The Specials

THE SPECIALS: ENCORE 40TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR 2019

After topping the UK charts with their latest album, Encore, ska and two-tone trailblazers, The Specials, present an energetic, evocative and politically-charged live show to sold-out audiences across Europe, as TPi’s Jacob Waite discovers...

In an age of discontent, The Specials would be forgiven for resting on their veteran ska rooted laurels, and peddling tried and tested 40th anniversary touring conventions. However, they are far from a revival act. The band’s latest genre-spanning record, Encore, is the group’s first new material with vocalist Terry Hall since 1981’s anthemic Ghost Town single. The album marks a welcome return to the public consciousness, addressing Brexit, austerity, Black Lives Matter and mental health – crafted with the panache and signature rock steady beats synonymous with the Coventry outfit. The live offering also featured a DJ set by Saffiyah Khan, an activist famed for a viral photo of her standing up to the EDL while wearing a The Specials T-shirt - and now has a significant track on the band’s new album, 10 Commandments.

Onsite at King George’s Hall in Blackburn, TPi met the touring crew tasked with bringing the band’s latest live vision to life under the careful supervision of longstanding Tour Manager, Mike Darling. “When I started, The Specials were in their fifties playing the music they wrote in their early twenties. Now, they are in their sixties playing music they’ve written in their sixties, which has been validated and given the thumbs up with a number one album and a long stretch of sold out tour dates ahead of them,” he said, proudly re-establishing the modus operandi. “This tour is about them in the present, their continued relevance, and their history.” Unsurprisingly, he added: “They’re enjoying themselves.”

Darling explained his minimalist approach to the band’s live feat. “It’s relatively straightforward in terms of gear and not reliant on innovative technology,” he continued. “The primary focus is getting all of the components and ideas in tune with the strong stage set and lighting design

to make the show adaptable to different territories where the band might tour without trucks.”

For suppliers, Darling turned his attention towards Adlib for audio and lighting, as well as TRUCKINGBY Brian Yeardley and Starsleeper to navigate the kit and crew across a series of UK and European pitstops.

In the comfortable confines of a Starsleeper bus, TPi chewed the fat with Assistant Tour and Stage Manager, James Hayward. “I ended up working as a Guitar Technician for The Specials five years ago after a conversation with Mike at Backstage Academy when he was a guest lecturer.”

Having worked with the PM on a range of projects, Hayward described his ‘yin and yang’ relationship with Darling: “He’s extremely organised, calm and placid. Everything he does is planned to a T. Whereas, I’m like a bull in a china shop,” he chuckled. “Mike’s got the plan and I’m the enforcer stomping around the stage all day, allowing him to organise and have confidence things will get done on the ground.”

Hayward admitted it was a challenge to get his head around legal driving hours. “It’s simple if you know all the regulations but I wasn’t very well versed in that side of touring prior to taking on this role. But after some time with these guys I think I’ve cracked it.”

Having provided a 45ft low ride truck for the tour, TRUCKINGBY Brian Yeardley Managing Director, Kevin Hopper, commented: “It was great to work with Mike and The Specials on such an important anniversary tour.”

VOTE FOR ME When it came to set design, the artistic collective adopted a hands-on

approach. Lead singer, Terry Hall and bassist, Horace Panter painted placards which formed the upstage set and followed the themes of Encore. “It’s a bit of fun and reflects their humour,” Darling confirmed. “The new album went straight in at number one and this tour is as much about their new material as the 40th anniversary.”

In line with the DIY approach, the tour’s N16 merchandise was curated by the band. “It chimes with the album and the stage set,” the PM said, noting a focus on better quality, ethically sourced garments. “Everyone seems happy about what we are presenting to the audience, from the quality of merchandise right the way up to the standard of the show.”

To light the way, Darling asked Simon Pettitt to come on board with the band in 2014. Two years later, he joined Adlib. “It has been a project under Adlib for a few years,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot from Mike’s perceptive and inventive approach to projects, and I think he appreciates working with someone who cares about details as much as I try to.”

The theatrical design was formulated around the tour’s custom grey risers. Pettit sourced a matching dancefloor and a ruched grey wool serge drape, custom dyed for the tour by Whaleys Stages. Keen on masking, he also included a border at the top of the grey drape so the silhouettes of the back truss fixture weren’t visible, which “all reinforced the theatrical undertone.”

Pettitt’s brief was theatrical – and he told TPi exactly how he delivered: “I’ve generally kept sidelight booms and footlights close to hand.” Scenic uplights and footlights were achieved by 9 Prolights StudioCOB LED Par WWs. “Particularly with the new ‘protest sign’ scenic elements in place for this campaign, I primarily wanted to tone each song and showcase the signs, mood and messages, rather than trying to draw attention to any technical lighting effects,” Pettitt stated.

Six Chauvet Professional Strike 4 Blinders made up the floor LED lighting. “Every fixture type carries its weight at some point to give variety over the course of the set. The 14 Martin by Harman MAC Aura XBs, positioned on the side booms with Top Hats, are really useful with so much output in a tiny package and Vipers are still the workhorses they always have been.” Making way for variety, Pettitt purposed “shafts of light” to go against conical moving light beams, bringing in framing shutters in the shape of 8 Martin by Harman Viper Performance fixtures to reinforce the theatrical feel. “They cut boxes around people and frame risers to create thin shafts of light, while the 12 GLP impression X4 Bar 20s provide shafts as well, often used straight down vertical, all of which combine to read well on the grey dancefloor.”

Adlib Lighting Technicians Ash Dawson and Dave Smith made up the lighting team. Tom Webber was tasked with lighting operation on the road by Pettitt, who dubbed him the right man for the job. “Tom operates some of Adlib’s most challenging projects, so I knew he would be able to tune in to the show. As a capable designer, I can trust him to react suitably to any requests throughout the tour.”

The lighting design duo spent three days in Adlib’s WYSIWYG suite before the European leg of the tour, while also hosting the build of the custom risers and placards in the Adlib production space. Pettitt wound back the clocks: “It allowed Mike to oversee the preparation and eventually invite Terry to review both the set and pre-vis on day three, which got everyone on the same page.”

For control, Webber manned an MA Lighting grandMA3 light console. “I moved to MA Lighting consoles around four years ago and I’ve never looked back. The grandMA3 is running in MA2 mode and we’ve had no problem with it. It took a little bit of getting used to because the button layouts are a

bit different but now it’s fine.”

With no timecode, Webber manually triggered 447 cues. “We have programmed 36 tunes and they do about 27 a night on average,” said Webber. “Simon came out to Dublin for the first three UK shows. Each night we’d film the show and take notes. He has been keeping an eye on me on Instagram, so I hope I’ve done him justice!”

Among Pettitt’s favoured looks were the shadows of placards on the drape in Vote For Me, the vertical downlight during Terry Hall’s verse on Man at C&A, and the GLP X4 Bar and MAC Performance fixture combination in Breaking Point. “I’ve tried to serve the music by toning and presenting it rather than doing anything too clever and superfluous,” he explained. “As long as fans go home talking about the music rather than the lights, I’ve done what I need to do.”

While the subtleties, whites and pastels were plentiful, the show also exhibited big, saturated colours to break it up. Around 20% of the show included rich colour outputs which made “big statements” and accentuate the band at the desired, strategic moments.

However, the feat didn’t come without its fair share of logistical challenges, given the diversity of venues, which often required crew to shrink and expand the floor package to fit the stage each day so Webber could get the variety of angles he needed. “We do arena gigs which are easier than this to load in and out. Some of the smaller venues are a real test. In Cardiff, the lift broke and we had to carry most of the kit up narrow, winding stairs. On the other hand, in Europe they played a 6,000-cap venue in Berlin. It was incredible to see the scale of venues fluctuate.”

He gestured to the lighting rig which was split across three trusses over the stage. Webber added: “In the larger venues like Blackburn we managed to get the whole rig in and out. We chopped it down in Exeter, taking things off the mid truss and putting it to one truss at the end, while the floor

package has pretty much been the same for the entire tour, minus a pair of MAC Profile fixtures.”

Pettitt reflected on one particular memory at the Camden Roundhouse in 2014. “I remember fans bringing their teenage sons to the show. They looked uninterested walking in but then exclaimed: “Dad, that was unbelievable” on the way out. The importance - the musical education - wasn’t lost on them, and that still happens now.”

Pettitt concluded: “I’m thankful for having a little part to play in the legacy of a band still as important in 2019 as they were in the late ‘70s. They are not just playing the hits each year – they are very much a current band going out with new music and pushing subjects as relevant now as they ever were.”

NITE KLUB Perrin and Ferrari specified the PA system together, choosing an L-Acoustics K2 system for its flexibility and lightweight application. Playing the wide selection of venues on the itinerary, there wasn’t always the option to fly – and even when there was, tight weight-loading limits had to be adhered to, so the engineers wanted a lightweight system which worked equally well flown or ground stacked.

The tour’s largest configuration contained 10 L-Acoustics K2 elements flown each side, or 6 per side ground-stacked with L-Acoustics K2 run in conjunction with 12 L-Acoustics KS28 subs to provide additional coverage for the band’s all-important groove section and the distinctive ska sound. Where possible, the subs were arranged in clusters of 2 high stacks at 1m intervals across the front of the stage to create a sub arc for low-end coverage throughout the room.

This was complemented by 6 L-Acoustics KARA speakers and 8 ARCS- IIs, specified to fill coverage gaps and voids in various room layouts on

Lighting Technician, Ash Dawson; Audio Technician, Sam Gallagher; Audio Technician, Kenny Perrin, Tom Webber & Dave Smith; FOH Engineer, Marcos Ferrari; Assistant Tour Manager & Stage Manager, James Hayward.

the road. L-Acoustics LA12X amplifiers powered the main system and subwoofers. Adlib Systems Engineer, Kenny Perrin joined Ferarri at FOH. System processing was achieved by Coda Audio LiNET Switch 2-in / 4 out LiNET Distribution. Ferrari exclaimed: “The L-Acoustics rig with the punk rock sounds amazing!”

Ferrari’s mixing console of choice was a Midas PRO6, which he utilised along with classic outboard delays and reverbs, including gems from the analogue era such as a Yamaha SPX2000 digital effects processor, Lexicon PCM70 and 480L reverbs, an Avalon VT737SP Tube Class A Voice Channel and a legendary Roland Space Echo, which was prominent in the vibrant and complex ska sound and helped replicate the old school 1970s disco sound of Encore. The FOH effects were fed into the console via a Midas DL451 rack and the onstage mic preamps were via 2 Midas DL431s.

“Midas is the best console for this mid-range application. There’s so much stuff going on with brass, guitars, and vocals. A lot of consoles can’t handle the mid-range as well as Midas because the preamp is excellent,” Ferrari gestured to the board at his fingertips. “I like to be hands-on with my mix, I’m constantly riding the faders.”

On stage, TPi met Keyboard Technician, Nick Maule, who has worked with the band since 2014. “Marcos and I are the oldest techs on this tour. Blackstar have provided our amps while Yamaha has provided us with a CP88 digital stage keyboard, the drums and Lynval’s guitar, which he loves.”

An important cog in The Specials’ touring machine, the keyboard rig has grown exponentially. “The latest album relies on a lot of real instruments in the studio so we’re trying to recreate that sound in a live environment,” Maule stated. “The band used so many raw keyboards in recording it’s been particularly difficult to replicate without having truckloads of keyboards.”

Maule used MainStage keyboard software to put everything together. He explained: “We’ve got lots of different plug-ins which Keyboard and Vocal Technician, Nikolaj Larsen triggers via Nord CT and then we use this CT for live old school stuff and the CP88 for the piano sound. Shout out to Nord, we use their kit extensively. Yamaha has also been great to us and lent us a lot of the kit.”

Leading the charge in monitor world was Marina Martinez Sebastian, who was joined by Adlib Monitor Technician, Sam Gallacher. Sebastian’s stage-left introduction to The Specials was equal parts daunting and exhilarating. “My first gig with the band was during their hometown show in Coventry supporting The Rolling Stones, which was a huge step for me. A real make or break situation.” No pressure, right?

Sebastian mixed on a DiGiCo SD10. “This board has really great features which I can maximise throughout the show,” she furthered. “It’s a big console with three banks of 12 channels which allow me to keep inputs on both sides with my outputs in the middle.”

A veritable feast of wedges adorned the stage, with 14 Adlib AA1515W 15-inch and 2-inch MP4 Bi-Amp wedges, driven by a Lab Gruppen PLM 1000Q amp racks. Sebastian explained: “Half of the band on the front line are on wedges, which is how it’s always been, and the band want to keep it that way.”

The strings, brass and keyboard players employed a mix of Jerry Harvey Audio and Sennheiser IE4 IEMs. “You can get a more detailed front of house mix with the in-ear moulds but there are lower end and physical movements from the driver, so having a low end on the stage helps. It works really well because the band like to have a loud stage and my job is finding the right balance.”

Drum Technician, Chris Butterworth & Keyboard Technician, Nick Maule.

The arena-worthy monitor setup allowed Sebastian to mitigate the loud stage. “It’s a compromise between making the guys feel good on stage as well as keeping it contained,” Sebastian outlined. “In particularly difficult venues like Blackburn, if you push the stage sound too much you get a lot of slapback, which not only makes for a messy stage but affects the front of house sound.”

Sebastian praised the band’s enthusiasm and energy on-stage. “They get very excited and the SPL level goes up dramatically,” she enthused. “The first half of the show is a mix between old school and the new Encore album. The last five songs are all top beat, loud sounding anthems which makes it a really fun show to be a part of!”

For microphones, Sebastian utilised a range of Shure products. Specifically, a Shure Beta 91 Microphone, a Shure Beta 52A Microphone, 2 Shure Beta 57A Microphones, 2 Shure SM57 Microphones and 4 Shure Beta 58a Microphones. A trio of AKG 451 Condenser Microphones and a pair of AKG 451 Condenser Microphones, along with a Beyerdynamic M88 Microphone joined the roster of mics; complete with LP Claw Mic Support. A couple of Audio-Technica AT897 shotgun microphones were also purposed as ambient mics. Audio-Technica’s Global Artist Relations and Brand Projects Manager EMEA, Edward Forth commented: “Adlib is not alone in choosing the AT897 as an ambient mic; an increasing number of engineers are relying on its smooth, natural sounding audio and longdistance pickup. Despite being designed for broadcast, with the increase in use and quality of IEMs, it is fast becoming the sensible, value for money choice for on-stage ambience.”

Sebastian walked TPi through the placement of the mics. “On drums,

we’ve got Adix D6s and a Shure Beta 91 on the kick. We use Shure SM57 Microphones for the snares, AKG 451 Condenser Microphones on the overheads, bass on DI and a Beyerdynamic M88 Microphone, which allows me to use more mic on the in-ears so it sounds nicer.”

On the stage, the Monitor Engineer purposed DIs to overcome feedback from the litany of wedges. “We have a very standard setup when it comes to mics. The vocals are achieved by wireless Shure Beta 58a Microphones, which give Terry freedom to travel the stage without compromising the sound.”

WE SELL HOPE As the sold-out audience in King George’s Hall roared and skanked its approval, Darling’s words reflected the unyielding energy of The Specials and their core touring crew, which shows no sign of slowing down. “The Specials are a very unique band and they have influenced a lot of people,” Darling said. “What makes them stand out is that they deliver a strong commentary on our times and strike a number of chords. I don’t think there are currently a lot of writers around who say what they want so clearly and emphatically.” TPi Photos: Steve Sroka, Alex Painter, Adlib & TPi www.thespecials.com www.adlib.co.uk www.audio-technica.com www.brianyeardley.com/truckingby/ www.starsleeper.co.uk