process of Vampire Weekend’s live tracks, which are performed entirely in contrast to the record, for the appreciation of 44

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Production Manager, Mike Moll; Backline Technician, Marty Cornish Jr; Monitor Engineer, Matthew Andrade Lighting Director, Ben Marx; FOH Engineer, Neil Heal & Systems Engineer, Ben Malone.

audiences. “One of my favourite parts of the job is being present when that creative process is happening.”

To capture the magic, a range of Sennheiser 945 vocal mics; AKG C414s; Shure Beta 57s, 91s, 914s and 614s, 98As and Shure KSM137s; Sennheiser e904s, e901s, e902s, e906s, e914s, along with a stereo pair of DPA 4099s, Neumann 104s, and Audio Technica bass mics made up the extensive mic package. While Radial Engineering performed DI duties.

A further pair of stage side computers triggered MIDI effects on keys, comprised of internal run software. JH Audio Roxannes and JH16 v2 IEMs

were transmitted by Shure PSM1000s. “It’s my first-time using SSE gear and I’ve found a sense of joy for this gig,” said Andrade. “Not many gigs are this enjoyable, so it’s a nice gift that the universe has bestowed on me.”

BACKLINE BELIEVERS The Contra cycle marked Marty Cornish Jr’s first foray into live touring as one of two techs, dedicated for drums, keyboards and guitars. Much like the rest of the crew, Cornish worked with LCD Soundsystem and a raft of other bands before circling back to Vampire Weekend. Following the band’s

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expansion, instead of tech’ing, drums, keyboard and guitars, Cornish took care of lead guitarist, Brian as well as Will on keys. “There’s a fuller sound to the band now,” he began. “Adding a second percussionist and drummer has made a huge difference – as well as bringing on board a designated keys and lead guitar player – everything sounds a lot bigger and better.”

Ron Baldwin and Josh Goldsmith joined Cornish in the backline roster. Cornish described the seven-piece as “fantastic musicians”. He commented: “A lot of the songs from the previous three records have been improved or expanded on. Although the records sound great, it’s a different experience when you see them live.”

He recounted the “underwhelming” nature of working with a band that sounds identical to their records. “Tracks like Big Blue or Sunflower are much shorter on the record, but live, they are six minutes long,” he enthused. “The band also transition from one song to another, including brief covers of other songs in the middle. It’s a pleasure to work with them.”

WHITE SKY Brought in by management at the start of the Contra tour in 2010, lighting and production designer, Rob Sinclair has pushed the boundaries of Vampire Weekend’s live shows for over a decade. Speaking as one half of design collective, Sinclair / Wilkinson, he told TPi: “I had dinner with Ezra at the start of 2018 to discuss his vision for the latest version of the band.”

Inspired by the band’s Father of the Bride artwork, a giant inflatable globe was the focal point of the stage setup. Having developed the idea

from a 2D format to the 3D inflatable, a circle ‘belt’ truss spanned the circumference of the globe, made up of 24 Martin by Harman MAC Auras.

“The artwork has a very clean aesthetic, so we married that with elements of jam band shows,” Sinclair explained. “I’m so happy with how it looks.”

Set up to play a wide variety of venues across the globe – pun intended – flexibility was an imposing factor of Sinclair’s show design. “We devised two globes, small and large, to tour a wide variety of creative spaces.”

Lighting Programmer, Brian Spett has been Sinclair’s long-time right-hand man, both with Vampire Weekend and “lots of other sticky situations”, Sinclair noted. As a new father, Spett wanted to take some time away from the road. Step forward, Lighting Director, Ben Marx.

“He understood our sense of humour immediately,” Sinclair stated.

“He has great taste and is doing a wonderful job with no click track or timecode.” Marx’s first encounter with Vampire Weekend was during a headline slot at Lollapalooza Chicago in 2018, which was, by and large, already programmed. “By the time we began show rehearsals and setup, we had a big leg up following Brian and Rob’s work,” he retraced. “There were some sleepless nights, but we were in a better place compared to other tours I’ve stepped into.” The LD referred to the programming as simple and intelligent. “It takes a minimalist approach to lighting, which is refreshing. It’s a classy, considered and deliberate lighting design. The colours are composed very carefully, and the looks are not abrasive.”

A pair of MA Lighting grandMA2 full sizes sat at FOH, with an additional as back up. “The grandMA2 has become a very intuitive console, which 46

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VAMPIRE WEEKEND

allows me to do the things I want,” he admitted. “There’s always a new thing to learn – it’s a constant feedback machine, which keeps revealing new tricks for me to learn.”

Marx relished the “human element” of being hands-on with the MA Lighting grandMA2. “It creates challenges, but it’s also why we’re here, without the spontaneity of the setlist – it takes away all of the soul.”

Increasing the spontaneity, Marx told TPi: “Vampire Weekend are very organic, and songs can stretch out for long periods of time, depending on how they feel,” he revealed. “There is a structure and an arc – every song has its queuing, but it’s laid out in a way that allows for creative freedom.”

A total of 26 Martin by Harman MAC Auras were situated on an upstage truss with another 15 GLP impression X4 Bars which, for the smaller dates, were cut down and housed on a stick of truss on either side, spanning the width of the stage. Additional torms either side housed Martin by Harman MAC Vipers on the stage edge, while the upstage truss comprised a row of MAC Vipers and GLP JDC1s. Marx said: “For the smaller venues, some of the floor package is cut off each side, to allow the band to get on and off stage.”

Meanwhile, Sinclair dubbed the lighting fixtures of choice as “not too expensive” but able to “perform a nice array of colours”. Marx praised the GLP fixtures. “They’ve become incredibly useful instruments; the colouring is great and they’re very bright – creating beautiful lines. The overall aesthetic of them all is really nice.”

Crew Chief, Jim Fredrickson joined Technicians, James Such and Thomas Hill in the lighting team. Marx remarked: “Christie Lites have taken care of us. They provided our European festival package a few months ago and have been exceptional ever since.”

Marx’s primary role was to ensure programming clarity. In Manchester’s O2 Victoria Warehouse, the inflatable globe and circle lighting truss was cut

due to space. “The globe is an element of the show and without that there is a big void in some of the queuing, so I had to go through and ensure those potholes were filled.”

Asked about Sinclair’s impressive lighting design, Marx outlined White Sky as his personal favourite, equating the lighting design to “a painting with beautiful composition”.

During the show’s popular request section, in Edinburgh, one fan created a bootleg band shirt, with Vampire Weekend typography stylised to fit a Scottish flag. “It’s one of those human elements of the band that I really enjoy,” said Marx. “This gig keeps me on my toes, I have to be ready for anything because the audience throw out some serious deep cuts.”

By contrast, the band also seem to understand the simple joy of inflatables; a giant luminous frog dubbed Mr Crockerman by Vampire Weekend faithful welcomed fans to each venue. As well as the giant inflatable Earth on stage, sister Earth-shaped beach balls were fired into crowds of adorning fans during two hours of era-defining hits.

THIS LIFE As Vampire Weekend shows have grown, so too has the band’s requirement for video. For this latest run, multi-award-winning Video Director, Mark Haney was drafted in to add his visual flare. Haney joined Upstage Video in 2017, and while the company looks after Vampire Weekend in the States, the industry veteran teams up with Universal Pixels in Europe.

“When I take a show to Europe as a director, one of my first calls is to Phil Mercer and his team at Universal Pixels,” revealed Haney. “The UP team is always across it when it comes to tour prep, equipment needs, crew needs and, most importantly, support.” For these shows, Universal Pixels supplied an IMAG package consisting of Kula 2M/E PPU, four Hitachi 48

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3G Camera Channels, three Agile Robos, an UP 3G Block Camera and three Marshall Lipstick Cameras, together with four Epson 20k Projectors, two 6.43m by 3.78m side-screens and four crew.

“A good deal of my work – for the past decade at least – has been in progressive video formats,” commented Haney. “I like to apply common sense to each individual circumstance. On these dates, I knew I could have a 25p frame rate look that serves the band, our vendor, production, and our creative, lead Rob Sinclair. I was very happy with the results.”

Haney was quick to pay homage to the strength of the video crew.

“A sum is only as good as its parts, and the crew that I had on this most recent set of shows at Ally Pally – led by Robin Toy, with Engineer, Harry Watkinson, Camera Ops, Chris Woods and Freddie Hamlin, as well as the support from Phil Mercer, Roly Oliver and Mark Strange at Universal Pixels – was key to having the great shows we had.”

FATHER OF THE BRIDE Notwithstanding the “typical” problems of budget, manpower and time, Sinclair summed up his experience with the newly extended seven-piece: “It’s always a really pleasant and fun experience to work with a band who are incredibly talented,” he concluded. “Mike Moll has put a great crew together, who are doing such an amazing job. It has been an absolute joy to be a part of this team.”

TPi Photos: Graham Brown, Sinclair / Wilkinson & TPi www.vampireweekend.com www.sinclairwilkinson.com www.christielites.com www.unipix.tv www.allaccessuk.com www.grosh.com www.flybynite.co.uk www.landmarkcreations.com

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PRODUCTION PROFILE

LIZZO: CUZ I LOVE YOU TOO One of this year’s most talked-about artists, Lizzo rounds off her incredibly busy year with a European run. Following relentless months of touring, TPi catches up with the men and women who try to keep pace with the singer’s skyrocketing success. TPi’s Stew Hume reports…

If you were to make a list of 2019’s most hotly tipped artists, American singer Lizzo would certainly be in contention for the top spot. With her exponential growth in popularity – and ticket sales – the artist had to adapt quickly to this higher calibre of touring. Following her Coachella performance, Lizzo’s management brought in a selection of men and women who, eight months later, have been across the globe keeping up with her relentless schedule. TPi caught up with the team on the tail end of the European Cuz I Love you Too tour.

TPi’s first stop was with Rob Bright, who greeted us on a cold evening at Manchester’s O2 Victoria Warehouse while the final preparations were being made before opening doors to Lizzo’s loyal fan base. “This year has been insane,” stated the Production Manager as he recounted the sheer number of dates, he and this tight-knit touring family had completed.

“We’ve done just under 100 shows since we pulled this touring party together, so we know each other very well,” he chuckled. The PM was quick to complement each of his team for their work and was clearly proud of what he and the crew had accomplished, in keeping with Lizzo’s surge in popularity.

“There was a lot of work to do when we got brought on,” he commented.

“Going into Coachella, she was still using the same setup as she had for the past three to four years, which was her singing and her DJ, Sophia Eris, running MP3 tracks from a laptop.” Updating her setup involved the introduction of a bespoke playback rig, along with the services of FOH Engineer, Brandon Blackwell and Monitor Engineer, Loreen Bohannon.

Bright’s suppliers of choice were informed by the nature of the schedule

jumping to various regions, with Clair Global and PRG handling audio and lighting respectively – both in America and for the European run. “Having suppliers that have operations on both sides of the pond has made life much easier, especially as we’re always short on time to pull all the pieces together,” said the PM Ensuring all the pieces got to each region, the PM brought on EFM Global Logistics. “John Sprague from EFM has been a superstar,” commented Bright. “During the early part of the year, our transport need on the truck side increased a lot, but EFM were able to ensure that the right vehicles were available.” On the current European run, Stagetruck provided transport alongside Beat The Street for bussing. Finally, providing risers of the stage was All Access Staging and Production.

STAGE MANAGER While walking out on stage, TPi caught up with Stage Manager, Shaughn ‘Shoe’ Adamski. “He’s truly been a savour on this run,” enthused Bright, noting how well Shoe had grown into his position. “I came into this camp somewhat accidently,” laughed Shoe. “I was on a break from another artist and was looking for some work to tide me over. I got put in touch with these guys as they were looking for a runner for the first weekend of Coachella.

There was an overhaul of personnel after the first performance and, by weekend number two, I was the Stage Manager. Nine months later and I’m still here.”

This ability to jump into any role has become standard practice for Shoe who, in another life, was a professional bass player, but quickly 51

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took on other responsibilities, from tech’ing to stage management. “Lizzo actually jokes with me, saying ‘I can’t believe you started as our driver’,” Shoe laughed.

During the show day, Shoe jumped on a number of tasks, from helping the lighting department chalking out the floor pre-rig, to overseeing the two major set elements on the stage. “In total, we have 34 decks to build each day along with the custom DJ both,” said Shoe. “We also have these aluminium panels – six per side – which I oversee along with hanging a backdrop.” The set pieces in question had been created by Anthony Asaro with soft goods being created by Jordan Coopersmith.

“This whole tour has been a bit of a transition for me as I’m used to managing acts with a live band,” stated Shoe, chuckling at the fact that he was used to passing guitars to acts rather than passing props to dance troupes. “Just another thing I can add to the resume, I guess.”

early days to oversee all audio duties, which included cabling and RF management alongside her other monitor responsibilities. Even with the audio team expanding with inclusion of FOH Engineer Brandon Blackwell, Bohannon still acts as her own tech and handles everything on the RF side of things. “It’s always been my mentality since I started doing this at 16; if you’re an audio engineer, you should be able to turn you hand to anything from monitors, FOH and tech’ing,” she asserted.

The fact that Bohannon was wearing so many hats on this tour ended up informing her choice of desk: a DiGiCO SD12. “I started using DiGiCo with Michel Bolton,” she explained. “I remember I had a chat with the guys from DiGiCo at the NAMM Show earlier this year – we discussed that if I was to take the desk out, I would need to know there would always be someone on the other end of a phone to talk over any issue. To their credit, that has always been the case. It’s a huge weight off my mind for a show like this when I’m looking after everything.”

In terms of the IEMs, both Lizzo and her DJ were on Ultimate Ears UE7s, along with the rest of the technical crew. “We are using the Shure PSM1000 for ears and I’m doing all my scans off an Aim-TTi, then importing all those scans onto Shure Wireless Workbench,” stated the engineer. “I’ve got around 22 channels of RF, along with a fairly elaborate talkback chain.”

Bohannon explained that the need for this talkback system came due to the unique challenges with a Lizzo performance – namely the incredibly loud audiences. “When I first joined, the biggest issue was that we simply couldn’t communicate,” stated Bohannon. “The crowd really is that loud.”

Along with her loyal (and vocal) fanbase, what Lizzo has become known

MONITORS One of the longest-standing members of the Lizzo family is Monitor Engineer, Loreen Bohannon. “I think I was one of the first professional hires that was brought in,” reflected the Engineer, as she reminisced about her time with the artist. She was brought in a few weeks before the artist’s Coachella performance, following a break from the road with Michael Bolton. “Since day one it’s been non-stop. It’s certainly one of the hardest schedules I’ve ever been part of. It’s also been a huge step-up going from playing MP3s to a full touring production.”

As the only audio member for a long time, it fell on Bohannon in the 52

F1_VEROVX_TPI_MAY_2019.pdf

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LIZZO

FOH Engineer, Brandon Blackwell; Monitor Engineer, Loreen Bohannon; Production Manager, Rob Bright; Stage Manager, Shaughn ‘Shoe’ Adamski; Playback Technician, Hugo Marcotte.

for is being a standard bearer for body positivity, along with gender equality – a theme that played out throughout the evening. What was great to see was this message clearly fed into the crew. In fact, Bohannon – who is a proud member of the Sound Girls organisation – had be using this platform to give more women a chance to experience the live touring environment.

“Let’s be real; there are not many females working on this calibre of show as audio engineers,” she commented. “I’m really lucky to be in this position as so few of us get here! Throughout the tour, I’ve been able to bring in some other females onto the road for a day under the Sound Girls mentor scheme. It’s been such a fantastic opportunity and fits so nicely into Lizzo’s message and air of acceptance during these shows.”

FOH On the other end of the audio chain was FOH Engineer, Brandon Blackwell. Having worked with the likes of A$AP Rocky and Camila Cabello for the past few years, Blackwell was brought into the Lizzo camp back in April this year. “They originally asked me to cover a show in Boston,” he commented. “I did the gig and drove back to New Jersey, before I knew it, I was called back to New York to cover another one. What followed was a two-week European tour and, from that point on, I’ve been a permanent fixture.”

But as Blackwell explained, there had been a seismic change in the mix he was now handling. “In the beginning, I had around six channels, which has really expanded now,” said the engineer. “It was one of the main things I was pushing for when I came on, as I had no real control of the mix other than basic EQ and compression. Because of this I wanted to stem out the record arrangements as far as possible. With the help of Hugo [Marcotte, Playback] we had the switch to a MADI set up and the change has been really good in terms of what we can produce.”

Along with the technical changes, Blackwell also did a fair amount of homework with Lizzo’s music, which informed his mixing style. “I personally see her music as something you would put on in the car to have a good time or at your house when you’re with some friends – it’s a party,” he stated. “On my end in the live show, I’m finding the balance of staying true to the record and bringing a live feel, with the mixes produced by Devin “The way I see mixing is like Johnson, our Musical Director. painting a portrait. I want to “Devin added so many extra bits, including live drums that are now produced by our playback use all the colours – or, in this rig. It’s like mixing a live drummer each night,” case, frequencies – to give the Blackwell continued. “The way I see mixing is like painting a portrait, I want to use all the fullest sound.” colours – or, in this case, frequencies – to give the Brandon Blackwell, fullest sound.” He went on to explain that this full frequency range was partially applicable when FOH Engineer 54

LIZZO

Lighting Director, Danielle Edwards.

dealing with Lizzo’s vocals. “With her voice, I like to carve out a place for her so she can shine through. Her voice is not overbearing but intertwined.

Like Bohannon, Blackwell also utilised a DiGiCo SD12. “I’ve used it with multiple artists all year and it really fits into my workflow. Although I only have tracks coming from the stage, I tend to use a lot of effects and reverbs, so I could easily max out my desk if I wanted to.” Blackwell also had a selection of outboard events – notably a Waves H-Delay with all Lizzo’s reverbs handled by TC Systems 6000. “I use an Avalon 737 on vocals for every artist I work with,” added Blackwell. “It’s only really doing compression and drive to get tone. Essentially, we take our mics in AES so you lose the characteristics of the stage racks pre amps. It allows me to run the signal on the board a little quieter and then boost it on the Avalon to get a little bit more grit and harmonics” For the singer’s vocal, Blackwell opted for a Sennheiser Digital 6000 with a 9235 capsule. “It’s tough in these small rooms, but it’s been great,” stated the engineer, referencing the loud audience volumes they’d experienced throughout the year. “I really haven’t heard anything like it,” he laughed.

“It’s not even random noise – each audience member is singing every word, sometimes getting up to 115dB. I tend to try and keep my show at 102dB, so it’s a challenge to compete against the crowd.”

systems. “I was brought on back in May,” he recalled.

“When I first came in, I didn’t want to freak anyone out and change too many things. I took it from where it was, implementing elements to where we are today.” The main backbone of Marcotte’s playback setup was the Ableton Live software, which produces the 24 tracks that make up the musical backing to the live show. “I knew I wanted to keep DJ Sofia triggering all the tracks, so I brought in a controller for her, which keeps the focus on the stage,” he explained.

LIGHTS The look of the show was a very collaborative process in the early stages of the run. Creative Director, Quinn Wilson joined forces with the team from Early Bird – consisting of Lighting Designer, Drew Gnagey and Lighting Programmer, Megan Dougherty.

With the basics of the show in place, Lighting Director, Danielle Edwards took the reins of tour’s lighting design, with the aid of Lighting Tech, Alex Peters for the UK tour. Edwards explained that, in recent years, she had specialised in a lot of Christian rock acts, so the world of Lizzo was somewhat of a sea change – although considering the fact that the whole show followed a church theme, down to the singers’ opening outfit replicating a preacher’s gown, perhaps it wasn’t miles away.

For the tour, PRG provided Edwards with a selection of Claypaky B-EYEs, Robe Pointes, TMB Solaris Flares, Chroma-Q Color Force 48 and 72s and PRG Best Boys. “My workhorse fixtures are the B-EYEs and the Flares,” stated the LD. “The vibe of the show is not very flashy and more of a creative vibe. For a lot of the looks, I tend to wash the stage with a certain

PLAYBACK Talking through the playback set up for the show was Hugo Marcotte.

Having worked with Jay-Z for a number of years, Marcotte was more than familiar with complex playback systems, although admittedly this was the first time he had worked with an artist whose show had never used such 55

LIZZO

colour. Then with the façade, I light them with the Flares to give a glow to the set.”

For control, the LD utilised the full size MA Lighting grandMA2 with a spare grandMA2 light. “Most of the show is on timecode,” she explained.

“Through the tour, I’ve added some elements, so I still have some hits and cues to launch manually during the show.”

During the show, Lizzo was illuminated by a front spot with all the dancers being lit with the flanking wash fixtures on the truss. “There are a few times in the show when I try to silhouette the dancers, but it’s important to not make them just look like shadows. Having said that, they can’t be the main focus of the look – it’s very much a balancing act.”

Edwards was also keen to compliment lighting supplier PRG, who had been working with the tour on both sides of the Atlantic throughout 2019.

“This was my first time with them and it’s been great. Anything we need, we can shoot them an email and its done. Even when we first came from the US to the UK, I had our American rep call just to check the handover had gone smoothly. Those kinds of things really make a difference.”

To close, the LD gave her lasting thoughts from this year’s extensive touring schedule. She commented: “It’s been interesting to see her career

progression. We’ve really got to see this change first hand. For example, we never used to get stopped by fans in airports, but now we can’t get through them. It’s been great that she’s had all these opportunities and I’m glad I’ve been able to pay a small part in that.”

With several more commitments back in the US, Lizzo and her crew headed back Stateside to round off an incredibly busy 2019. However, with the sheer number of sold-out venues across Europe, there is little doubt that Lizzo’s unique blend of R&B and rap will be heard once again in venues this side of the Atlantic – although capacity might have to increase.

TPi Photos: Shirlaine Forrest www.lizzomusic.com www.earlybirddesigninc.com www.clairglobal.com www.prg.com www.allaccessinc.com www.stagetruck.com www.beatthestreet.me www.efm.global 56

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MARKET FOCUS

LED PROCESSING An overview of some of the leading forces in the world of tour-ready LED video processing.

Exclusive to the SX40 is High Dynamic Range (HDR), which is enabled

by Brompton’s ground-breaking new Dynamic Calibration technology and offers a new approach to delivering impressive image quality improvements on LED screens.

Per pixel, HDR offers greater brightness and colour ranges with a higher bit depth, delivering more detail within the shadows and highlights and more headroom for exceptionally bright content. An HDR image appears perceptibly sharper and more detailed with greater ‘depth’, providing vivid, lifelike images when compared to Standard Dynamic Range (SDR). HDR is resolution-agnostic and can improve image quality in good quality panels no matter what the resolution or the size of the screen.

Used in combination with the Tessera XD Data Distribution Unit, which is a sophisticated single box solution designed to manage the complications of mass cabling that can arise with large LED display systems, the SX40 provides a cost-effective yet powerful system that will support the biggest and boldest LED projects. www.bromptontech.com

BROMPTON TECHNOLOGY Brompton Technology’s award winning 4K SX40 processor combines Tessera’s feature set and easy-to-use software interface with Brompton’s highest-ever capacity processor. The Tessera SX40 LED Processor offers support for full 4K screens at 60Hz with 12 bits per colour output. It supports latency-free 4K up/down scaling to match the source to the screen, as well as all of Tessera’s processing features like ChromaTune colour correction, On Screen Colour Adjustment (OSCA), Panel On Screen Display (OSD), Processor Redundancy, as well as newly released features such as PureTone and ThermaCal. It is compatible with all existing Tessera fixture inventory.

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LED PROCESSING

BARCO ImagePRO-4K easily scales, converts and switches the highest quality signals without latency (4K, 4:4:4, 60p, 10-bit), effectively solving glitches before they even occur. The latest I/O connectors enable you to seamlessly convert HDMI 2.0, DP 1.2 and 3G-12G SDI signals while also enabling output image rotation.

The ImagePRO-4K is built for life on the road. Assembled and tested for extreme use and abuse, the ImagePRO performs just as well at the gig as it does in the shop. What’s more, the live-source view on the front panel provides you with a clear view of the incoming signal giving you the confidence you need to execute your event flawlessly.

Need to slice and dice LED signals? The ImagePRO-4K does it with ease.

Either chop up single inputs across several connectors, or drive multiple walls from multiple sources. The LED set-up menu will guide you through the process to achieve pixel perfect images. The 12-bit internal processing handles pre-scaling or cropping to an LED wall’s actual resolution - in perfect detail. www.barco.com

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As the first fixture to incorporate Mar tin’s P3 control, pixel mapping and pixellated beams can be controlled via standard protocol or switching to P3 at any moment during the show.

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LED PROCESSING

ROE VISUAL The eV4 4K LED processor by ROE Visual offers an advantageous solution for 4K processing for the ROE Visual product lines. The eV4 processor is compatible with all EVISION products with an i6 or i9 card, such as the Carbon series, Diamond, Black Marble and Sapphire LED products. It features an integrated image processor, processor redundancy, 4K HDR and is the first processor to combine 4K with a fibre output. The Fibre Distributor eVX10 enables long distance signal transmission.

The processor enables next generation image display and can handle 4K resolution display on a 60Hz frame rate, thus creating an outstanding image performance. Offering 10-bit per colour output, the eV4processor supports real HDR to achieve striking visuals. Both the scaling options and the PIP functionality have no restrictions in mapping of size adjustment, so you have almost limitless creative freedom in programming.

The eV4 has diverse input supports, such as: HDMI2.0, DP1.4 and SDI. The output, based on 4 fibre outputs, facilitates system redundancy. Main output 1 and 3 are linked, as are 2 and 4, thus creating automatic backups. Pairing the eV4 processor with the eVX10 fibre distribution box offers multiple advantages. Using the i-set software settings makes programming your project a breeze. With more standard pre-sets and easy mapping functionality, you have the freedom to create spectacular projects. The easy navigation and LCD read-out make menu selection intuitive and easy. www.roevisual.com

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IN PROFILE

UNIVERSAL PIXELS

UNIVERSAL PIXELS TPi’s Stew Hume pays a visit to Universal Pixels’ HQ in Tring to talk about the history of the award-winning video specialist and discover what’s in store for the future.

The impact of video on the live touring sector is undeniable. Be it projection or LED, it’s rare for an arena or stadium tour not to present visuals that go beyond a traditional IMAG or rear screen setup.

Nowadays, show designers are finding even more intricate ways of incorporating dynamic visual elements into live performances. Not to mention the ever-growing sophistication of visual software.

Backed by years of industry experience, Universal Pixels’ (UP) founders saw a gap in the market for a bespoke video company that delivers what designers want, not just what suits the rental company. Now, three years into business and with a fully spec’d warehouse, the UP team is ready to turn the page on its next chapter, which not only includes an extensive touring schedule and new equipment, but also ventures into new markets.

Able to service shows with huge LED requirements and smaller, academy-sized gigs alike, the TPi Award-winning company currently has a sizeable amount of gear out on the road, much to the delight of artists like Vampire Weekend, Björk, The Chemical Brothers and Christina Aguilera.

Despite a busy schedule, the team found time to take TPi on a tour of its headquarters to discover UP’s doctrine of video.

As soon as you enter the warehouse space, it’s clear that identity and functionality are at the forefront of the company’s psyche. Not only is the office and warehouse coded with the company’s orange colour scheme, the entire space has been designed with efficiency in mind – a deliberate attempt to re-evaluate bad practices within the world of video.

Discussing the history of the company was Commercial Director and Co-Founder, Phil Mercer. A familiar name within the live events industry, Mercer has operated at the forefront of the video sector for almost two decades, including a 14-year stint at XL Video – spent living on both sides of the Atlantic. His fellow UP founders – Technical Director, Gareth Jeanne

and Operations Director, Oliver Luff – also share significant knowledge of the industry.

“It was the collective effort of the three of us that got Universal Pixels off the ground,” reflected Mercer, recalling the early days of the company, which was officially formed back in October 2016. “The idea behind the company came from what we felt was a market need for bespoke solutions.

It’s not just about being a company with a lot of gear in the warehouse, it’s having an active interest in what designers are trying to produce and working out how to achieve their end vision.”

Mercer was quick to highlight how the company differs to a selection of rental houses in the market, which offer video alongside audio and/or lighting solutions. For UP, its only – and all – about video.

“You just have to look at the shows we’ve been involved in over the past few years,” said Roly Oliver, UP’s Head of Business Development.

“From Massive Attack, to Roger Waters, Swedish House Mafia and The Chemical Brothers; these are all acts where video is integral to their show.”

The size and calibre of clients has never dipped from the company’s first gig – supplying the Robbie Williams NYE 2017 show, broadcast live on BBC. “There’s nothing quite like the pressure of a live TV broadcast,” reminisced Mercer. “At that stage, we didn’t even have stock in a warehouse, but his production had faith in us as we had worked with them in the past.”

When it came to building its equipment inventory, Mercer and the team had a definitive investment goal in mind. “We pride ourselves on specialising in products from leftfield manufacturers for our marketplace,” he explained.

“We didn’t want to invest in the same gear as other rental houses to avoid being involved in competitive price matching and instead offer an alternative solution. Some of the companies we’ve brought on have 65

UNIVERSAL PIXELS

never even really sold into this market before.” Two brands that UP has especially invested in are Epson and Leyard LED screens. “You could say it was somewhat of a leap of faith for both those companies, as they weren’t particularly active in the live events market,” said Mercer.

“Although the touring sector is a small market for both LED and projector companies, manufacturers like to be involved as it’s a good showcase for them.” He explained that each purchase feeds into a ‘Lego ethos’, whereby UP provides the pieces that productions can build in a variety of combinations, rather than forcing creatives down a certain path.

Other notable investments have been within the world of media servers, investing heavily in disguise hardware and software.

The UP team was also keen to point out that starting from nothing meant its delivery was not hampered by redundant gear or bad practices.

“It’s an issue we see in our industry when a company buys another. They are also purchasing their equipment, systems and standards. Simple practicalities such as having flight cases that fit on a truck is an issue.” But starting from scratch meant the UP team could put the right procedures and equipment in place to ensure its tour offering is as efficient as possible.

“One area we really focussed on was our procedures for checking incoming gear,” explained Operations Director, Oliver Luff. “We are confident that our kit is maintained to the best standard.”

Mercer added: “Video, in many ways, has been behind the times compared to lighting and audio when it comes to prep and discipline for no good reason. For us, it’s been all about being reliable rather than necessarily getting all stock out the door as fast as possible.

“No two show designers are the same. Some opt to give quite exact schematics, whereas others will give more of a sketch.” He explained that often, the most rewarding shows involve a creative director who has a

vision that can be realised in collaboration with the company. “This means, for example, that we can make suggestions about whether it would be better to go down the LED or projection route.”

Reflecting on the past few years, Mercer talked about some of the trends he has witnessed in the market. “There is the old saying, ‘you don’t go home humming the lights’. But, nowadays, the look of the show is its signature and the images or video an audience member will share via social media is often how it’s judged.”

From Instagram to YouTube, audiences are may experiencing the show from one region and then expect to see it when it comes to their town. “The influence of social media has really affected our side of the industry and is constantly at the back of our minds when we are putting together the packages for these shows,” Mercer explained.

With the year drawing to a close, the UP team still had a number of projects on its plate, including shows with McFly and Robbie Williams. “It’s been a successful three years,” concluded Mercer. “We’ve expanded each year, with a strong staff base of 12 full-time employees. It’s been steady growth, as we are constantly thinking about what path we are taking and ensuring it’s the right decision.” What is for sure is that Mercer regards UP as an entertainment company. He told TPi: “Be it theatre or touring, we know the sector in which Universal Pixels exists. TV and film production is currently a very interesting market, with production companies often opting for LED or projection over traditional green screen techniques.”

Whatever lies ahead, it will be exciting to see what the Universal Pixels team tackles next.

TPi Photos: Universal Pixels www.unipix.tv 66

IN PROFILE

KYOTO MUSIC

KYOTO MUSIC Putting down roots in North East London, Kyoto Music is now open for business.

Founded by Glen Rowe, the artist management outfit seeks to create an offering for bands with a focus on their production needs to help them get ahead.

The term ‘artist management’ is not one that appears in the pages of TPi too often, with our focus always being on the nuts and bolts that go into making the biggest and best live events in the touring industry. However, according to Muse’s former Touring Director, Glen Rowe, the two worlds need to be more co-dependent.

With this thought in mind, Rowe has proudly launched Kyoto Music; an artist management business that also offers its own recording studio, storage unit and a new rehearsal studio. In short, a management company that is more than aware of the nature of production and the demands on artists in the current musical landscape.

For those who know Rowe, for the past year or so, he has been spearheading the NEKO Trust – a charity whose aim is to help build a sustainable future for the live events industry, supporting the next generation of talent by opening venues up and down the UK. With the charity still ticking away in the background, Rowe was keen to launch another arm to help discover new talent and provide the facilities necessary to get ahead in the industry. The result? Kyoto Music.

“It stemmed from several conversations with people about a lack of rehearsal spaces in London,” began Rowe. “For bands and crewmembers, there seemed to be a need for a ground floor space with well-designed load-in facilities for academy-sized acts to tech rehearsals for their upcoming tours.” Looking at the map of London, Rowe noticed something of a “baron-patch” in the north east of the region, where several of the live event industry’s most-trusted suppliers were based, making it a perfect space for a rehearsal facility.

Situated a short walk away from Harlow train station, Kyoto Music’s 40ft by 50ft multiuse facility is ideal for rehearsals and pre-production, boasting the ability to turn in to a ‘black box’ for video shoots. “The word ‘multiuse’ was at the forefront of this design,” commented Rowe. “With a perfectly

sloped load-in ramp, you can load into a smooth polished concrete clear floor space to be turned into whatever you desire.” The studio also features 63-amp, three-phase power and space for six vehicles. “Tour buses and trucks can also rest here safely overnight by request,” Rowe enthused.

Next door to the rehearsal space is Kyoto’s recording studio, which boasts an equal amount of floor space for storage as well as additional office space required for incoming productions. Importantly, with a Premier Inn Hotel just a five-minute walk away: “It’s an affordable rehearsal space, which is one of the key conventions for any new band,” stated Rowe.

“Studio time and storage is equally important. Thankfully, we are able to offer all three under one umbrella at a reasonable price.”

Under the Kyoto umbrella, the company offers world-class recording studios complete with an analogue MCI 500 Rev D console, previously owned by The Who’s John Entwhisle. Not to mention a selection of facilities including onsite accommodation, swimming pool and a tennis court.

Kyoto Music has already been working with young upstarts King Nun, who supported the Foo Fighters on one of their latest European runs.

“Kyoto is very much open for the industry,” asserted Rowe. “Whether they want to record or complete production rehearsals for their upcoming tour, it’s all about giving the best facilities to enable acts to get back on the road quickly. After all, that’s how they earn a living.”

Speaking to Rowe, it was apparent that the trio of a rehearsal space, studio and storage unit was merely chapter one of the Kyoto story – he mentioned further plans for more rehearsal studios to handle larger incoming productions. In the meantime, bookings can be made for all of Kyoto’s facilities on the company website.

TPi Photo: Kyoto www.kyotomusic.co.uk 69

FUTURE INSIGHTS

FUTURE INSIGHTS The latest product releases and announcements from LDI 2019.

ADJ In addition to the 11 new lighting fixtures and LED video panels announced in the run-up to the event, ADJ launched four extra exciting new products at LDI 2019. The Encore Profile Pro range is a new series of professional LED-powered ellipsoidal fixtures designed for theatrical, broadcast and performance environments. The Focus Spot 6Z and Focus Wash 400, meanwhile, are feature-packed moving head luminaires that join the top ranks of ADJâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s extremely popular Focus Series. www.adj.com

AREA FOUR INDUSTRIES LITEC unveiled its new, innovative PR60 Revolution Pre-Rig Truss. TOMCAT revealed a totally new and innovative truss connection accessory. While the newest brand in Area Four Industries, Prolyte, arrived with their team to meet attendees. www.litectruss.com www.tomcatglobal.com www.prolyte.com

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ASTERA LED V11 – a major upgrade of the hugely flexible AsteraApp – was launched at LDI, with a preview of the brand new Wireless PixelBar wall washer, set to launch in 2020. Astera also took the opportunity to preview its new Pixel Bar wall washing fixture for the first time in public. www.astera-led.com

AV STUMPFL The company presented its new PIXERA media server software version 1.2, which includes the ability to export videos from the workspace, either containing the entire venue or the content of a specific screen. A new set of pixel patching tools has also been seamlessly integrated into the UI. They allow users to reposition content pixels on the output as needed, making it possible to drive a wide variety of LED processor configurations from PIXERA. www.avstumpfl.com

CHAUVET PROFESSIONAL The company’s brand new generation of ultra-bright Rogue Fixtures, high res F2 video panel, an COLORado SOLO Batten 4 had plenty of LDI 2019 attendees flocking to the CHAUVET stand. www.chauvetprofessional.com

BROMPTON TECHNOLOGY A ground-breaking new technology exclusive to Brompton Technology, Dynamic Calibration enabled features includes ThermaCal, which eliminates thermal patterning on hot LED panels, and PureTone, which eradicates unsightly colour casts in low brightness greyscales for a balanced, neutral output. www.bromptontech.com

CLAYPAKY A new tool for lighting designers to expand on their creativity was unveiled by Claypaky called REFLECTXION. The unit offers 540° PAN and unique, continuous TILT movement at adjustable speeds. Furthermore, the REFLECTXION’s mirror is the same on both sides giving you two highly reflective surfaces with which to direct light beams. Claypaky also showcased the IP65 Sharpy Plus. Designed in the spirit of the awardwinning Sharpy Plus platform, this new fixture maintains the same performance features of its predecessor, the Sharpy Plus luminaire, in a new weather-resistant package; giving you greater flexibility in a single luminaire. www.claypaky.it 71

FUTURE INSIGHTS

ELATION PROFESSIONAL Launching a range of brand new atmospheric effects at LDI 2019 named Magmatic! – comprising Magma, Thermatic, Polar, Rocket, Atmosity and Prisma. Also shown were five new moving head fixtures in Elation’s award-winning Artiste, Proteus and Fuze product lines, new professional market luminaires that continue the company’s efforts to bring innovation and best-in-class ROI products to the market, including Artiste Mondrian, Artiste Rembrandt, Proteus Lucius, Fuze Wash FR and Fuze SFX. Obsidian Control Systems also presented a powerful NX 4 lighting controller with DYLOS pixel composition engine. Designers, programmers and operators were invited to get hands-on with the console’s intuitive ONYX platform and experience the creative possibilities with DYLOS. www.elationlighting.com

ETC & HIGH END SYSTEMS ETC & High End Systems booth was packed with new automated and effects fixtures to view. The SolaPix family made its grand entrance at LDI with an exceptionally bright wash. The HaloGraphic Pixel Definition featured in the SolaPix provides improved face definition with edge lighting on the pixel cells. www.etcconnect.com

GLP Two new additions to the FUSION the Exo Beam and Exo Wash; the former is an IP65 moving head Beam housing a 90W white 7500K LED with an impressive beam angle of 0.1°, and field angle of 1°, with fast Pan & Tilt movements. Cosmic Truss presented new additions to its F34DNA 12” spiral truss, its unique twisted truss design. While Scenex Lighting introduced the latest innovation in pixel LED control, the PixeLit Control Manager. Breaking new ground and using revolutionary technology, PixeLit empowers control of up to 256 individual universes of DMX LED data. www.glp.de

MARTIN BY HARMAN Martin by Harman launched four new fixtures in the Martin ERA range to create a family of class-leading products for productions of all sizes. MAC Allure Wash PC, VDO Atomic Dot were among recently launched Martin fixtures new to the LDI audience. The new Martin ERA Performance Series that includes the 400, 600 and 800 fixtures, along with launching the first outdoor rated moving head, the ERA 500 Hybrid IP. The Martin MAC Allure Wash PC and VDO Atomic Dot fixtures all made their Live Design International 2019 debut. www.martinprofessional.com

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FUTURE INSIGHTS

MDG New to LDI 2019 was MDG’s bespoke Vertical Flight Case, created for the ultimate in easy touring. Designed to carry MDG’s ATMe haze generator, or either of Me1 or Me2 fog generators, plus everything needed to operate under production conditions, these Kings of Flight Cases not only provide rugged, safe transport for the generators, but allow the entire unit to be rolled onto stage and simply plugged in for instant use. www.mdgfog.com

ROBERT JULIAT RJ presented its new Maestro server which has been developed by Robert Juliat in collaboration with tracking specialists, zactrack. Maestro extends the capabilities of SpotMe by enabling it to operate with any DMX lighting control console. Maestro also brings a major new advantage in the form of a unique ‘Prediction’ feature - the ability to anticipate the direction of a performer’s movement on stage and adjust every ‘slave’ fixture to react quickly to the direction of travel. www.robertjuliat.com

SPOTRACK Visitors to the show were able to discuss the new features of the latest soon-to-be-released Spotrack 2020 edition of the system at the BCT Entertainment stand, whilst in conjunction with Ushio Japan and Strong Lighting, the Spotrack team conducted regular live demonstrations of this and its brand new follow spot interface, SpotrackEvolution, on the Apex Stages stage. Spotrack’s new features enable the use of SpotrackEvolution.

Used with Spotrack 2020, Evolution allows the use of an existing follow spot, via a simple upgrade in the form of a small hardware accessory, to be used as a controller for Spotrack. www.spotrack.com

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IN THE FIELD

IN THE FIELD: DRONE SEEKER With more drones in our skies than ever before, the prospect of drone disruption to live events is very real. How will we protect against this new threat from above? TPi speaks to Max WiFi’s Rob Watson to find out…

Commercial drones are becoming more sophisticated, with models regularly released to the market created for various uses – most notably filming, but also for crowd control and entertainment displays.

Drones add new dimensions of entertainment to live shows, as demonstrated on Drake’s Assassination Vacation 2019 tour, where 200 illuminated drones performed routines during two of his songs. Police and event security teams have also started using UAV technology for crowd surveillance in and around venues and events.

However, UAVs can also be a disruptive technology. For example, back in May this year, drones were used to scatter leaflets displaying swastikas and hate-speech outside an Ariana Grande concert in Sacramento, US. Meanwhile, at this year’s Notting Hill Carnival – an event attracting more than a million visitors – there were multiple sightings of unauthorised drones flying above London’s streets. This posed a risk not only to the crowd, but also to the police helicopters flying overhead.

In fact, the potential risks drones pose to events are many and far-reaching, including the likes of paparazzi intrusion, contraband smuggling, VIP harassment, illegal streaming, protest and even terrorism.

Having analysed the threats that drones pose, Max WiFi explored the technology to combat this problem and created Drone Seeker. Max WiFi’s Rob Watson explained the system: “Our RF sensors are placed around the perimeter of a venue and the detection software can locate pilots and their drones’ locations up to 1.5km away by triangulating unique radio signals emitted by the drone/controller,” he commented.

The software displays the make/model, altitude, distance and speed of a drone providing event security teams with the information they need to react accordingly. “It also documents a history of the detected drones, logging any potential red flags,” Watson continued.

Even if no malice is intended, drones can lose control easily – a quadcopter will crash if just one of its blades break, which throws up the 74

DRONE SEEKER

potential for a dangerous collision with an audience member or even an artist. It wouldn’t be the first time either; in 2015, Enrique Iglesias underwent reconstructive surgery on his hand after sustaining a fracture and severe lacerations as a result of attempting to catch a drone as part of a mid-show stunt. This incident proved the potentially catastrophic impact of contact with drone blades.

Various governments around the world have put in place legislation in an attempt to tackle the misuse of drones. In October, the UK Government published updated drone legislation, which came with a range of stipulations for drone operation. As well as the need to register any drone between 250g and 20kg with the Civil Aviation Authority, drone pilots must also pass a competency test in order to obtain a Flyer ID. Anyone responsible for a drone must also pay a £9 annual fee for an Operator ID. The legislation also stipulates that drones cannot be flown: over 120m above a surface; within 50m from people, buildings, cars, trains or boats; within 150m of a large crowd (1,000 people) or a built-up area; or within 5km of an airport restriction zone.

But, how far will these new laws go in preventing the misuse of drones?

“The new Flyer ID theory test will no doubt provide some education to a few hobbyists about the implications of misusing drones, but this test has not made it any harder to buy a drone off the shelf,” commented Watson.

“Simply put, it will not stop anybody whose intent is to use drones to disturb, disrupt or cause harm.”

To date, there have not been any major drone-related incidents at a

live event, but in order to maintain this record, security teams must be proactive and prepare for the threat. “The journey to an event venue is secured by CCTV, stewards, police, bag checks, various detectors and search dogs, but what measures are in place to prevent threats that come from above?”

Watson explained that in practice, if a drone is filming a performance illegally, the technology could identify the pilot’s location, allowing security to be dispatched in order to interact with the pilot.

He continued to explain how the technology can be used to deter more sinister uses. “If a drone attack is being planned, an average of six to eight reconnaissance flights will occur, allowing us to monitor drone activity in the days and weeks leading up to an event and resolve the threat before the event begins. If a liquid-payload-carrying drone is detected travelling towards a high-density area or VIP target, security teams will have advanced notice to evacuate those areas and direct police to the location of the pilot.”

As technology continues to develop, security countermeasures need to be up to date with modern security threats to keep events safe. “It’s remarkable to see how drones create emphatic displays or provide unique camera angles,” Watson concluded. “Let’s make sure we prevent those wishing to use them in irresponsible ways.”

TPi Photos: Max WiFi www.droneseeker.co

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PRODUCTION FUTURES

Production Futures 2019 TPi welcomes over 900 young people to Fly By Nite Rehearsal Studios for the fourth annual Production Futures. With a record number of attendees and exhibitors, training sessions and onstage interviews with some of the biggest names in the live events industry, Production Futures is a truly unmissable date on the live touring calendar.

It’s such a thrill to see how far Production Futures has come in the past four years. Conceived to create a platform for the next generation of live events professionals, the annual event has grown year on year, with more rental houses, manufacturers, educational institutions and crewmembers from some of the world’s biggest tours all on site to impart their knowledge and give their unique perspectives to the eager youngsters turning out at Fly By Nite Studios on 13 November.

Loading in the day after the Liam Gallagher crew vacated the space, this year’s event presented a whole new look for Production Futures, with stands arranged around the central stage which, throughout the day, hosted a number of talks with famed touring personnel regaling the audience with tales from the road and dispensing much-cherished advice. Also making a welcome return were a selection of hands-on demos and training sessions, as well as the fourth TPi Breakthrough Talent Awards presentations.

Fly By Nite Rehearsal Studios Manager and host for the day, Scottie Sanderson said it was a “pleasure” to host the “hugely successful” fourth annual Production Futures event. “There was an impressive turnout, and everyone who attended has been exceptionally positive on what was on offer, from the show floor and stage to the training sessions and facilities,” he commented. “The event went without a hitch and, given the planning and focus from the TPi team, this was no surprise. It was a great day and we were proud to be involved.”

To aid with all production needs, TPi joined forces with On Event Productions and Boxoso, which provided the infrastructure for over 900 attendees. “It was great to be a part of Production Futures again,” Boxoso’s

Kris Dawber commented. “It’s a fantastic project, which inspires the next generation of live events.”

The packed line-up of supporters featured the likes of Neg Earth Lights, NEKO Trust, Pearce Hire, SES, 80six, d&b audiotechnik, ADJ, Christie Lites, TAIT, High End Systems and ETC, Sterling Event Group, Global Motion, Knight Rigging Services, Prolight Concepts Group, Shure, Production Park and Brilliant Stages, Avolites, ER Productions, Light Initiative, Hawthorn, Green Hippo, mondo*dr, MONDO l STADIA, TPMEA, IPS, WIcreations, CAST Software, BlackTrax and wysiwyg, disguise, CHAUVET Professional, DiGiCo and DBpixelhouse.

Sitting alongside those companies was a selection of the UK’s finest education establishments, including: Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, University of South Wales, BOA Academy, SAE Institute, LIPA, The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Access to Music, Backstage Academy, Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies, University of Derby, South and City College Birmingham, Cheshire College – South & West, Solent University, Spirit Studios, Buckinghamshire New University and Rose Bruford College.

A selection of associations who provide a variety of services for aspiring techs of the future were also on site, with the Production Services Association (PSA), Association of British Theatre Technicians (ABTT), Association of Lighting Designers (ALD), Society of Television Lighting and Design (STLD), The Institute of Sound & Communications Engineers (ISCE), UK National Arts Wellbeing Collective (UK NAWC) and Stage Management Association all in attendance. Also supporting this year’s event was The

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PRODUCTION FUTURES

TPi Editor, Stew Hume and TPi Awards Lighting of Designer of the Year, Tim Routledge; TPi Editor, Stew Hume and Metallica FOH Engineer, ‘Big Mick’ Hughes.

Prince’s Trust who took a stand as well as bringing a group of young individuals interested in the live events sector.

A key part of Production Futures is the range of industry supporters willing to get involved. Load Cell Rental sponsored the bar, Interfacio provided afterparty drinks, Fly By Nite supplied free coffee, while Pixl evolution and TPi sponsored coaches. Meanwhile, Beat the Street and Phoenix Bussing kept everyone well fed, ensuring the free pizzas never ran out.

in Birmingham in the ’80s, Hughes has worked with the metal titans for the past 35 years. Along with sharing some stories from the road, Hughes gave some inspiring advice to the budding audio engineers in the room – the message: Don’t just look at your screens, make sure you listen to mix.

Switching gears to the world of video, TPi Award-winning Director, Steve Price took to the stage. Having worked with the likes of Bastille, Queen + Adam Lambert and Mumford & Sons, Price has a vast knowledge of cutting live footage. He gave some well-received advice on how to start on the path towards live video.

Next up on the schedule were rigging and special effects focusses.

Overseeing the rigging conversations was Ricky Hopkins, who spoke about the various calculations that those who work at height should be investigating. Meanwhile for the special effects focus, TPi Talks welcomed Encore SFX’s George Baker and ER Productions’ Marc Webber, who talked about the array of effects used on modern tours, from lasers and pyrotechnics to CO2 jets, and the safety implications that go along with them.

Finally, rounding off the event was Stufish’s Ric Lipson. Having been involved in the set design for the likes for Beyoncé, Madonna and Elton John, he spoke to the enthralled audience about the behind-the-scenes process of creating the world’s most impressive stage shows.

Sponsoring this year’s main stage were CHAUVET Professional and SSE Audio, who also supplied kit for the stage. The sound system comprised a d&b audiotechnik audio solution for the main stage and an L-Acoustics rig in the TPi Lounge – a space to meet some of the speakers featuring on the main stage.

The TPi Lounge also played host to more intimate discussions with members of the industry – including Managing Director of SSE Audio Group, John Penn; TRUCKINGBY Brian Yeardley’s Sarah Hopper; and Little Mix’s Systems Engineer, Jon Brooks – and featured giveaways from the likes of

MAIN STAGE Although Production Futures has always hosted an array of content, this year there was a real focus on covering all aspects of the live touring industry, with talks based around the themes of show design, lighting, video, audio, special effects and rigging. Hosted by TPi Editor, Stew Hume, the main stage boosted a selection of high-calibre crew personnel, all of whom gave their unique take on the industry.

The programme kicked-off with a panel discussion dubbed The Art of the Graft, which featured Lighting Tech, David Howard, Audio Engineer and Tour Manager, Bryony October, and Muse’s former Tour Director, Glen Rowe.

The trio talked about the simple fact that, to get ahead in this industry, you have to get yourself out there – a message that many of the audience members seemed to take to heart as they went from stand to stand introducing themselves and learning what each company had to offer.

Following the panel discussion, TPi Award-winning Lighting Designer, Tim Routledge took to the stage to talk through his creative process for designing Stormzy’s headline Glastonbury set and explained how he battled the constraints of the famed Pyramid Stage to create one of 2019s most culturally impactful moments.

Following Routledge, TPi Talks welcomed the man behind Metallica’s mix to the stage – the one and only ‘Big Mick’ Hughes. A story that began

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PRODUCTION FUTURES

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CHAUVET Professional’s Sam Bowden commented: “Production Futures was incredibly well aimed at students this year and the turnout was great.

The event industry as a whole is very wide and diverse, and it is useful for new students and industry professionals to know that careers don’t stop at being the LD for the Rolling Stones. There are also roles in the media, manufacturing, as well as venue-specific work – it’s a big old world for them to discover!”

He furthered: “This year was the best executed event so far. The floorplan was great, the stage worked incredibly well being part of the main show floor. It was clean, professional and well attended by the right people – the companies exhibiting seemed to be on message. It was exactly what it said on the tin.”

fixtures and learn some of the basics that go into building and maintaining lighting equipment. disguise ran demos each hour, presenting attendees with the workflow, software and hardware that goes into powering some of the world’s biggest live events such as global concert tours and events, as well as films and live TV broadcasts.

Adlib and DiGiCo presented demonstrations of a range of digital mixing consoles – from the compact DiGiCo S21 all the way up to the pioneering power of the DiGiCo Quantum 7. Elsewhere, Sound Technology, JBL Professional and Martin by Harman presented a range of products, demoing JBL’s line array, Soundcraft consoles, all while giving attendees the opportunity to build their own visual using Martin by Harman VDO Sceptron, Fatron and Atomic Dots. The Sennheiser team also demoed the entire IE Pro range, offering one lucky attendee to win £500-worth of highresolution distortion-free sound.

Those taking a break and venturing outside got to experience life on the road with one of TRUCKINBY Brian Yeardley’s fabled trucks. The company, in recent months, has been out on the road with the likes of Def Leppard, John Mayer and Stevie Wonder, to name but a few. Parked alongside was another staple of Production Futures, TPi Award-winning, Phoenix Bussing.

Once again, the company opened its bus doors for the attendees to get an up-close look at a touring home.

With the day drawing to an end, and with attendees minds full to the brim with ideas what might be in store for their future, all attention was drawn to the stage for this year’s TPi Breakthrough Talent Awards. With positive feedback from both supporters and attendees, it’s clear that once again Production Futures has struck on a real need within this industry to offer a friendly, open and informative event, to give this industry’s next generation a much-needed foot in the door and start them on the right path. See you next year!

TPi Photos: TPi www.productionfutures.co.uk

HANDS-ON TRAINING This year, TPi was keen to have a more hands-on experience than seen in previous years, offering a number of demo spaces and training sessions from all corners of the industry. The training sessions were held in a selection of rooms situated around the main events space.

Five, one-hour sessions throughout the day gave attendees a hands-on introduction to the ChamSys MagicQ console range and software, learning how to use the console, patch a new show, create cues and FX. Attendees received a free MagicDMX Basic USB-DMX Interface to run the ChamSys software. SES also held training sessions that covered all the basics of powering live events, including basic electrical theory, UK standard voltages, including single- and three-phase, as well as important practices.

Interfacio presented a CV workshop, explaining the wide variety of career opportunities in the live events industry, while Vectorworks ran a variety of workshops encompassing its extensive suite of drawing, modelling, illustration and rendering tools, including Spotlight – a tool that allows the company to produce stunning 3D presentations. CHAUVET Professional offered the chance to get up close and personal with its

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PRODUCTION FUTURES

TPi Breakthrough Talent Awards 2019 Winners

Winner: Harry Boyde

Winner: Owen McIlreavy

Presented by Kyoto Music’s Glen Rowe

Presented by Christie Lites’ Jess Allan

Winner: Oli Crump

Winner: Dylan Barber

Presented by Stufish’s Ric Lipson

Presented by TPi Editor, Stew Hume.

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AVOLITES Q4 MEDIA SERVER Avolites Technical Director, JB Toby discusses the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest media server.

What were the goals for the Q4 and when did the design process begin?

We designed the Avolites Q4 around two years ago, making considerable advancements on our prior R servers, following extensive R&D and feedback from end users.

What needs of the market did you hope the Q4 would solve?

Avolites Q4 boasts high-resolution 4K and multiple outputs with uncompromised content throughout to allow for three layers each output.

Based on many corporate and large-scale projects we were involved in, we found the market was crying out for high-resolution capture, which could be configurable on a job-by-job basis.

What elements of the Q server range may users be familiar with?

The front panel UI for resolution and IP setup, as well as the ease of determining the status of the server from the front panel. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve also included the positive indication on the front of the server, regarding LTC input and network connectivity.

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AVOLITES Q4

Opposite: Avolites Technical Director, JB Toby.

What inbuilt features can users expect from the Q4?

A highly tuned motherboard and NVME drive setup to sustain the data load from 4x4K with three individual layers. In addition, reconfigurable capture for HDMI, DP and SDI inputs and SDI outputs, without having to open the server. We’ve also included a dedicated protected dongle location for additional software modules such as Notch and a USB-C for fast content loading. As well as 10GB network for fast content management through Titan Synergy features and optional Dante output for two-track audio.

What features of the Q4 are ideal for the touring market?

A floating internal frame for MB, capture, GPU and PSU, makes it a very rugged system build for the road. Reconfigurable capture for HDMI, DP and SDI inputs and SDI outputs, without having to open the server and the positive indication on the front of the server regarding LTC input and network connectivity, reducing the effort to get the status. As well as the front panel UI for resolution and IP setup, allowing to quickly change to the local screen – which is ideal for a festival environment.

light is also often picked up as a very helpful feature when the unit is buried in a rack.

Where can we see the Q4 in the coming months?

Nothing we can share as of yet. However, the Q4 was featured in SPLNTR, a unique installation which took shape in Las Vegas. Ed Shaw of NEICO and Brett Bolton worked tirelessly to create the first-of-its-kind audiovisual art installation during November.

TPi Photos: Avolites www.avolites.com

What feedback have you already receive from end users?

So far, very good.

The capture feature is well liked, as well as the front panel UI. Furthermore, the ledge on the front to place your content drive instead of dangling it of the USB-C cable always pleases users. I’m sure we’ve all been there when it falls off and interrupts the content download. The rear work

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PSA: THE BIGGER PICTURE

CLIMATE CONTROL Founder of Plaster Creative Communications, Graham Brown, highlights the importance of tackling climate change in live touring.

suppliers – such as Julie’s Bicycle, PSA, AFO, AIF, NCASS, NOEA, Lansdown Warwick, Festival Republic, Smart Power, Kambe, Zap, Plaster – all giving their time and experience to create a free-to-access knowledge bank via conferences, a website and e-newsletters.

Seven years ago, when I joined the experts sitting around the table, there was already a lot of knowledge and passion focused on festival sustainability. The main focus was on energy use – identified as one of the major contributors to a festival’s onsite carbon, but that was widening to take in all elements of a festival’s carbon impact. There was also an ambition to engage with the industry more widely. These were the pioneers struggling to turn knowledge into action across an industry, and with very little resources. My modest contribution has been in supporting the effort to communicate their expertise and passion.

The warning signs were there – the planet’s ecosystem was in trouble. Julie’s Bicycle created IG tools to measure carbon impact, offered consultancy and mapped out processes enabling venues and organisers to measure the key areas of their carbon impact. A Greener Festival also established the A Greener Festival Award, offering environmental assessments, awards and training assessors to get hands-on in helping festivals measure and reduce their carbon impact. Festivals like Shambala, Green Gathering, Latitude and Greenbelt were the vanguards of sustainable practices, years ahead of the curve with their approaches.

This was all great work. However, only a tiny minority took it seriously.

I worked with many clients and saw behind the scenes of a lot of events who were at best sceptical or, worse still, dismissive. Sometimes it felt like we were nailing a jelly message to a wall.

Five years ago, Powerful Thinking authored the first The Show Must Go On Report, launched at the UK Festival Awards, with chapters covering energy, waste, transport and audience travel, water and food, which began to make waves. The simultaneous launch of Vision:2025, a pledge to achieve a 50% reduction in festival-related carbon footprint, quickly attracted 40 members.

Then Sir David Attenborough dragged the plastic issue and wider climate and ecological emergency into the mainstream consciousness.

Greta Thunberg engaged a generation that didn’t care, Extinction Rebellion brought cities to a standstill – and now even Coldplay have stopped touring over climate concerns.

Pretty much every rational person now acknowledges the reality of this climate emergency, and while there may be a few years between forecasts around tipping points, it is universally clear that urgent action is required. Maybe the jelly is now sticking to the wall. There is a growing

Over the past two decades, I’ve enjoyed a fair few bike rides – followed by a fair few refreshing beers – with my old mucker, Andy Lenthall. We’ve also contributed to numerous industry conference panels over the years, talking everything from staging safety to working hours and mental health. In recent years, we’ve sat shoulder-to-shoulder on the steering group, Powerful Thinking, looking at an issue that is far wider than the live events sector: tackling the climate emergency.

Many TPi readers will be familiar with this project, which is dedicated to researching and sharing best practice for outdoor event and festival sustainability. Formed by Julie’s Bicycle and Shambala’s co-founder, Chris Johnson, in 2000, it’s been a truly collaborative experience. Steering Group members include representatives from trade associations, festivals and 88

PSA: THE BIGGER PICTURE

interest in tackling the climate emergency. This year alone, more than 100 festivals have now joined the pledge to reduce carbon impact by 50%.

This summer a successful crowd funder smashed its target to fund a second edition of The Show Must Go On Report. This will be launched in January 2020 as a free-to-access downloadable ‘state of the industry’ report, packed with case studies and inspiration, and accompanied by a first-of-its-kind comprehensive online knowledge hub.

This is a key moment for the events industry at a key time for organisers and suppliers to step up to the plate – obviously for sake of the planet, but also to be in step with public opinion and expectations, to be future-proofed businesses in a changing economic landscape and be ready for likely shifts in legislation.

Political parties, councils and companies are setting carbon-neutral targets. Artists are also now waking up to the impact of their tours, while venues and festivals are looking to achieve carbon neutrality and audiences changing their spending habits based on sustainable products.

I’d question how achievable some of these targets and claims are from people with little or no experience. We know through the annual Green Survey that only a minority of events, venues or suppliers even know what their carbon footprint is, let alone how to significantly reduce it to become carbon neutral.

But at the same time, I am optimistic that people won’t need to reinvent the wheel. The Show Must Go On Report and Vision:2025 websites will aggregate knowledge from sustainable pioneers across a series of subjects. Energy, waste, management, food, water, transport, audience travel offset schemes and governance are all covered in detail.

For anyone in the event industry looking to reduce their carbon impact, there is a clear road map of the steps required to get there.

Inventors and designers are introducing new technology that will no doubt aid the journey – from battery storage to collapsible temporary offices, to water-free loos, plastic-free wristbands and reusable serve ware. Everyone in the industry has the opportunity to step up to play their

part. It’s time to set ambitious, but realistic targets. If the promoters – take Live Nation’s Green Nation carbon-neutral pledge, for example – artists, sponsor brands and venues are moving towards carbon neutrality, the supply chain needs to match that.

Live music has always been a nimble, creative sector and I am sure that the manufacturers and suppliers succeeding in five years’ time will be the ones with the vision to invest in their own, and the planet’s, futures.

Creating a circular economy is at the core of managing resources better, but we must also be wary of this approach being used to defend the status quo in terms of single use, for example.

Forward-thinking manufacturers are now designing products that are re-usable, or at least easily recyclable, that don’t end up as waste, which is a key step. Introducing fresh processes and behaviours that achieve very different outcomes from those over the past decades is vital, in the context that waste and emissions output has continued to grow despite advances in science in the past decade.

Like many, I am inspired by the recent video with Greta Thunberg and George Monbiot, for its clarity and impact. Their message is indicative of a growing movement advocating that we need to go beyond being carbon neutral and toward being regenerative – actually putting back into the ecosystems to give them a chance of absorbing enough carbon and surviving the challenge of providing for growing population. The key is that the sector acts now.

I urge all TPi readers to get involved. Log into the Powerful Thinking website to receive your free The Show Must Go On Report in January, engage in the website moving forward to learn and contribute your learnings to this important journey we’re all on.

TPi www.vision2025.org.uk www.powerful-thinking.org.uk www.juliesbicycle.com www.agreenerfestival.com

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INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS

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INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS

Light Partner’s Stig Meyer Jensen and Johan Kvartborg; Active Audio / APG’s Mathieu Pobeda; Ayrton’s Michael Althaus, Chris Lose, Jon Stenvinkel, Jerad Garza and Chris Ferrante.

Allen & Heath has named Light Partner as its exclusive distributor for Denmark. Allen & Heath’s EMEA Sales Manager, Fred Cresson, commented: “Allen & Heath has a strong, loyal following in Denmark – particularly in live sound and installation. We are therefore delighted to be working with Light Partner to continue providing first-class support to our Danish customers, and to explore the opportunities to keep developing the brand.”

Stig Meyer Jensen, Light Partner’s CEO, added: “With the new Avantis adding to an already unbeatable line-up, Allen & Heath is the mixer brand everybody is talking about right now. We’re proud to be appointed to distribute A&H in Denmark and we’ve invested in a highly experienced team to deliver the outstanding backup that our customers deserve.”

Active Audio / APG has hired Mathieu Pobeda as its new R&D director.

He will oversee the development and introduction of new products for both arms of the company, with particular attention being paid to acoustics and transducers. “I know there to be a lot of clever and talented people at the company, some of whom I have been in contact with for the past decade,” commented Pobeda. “The prospect of being able to use both my technical and my recently sanctioned management skills was key factor in accepting a new challenge.”

Ayrton has welcomed Chris Lose to the role of Designer Relations Manager, based in North America, and Jonas Stenvinkel to the position of Director of Strategic Development, based in London. “We are delighted and excited to welcome Chris and Jonas to the Ayrton team,” said

Ayrton’s Global Sales Director, Michael Althaus. “Ayrton is expanding at a phenomenal rate and the addition of the rich industry experience proffered by our two latest team members will progress this development whilst ensuring we maintain our high standards of customer relations.”

Beat The Street has launched in the USA touring market with a unique double decker, 16/14 bunk crew and band bus offer, secured via an exclusive deal with Belgian supplier Van Hool. It has also added the latest X3 single decker models from Prevost to its line-up. “American clients have been asking us for many years to run our buses in the States,” commented Joerg Philipp, Managing Director and owner of Beat The Street. “Our first building phase will run until August 2020, with more to come.”

CODA Audio has appointed SC Media Canada as its exclusive distributor in the territory. Paul Ward, Director of Global Business Development for CODA Audio International, commented: “We’re delighted to be partnering with SC Media in what is a large and very important market. SC Media’s strong core values and obvious passion for audio gives us great confidence in their ability to grow the brand in the Canadian market.” Jean Daoust, President of SC Media Canada, added: “We are very proud to be associated with a company of CODA’s standing. We are excited to partner with another supplier that is forward thinking and puts great investment in technology.”

Industry veteran Andrew Smith has joined CUK Audio in the newly created role of Director of Business Development. CUK Audio’s Managing Director, Stuart Thomson, commented: “Andrew will be a huge asset to our 90

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INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS

Protones’ Owner Florian Buhr with Martin Kühlechner.

company. With his extensive industry knowledge, technical skills and sales ability, I know Andrew will help us deliver our ambitious growth plans over the coming years.”

DiGiCo has appointed Protones Veranstaltungstechnik as an official supplier. “Working in both rental and installation markets, we employ a lot of DiGiCo consoles and are completely won over by the sound and build quality. It was a logical step to become an official supplier,” explained Martin Kuehlechner, Protones’ Head of Audio.

Protones will collaborate with DiGiCo’s German distributor, United Brands Germany, to fulfil future installation projects. “Protones is a fantastic addition to the DiGiCo network,” commented United Brands’ Jens Bubbes Steffan.

Digital Projection has announced the appointment of three key sales employees across the EMEA region. The new hires – Christoph Hellmuth, Artur Kita and Nizar Nasser – will serve Digital Projection’s interests in DACH, Poland and the Middle East, respectively, in order to better serve the company’s ongoing expansion and client support programme. Chris Axford, International Sales and Marketing Director at Digital Projection, commented: “We were looking for new recruits who would bring both experience and knowledge to the markets they are responsible for, and I am confident they will better expand the reputation of Digital Projection in EMEA. We’re very pleased to welcome them to the team.”

Robert Juliat has strengthened its collaboration with ETC, with increased colour control possibilities available for Robert Juliat Dalis Access 863 Cyclight and Dalis 864 Footlight. Operators and lighting designers will benefit from the ease and transparency of using High End Systems Eos consoles to gain full, precise control of the complete Dalis colour spectrum, including a wide array of whites, across all three models.

Gobos do Brasil has been appointed as the Brazilian distributor for Martin Audio. A leading company in professional audio, Gobos has been in business since 2002 and distributes to a variety of customers in the live event, installation and rental markets. Located in Sao Paulo, Gobos distributes a range of leading brands including Audix, Clear-Com, Sunlite and Cambridge Sound Management, to name a few.

Asked about the new appointment, Gobos Commercial Director, Esteban Risso, stated: “It’s a great time for us to join in this new partnership with Martin Audio in Brazil, with some of our key partners like Gabisom already using their products such as MLA at Rock in Rio – one of the biggest festivals in the country. We look forward to 91

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INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS

CUK Audio’s Andrew Smith; The ETC and Robert Juliat team; Prolights appoints HPL as its Brazilian distributor and PLUSMUSIC AG in Switzerland.

RCF has appointed the newly created RCF LATAM as its distributor for Central America, Colombia and the Caribbean. RCF Export Sales Manager, Luca Agazzi, commented: “We wanted a new company focused 100% on RCF, that comprised experienced audio industry professionals.” RCF LATAM director, Jose M. Gonzalez, added: “Our company is fully committed to the distribution and positioning of RCF as a leading brand within the designated markets.”

The new company marked its debut at October’s InfoComm Colombia in Bogotá, receiving a positive response to the new initiative. “We were welcomed with great enthusiasm by RCF’s customers, as they had been waiting for a change in the brand’s distribution in Colombia,” commented Gonzalez. “Customers are now showing considerable interest in the new lines that have been developed.”

Shure has appointed Emanuele Luongo as Integrated Systems Market Development Manager for Italy. In this new role, Luongo will concentrate on the Italian Integrated Systems Market; working closely with Shure Distributor Prase Media Technologies. His office will be located in Milan.

“We are pleased to appoint Emanuele to this key position, supporting our Market Development activities in Italy,” commented Rob Smith, Senior Director, Integrated Systems Sales Western Europe at Shure. “As Shure continues to expand globally, adding Emanuele will be essential in building customer relationships and providing solutions to meet the needs of this important market.”

Ennio Prase, Managing Director of Prase, added: “Our collaboration with Emanuele will maintain focus on the Shure brand and on the Integrated Systems market, where Shure has a strong presence and is continually growing. We wish Emanuele all the best in his important position at Shure.”

As of 1 January 2020, SSE Audio, Wigwam, Capital Sound and BCS Audio will collectively be known as the Solotech UK Group under the new joint leadership of Managing Directors, Alex Penn and Spencer Beard.

Alex Penn, SSE Audio’s former Sales Director, will lead the Sales and

a great journey with Martin Audio based on the new era of products such as Wavefront Precision loudspeakers, not only for touring but also for Installations and retail establishments.”

PROLIGHTS has appointed HPL Light Company as distributor for Brazil.

“Having HPL onboard as a partner in Brazil is great,” commented PROLIGHTS International Sales Manager, Paolo Albani. “They bring with them a wealth of local and market knowledge, experience and connections.” PROLIGHTS has also appointed PLUSMUSIC AG as distributor for Switzerland. “PLUSMUSIC is a natural match to carry the PROLIGHTS brand in the Swiss market,” Albani added. “We are sure they will be a great asset for our swiss partners.”

Prolight Concepts Group has appointed Ollie Wilkinson as in-house Technical Sales Manager. “I’m looking forward to stepping into the role,” he commented. “My wealth of experience and knowledge of working hands-on in this industry will benefit the company in many ways. It’s a fantastic team and I am excited to be part of the journey.”

Wilkinson has been working in the lighting and entertainment industry for over 12 years and was previously employed as Head of Lighting for ArranPaul. He brings a broad working knowledge from his experience of planning and organising equipment and staff for nationwide touring shows and lighting large-scale events.

QSC has appointed William Chan to the new role of Senior Director, North Asia. The company has also promoted Andy Pearce and Ron Marchant to regional leadership roles in South Asia and EMEA. Markus Winkler, SVP Asia and EMEA, commented: “I am delighted to have William on the leadership team as QSC continues investing in the APAC region to improve responsiveness and scale up our business.”

Winkler continued: “I am thrilled to have Ron and Andy in expanded roles. They have been invaluable in developing the QSC brand and working closely to enrich our relationships with our partners in their respective regions, and I look forward to their continued efforts and teamwork to increase our presence throughout EMEA and APAC.” 92

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INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS

RCF launches RCFLATAM for the Central America region; Shure’s Emanuele Luongo; Solotech’s Jarad Pesner; Prolight Concept Group’s Ollie Wilkinson; QSC’s Andy Pearce, Ron Marchant and William Chan.

Solotech has also appointed Jarad Pesner as Senior Business Developer for the company’s Ottawa office. Philip Giffard, President, Sales and Systems Integration Division at Solotech commented: “Jarad’s versatility, leadership as well as his sales and negotiation skills will be a great asset to the company.”

TPi www.tpimagazine.com/category/industry-jobs/

Systems Integration (Sales and Installations), operations of Solotech UK, while Spencer Beard, formerly Managing Director of Manchester-based Wigwam, will lead the Live Productions (Hire) operations of the UK group.

Martin Tremblay, President and CEO of Solotech, commented: “This structure evolution is aligned with our strategic goals, but ultimately reconfirms that our clients are at the heart of our focus. I look forward to what’s to come for the Solotech UK group as well as Solotech worldwide.”

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BACK CHAT

RICHARD BOWDEN Managing Director, Sterling Event Group

What sparked your interest in the events sector?

I grew up with events. From as long as I can remember, I was roadie for my Dad’s mobile disco. There would be production companies involved on larger gigs, which exposed me to the world of technical production, and I knew that was what I wanted to do. I never really played with toys – I was more interested in speakers and par cans.

How has the company expanded over the years?

It doesn’t seem that long ago when we took on our first premises and the £100-a-week rent was daunting. We now occupy several units by Manchester Airport, with facilities designed to accommodate our specialist audio, lighting, vision, rigging and custom-build stage and set departments. The team has also grown somewhat – we now employ 50 full-time staff and we’re looking to expand this further in the coming months.

What are Sterling Events Group’s goals?

I set up Sterling Sound while I was in my last year at school.

We had a small amount of kit that I had built, so I sent out some hire price lists to contacts I had met while working with my Dad. The original goal was to provide PA systems for corporate events. We soon began supplying lighting, vision and staging to all sorts of events. At this point, the company name began holding us back, so we rebranded to Sterling Event Group. I could never have imagined then, where we would be now 20 years on.

What’s next on Sterling Event Group’s schedule?

January will be our busiest to date, featuring a European roadshow for a beauty brand, a large-scale corporate awards ceremony, conferences for the government and even a party for a Premier League footballer, to name but a few. Alongside delivering these productions, there will be further investment in kit and further development of our custom-build staging and set department.

This year was your first time supporting Production Futures. What did you think of the event?

I wish it was around when it started out! It was a great event with some really bright young people in attendance – many of whom were genuinely looking to start a career in our industry and keen to call upon the experience of others. I think it’s really important that we all make an effort to give opportunities to the next generation as the industry needs them.

What are some of your favourite moments?

There have been so many highlights and milestones over the years, from successfully delivering our first international event for a major brand, to providing production to pop stars. No two days are the same, and that’s what keeps things exciting.

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