Music Bank: 25 Years in the Making

IN PROFILE

MUSIC BANK: 25 YEARS IN THE MAKING

25 Years after it was first established, Music Bank unveils its brand-new facility in West London. TPi had a behind the scenes tour of the impressive new rehearsal venue during the glitzy launch event, which saw owner Trevor Horn perform some of his career highlights live…

Trevor Horn has arguably been one of the busiest men in music over the last few decades, with a career spanning over 30 years, he’s produced for many artists including Yes and Seal, and become the owner of Music Bank, Europe’s biggest backline vendor. Music Bank recently moved to a new state-of-the-art facility and rehearsal studio: SARM Music Bank in Acton, West London.

Established in 1994 when Horn was offered the chance to purchase the backline rental business from Hilton Sound. Although he already had the very successful SARM group he was keen to acquire a backline business as he joked he would finally have more gear than Hans Zimmer. His new business Music Bank was originally housed in Bermondsey South London. As the company expanded the legendary North and South rehearsal studios were built on the top floor. The first rehearsal guests were Oasis and the initial success continued. Jimmy ‘Mac’ McNally, Director of Music Bank spoke to TPi. He said of the early days: “It was a different time, back then; we had some fun scenes, with every paparazzi in the country camped out in our car park hoping to get a glimpse of the acts coming through… and

yes we did see a few fridges and TVs go flying off the roof!” he laughed, in his trademark, deep Scottish twang.

Since then, Music Bank has become synonymous with high profile events, from the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilees, to iconic TV shows, festivals and as the official backline supplier to the 2012 Olympic Games. With backline rental and the rehearsal rooms complementing each other, it was also decided that the addition of dedicated storage cages would add to its offering. “These were not only for UK artists, but for many US acts wanting to hold a B-rig in the UK. We added cages throughout our time at the old haunt, and had almost 100 rigs in when we left,” Mac noted. As demand grew, so did the need for a bigger space.

And, as to be expected with the longevity of any good business, Music Bank has enjoyed a strong team of employees at its backbone over the years. Mac’s own career started in audio and touring. Between tours he ended up at Hilton Sound – and transferred over to Music Bank when it open as such. When the previous manager left, Horn offered Mac the role. Mac is assisted by Bookings Manager, Julie ‘Jules’ Sparrow.

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Opposite: Jimmy ‘Mac’ McNally, Director, with the office pups, Mya and Shiloh; Owner, Trevor Horn.

Sparrow, the woman with a now encyclopaedic knowledge of backline, started at Music Bank on its very first day as a General Assistant, as Mac explained: “We were so busy from the start, that within months, Jules found herself putting on a rental job, a Marshall full stack, for the Black Crowes. Since then, she’s never looked back and is now first port of call for most artists, PMs and festivals needing swift, friendly rental quotes. Including her annual mega-booking of Glastonbury’s plethora of stages, which we’ve been doing for 22 years.” Mac added “I really don’t know how she manages to do all that, keep all of us under control and bake care packages for her regular clients!”

Mac also gave mention to Operations Manager, Ian Whitehead, who oversees all logistics and backline needs, and his ‘King of the Pack’ JD. “JD not only runs the warehouse, but loves a good truck pack,” he laughed. With a world-renowned studio space and busy backline company in full swing, moving to a new location isn’t always the most convenient move, but with spiralling rent, a building that was showing its age and a landlord that wouldn’t assist in upkeep, Horn, Mac and the dedicated team decided it was the way forward.

Mac found the perfect location, but it wasn’t easy: “A new location was such a hard one to get right. I must have looked at a hundred buildings before finding this one, which ticked all my boxes! I explained to Trevor that I wanted to create an environment and buzz like we had all those years ago – minus the flying TVs obviously! - yet improve on it by implementing all the experience and feedback we’ve gathered over the years to deliver the best service possible.”

Mac’s main aim was on returning the focus back to what they do best: “Backline, studios and storage – and with a touring supplies shop and a

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handful of offices and writing rooms; I wanted to make a facility that artists, bands and crew would genuinely be happy to see as a first stop on their itinerary. It’s a hub for relaxation and for creativity to flow.”

With the location sorted, the Music Bank team needed to decide exactly how to use the space. Mac consulted with key industry players to make sure they were all on the same page. Designing the space is one thing, but Mac found execution was a little more difficult. He continued: “Putting all the ideas in place was another story! Firstly, I wanted to get the rehearsal rooms not only sounding great but to be aesthetically pleasing too. Apart from having to dig up the whole road to supply more power to the studios, each room had to have double height windows and oversized access doors with a short one level load-in from the huge backline department, and from the loading bay. The rooms also have 2ft thick, floating engineered walls as well as sustainable real oak flooring throughout.” Walking around the space, it feels luxurious and well thought-out. With punk-inspiredartwork, spunky neon signs, well-stocked fridges and kitsch sofas, SARM Music Bank is certainly an inviting, rock ‘n’ roll destination.

On trend as ever, Mac also noted that a lot of the artists and clients had voiced concerns regarding environmental issues. As well as using Green Power, Music Bank encouraged a minimal plastic, waste-free environment by introducing cold filtered water on tap, reusable water bottles and 100% recyclable cups and lids. On top of this, the rooms also benefit from a German designed AC system that keeps the space at an ambient temperature. “It’s designed to be very energy efficient and almost silent, with the air return being treated in a different way to the normal AC

“I have always said, one of the greatest assets a company can have is its staff and I am incredibly lucky to have such good, talented folks working in all positions here, both the well-established and our newcomers.”

Jimmy ‘Mac’ McNally Director, Music Bank

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cassettes. This in turn minimises the ‘dry throat’ effect which no singer wants to battle with during rehearsals,” Mac enthused. 


With everything setup and installed, all that was left was to do was to welcome in the new space in style. If you’ve ever met Mac, you’ll know he’s fond of a party, or 10. “We actually weren’t going to do anything for the opening as it was bang in middle of our crazy summer period, with festival acts in and out constantly. But, when Trevor offered to play and get an amazing band together, I thought there would be no better way to showcase the new facility’s capabilities?” he asked. With extra help drafted in, including some helping hands from the new neighbours, the event grew into a real launch pad. “I called in some old and new friends including Eat To The Beat catering, SSE Audio and Colour Sound Experiment to help put on and cater for the gig. The latter 2 are basically our new neighbours - who I knew wouldn’t complain about the noise,” he joked.

With the gig / opening party getting off to agreat start in mid-July, it’s only cemented Mac’s bright outlook on the future: “I have always said, one of the greatest assets a company can have is its staff and I am incredibly lucky to have such good, talented folks working in all positions here, both the well-established and our newcomers. I think there’s no doubt over the years that Music Bank has established its self as a legendary brand within the industry, and with these new facilities up and running, I look forward to taking our reputation and clients to the next level. Here’s to the past 25 years and of course, to the next!”
 TPi Photos: Music Bank www.musicbank.org