Gary Numan

58PRODUCTION PROFILE

GARY NUMAN

A fleet of ‘Numanoids’ flocked to The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester to witness their industrial electronic hero perform cult tracks from his genre-defining back catalogue and latest album, Savage (Songs from a Broken World), accompanied by The Skaparis Orchestra and Kantos Chamber Choir. TPi’s Jacob Waite reports...

Lauded among critics and fans alike, having charted at number two in the UK, Gary Numan’s latest body of work tells the story of a postapocalyptic world whereby the future is equal parts terrifying and uncertain. Backed by The Skaparis Orchestra, which brought a wealth of string-led emotion and cinematic quality alongside the soaring Kantos Chamber Choir, the frontman’s industrial synth sound and show design juxtaposed the show’s post-global warming, Mad Max aesthetic.

DOWN IN THE PARK Ensured with delivering the British synth-rocker’s dramatic end-of-days vision was Production Designer and Production Manager, Luke Edwards of Cue Design. His relationship with Numan spans over five years. In that time, the young creative has evolved from a 23-year-old LD to fully-fledged Production Designer for the iconic, self-managed artist. A debatably astronomic feat which Edwards modestly attributed to hard work, dedication, and in some part, luck. He began: “I remember getting a phone call at 9am asking if I could be in Belgium by midday. If I’d never picked up the phone, or made the effort to get there in time, I wouldn’t be in the extremely fortunate position I’m in now.”

He recollected: “Gary and I have a very close relationship, when I’m in Los Angeles [where the London-born artist currently resides] I’ll stay at his house. If there are any issues with the tour, I can approach him and explain the situation at ease. He’s always understanding; we’ve built a level of trust where he’s interested in what I’m doing but doesn’t micromanage.”

As an integral part of Gary Numan’s live set-up, Edwards was tasked with designing the lighting, video and lasers package. “As 80-90% of the

elements we import into this production are lighting and video based, it made sense for me to adopt the role of production manager as well.”

Edwards also praised the Savage tour’s suppliers. “Adlib, our audio vendor, are the only suppliers on this tour which Gary and I have never used before, and they are great. From a logistical standpoint, having Adlib on-board has also worked well because they’re based in Liverpool and we were rehearsing 45-minutes down the road at Manchester’s Royal College of Music.”

PRG XL Video supplied lighting, video and rigging on the tour. “Our Account Handler, Rob Watson, really looks after me and understands the importance with building relationships with people. PRG is wholly people-based and it’s lovely. They have supported us endlessly to make this production happen. For me, that relationship and level of trust is invaluable.”

Watson commented: “I really enjoyed working with Luke; his design was spot on for this show. He made great use of the PRG Icon EDGEs and the GLP impression X4 Bar 20s in his design. We’ve worked with Luke and the Gary Numan team on a lot of shows, but this particular tour stands out for me. We’re looking forward to working with both Luke and Gary again in 2019.”

THE GHOST NATION SHOW DESIGN Savage foresees a cataclysmal world, and, for Edwards, the challenge was to strike a delicate balance between “keeping everyone lit while still creating a dark and moody atmosphere on stage” at The Bridgewater Hall, where a live DVD was being filmed.

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“At its core, this production is a high-impact rock show but with the addition of The Skaparis Orchestra and Kantos Chamber Choir, there is so much emotion added. There is also an entire spectrum of feelings as a member of the audience. It’s electronic rock with classical romance... think robot romance,” Edwards laughed.

“I still get goosebumps every night that we perform. The band are incredible, and with the orchestra combined, they all put in so much effort. You can feel and hear the emotion with which they’re playing. From an audience’s perspective, it’s so powerful. So many people consider the Gary Numan classics such as Cars, Down in the Park, Are ‘Friends’ Electric? but this show is so much more than that.”

When it came to show design, Gary Numan adopted a hands-on

approach. “There is so much respect and trust between us. Gary often wants to see renders. During the R&D process, I showed him the design for this show and there was nothing that he wanted to change.

Among the wears, Avolites’ brand-new, landscape-shifting Synergy lighting and video integration software made its worldwide debut. Edwards’ two Avolites Sapphire Touch consoles and dual Avolites Ai Q3 media servers were loaded with the new Synergy software.

“Synergy is the future and as a designer it’s very exciting,” said Edwards. “One day, the term ‘Lighting Designer’ is going to be a thing of the past, Synergy integrates lighting and video so beautifully, simply, and powerfully. I believe the role of Multimedia Designer will replace the old guard. Synergy has truly changed the way we, as designers, put a production together. The

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words ‘game-changer’ and ‘ground-breaking’ are used far too often, but Synergy really is both of those things,” Edwards stated.

The result of years of R&D by the Avolites team, Synergy allows users to stream Ai video colour data through any fixture group, to instantly integrate them into a larger video canvas.

“It would be virtually impossible to programme the fixtures to display what Synergy can feed them from the video content,” Edwards continued. “This means that I can achieve an array of effects that before now were not available. Using Synergy, the video content can programme the lights for you.”

He added: “There were incidences of flames in the video content and Synergy took this signal and fed it to the fixtures, meaning they all flickered with exactly the same colours and intensity – it took the 2D video screens into the 3D space, so the entire stage looked like it was on fire. It was amazing and changed the atmosphere completely. With Synergy, the show looked more together, neater, like one giant art piece. And it’s so simple to use.”

Avolites Technical Director, JB Toby, was onsite. “Synergy is all about making the video and lighting control really transparent and not having technical difficulties hampering the creative elements of a live touring production. This is the first application, with light map being used exclusively on the Gary Numan tour and there’s more to come.

“For years, there’s been two teams working side-by-side and there have been beautiful examples where people have had the budget and equipment to really synchronise lighting and video, and the whole show is lifted by the improvement in the creative look and how tidy it is. But why should that only be applicable for the million-dollar tours? Why can’t we make that for the small tours too? That’s my passion. I call it democratising media. We need to make these possibilities accessible.”

Edwards enthused: “For me, Avolites have always been one of the

kindest manufacturers of lighting consoles. They support young people. The team talked me through their plans for the software over the next couple of years, and the technology has come on leaps and bounds. It’s a relationship that has built and built. In fact, I went out to Prolight+Sound 2018, and programmed their stand in Frankfurt, and I did the same thing at LDI. So, there is definitely a nice two-way relationship.”

The performance at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall saw the British synth-rocker’s dramatic video content emerge from LED screens into the 3D space as the multitude of German Light Products and Philips Vari-Lite fixtures pixel-matched its colour and effects.

Edwards made sure there was plenty of inventory from GLP to highlight both the theatrical and more dynamic electronic elements. In particular, 72 GLP impression X4 Bar 20s (a further 24 X4 Bars were utilised as part of the backdrop, with a further 12 of the fixtures as side lights, and 36 on the overhead rig).

“Our last few tours always featured X4 Bars as Gary loves the look of them. For this production, we wanted to upscale and try something a bit more creative, so we’ve taken a risk as our main rig in the air has no spots or washes, but the X4 Bars make it look incredible. As it tapers in, it’s almost like a centrepiece that draws your eyes into the stage. Also, as we’re using Avolites Synergy, it’s an obvious choice to go for a fixture we’ve used before and sync with the video elements of the production.”

The X4 Bar 20s kept company with 8 GLP impression X4 washes and 24 GLP JDC1s. “The X4 Bar, for instance, is something that in my opinion is the only thing of its kind on the market. As for the JDC1, at the moment for me it is the best LED fixture out there. It provides the best of both worlds, the big colour plate and the white LED beam.”

Edwards also entrusted eight Philips Vari-Lite VLZ Profile luminaires to meet an unusual variety of stage lighting demands. “To light the orchestra, we needed something with a really nice light quality. But with so

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Coda AiRAY compact line array loudspeakers.

many tuneable instruments on the stage we also needed a light that wouldn’t throw out loads of heat onto the orchestra. The VLZ Profile was a great option: the optics are beautiful, the colours and the colour temperature are beautiful, and it keeps the orchestra members and their instruments cool.”

An additional three Philips Vari-Lite VLMB custom mirror balls added diversity to the show. “Part of my job as a lighting designer is to make everyone feel comfortable on the stage. If I can light them without making them really hot, that’s a massive benefit. To be able to use technology to achieve that, and not to have to compromise at all in what that technology can do for us, has been incredible.”

Placed on pre-rigged PRG high side-trusses either side of stage, the VLZ Profiles gave side-light, colour and texture for the orchestra and choir in the upstage area, as well as for Numan and the band downstage. “Mostly, we’re using the gobos and prisms to put textured light on the orchestra, to light them in an interesting way,” said Edwards. “But I’m also using the VLZs a lot in open colour, just frosting it slightly to soften the light and get everyone lit really beautifully.”

In covering such a broad area, Edwards was helped considerably by both the output and wide zoom range of the VLZ Profile. “Output-wise, they’re one of the brightest things I’ve seen with an LED source,” he said. “Being able to light that big a surface area with a minimum number of fixtures, with that zoom range, is a big plus. I can point them forward and have these nice, tight beams coming from the side trusses, or they can go extremely wide. They’re amazing fixtures to have on the show. Of course, truck space, rigging space and weight all come at a premium, so to be able to do that with such a small number of fixtures is great.”

With its stable, long-life LED source, Edwards acknowledged the Philips VLZ Profile also scored high on reliability in comparison with conventional discharge lamp moving heads. “We’ve not had to swap a

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Avolites’ Synergy makes its world premiere on Gary Numan’s Savage tour.

single one out,” explained Edwards. “That’s great from my point of view, but for the lighting techs it’s even more important, because the last thing they want to be doing is changing fixtures during load-in while they’re trying to get the rig in the air.”

Discussing his experience of using the Vari-Lite brand, Edwards said: “I suppose I always have a kind of predisposition to Vari-Lite because they were the first moving lights I ever used - I grew up with VL2500s. Vari-Lite was the standard, and I think their new fixtures reinforce that again. For me, they have some of the best glasswork, some of the best colours, some of the best clarity in gobos that you see across every brand of moving light, so I’m really happy to see that they’ve come out with new products that are so useful to people like me.”

Laser Technician, Daniel Briggs of AC Lasers operated the tour’s special effects duties with the company providing lasers, projectors and control to the tour. “Luke looped us in at his design stage and wanted four really bright lasers to put on top of the towers. We’ve known each other for several years having worked on a range of shows before and it’s really nice to work together on another tour.”

Briggs set the scene: “There’s some really big, bold punchy moments and there are some very subtle, sweeping effects - and there’s not really an in-between - on our side of it. It’s two extremes, which has worked really well with the classical backing of The Skaparis Orchestra.”

The lasers provided a litany of looks for Metal, Everything Comes Down to This, Down in the Park, Jagged, Are ‘Friends’ Electric?, The End of Things, A Prayer for the Unborn, and It Will End Here.

Briggs concluded: “All of the cues utilise the same four fixtures; we’re using the RTI NANO AT6 and they’re a 30W OPSL projector. They’re insanely bright for these sized venues so it should be really nice and sharp. Overall, I’ve had a great time on this tour with the lighting and video team. The PRG guys have been really good.”

Edwards was also assisted in programming the show by Pete Budd. Other members of the team were PRG’s Lighting Crew Chief Bradley Stokes, Dimmer Technician Daniel Everitt and Video Technician Tom Prew.

Everitt said: “The design, I’ve noticed from day one, is a very back and side lit show, which is something Luke and Gary have worked hard to achieve during a DVD shoot. Specifically, for the Manchester Bridgewater Hall gig, because we’ve got an in-house broadcast team, the cameras are looking for on-face lighting instead of a blob on-stage that nobody can see; and under the guise of Luke, we facilitate that as best we can.”

24 PRG Icon EDGE fixtures made up the rig, Stokes said: “They’re a very good hybrid fixture, they can go from a beam to a spot and can also double quite well as a wash. Everything on the rig works quite well. They’re multiuse, such as the JDCs, which are insanely bright. The new Vari-Lite VLZs are used as key light for the orchestra. They’re quite weighty but we’ve had no problems with them. The same fixtures have gone up on the rig since day one of the tour. For us, it’s all about getting them up and hoping they do the job, which they have done.”

5 PRG Super Nodes powered the vision, while a total of 128 ROE MC7 7mm screen panels were rigged to portray shattered glass using the PRG touring frames. “For me, I liked how the LED is split up because it’s like a broken window into a broken world. Initially, it was a bit of a challenge because Gary Numan likes it quite dark on stage and moody and content in the desert is much brighter, but it’s worked brilliantly,” Edwards reflected.

Prew concluded: “It’s been great working with the lighting guys, and because it’s such a small crew everyone has been chipping in, especially laser Dan, who has been brilliant for going that extra mile. The MC7 is great, we’re using a mixture of PRG touring frames, which is the hanging element at the back and on the riser there are ROE Magnesium frames which are easier to adapt to different size risers, and when we need to ground stack we’re using the PRG touring frames with a truss support.”

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Production Manager & Production Designer; Luke Edwards; Laser Technician, Daniel Briggs; Avolites Technical Director, JB Toby; Drum Technician, Jimmy Lucido; Monitor Engineer, Michael Glines; Tour Manager and FOH Engineer, Dave Dupuis; Guitar/Playback Technician, Oren Karpovsky; Dimmer Technician, Daniel Everitt; Video Technician, Tom Prew & Lighting Crew Chief, Bradley Stokes.

DO OUR FRIENDS SOUND ELECTRIC? For Edwards, following the devastating events of Gary Numan’s otherwise successful US run [see pg. 72], it was vital to surround himself with allies. Step-forward Audio Crew Chief, AJ Sutherland. “He’s a really good friend of mine and he’s really taken charge. It’s been great to work with him because he’s actually taken a lot of stuff out of my hands, audio wise.”

Sutherland confirmed: “I’ve been undertaking a lot of tour management recently and so it was really good to get back and get hands-on, unloading trucks and plugging things in… I’ve really enjoyed this tour,” he confirmed.

Sutherland specified a Coda Audio PA system from Adlib which consisted of 24 Coda AiRAY compact line array loudspeakers (12 per side); 6 Coda APS curved wave drivers; 8 Coda HOPS8T,situated alongside 8 Coda SC2-F and 8 Coda SCP-F subwoofers. Edwards added: “It was a gamble to bring the Coda Audio system on-board because I’d never heard it before. I went off AJ and Adlib’s recommendation and must admit, it sounds fantastic. I also worked with AJ during our last festival run, so I fully trust his recommendations.”

Tour Manager, FOH Engineer and Nightmare Air guitarist Dave Dupuis’ introduction to Gary Numan is enough to make any electro goth fan weep: the pair joined forces after meeting at a Nick Cave after party in Los Angeles, where the duo instantly hit it off. Now, in addition to mixing live sound, the Beggars Banquet labelmate has also supported the new-wave icon (and founder of the record

“Dave and I approach the task of creating good audio by getting the sound right at the source, before even putting a mic on. Then putting a standard mic in a good spot and building from there, is key. It’s that old analogy: you can’t build a house on sand theory.”

Michael Glines, Monitor Engineer.

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label) as a special guest during a string of dates. “I’ve been a sound engineer for almost 20 years now, and it’s my primary role. However, I quickly became Gary’s Tour Manager, support act, and sound engineer because I’m naturally a people manager with good organisational skills.”

Dupuis mixed on an Avid Venue Profile with various built-in plug-ins. His console of choice. “The Avid Venue Profile console works great for this application. I always ask for an Avid console while touring because it fits with a rock ’n’ roll show. My usual approach is to mix using my ears and EQ to make it sound even more awesome. From my perspective, I want a live show to just wash over and make it an experience for the ears and the mind. Luke then takes over from there and makes it an immersive, visual experience.”

When it comes to mixing the sound in a livesetting, Dupuis is hands-on. “I’m a very active mixer, especially with the orchestra; I’m riding the faders quite a bit and playing the parts. I think that comes from being a musician as well. I prefer to actively mix as it gives me creative freedom. Because I’m a Tour Manager most of the day, the two hours per day that I’m at FOH and actually have the ability to actively mix is the one time of the day I can get really creative.”

He continued: “Gary Numan is the Godfather of electronic music, so it’s really important that his sound reflects his true abilities. I’ve got a lot of Radial Engineering DIs on stage, and I think they’re the unsung hero of this production; they’re such good quality, they never fail. I always tour with

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tonnes of Radial stuff because it’s so durable.”

He also commented on the choice of vendor: “The entire Adlib team has been great, in particular AJ Sutherland (Audio Crew Chief), Fabrizio Colucci (Monitor Tech) and Hassane Essiahi (System Technician). I also couldn’t do this without our Monitor Engineer, Mike Glines. Especially on this tour, he brought a wealth of knowledge having regularly worked with an orchestra back in Long Beach. To watch him capture audio with that many open mics has been wonderful.”

Glines picked up the story. “My approach is minimal as far as processing goes on digital consoles because you lose resolution when you start processing too much. The cleaner you can keep it, the better it sounds. You can keep your resolution if you steer clear of over processing. Dave and I approach the task of creating good audio by getting the sound right at the source, before even putting a mic on. Then putting a standard mic in a good spot and building from there, is key. It’s that old analogy: you can’t build a house on sand theory.”

For the audio engineers involved, the inclusion of The Skaparis Orchestra on-stage presented a myriad of challenges. Sutherland stated: “We have got a lot of DPA 4099 microphones. We specified 4099s for all the strings and found that they are very good on the violins, the violas, and the cellos. For the double basses, we had to play around with the mic position quite a lot, but it was very satisfying to finally get that clean, full sound. In the absence of a Schertler pickup, micing the harp was the biggest challenge as it’s so quiet and the spill from the nearby percussion would obliterate the signal. After trying a DPA, C414, C451 and even a shotgun mic the harpist, Steph Halsey, suggested a kick drum mic and lo and behold a Beta91 in the bottom of the instrument got the results we were looking for. One thing we’ve learned on this tour, is that mic position and choice is very important. These factors have always been crucial with bands, but I think they are especially important when you’ve got so much going on-stage with an orchestra.”

Shure 57s, SM81s, Beta 52s, Beta 91s alongside Sennheiser 604s and 904s made up the mic numbers. Glines germinated: “We’ve gone back and forth on some of the mics, and we’ve actually switched out some of the bass mics and cello mics for something a little tighter. A little more cardioid in some places. My principles mainly stem from assisting some of the greatest engineers around in the legendary Capitol Records Studios, and just absorbing all their principles. When you’re lucky enough to get an education from really good mentors it just drives that ‘keep it simple’ or ‘less is more’ approach to audio a bit deeper.”

An Allen & Heath dLive S7000 provided control for monitor world. “The dLive is great, I love it,” quipped Glines. “We chose the Allen & Heath dLive as our monitor console because it’s very good for having multiple operators. It’s also not just the core of the monitor system but it is the core of the show. It handles the communications for everyone. There’ve been times on the tour where I’ve thought ‘wouldn’t it be really nice if it could do something really niche or unusual’, and I’ve generally found a way to be able to do that on the dLive in a user-friendly way. It’s more powerful than the other consoles I’ve used before. When I tour, I normally keep a list of things to feedback to the manufacturer and my list from this tour is so short, which is quite impressive for the first time I’ve toured something like this,” Sunderland explained.

The Allen & Heath dLive console was partnered with DM64, DX32 and IP-8. “I was at Audio Technica’s HQ in Leeds to program the dLive and I was introduced to this wing function. After playing with it, I asked if I could steal it for two weeks and they lent me the IP-8; which is an amalgamation of eight faders, eight LCD screens and 23 buttons. If the laptop or iPad gets a little slow, then I can replicate physical faders and buttons to mute channels, PFL channels, listen to mixes and route my talkback to chat to individual musicians as if I have my own little mini desk; which is such a great feature from a systems tech point of view because I’m not leaning over the shoulder of my monitor engineer or getting in the way, I can just do my

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job without having to interrupt him.”

Sutherland also expressed his gratitude: “It has been fantastic fun, everyone is really nice, and it’s been one of those instant dream-team tours. In terms of suppliers, I’d love to thank Allen & Heath and Audio-Technica for their support. I’ve got a contact for both of them in case I run into any technical trouble. I haven’t had to use it, but to know there is someone on the other end of the phone is very reassuring.”

The Skaparis Orchestra Conductor, Simon Robshaw, joined the conversation: “I’m very privileged to be involved in this project with Gary and his band, and the incredible tech crew. Every day I’m blown away by the sheer brilliance of the production. It’s unreal. The great thing about this show is every element of the setup has layer-upon-layer of cutting-edge technology developments. I think Gary is very astute and I believe he’s always picked brilliant people in-order to achieve the best results. He’s been innovative within the realms of production design for 40 years, so it’s been a privilege to work with Luke and the rest of the team.”

Meanwhile, Gary Numan, the band, and the orchestra were all on Sennheiser 2000 Series IEMs with 38 receiver beltpacks. “Everyone is onears, sometimes we use sidefills but with the orchestra, there’s just too much on stage. We try to keep it as minimal as possible considering with have like 40 open mics on that stage right now.”

Robshaw concluded: “The players in the orchestra are still very young and they’ve never really encountered in-ear technologies and Luke and the team have really performed a clinic in providing the best in equipment for the musicians. I found during the tour that these young players who weren’t brought up on Gary Numan are suddenly becoming ‘Numanoids’. It’s been an absolute privilege.”

CARS (AND TRUCKS AND BUSSES) On the road, CSUK Bussing navigated the crew while TRUCKINGBY Brian Yeardley transported the kit across a series of venues, some much tighter than others. “CSUK and TRUCKINGBY Brian Yeardley have been brilliant. I’ve always looked for suppliers that can help, support and care. I’m an extremely ambitious person, so it’s nice to be surrounded by companies that want to help you reach a higher level,” Edwards reflected.

“TRUCKINGBY Brian Yeardley truck drivers are amazing. The truck packs have been pretty intense; we’ve got two trucks absolutely rammed floor to ceiling with kit. Some shows have been tighter as we’ve had

some things coming and going but I’ve never heard their truck drivers moaning, they always help us pack. Sometimes it can be difficult, but they’ll always be there with a smile on their face. It’s a breath of fresh air to have enthusiastic, happy truck drivers on tour with us. It makes such a big difference when you think of all the elements of the show, the difference between a truck driver with a bad attitude and a truck driver with a helpful attitude in the grand scheme of things really doesn’t matter, but it does affect your day if you’re loading that truck at 4am and everyone is flagging. The last thing you need is a truck driver moaning,” Audio Crew Chief AJ Sutherland noted.

FOH Engineer Dave Dupuis also praised the tour’s transport: “CSUK have been fantastic. We’ve been using them for quite a few years and when touring on other continents, I miss the size and comfort of their double decker busses.”

IT WILL END HERE Notwithstanding the comfort of reissue, reissue, repackage culture, Gary Numan continues to evolve as a perennial performer supported by a crew impassioned by pioneering cutting-edge technology developments and innovative show design. Dupuis summed up: “The resiliency of Gary Numan and his band to do whatever it takes and trust us to make it sound good is huge, and a big part of its success.”

Donning the mummified rags of an arbiter of an anti-utopian paradise, on-stage, Gary Numan alongside The Skaparis Orchestra and Kantos Chamber Choir, conducted to the electrified crowd with consummate professionalism. Edwards concluded: “I’m incredibly fortunate to work with this crew and, of course, Gary Numan. He’s the pioneer of electronic music yet he is still very grounded and is so easy to work with - that’s all that matters.” TPi Photos: www.thefifthestate.co.uk & TPi www.garynuman.com www.cue-design.co.uk www.prg.com www.adlib.co.uk www.aclasers.co.uk www.csuk.coach www.brianyeardley.com/truckingby

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