Festival Focus

ALL POINTS EAST

Emerging as an established music site on London’s inner-city festival scene, All Points East Festival takes over Victoria Park for the second year running…

All Points East bore witness to opening and closing three-day weekends firmly dedicated to music. The opening weekend main stage headliners included the likes of Chemical Brothers, The Strokes and Christine and the Queens. In between the music, four days of community-driven free entertainment was available, with comedy, film screenings, street food and much more at play. All in all, making for an inclusive, eclectic inner-city festival programme. The experienced AEG Presents team led by Jim King, and event production company LarMac LIVE, led by Director Ian Greenway, returned to deliver the highest of standards across every aspect of All Points East’s second incarnation.

PRODUCTION

Onsite at Victoria Park, TPi checked in with unshakable Production Manager, Ian Greenway, of LarMac LIVE. “There’s a high-level attention to the aesthetic elements of the festival – it’s a radical departure from the preexisting inner-city festival model!”

Following its launch last year, changes to the production were “minimal”, as Greenway, explained: “It’s great that we had a successful model last year which we could then tweak rather than overhaul.” He referred to the “refreshing” attention to detail required. “Walking around the site, the average customer experience is heightened by the level of finish and veneer.”

No stranger to Victoria Park, having hosted a plethora of summer festivals including Field Day and Lovebox, LarMac LIVE ensured experienced personnel were onsite to handle the dynamic nature of festivals. “Being able to give a show an identity is something we pride ourselves on,” he openly declared. “It’s an intention of the product to ensure that the customer walks away with a smile on their face.”

Principal suppliers, Star Events, Pearce Hire, PRG, Colour Sound Experiment, Showforce, Capital Sound and Music Bank, were hand-picked to lead the technical charge. “It’s a mirror of the supply chain last year, we are big fans of familiarity and it’s not a case of convenience or laziness,” Greenway continued. “The old approach of being able to drop any show into any field is against our ethos, every show has a nuance.”

SETTING THE STAGE

Working alongside Loudsound and LarMac LIVE, Star Events supplied the four principal stages to All Points East; the East Stage, the North Stage, the West Stage and the X Stage, together with FOH structures.

This year, the APE production team and incoming productions benefitted from increased storage at the East Stage, while a fairly sizeable change to the stage dock has also helped with the transport arrangements.

Star Events’ Project Manager at All Points East, Gavin Scott, discussed how the festival has evolved and diversified. “The most noticeable difference was with the FOH structures at East Stage where Huawei sponsored engineered terraces on top of the sound and lighting booths,” he said. “Built with the same technology we use at British Summer Time, and sitting well above the crowd, they provide prime viewing for Huawei and artists’ guests while the studios underneath are 6m by 6m units replete with internal rigging capacity.”

Images show: Loudsound’s Steve Reynolds & Dave Grindel; Capital Sound’s Martin Connolly & Tim Patterson.

This year also marked changes to the Ray Ban X Stage. The Star Events team replaced the central DJ platform in X Stage Mark 1 with a 10m Orbit set between two legs of the 38m span arches. “The new look gave the X Stage a more traditional focal point in place of the in-the-round DJ experience without sacrificing any of its originality,” Scott said.

There were also changes on the North Stage with much more storage to help with turnarounds. The ever-decreasing arches on the stage brought a brilliant Hollywood Bowl-style setting but they limited what could be move around at the back. This led Star Events to create an extra zone there to make it more manageable. Scott explained: “The stage itself was pushed back 10m into the trees, which meant building over picnic tables rooted into the ground. In addition, the FOH structure moved stage right which all helped to open up the arena.”

Stage 3, West Stage, was in a new, absolutely immaculate tent this year – constructed narrower, so the stage was modified to suit, in the shape of a 17m span, three bay VerTech ground support. Scott concluded: “There’s a fantastic team at All Points East, literally from top to bottom, and Star Events works with Loudsound, LarMac LIVE and fellow suppliers to develop/ facilitate the best possible experience for the customer.”

LOUDSOUND

Loudsound Operations Directors, Steve Reynolds and David Grindle joined the conversation. Reynolds said: “An integral part of delivering a successful festival is to engage with the residents, discover their concerns and work closely with the community to ensure that we adhere to their noise concerns and involve them in proceedings.”

Acoustics consultant, Vanguardia, was brought in to monitor the sound. “We’re constantly tweaking to make it better for the next day,” Grindle explained. “There’s a big event management team on this and we encourage everyone to have a voice.”

In addition to bringing in sound management specialist, Vanguardia,

Loudsound introduced additional stewarding and security onsite. Reynolds reflected: “Initially, there was a hostile reception to a major event taking place in the park because it’s a residential area, so we have also opened up the site for four days to allow the community to come in for free to experience comedy and a range of activities.”

Onsite personnel at All Points East ran into the hundreds with a dozen Loudsound personnel deployed in key areas across the festival site to deal with issues as they arise. “Our biggest challenge has been maintaining the level of expectancy that comes with a successful run the first time without changing the things that work. It’s that old mantra, if it’s not broken – don’t fix it.”

AUDIO

Capital Sound was once again called on by LarMac to handle audio duties across the site for four stages and the VIP area. Capital’s Account Manager Martin Connolly said: “Field Day and LED provided the original template and barring minor tweaks to ensure the sound levels conform at the two offsite measurement positions set by Vanguardia, we now have a winning formula.”

For the larger East and North stages, Capital opted for a Martin Audio PA. For the main East Stage, 13 Martin Audio MLA elements were deployed plus an MLD Downfill either side of the stage, with a side hang of eight MLA Compact on stage right only. Since the area stage left is the sensitive sound area, Capital provided two tiny speakers running on a radio link off a localised feed to service the wheelchair users compound.

Underpinning this was 14 MLX subs in a broadside cardioid array, eight Martin Audio DD12, which have now become the standard front fills, and a total of 28 MLA Compact on the three delay towers, with the rear one boosted by three Martin Audio SX218 subwoofers. “The third delay was sited at 115m and I find this addition creates warmth and punch past that point,” said Connolly. System teching this stage was Dan Fathers.

Over at the Orbit-roofed North Stage, the PA hangs comprised 11 MLA elements and a single MLD downfill per side. LF extension was provided by 11 MLX subs with eight Martin Audio W8LM as front fill. A single delay point was set, with 8 MLA Compact elements populating the tower, all overseen by MLA System Technician in Ben Turnbull.

Capital’s Audio Crew Chief was Tim Patterson, who said the only problem during the build-up had been the rain, and consequent change in humidity and atmospherics. “This changed the sound propagation by as much as 5dB,” he said.

Image shows: Star Events Project Manager, Gavin Scott.

Patterson, a seasoned touring monitor engineer who was only recently introduced to the crew chief role, could scarcely have been more relaxed. “It’s a pleasure working with LarMac LIVE and Ian Greenway, who really know what they are doing. Everyone on the site has been brilliant, and for us, it’s just about seeing whether we can make any improvements.” For control, Main Stage FOH housed a brand-new Avid VENUE S6L. Capital Sound also supplied an Avid Profile on the North Stage and a Midas PRO2C digital mixing console on the X stage. “They’re historic pieces of kit, which were supplied last year. Last year’s X stage was a purely dance space with nothing but DJs,” Connolly explained. “The Midas PRO2C digital mixing console was DJ Richie Hawtin’s preferred choice last year. Now, it’s a mixture of bands and DJs that play but the engineers know how to use it so there’s no reason to switch it up.”

One band for whom Martin Audio’s signature sound proved excellent were Friday night headliners, The Chemical Brothers. Said their FOH Engineer, Shan Hira, “I am never disappointed to see [MLA] on a festival spec.” While onsite, Connolly praised Hira who mixed on a Midas XL4. “He mixes the entire show manually which is often difficult with digital consoles given the vast number of layers, external compressors and EQs to get every last db out of the system. It’s an art form.”

Using his own FOH set-up, and mixing the show on a Midas XL4, he said, “I am always looking for an even coverage, clarity in the tops, and punchy, weighty subs - and MLA did a good job all round. The system was set up well and the sub coverage was even due to a well-placed sub array.” His views were shared by Russ Miller, Johnny Marr’s FOH Engineer. “I thought MLA sounded great. Punchy and hi-fi without being harsh. It was well set up and I’m pretty sure I employed zero EQ to my mix.” He also highlighted the system’s great advantages, namely that MLA makes it possible for higher levels to be achieved within the bowl area while reducing substantially offsite. “[Victoria Park] is always going to be a difficult site given the proximity to houses but as modern live engineers we should be aware that government levels will continue to decrease so we need to be vigilant and mix smarter. MLA goes a long way to making that possible whilst still being exciting for the crowd.

“The bottom line is that the Capital guys were amazing as always and the PA a joy to mix on.”

Both the East and the South Stage also boasted a selection of Outline products with a Superfly on the X Stage and a GTOC12s on the East Stage. The West Stage has always used Outline GTOCs, this year we’ve upped our count from 12 subs to 18 this year,” commented Connolly.

After the event, Greenway, stated: “Victoria Park has, as with a lot of outdoor London venues, had challenges of late in terms of audio levels and the quality of phonic experience for audiences. Over several years we’ve successfully deployed Martin MLA and Outline on our outdoor stages with fantastic results, both on and off site.”

LIGHTING

Lighting for the festival’s larger stages was split between PRG on the East and North Stages and Colour Sound Experiment for the West and South Stages.

The West Stage’s lighting kit included 34 Robe BMFLs, 38 Claypaky Sharpys, 30 Robin LED LED Wash 600s, 38 TMB Active DMX Sunset Sunstrips and 13 Martin by Harman Atomic Strobes, all of which were controlled by MA Lighting grandMA2 Lite and full-sized consoles.

On the South stage, Colour Sound Experiment supplied 26 Robe MMX spots, 14 Robin LED Wash 300s and 25 DMX 2 Lite Molefays as the main fixtures controlled by an Avolites Tiger Touch 2 console.

Haydn Cruickshank commented: “It was fantastic to be a part of All Points East again. The challenges of keeping lighting fresh and responsive at an event spanning 10 days, with the world class acts that perform there, are part of what keeps it such an exciting event to be a part of.”

The Colour Sound Experiment team comprised Project Manager, Haydn Cruickshank, Lighting Crew Chief, Simon Robertson, Stu Barr, David ‘Fletch’ Fletcher, Hannu, Geno Welburn and Sam Akinwale. “Once again, all of our crew really came together to help pull off something special so an extra thanks to them and everyone involved - long may it continue!” Cruickshank exclaimed.

For East and North Stage control, PRG provided grandMA2 control systems with customised festival racks across both North and East Stage.

Fixture wise for East stage, 27 PRG Best Boy HPs, 17 Vari-Lite 3500 Washes, 12 PRG Icon Beams and 18 Solaris Flare JRs, and additional Molefays made up the extensive lighting rig.

Various 250kg EXE, 500kg EXE, 1T EXE and 2T hoists were specified for lighting, video and audio departments rigging plus visiting artists. A pair of PRG Ground Control Bad Boy were purposed as followspots on the stage.

On the North stage, PRG provided Claypaky Mythos, Martin by Harman Viper Wash DXs, SGM Q-7s and Molefays – as well as PRG Best Boy HPs for key light.

PRG also provided a real-time programming software spaces in the shape of WYSIWYG suites, allowing touring LDs and operators to preprogramme their show before they turned up on the day.

Having collaborated on a series of high-profile tours this year, such as Post Malone and Fatboy Slim, Robert Watson (lighting and rigging) and Paul ‘Macca’ Macauley (video) joined forces for All Points East. “The majority of PRG’s account managing team have spent a long time in the industry from the ground upwards,” Watson said. “The handy thing is, because we supply rigging, lighting and video, all the departments integrate seamlessly.”

The East Stage lighting team was made up of Chris Scott, who designed and operated the show. Lighting Crew Chief, Andy Christie, Will Gallegos and Harvey Fitzpatrick. While the North Stage boasted Lighting Crew Chief, Dana Read, Lighting Operator, Dan Young and Lighting Tech, Simon Hossack.

VIDEO

When it came to video, PRG covered all four stages on the opening weekend, before it dropping to the West and South Stage on the following weekend. The East Stage boasted ROE Visual MC7-H 7mm IMAG screens and ROE Visual CB5 onstage LED screens, processed by Barco E2 screen management, Sony HXC camera chains and a Ross Video carbonite PPU system.

The North Stage saw the deployment of CB5 IMAG screens and CB5 onstage screen for Primal Scream’s headline slot. Sony HXC camera chains and Panasonic 450 PPUs captured a variety of looks.

The West stage brandished CB5 upstage wall, Barco E2 screen management and Resolume media servers. While the X Stage Rev showcased a plethora of Revolution Blade HD LED stripes processed by Resolume media servers. The entire visual content was processed onsite by Barco E2 screen management and Resolume and disguise media servers.

Macca told TPi: “It was a pleasure to work with LarMac LIVE again, but equally in being part of the second ever APE show across both weekends. Having been so successful in its first year, it was always going to be a challenge for the crew, but PRG was very happy to deliver video requirements across four of the festival’s stages.”

Watson echoed: “It was a really enjoyable experience and we look forward to working with LarMac again next year. It’s a great festival with a nice feel to it, with varied styles of music to cater to a diverse range of audiences.”

POWER The team from Pearce Hire was busy loading an extensive power system into Victoria Park in London ready for the second incarnation All Points East Festival.

The power specialist supplied all of the stages with independent generator areas. The main stage boasted four 500KVA generators, while stages two and three comprised a trio of 300KVA generators. The rest of the festival was powered by generator farms, covering vast areas of the site.

Having played a key part in last year’s 10-day festival, the temporary power supplier provided double the amount of HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) fuel as last year, as part of the festival organisers’ sustainable festival management.

Based on data collected from the generators last year, the Pearce Hire team were able to tailor an economical package. “Working to a set of averages, we then build on information to provide smaller engines, This allows us to be more environmentally friendly, Whilst helping out with our clients budgets by reducing costs by removing unnecessary generator power” Pearce Hire Project Manager, Jake Vernum began. “70% of the fuel we use is now HVO, which is an eco-friendly diesel product. It’s refreshing to work with a client that respects the importance of putting together an environmentally friendly solution.”

As well as powering the production, Pearce Hire provided creative lighting. A mixture of 70 SGM P-5s and Cameo ZENIT W600 Outdoor fixtures were deployed in communal areas of the festival site, such as the trees, bar facades and the bandstand. “They are big, bright coloured, IP-rated floods, which were the perfect for this application because AEG wanted the ability to change the colours to fit the festival brand.”

Artist guest supplies can change on a daily basis, Both in the advance process and on site. This can be difficult with only an allotted amount of distribution equipment and generators but Pearce Hire prides itself on flexibility. “We understand things change and do what we do to get it sorted.”

At peak times with a crew of 15 faces, the Pearce Hire team was project managed by Jake Vernum who worked in partnership with onsite Project Co-ordinators, Dan Shelton and Daniel Stratton. “We enjoy working alongside AEG, Loudsound and Larmac LIVE,” Vernum said “It’s a nice project to be a part of and we look forward to working with them again.” With a delighted audience, production crew and a long-term contract from the local authority, All Points East has consolidated its position as a cornerstone of London’s festival landscape for the foreseeable future. TPi Photos: Jessica Gilbert, Star Events & TPi. www.allpointseastfestival.com www.aegpresents.co.uk www.larmaclive.com www.loudsound.net www.stareventsltd.com www.coloursound.com www.prg.com/uk/en www.capital-sound.co.uk www.pearcehire.co.uk

FIELD DAY FESTIVAL

Field Day delights inner-city festival revellers at its new venue in Tottenham, with Capital Sound providing sound reinforcement.

Taking place across ten acres of outdoor space and four large interlinking warehouses, Field Day’s move to The Drumsheds in Tottenham, London welcomed attendees in their thousands with an overall capacity of 10,000. Having supplied audio for the festival since 2012, Capital Sound returned to the Field Day fold, once again teaming up with Broadwick Live to deliver the feat.

Capital Sound deployed a team of five on the Eat Your Own Ears Stage including Kev Smith operating as the Audio Crew Chief for the whole site. A trio of Capital Sound representatives each manned Printworks and the Boiler Room stages.

Capital Sound’s David Preston picked up the story: “Broadwick Live wanted d&b System from the start in both the Outdoor Main Stage and the Printworks. A d&b audiotechnik J-Series line array was the PA of choice for both the main indoor warehouse space, as well as for the main outdoor festival stage.”

The Eat Your Own Ear stage PA boasted a d&b audiotechnik J-Series of 12 J8s and two J12s per side, along with 15 B22s subs. Front fills came in the shape of eight Y7Ps. Advanced multi-source audio processing was achieved by an Outline Newton system processor while FOH control was delivered by an Avid S6L 24-C at with Waves Soundgrid.

In monitor world, Yamaha CL5 digital mixing console manned eight Shure PSM1000s and Shure UR2s with Beta 58 capsules. Fourteen d&b audiotechnik M2s manned monitors, while two J-SUBS and a trio of V8s per side were on side fill duty.

At the Printworks, a d&b J System made up of 10 J8s and two J12s per side partnered 12 SL subs. Ten T10s and two Y7Ps performed front fill duties. Delays at 60m were achieved by eight V8s per side and rear delays at

90m boasted ground stacked J-SUBS with four V8s on top, all were handled by a trio of Lake LM44 System Processors. A DiGiCo SD10-24 with SD mini rack performed audio control at FOH with a Yamaha QL5 digital mixer locate in monitor world; overlooking eight d&b audiotechnik M4 wedges and DJ fills of V-Series subs and V7PS.

Using the d&b ArrayCalc simulation software, Preston calculated the PA requirements and loudspeaker hang points for the J-Series on both of the main stages. “ArrayCalc allows me to significantly reduce set up and tuning time and allows for precise initial simulations when planning installations.” For Field Day, the calculations were “pretty much spot on,” he added. “Things sounded really accurate and precise once the venue set up was complete.”

On the Boiler Room Stage, Capital Sound deployed a Meyer Leopard system of six with four 900 LFC Subs per side, partnering four Meyer Leopard ground stacked delays further down the room. For control, Yamaha CL5 digital mixing console at FOH and a Yamaha PM5D at monitors along with 12 Martin Audio LE1500s.

“Most of the artists used all house gear provided aside from the Jungle crew the on Main Stage and Saturday’s headliner Jorga Smith, who’s crew brought their own consoles.”

With the new site located in on a non-residential area, so noise limits were more relaxed than typical London outdoor concerts. Preston explained: “The noise limits were kept to across the site and off site for the whole weekend with no problems. The new site has plenty of potential due to its non-residential area and now good transport links into Stratford and Kings Cross.”

By opting for a ground-breaking fresh location with a befitting aesthetic, Field Day’s move and continued collaboration with Capital Sound shows no signs of slowing down. Photos courtesy of Capital Sound.

www.fielddayfestivals.com www.capital-sound.co.uk

CAMP EDC

Backbone International’s North American team descended on Las Vegas.

Build the campsite from the ground upwards, Backbone International was on site for the latest Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas.

Backbone International’s Rutger Jansen picked up the story: “The campground was a huge asphalt terrain which we wanted to transform into a fairytale wonderland. Laying down 2.7million square-foot of artificial grass is a serious challenge, especially in the desert where we regularly had to deal with stormy weather.”

After turning the rough terrain into a green oasis, the Backbone International had to build up 4,800 shiftpods which got equipped with air conditioning and power.

In addition to last year’s Camp EDC, this year attendees had the option to book a preset RV besides driving their own RV on-site, so we also had to arrange all practical necessities for 1,500 RVs. Jansen reflected: “To accommodate these huge quantities, we had to completely redesign the power grid.”

Also new for this edition was the check-in lobby the Backbone International team built with food, music, seating, shade and WiFi. “We also doubled the number of checks in lanes for RV campers and took care of even five times more check in lanes for the shiftpod campers than last year,” Jansen explained. “We redesigned the passage between Camp EDC and the festival, build four swimming pools on the Mesa with more space to play and took care of new chill zones on the campsite.”

Besides the creative development of a completely new Camp EDC, Backbone International were also responsible for the build and all operations during the event, making sure the client didn’t need to worry about anything.

Full production and operation of Camp EDC was in Backbone International’s hands. “Six weeks of hard work during the buildup and preproduction was all worth it. It was really a journey of a lifetime and we are already looking towards next year’s edition,” he concluded. Photo courtesy of Backbone International.

www.lasvegas.electricdaisycarnival.com/camp-edc/ www.backbone-international.com

PARKLIFE

LUCID takes to Heaton Park to design The Valley stage, a brand-new festival space.

LUCID returned for a second year to design and build the newly iconic The Valley at Parklife Festival 2019. Four times the size of the previous year, the company used innovative engineering and design techniques to build the dystopian cityscape structure by building in a modular way so that the stages could be built quickly on site and can be reused year after year. This year’s line up on The Valley, hosted by Disclosure, included the likes of Nas, Kaytranada, Annie Mac, Denis Sulta, DJ Koze, Honey Dijon and Sally C.

Helen Swan and Chris Carr, Co-Directors of LUCID, and their team have made a name for itself by creating and building structures that generate audience interaction and immersion by pushing the boundaries of set construction and its integrated tech.

This year, the organisers of Parklife Festival asked LUCID to design and build them a new stage building on its work last year. The result was The Valley: a life-size tower block complex influenced by brutalist architecture and dystopian fiction, consisting of the 100m wide by 22m high stage, a 50m brutalist bar and a two-storey Pepsi factory doubling as a viewing platform. “Last year was our first time building this structure,” reflected Carr, onsite at the festival. “We’ve really expanded the concept this year into an all encompassing theme which is all part of our three to five year plan of how to expand The Valley.” Every window in the eight life-size tower blocks that make up the cityscape of the stage is an LED screen featuring moving silhouettes of the people living in the towers whilst the billboard screens continuously show futuristic public service announcements and adverts. LUCID designed and created every inch of the set, from developing an eight-layer process to turn ply flats into hyper-realistic aged concrete, to making and programming the on-screen content and LED lighting.

“I think one of our strengths at LUCID is our ability to cross over set design and the integration video and led technology. This year we have brought in Video Illusions who provided all our screens and dbnAudile who provided lighting.”

The screens provided for the stage included INFiLED L10 for billboards, L 6 for the windows in the towers and ER4 for all screens on stage. Video Illusions also supplied an Avolites Ai server with five HD outputs needed to drive all the screens. “What we love about The Valley is the opportunity to extend the video canvas outwards from just the traditional upstage wall,” commented Video Illusions’ Oli Chilton. “This allowed acts like Disclosure to take full control of the windows to create their mesmerising Friday headline show. We hope to keep working with Chris, Helen and the rest of the LUCID team and provide their ever more ambitious projects with our unique approach to video production.”

All three of the structures comprising The Valley had to be constructed onsite at the Parklife festival grounds within 10 days. This included leaving enough time for Disclosure to run through their programming with LUCID’s lighting design team. To ensure this was possible, LUCID developed a modular frame and bracket system that allowed them to get set up at height, with speed, and without crane lifts where none were available.

Photo shows: Co-Director of LUCID, Chris Carr.

Swan explained that the inspiration for the stage derived from “a desire to create an immersive experience at Parklife.” She continued: “We wanted to bring more than the music to audiences. By developing The Valley into an arena made of three large structures, we are on our way to creating an area that people can lose themselves in and feel part of a fictional, escapist landscape. It allows audiences to play and have creativity with their dress and behaviour, to become one of the characters in the cast of The Valley.”

The team at LUCID didn’t just want to inspire those audience members that visited the stage. “We were keen for artists to engage with the stage in their performances,” explained Carr. “We always wanted people to bring in their own ideas. Last year was difficult as we only had renders. This year, it has been so much easer as people already have a flavour. Disclosure has been the first to really engage with the set and produced their own content

for the show.” For the rest of the weekend, the LUCID team created content for the screen. “The feedback has been pretty overwhelming,” concluded Swan. “Major Lazer and Disclosure’s headline shows at The Valley were the stuff of dreams, the way the visuals and sfx complimented the music was truly spectacular. Keep an eye out for videos of those sets! We are obviously hoping to build even more structures in The Valley, to create a truly 360, immersive space,” Swan concluded. Photos courtesy of LUCID www.parklife.uk.com www.lucidcreates.co.uk www. videoillusions.net www.dbnaudile.co.uk

YAMAHA COMMERCIAL AUDIO AT DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL

Images show: Yamaha Commercial Audio Sales Representatives Hans Metger & Reece Stead.

With a line up that consisted of the Slipknot, Def Leppard and the return of the mighty Tool for their first UK performance in 12 years, Download Festival once again proved itself as the stage for rock and metal music at the famed Castle Donnington.

As throngs of rock fans and metalheads enjoying the weekend’s entertainment, TPi found itself behind the Main Stage to meet up with Yamaha Commercial Audio’s mobile showroom, showcasing the company’s latest line of professional standard audio desks.

Greeting TPi on site was Hans Metger, Commercial Audio Sales Representative. The portal showroom, which is in the body of a customised truck, has already seen action this summer making a temporary home at Neighbourhood Weekender with the goal of also taking it to Leeds Festival later in the season.

The concept of the incentive was very much build out of the demands to Yamaha Commercial Audio’s clientele: “With the development of the PM Series we wanted to get the desk under the nose of as many engineers as possible,” said Metger. “We knew festival season was a very busy time for engineers, so instead of inviting them to a demo day in our offices, opted to partner with Live Nation to create this space where engineers could come in and chill out before their set along with taking al look at the console.”

On site, the Yamaha team displayed its current flagship desk, the PM10 along with its younger brother the PM7. Along with the new SWP2-10 SMF

Network Switch that was launched this year at ISE. The new release offers users two 10gb Fibre optic ports.

Not only did the onsite showroom showcase the company’s latest offerings, it was offered some literal in-the-field feedback from engineers. “We had our Head of R&D Atsushi Kitagawa here throughout the weekend speaking to engineers which proved invaluable,” commented Metger. “All weekend he’s been taking notes with what the engineers have been saying which he can relay straight back to the engineering team in Japan.”

With a selection of Yamaha Equipment out on the festivals grounds, Metger explained that the truck also worked as a great base to provide tech support. “Just on the main stage at monitors – a few step from the truck – there are a few CL5s, QL5s and an QL1,” he continued. “Over the years Yamaha Commerical Audio has built up a reputation of reliability and lots of engineers are able to walk up to one of our desks and use it during a fesival slot.”

Despite the trying weather conditions, the Yamaha Commercial Audio team enjoyed a successful weekend. “We’ve had loads if engineers come in and say hello throughout the weekend,” Metger concluded. “The response we’ve been getting, I see no reason why we can’t roll it out to more festivals next season.” TPi

www.uk.yamaha.com www.downloadfestival.co.uk

GOTTWOOD

Dubbed as a mystical party in the middle of the woods, Gottwood celebrates a decade by rolling out a trusted network of suppliers to the intimate electronic music festival.

In a festival climate where big budgets and big production is often championed, it is hard for a smaller scale shows to stand proud unless creativity, commitment and passion prevails.

Marking its 10th year, Gottwood’s 5,000 capacity show focuses on an underground selection of electronic music from across the globe spread across 10 stages in the North West of Wales, pushing the boundaries that small festivals are often constrained by to their limits.

Knowledge of the industry and experience of the team allowed Director, Tom Elkington who handled design and technical production and Director, Digby Neill who overlooked the site - to deliver a special and one-off production in arguably one of the most beautiful spots in the country.

For Elkington supplier selection was key. “Choosing to work with typical industry leaders doesn’t always work in smaller shows as budgets and aspirations don’t align. Smaller shows need PM’s with a true passion for the end product that are willing to go that extra mile and be resourceful.”

This year, the Gottwood team worked with a variety of suppliers including Impression One (power), Audio Feed (sound), Lightup (light, video and rigging), Nick Jevons (lighting design), The Fair (compliance and health and safety), Pinnacom (network) and the Creation Live team on show design and production delivery, headed up by Production Manager, Charlotte Denton.

Elkington praised the festival collective: “Everyone shone through to deliver in my opinion the best Gottwood yet. A small dedicated team of highly skilled individuals willing to go that extra mile.”

AUDIO

Gottwood’s organisers are committed to giving its community the best possible sound and, with that in mind, called in Audio Feed to deliver Funktion-One systems on all 10 stages. This included the first outing for Vero VX. Each stage was curated by the people behind some of the UK’s best parties and music labels, making for a varied programme of DJ and live performances.

Vero VX, which received its global launch at Prolight + Sound 2019 in April, was deployed at The Lawn – the festival’s 3,000-capacity main stage.

Images show: Production Manager, Charlotte Denton & Production Coordinator, Yasmin Galletti di Cadilhac; Organisers Tom Elkington & Digby Neill.

The system featured four ground stacked Vero VX90 cabinets per side, with bass reinforcement from eight V124 enclosures. Power came from MC2 Delta 90, Delta 100 and Delta 80 DSP Dante amps.

Funktion-One founder Tony Andrews was onsite to assist with the set-up and to oversee Vero VX’s maiden voyage. Commenting on Vero VX’s performance at Gottwood, Andrews said: “Given that this was the first outing and as we only had four units per side, typical reasoning could lead you to think that it may not be sufficient for the size of venue. However, the output and clarity of this relatively small system was outstanding. It performed beyond all expectations, with headroom to spare.”

Audio Feed’s Oz Jefferies added: “The VX produced an incredibly full, vibrant alive sound. The vocal clarity was effortless and its performance on live bands was incredible. The Deltas sound awesome.”

The other stages provided a mix of styles and ranged in size from The Barn at around 200-capacity to The Curve at 1,150. Each had a Funktion- One sound system from Audio Feed, apart from Trigon which was supplied by Full Fat Audio.

Tree House had eight Funktion-One Evo 6E speakers per side and four F221 bass enclosures, with MC2 amplification and XTA control. The Walled Garden used four Res 4T speakers and four F121 bass enclosures configured in a quadrophonic arrangement, MC2 amplification, and a Midas M32 console at FOH. Audio Feed deployed Res 4Ts, F121s, F101s and an SB210A at The Barn, with MC2/XTA power and control.

Mother Owl was home to two F1201 speakers, two BR118 bass reflex speakers, and an F101, with XTA power and control. Trigon supplied by FFA’s

Dave Millard featured eight Evo 6EH mid/high speakers, eight F115 mid/bass speakers, eight F124 bass enclosures and two F101s, with FFA amplification. Ruffy’s Lab used four F101s and two BR118s with MC2/XTA amplification and control.

Audio Feed used another quadrophonic system comprising four F1201s and four F121s at Ricky’s Disco. The system at Captain Cabeeza featured two Res 4Ts, two F218s and two F101s. The Curve featured two Res 4s and two F121s per side in a left/right configuration with a mono centre stack of two F124s for additional low end.

Audio Feed’s Festival Project Manager Conor Dever reflected: “Supplying this year’s Gottwood Festival with 10 stages of Funktion-One was a great pleasure for all the team at Audio Feed. Set in an absolutely stunning part of the UK, it was a wonderful experience delivering high quality audio systems in such a beautiful setting.

“The Lawn stage featured the first outing of the new Vero VX system - which sounded absolutely immense. Elsewhere in the festival we focused on implementing quadraphonic systems to curb noise restrictions and deliver a sonic experience for the festival goers. We’d like to thank the festival organisers and everyone else on site who made such an amazing show possible.”

SOUND MANAGEMENT

For the last four years, Pinnacom’s sister company, SPLtrack has provided noise management services to Gottwood Festival. As sound engineer, sound company owner, loudspeaker designer and system designer over the years, music system control is firmly embedded in Chris Beale and the company’s DNA.

Images show: Creative Designer, Nick Jevons & Liteup Director, Marc Callaghan; Pinnacom & SPLtrack Director, Chris Beale; The Funktion-One audio squad.

“When we were invited to be involved the festival had been suffering with poor onsite sound levels due to strict council controls,” Beale reflected. “We were able to provide sound containment design changes and introduced processes that enabled the stages to operate at much higher levels whilst protecting the amenity of local residents.”

Key to the management of the event was the SPLtrack cloud platform that enables the project to be modelled in detail during planning and then include live metres during the event. “This enables continuous evaluation of model vs real data including meteorological impact. The system has a host of other features that deliver a comprehensive environmental management tool,” he explained.

LX & VIDEO

“We were delighted to be asked to supply lighting and video for Gottwood Festival’s 10th Anniversary,” Liteup’s Marc Callaghan began. “Gottwood is a truly unique festival with amazing custom stage structures and a multitude of different environments for all different types of dance music.”

Working closely with Creative Designer Nick Jevons, Project and Account Manager Callaghan set to work on coming up with new ideas for the spaces. He reflected “Nick and I wanted to make the lighting and video absorb the audience, so we used a lot of creative LED products such as Martin VDO Sceptron to work with the structures rather than just use them as lighting supports.”

As a number of the venues had a variety of DJ’s and acts over the course of the weekend the accompanying lighting rigs had to be versatile and give

the operators a lot of options for creating different looks and effects. Then there was the small matter of the site lighting. He explained: “Gottwood experience is all about the experience for the festival goers and we put a lot of focus on the tree and site lighting.”

With over 200 fixtures lighting the non-arena part of the site it gave a huge impact and followed on from the stage designs. “A lot of the tree lighting around the stages was also tied into the lighting console so at those big moments in the night the whole forest around could be strobing or we could drop the light level right down for the lasers to have maximum effect.” The Liteup team also got the chance to roll out its new InfiLED ER 5.9 video screen for one of the stages – making an 18m wide video wall rigged in a curve in strips to encompass the stage.

As far as boutique festivals go, Gottwood’s uninhibited decade of success across four days of nonstop dance music partnered with an innovative technical team consolidates its place as a firm mainstay of the independent UK festival scene. TPi Photo: TPi, Chroma Collective’s Jake Davis & Rob Jones. www.gottwood.co.uk www.creationlive.co.uk www.pinnacom.com www.funktion-one.com www.liteup.co.uk www.wearethefair.com www.audio-feed.co.uk www.impressionone.co.uk www.spltrack.co.uk