Gerry Cinnamon

GERRY CINNAMON

With the singer-songwriter making the seismic jump to the world of arena touring, TPi’s Stew Hume speaks to the crew behind this independent artist about their most recent arena run to get the inside story on this close-knit touring family.

Production Manager and Lighting Designer, Pete Hutchison.

In the ever-changing world of live events, artists are breaking the norms and conventions more than ever. Take Gerry Cinnamon; armed with an acoustic guitar, a loop pedal and raw lyrics sung proudly in his native Scottish accent, this independent artist has defied expectations by making the leap from academy favourite to headline arena act – all without the backing of a label or management. Despite his rocket ship success, Cinnamon has kept his small team of loyal crewmembers along for the ride. With a successful 2019 behind them, TPi caught up with Production Manager and LD, Pete Hutchison to discuss life in the GC camp. “I started working with Gerry when he became the first unsigned artist to sell out two nights at the Barrowlands in 2017,” began Hutchison, reflecting on the past three years. “He then got in touch with me to see if I’d be interested in designing and operating a show for him – I’ve been on board ever since.” Since joining the team, the PM/LD has witnessed the artist’s meteoric rise first-hand, culminating at the end of 2019 with Cinnamon playing to Scotland’s largest ever indoor crowd in Aberdeen’s P&J Live Arena. The Production Manager was the first to admit that the Cinnamon team is not exactly the traditional touring hierarchy. “There’s no management or label in this camp,” he asserted. Not only that, but the list of key personnel in this tour party is incredibly small. A collection of individuals have several job titles to their name – with Hutchison holding LD and PM titles, and Sam McIntosh handling FOH Engineer and Tour Managing responsibilities. “It often comes down to the fact that there is no one else to fill the role,” laughed the PM. “I don’t mind handling both roles. The days can be long but, if you’re a good PM, you should be able to walk into each venue and everything is done and ready to go.” On the note of organisation, the PM outlined the list of suppliers he’d brought on for the latest run, which included Adlib for lighting, video and rigging; Wigwam for audio; and BPM SFX. Also on the road with the team were Stardes trucking, Radiotek, as well as Sugar and Spice keeping the crew well fed throughout.

DARK DAYS Changing tack, Hutchison discussed the set design for the latest tour. “We had a completely new design for the run of shows at the end of la st year,” said the LD. He explained that the whole concept of the show revolved around the juxtaposition of “large” and “small” looks – all of which were achieved with an automated Kinesys rig, with three large he xagonal lighting pods, provided by Adlib. “Gerry’s songs tend to range from really relaxed intimate numbers to big sing-along tracks. Especially for those big moments, I wanted to make sure that even those sitting in the gods felt involved with the production.” He detailed that the design of the show was created to keep up with the singer’s soaring popularity. “While we were still putting everything together for the tour, all the dates were selling out so I knew we would need a set that would be visually stunning for these large audience numbers.” The PM already had a long history with Adlib that dated back to his time in Glasgow before taking up the PM mantle for Cinnamon. Discussing the collaboration was Tom Edwards, Adlib’s Head of Lighting and Video. “I first met Pete last year while we provided the package for Gerry’s headline slot at TRNSMT Festival,” said Edwards. “We began working on the designs for the tour straight after the summer. There were a few back and forths, but one thing that remained

constant throughout was the Kinesys hexagons.” Handling the automation on the road was Operator, Mike Blundell, working closely with Tour Rigger, Jon Barlow. “There were some challenges while designing the tour, especially due to the size of the automated elements,” stated Edwards. “Luckily, at Adlib we’re equipped to do all our designs with in-house CAD Designer, Simon Pettitt, who was able to model the set in Fusion 360 to work out how everything would fly.” Hu tchison’s decision to have hexagonal automation pods was part of a wider design theme that recurred throughout the stage. “I am quite particular about the symmetry of a set,” he explained. “Everything about the design had repeating hexagon shapes – from the floor package to the video wall. It’s something you might not notice at first glance, but once I mention it to someone, they see the theme recur throughout the set.” Th e rig consisted of three automated hexagonal “chandeliers” each holding four GLP JDC1s, four Ayrton Khamsin-S, four Martin by Harman MAC Aura XBs and 12 CHAUVET Professional EPIX Strips. Many of the same fixtures also featured in the floor package, with 16 Ayrton Khamsin-S and 16 Martin by Harman MAC Aura XBs. Finally, to ensure the audience was well lit for the number of singalongs, the LD used 12 Ayrton Boras alongside 2 0 f our-cell liners and 12 two-cells. “As you might imagine, it’s quite a blinder-heavy show,” he commented. He was keen to praise the Ayrton Khamsin-S he used on the automated rig. “I had originally spec’d a different fixture but, before the plans were finalised, I got a chance to visit Ayrton’s facility in Paris to see their latest products. I was blown away with what I saw,” he enthused. “The fact that I can turn on all 48 fixtures on this rig first thing in the morning and all the colours are exactly the same is ground-breaking.” Each of the Khamsin-S fixtures used on the automated rig were mounted on a Doughty Engineering Swivel Coupler, which meant the fixtures stayed level for the whole time – even when the hexagon tilted up to 65°. This was also the LD’s first time using the Robe RoboSpot system in conjunction with four BMFLs. “I really like the idea of having spots in amongst the rig. It removes a major headache of figuring out each venue’s spot positions and giving me overall control from the desk is fantastic,” he revealed. “We ended up having our Lead Truck Driver do some training on the RoboSpot, which he just kept on Gerry.” Aiding with the lighting setup throughout the tour were Lighting Crew Chief, Dave Smith; Dimmers and Systems Technician, Kev Byatt and Lighting Engineer, Alex Bratza. Hutchison was pleased with the level of control he had, with lighting, video and even SFX going through his MA Lighting grandMA3 full size console. Having used the MA3 light on the previous run, he admitted that he will now only spec the new model. “I prefer the layout of the buttons and the feel of the desk,” he stated. “There is no timecode for Gerry’s show, so I ’m running about on the desk quite a lot. I find the soft keys and quick tap back options on the MA3 make it better for this type of show.” Integral to this intricate aligning of departments was Video Systems and Integration, Charlie Rushton. Edwards elaborated: “The entire control system was built around grandMA3 and disguise.” Adlib supplied three grandMA3s on the tour – two for lighting and the other effectively working as a vision mixer for Video Director and Video Crew Chief, Rob Bickerstaff. “I t’s directing in a very different way than you might expect,” admitted Bickerstaff. His setup had been an evolution from a more traditional PPU system, which was seen on the academy run, compared to the new disguise package consisting of the gx2c media servers. “The fact that disguise can take an eight-camera setup was a massive selling point,” he added, discussing Adlib’s recent investment in the media servers. Edwards agreed: “Due to the amount of information and destinations for the content, disguise was really our only option,” he commented. “In total, we had a long lens at FOH then a selection of PTZs and block cameras on stage. Rob would then take all those feeds and, at times, be producing five cuts that would be shown on the rear LED wall. It’s something that simply couldn’t be done using a traditional vision mixer.” Due to the nature of a Gerry Cinnamon show, with the singer’s tendency to change set list or extend songs, many of the camera cues were triggered by Hutchison at FOH. The LD had actually been involved in the prerendered content for the screens that were overlaid on the IMAG shots, having created Notch blocks with Notch Programmer, Nick Whitehead. The screen in question was a ROE Visual Vanish 8, which was overseen by Mark Taylor, Head of LED. “We suggested the product for the tour due to its high resolution and how quickly it flies,” said Edwards. “In total, we provided over 170 sq m. One of the considerations we had was that the tour

Video Director and Video Crew Chief, Rob Bickerstaff.

tour was going through a variety of venue sizes and the screen needed to be scalable. As the product is so lightweight, it meant we could still deploy the screens in the variety of venues rather than having to travel with a completely different system for these dates.”

BELTER Wigwam was brought in to provide the audio backbone for the tour. “We haven’t had an audio supplier for the past few runs,” stated Hutchison. “Gerry bought his own SSL console, so we never had to hire a desk.” In f act, it was only in 2019’s festival season when the touring party brought in a full-time Monitor Engineer, Martin Capaldi, having made use of in-house engineers for a number of years. With the demands of Cinnamon’s tours, the PM took his FOH Engineer’s advice and brought in Wigwam. Collectively, the company provided a complete d&b audiotechnik PA with left and right hangs consisting of 12 GSL 8s and two GSL 12s per side, along with six KSL 8s and two KLS 12s. There were 12 SL Subs, with four per side and four in the pit. Fills comprised eight Y10Ps. On stage, Wigwam provided four M4 wedges and two M2 wedges, with one C4T and two C7s for side fill per side. Finally, completing the audio package was one DiGiCo SD12 for monitors and one SSL L100 provided by Wigwam as back up to the one already owned by the artist. Hire Manager from Wigwam, Tom Bush, spoke of the experience: “We were originally called in for a show in Manchester as Sam [McIntosh, FOH Engineer] had been interested in using d&b’s GSL/KSL system.” According to Bush, the biggest consideration wasn’t necessarily the kit, but getting the right crew. “We sent in Nick Mooney, Rob McCourt and Don

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Parks to crew the show,” he stated. “Rob in particular – who took on the role of Monitor Stage Engineer – became integral and fitted in very well with the crew as they had come from the same area of Scotland as Gerry.” Th e Hire Manager described how the goal was to provide a PA that fitted in with the package that the Cinnamon team was already carrying to ease the jump into the arena setting. The PA rig remained consistent throughout the tour, with additional side hangs added for the record-breaking Aberdeen show. Wigwam also supplemented the singer’s Sennheiser Wireless IEM package, so the whole crew were able to communicate. “The only other major change was with his onstage sound, which went through a few alterations,” explained Bush. “There was a demand for there to be more bottom-end, which Gerry uses to keep in time, leading us to come up with several renditions of the wedge mix.” He also commented that Cinnamon took a real interest in the audio setup for the show. “For the last date before Christmas in Glasgow, Gerry had asked for the YP front fills and sub array to be ‘beefed up’ to give the front rows more energy. Our ground SL subs were increased from four to six and the YPs front fills were swapped to VPs. It’s always good to hear ab out an act getting involved and caring about their audio.” Bush gave some of his lasting thoughts on the show. “It was great to be involved in this type of tour with such energy from the crowd. Although we had to send out more tarpaulin to cover the consoles than your standard show!” he laughed. “It was a different type of project; with an independent artist, there are fewer people for you to contact to make decisions. We hope to work more with him and the crew in the future.”

ERRATIC CINEMATIC Completing the visual feast was BPM SFX. Hutchison explained the “rather amusing” origin of the relationship: “After playing a show in Cardiff, we showed Gerry a picture of the London venue we were heading to the next day,” he began. The picture – of the Kentish Forum – happened to show off a gig that had a massive confetti blast. “He saw the picture and said, ‘I want that’,” laughed the PM, who was then tasked with finding a way of producing the gag with a day’s lead-time. “Our tour rep from Live Nation made the call to Katie at BPM SFX,” said the PM. “She sent a member of the team to London from their Burnley base to bring all the equipment for the show. We ended up keeping him on for the rest of the tour and I’ve worked with the company ever since.” For the last tour, the BPM offering expanded exponentially from the initial confetti blast, now offering the singer-songwriter a package comprising CO 2 jets, streamers, stage pyrotechnics and flame FX. “It’s always exciting working with an artist who is always looking at new ways to integrate SFX and watching their shows grow,” stated Katie Strickland, Senior Project Coordinator for BPM SFX. “Our first show with Gerry was a confetti hit at the forum, and we ended the year with an array of pyro, flames, confetti and streamers throughout his arena tour. It’s been a pleasure to work with Pete and the team through the year.” With 2019 being such a bumper year for the Scot, it’s clear that both he and his crew are set to take full advantage of the attention and draw Gerry Cinnamon has on the UK. In fact, as we enter this new decade, the artist has already confirmed a stadium show at Hampden Park this summer alongside a slew of other arena dates – it seems this is just the beginning for the straight-talking Glaswegian. T Pi P hotos: Anthony Mooney, DAS Film, by tomphotography www.gerrycinnamonmusic.com www.illuminationcreative.co.uk www.adlib.co.uk www.sseaudio.com/wigwam www.bpm-sfx.com www.stardes.uk www.sugarandspicecatering.net www.radiotek.co.uk

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